Not to sound like a complete idiot, but how do you guys check your engine oil level for the 2.7T? It seems that when I check oil level soon after a drive, say at the gas station or something, the oil level appears high. When I check after engine has been resting, say after sitting in the garage for the night, the oil level is right on.

Which one should be believe? Any comments, suggestions, technical knowledge?

I know the 2.7T uses oil pressure to advance timing, could this be causing a certain amount of residual oil volume to deposite somewhere in the engine?

Thanks in advance...

technically the level should be checked when hot, but I don't think it will hurt anything by having the oil "full" when cold. If you are using synthetic, it has a higher film stregth than dino oil so more will be "held up" on the engine internals. My theory is that while the car is running, at least 1/2 quart will be circulating through the engine and thus out of the pan, so the engine will never "see" the higher volume of oil that shows up on the dipstick when hot.

Too much oil in the pan can get splashed by the crankshaft and cause problems, but I'm pretty sure you would have to have it like a quart too full when cold to experience such an issue. [I always have my oil full at cold, or very close so that it is always slightly higher than full at full operating temp. - no problems so far with any of my vehicles over the past 30 years or so...]

So, don't know why it didn't occur to me before to check my Bentley... duh!

It says test conditions are:

- Oil temp is above 60 degree C (140F)
- Vehicle must be level
- Wait a few minutes after shutoff to let oil levels settle

So... there you go.