Hi All,

Just got a 06 wagon and had a question reading the oil level on the dipstick. I have to wipe and put the dipstick in about 3 times before I get a consistent reading. On the 3rd time I notice that one side of the dipstick the oil level is about half way between the Low and High mark, but on the other side of the dipstick the oil level is right under the High mark. So my question is which side is the actual reading of my oil level?

Thanks in advance for the help

Note: I do make sure the dipstick is all the way in before I take it out and check the oil. I have about 2K miles on the car and using mobil 1 5w-30. I change the oil to full synthetic when I hit 1,200 miles.

Mine does the same thing. I tried turning it 180deg. and it did the same thing on the opposite side. I would just go by the side that does not get wiped when you pull it out.

I just want to clarify that the top side of the dipstick shows the oil level between the L and H mark while the bottom side shows the oil level as full.

So no matter how many times I wipe the dipstick I will get the same results. So would my oil level be:

A:half full
or
B:full???

Check the oil on a level surface when the car is cold. Then look at the L and F. The flat 4 motor is a pain sometimes to read the dipstick, but its easiest to check when its cold.

IIRC, the topside L and H is to be looked at when the oil is warm...not 100% sure though.

Either way (if you're at 'half' or 'full' on the dipstick, you're fine). There's one quart between the empty and full marks, and any place your oil is in between is fine. I usually go by the lower-reading-side, to make sure I have enough. That's when reading it cold. However it IS important to know that overfilling is just as bad as underfilling. There'a a mark higher on the dipstick above the 'full' mark that is the 'full when hot' mark. If the higher-reading-side is above that mark when you've just driven it a while, then you probably have too much oil. Also check out your owners manual because it has a picture with labels about what I said regarding the 'full when hot' mark.

Thanks all for the feedback. When I do check my oil it is in the morning after my car sits in the garage for the night. I know the dipstick does not go straight in and is at a slant. It just puzzles me how both sides can give you such different readings

Any reading between the dots is fine. Based on what you described, I'd guess you are between the dots, and that adding an extra third of a quart would not overfill the oil. The important thing to notice is if the level starts going down quickly from where it was previously.

i think i overfilled my engine, im gonna take out some oil tomorrow

i think for you to properly read the oil level, you would need to warm up the engine.
I can't say about subaru but that is what it say in my car manual for my toyota.
Subie might be different so i suggest take a look at the manual because there could be a Hot side and a cold side for dip stick.

Same comment as MVWRX above which is the amount of oil difference b/w the low mark and the full mark on the dipstick is less than one quart. Given that our cars burn oil, I'd recommend checking it every couple of weeks (depending on how much you drive) and adding oil as needed. I changed my oil about 1.5K miles ago and less than a quart.