I carried out a little experiment today on the Mercedes.
Engine cold, removed dipstick and wiped then took a reading, note how it shows to be at the top mark
My theory is some of the oil stays on the dipstick tube between the end of the tube and the end of the dipstick, when you remove the dipstick it drags the oil from the tube onto the dipstick giving a false reading. If you remove the dipstick for 10-15 minutes this allows the tube to clear and give an accurate reading
Engine cold, dipstick removed for 15 minutes, then took a reading, this I guess is the most accurate reading.
After a 380 mile journey I removed the dipstick, wiped it and took a reading, it shows well over the top mark
So I left the dipstick out for 10 minutes to allow the tube to clear and took my final reading which shows the level to be bang on at the top mark
