[JimD]

Since I first commented I had an experience that may help explain why we do not have dipsticks. We commonly start meetings with safety/quality messages at work. We had a meeting a day or two ago where the message was about the GM recall for secondary hood latches. They seem to have had a worker who just didn't put them on one day and their quality system was weak enough they didn't catch it.

I suggested that the owners were also at fault. People started looking at each other. I asked who had and who had not opened their hood. All the females in attendance said they had not, some of the guys were also in this camp. One of the asked what difference it made. I pointed out that to open the hood you have to disengage the secondary latch.

When a major percentage of drivers never even open the hood..... The other reason I've read is emissions. The hydrocarbons that come out of the dipstick tube has to be miniscule. A better seal could further reduce it. But even a small number multiplied by a lot of cars I guess could be a meaningful number (?).

I still want a dipstick. BMW reinforcing the dumbing down of the automotive experience isn't what I would do. But I think they have a basis to say that most drivers don't care.

Jimm