oil dipstick rant

My 2008 stick worked good after a vigorous cleaning with Simple Green. The 2011 on the other hand required some additional ingenuity. I went after the measuring section with some 400 grit sandpaper to take the shine off the metal. That did the trick. While you're at it, you might want to round out the edges of the stick so they slide through the dipstick tube more easily. If you use this method, carefully clean afterward to remove all traces of abrasive. I may have to process the 2021 stick similarly.

 

The level is slightly higher due to the dipstick sloping a bit as it enters the oil? I wouldn’t get too torn up about it.

The “skid marks” can mostly be eliminated, if you pull out the dipstick, and wait at least 5 minutes before doing the check. It seems oil is pulled up the tube when you first pull it out, and the wait allows it to drain.