went to view a ford galaxy this eve ,all good did the deal wife goes in the house to pay & sign the v5 whilst i check oil level,NO oil on stick i rush inside to stop her buying ,get the seller to explain ,i've smeared inside rocker cover-very oily cars been in regular use my test drive was good & quiet no lights on dash ,so the seller pours some oil in to no avail ,its been in the garage recently for some minor work am wondering if the wrong stick has been fitted accidentally ,the cars clean engine bay & no slick underneath. wonder if anyone has the same car on here to compare measurements. its an '04 tdi 1.9 measured to underside of shoulder that rests against the guide tube to end of stick 505mm.also if it is too short & he's overfilled it can the cat be damaged?
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Parm
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Be careful with this, if there is a leak you won't know till its gushing out as ther is a plastic under tray that seems to capture most minor leaks. Biggest issue ive seen
cumbriasteve
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I am not familiar with that car or engine but my alarm bells would be ringing so load I would require ear protectors.
The wrong dipstick would be most unusual and a super clean engine bay and underneath always makes me suspicious too.
If it was me buying I would now be treating everything the seller said as a lie unless proved otherwise, in fact the sale would be off and I would walk away.
The wrong dipstick would be most unusual and a super clean engine bay and underneath always makes me suspicious too.
If it was me buying I would now be treating everything the seller said as a lie unless proved otherwise, in fact the sale would be off and I would walk away.
Badger1bear
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Agreed
dobbslc
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There's thousands of Galaxy's out there, having oil in the engine is the most basic thing to check! I'd leave it.
Over filing can damage a cat or oil seals, turbo (if it's very over filled)
On the flip side I bought a Toyota Surf 3.0 turbo diesel 4 years ago that only had a few mm of oil on the dip stick, but it DID have oil there and I know it has an 8 litre oil capacity so bought it, still going strong.
Over filing can damage a cat or oil seals, turbo (if it's very over filled)
On the flip side I bought a Toyota Surf 3.0 turbo diesel 4 years ago that only had a few mm of oil on the dip stick, but it DID have oil there and I know it has an 8 litre oil capacity so bought it, still going strong.
steveo3002
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yeah leave it - first thing i check on a car for sale
had words with one of the g/f mates about letting the oil light come on , shrugged it off that it didnt matter , the car now has a dead engine at 85k
had words with one of the g/f mates about letting the oil light come on , shrugged it off that it didnt matter , the car now has a dead engine at 85k
Barlidge
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I have an 03 tdi with the AUY engine variant, more than happy to pull out my stick and compare if you want 
The PD engines are good lumps, mines on 180k and still going strong but apparently the cam suffers with incorrect/low oil.
Edit: Just to add the specified oil is VW 505.01 which a lot of people ignore, have a look what he topped it up with as that will give you a hint at how well its been maintained. Like others if its the wrong oil AND its been run low then at best its grounds to knock it down to peanuts or walk away.
The PD engines are good lumps, mines on 180k and still going strong but apparently the cam suffers with incorrect/low oil.
Edit: Just to add the specified oil is VW 505.01 which a lot of people ignore, have a look what he topped it up with as that will give you a hint at how well its been maintained. Like others if its the wrong oil AND its been run low then at best its grounds to knock it down to peanuts or walk away.
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octo0072000
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dipstick tubes only plastic on these and do break, also i think there should be a bit of yellow plastic on the end of the dipstick was on my skoda same engine
in fact i should have a dipstick tube in the shed only way to check is drain it and refill with correct amount of oil
guide tube may not be pushed fully home should be yellow or orange in colour
in fact i should have a dipstick tube in the shed only way to check is drain it and refill with correct amount of oil
guide tube may not be pushed fully home should be yellow or orange in colour
Run away fast.
Years ago my brother bought a Mitsubishi 4x4, after driving it home noticed drips of oil on the drive. Looked underneath no gearbox sump plug, rang the garage, their answer was "Sorry, drive it back and well fit one and fill it with oil", it took getting solicitors involved before they took the car back and he got a full refund.
Years ago my brother bought a Mitsubishi 4x4, after driving it home noticed drips of oil on the drive. Looked underneath no gearbox sump plug, rang the garage, their answer was "Sorry, drive it back and well fit one and fill it with oil", it took getting solicitors involved before they took the car back and he got a full refund.
octo0072000
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true garages remove the engine cover dipstick goes through it so more likely to have pulled tube it up so would read low but as said drain and refill with correct amount of oil it has been in a garage recently as well that would be first port of call to see what was done
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Run away fast.
Years ago my brother bought a Mitsubishi 4x4, after driving it home noticed drips of oil on the drive. Looked underneath no gearbox sump plug, rang the garage, their answer was "Sorry, drive it back and well fit one and fill it with oil", it took getting solicitors involved before they took the car back and he got a full refund.
A work colleague bought an auto BMW from somewhere about 150 miles south of Birmingham, couple of weeks later it locked in first gear, the garage said drive it back for repair!
those engines can tolerate low oil level. the minumum mark is very conservative. but wrong oil or low oil pressure destroys them.
i would run away, because if your selling a car and havent noticed the oil isnt even on the dipstick. its not exactly going to have been maintaned
i would run away, because if your selling a car and havent noticed the oil isnt even on the dipstick. its not exactly going to have been maintaned
Tinbasherdan
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No oil would be a certain deal breaker to me. Recently took a friend to view a car, a golf gti that had the usual boy racer touches. It was smoking on tickover, boot was full of water etc but he knew better and parted with 3k cash, guy hops in his car and off he goes (meeting in a car park.......) as our mate is sorting his kit out from my car I had a look through what little info had been left in a folder; two months previous it had been in the garage for an oil pump failure and had been fitted with a second hand part. Again mate knew better, and 3 weeks later he had a nicely blown engine due to excessive wear and a dodgy pump
