When I turned the ignition on in my old XS 1.8 I had the same oil level guage on my dash. It would 'ping' around to max quite quickly before dropping again.

Since having my GTi6 it has never done this, only ever reaching about ¾s of the way around and usually rising very very slowly.

This morning it did the low-level thing where it fails to meet the halfway point and continues to flash. Checking the dipstick showed there was plenty of oil there, but this was after the engine had warmed up so I'm keen to check it again later.

Question is; should it ping around to max as it did in my old car?

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'99 1.8 XS - Sold
'00 GTi6 - Killed by armco
'01 Cabriolet 1.8 - Sold
'96 Eunos Roadster 1.8 Import

If youre parked on level ground and the oil has returned to the sump (ie, you haven't just switched the engine off) then yes, the oil level indicator should read max.

Assuming youre not low on oil of course!

Thought you said the dipstick level was ok?

What color is the smoke in the morning? If its white then id say thats normal this time of year, but if its blue, thats not good.

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See the sheer power and might of the lesser known burrowing owl.

Go by the dipstick and check it when the oil is in the sump.

Sensor might need a repair or replacement as the wiring tends to get damaged.