hmmm....
it's something that more of us should do....
and something we should do more often....
and things can get a bit nasty if you don't have enough lubrication....
i was just checking the oil level in my car the other day and it occured to me that there are quite a few people who ignore this important (especially if your car is not near brand new) task. it only takes a couple of minutes and you know that your car has enough oil in it. all you need to do is park the car on a more or less level surface, open the bonnet, pull out the dipstick (a long thin bit of metal with a hook or handle at the end - it's usually at the side - or front if your engine is fitted sideways as in a lot of smaller cars) wipe it clean, put it back in and pull it out again. the oil left on it should come above the lower marking and below the higher one. it should be closer to the higher one, so if it's too low, top it up (you can get the stuff from the supermarket) through the filler cap on the top until it's at the right level. try to err on the side of not putting enough in, as you can always put a bit more in, but you can't easily take it out.... and wait a few minutes before checking the level again, as oil is fairly thick and viscous, so it takes a little while to make its way down.
if you have to keep putting oil in, the engine's probably worn and needing some work done it, although as this is expensive, if it's an old car you might just put up with it, as long as there's not clouds of smoke coming out of the exhaust.
so how often does everyone here do it??
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