has anyone found a new better dipstick for 10th gen?

pjw7454

Senior Member
First Name
Pete
Joined
Dec 1, 2018
Threads
26
Messages
185
Reaction score
49
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
2017 civic couple ex-L
title says it all. just curious if you guys modded your dipstick or just were able to find a nicer one online?
Sponsored

 

PhilF

Senior Member
First Name
Phil
Joined
Nov 27, 2018
Threads
17
Messages
499
Reaction score
436
Location
South Central Pennsylvania
Vehicle(s)
2020 CRV EX-L Platinum White Pearl/Ivory, 2020 CRV EX-L Crystal Black Pearl/Grey
Country flag
Haven't thought to look for a better one, I would think that would have to come from Honda. I'd like to have mine glass beaded or sandblasted, tried ScotchBrite, helped some, but that orange plastic tip really needs to be much lower gloss. I don't know what "engineer" designed it, but he needs to re-think his career, maybe if he actually OWNED a Civic and had to check his oil, perhaps there'll be a TSB and a new design dipstick. If a supplier came up with something better (& I DO think there's a market!) For $15-25 bucks, I'd be all in. Perhaps I'm a lone voice in the forest here, but can't help but think others are frustrated by what should be a much easier task. Checking clean oil shouldn't involve light reflection and refraction and trying to interpret a shiny substance on a shiny surface, IMHO Once the oil is darkened, it's easier, but is still a poor design. Can't believe I'm railing on about a DIPSTICK! lol
 

SCOPESYS

Senior Member
First Name
Geoff
Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Threads
68
Messages
2,505
Reaction score
1,550
Location
MD
Vehicle(s)
2018 Honda Civic SI Coupe. . . . . . . .1987 Nissan Maxima Wagon. . . . . . . . . . .1987 Nissan Pulsar NX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1987 Nissan Maxima Wagon (2nd Donor Wagon for parts)
Country flag
Haven't thought to look for a better one, I would think that would have to come from Honda. I'd like to have mine glass beaded or sandblasted, tried ScotchBrite, helped some, but that orange plastic tip really needs to be much lower gloss. I don't know what "engineer" designed it, but he needs to re-think his career, maybe if he actually OWNED a Civic and had to check his oil, perhaps there'll be a TSB and a new design dipstick. If a supplier came up with something better (& I DO think there's a market!) For $15-25 bucks, I'd be all in. Perhaps I'm a lone voice in the forest here, but can't help but think others are frustrated by what should be a much easier task. Checking clean oil shouldn't involve light reflection and refraction and trying to interpret a shiny substance on a shiny surface, IMHO Once the oil is darkened, it's easier, but is still a poor design. Can't believe I'm railing on about a DIPSTICK! lol
I feel the same as you.

So much so, that I purchased a 2nd Dipstick to "play with"

I don't know what the Plastic material is, but it has a VERY HIGH melting point.

I had planned to heat it up, and remove it from the metal shaft, and then replace it with a piece of machine white Torlon.

However, when I came to heat it up to melt it with a heat Gun, it withstood melting, but did start to turn lighter & whiter, and lost it's shine.

I stopped at that point, before it got any mechanical distortion, and tried it in the oil again. A significant improvement, and I now believe I can read even new oil to within 1-2mm quite easily.

This is now sufficient for me.. so I stopped there.

I put the old shiny original one back in the engine. I had tried scuffing it up with sand paper earlier, and that was moderately successful, but not nearly as good as the "Heat Treatment"

I'll keep the Whiter, Heat Treated one in the garage, for when I want an accurate reading when the oil is cooler.
 
OP
OP
pjw7454

pjw7454

Senior Member
First Name
Pete
Joined
Dec 1, 2018
Threads
26
Messages
185
Reaction score
49
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
2017 civic couple ex-L
I feel the same as you.

So much so, that I purchased a 2nd Dipstick to "play with"

I don't know what the Plastic material is, but it has a VERY HIGH melting point.

I had planned to heat it up, and remove it from the metal shaft, and then replace it with a piece of machine white Torlon.

However, when I came to heat it up to melt it with a heat Gun, it withstood melting, but did start to turn lighter & whiter, and lost it's shine.

I stopped at that point, before it got any mechanical distortion, and tried it in the oil again. A significant improvement, and I now believe I can read even new oil to within 1-2mm quite easily.

This is now sufficient for me.. so I stopped there.

I put the old shiny original one back in the engine. I had tried scuffing it up with sand paper earlier, and that was moderately successful, but not nearly as good as the "Heat Treatment"

I'll keep the Whiter, Heat Treated one in the garage, for when I want an accurate reading when the oil is cooler.
Heat guns are not not nearly powerful enough to melt plastic. Use a blow torch. But I’ll try it
 

SCOPESYS

Senior Member
First Name
Geoff
Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Threads
68
Messages
2,505
Reaction score
1,550
Location
MD
Vehicle(s)
2018 Honda Civic SI Coupe. . . . . . . .1987 Nissan Maxima Wagon. . . . . . . . . . .1987 Nissan Pulsar NX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1987 Nissan Maxima Wagon (2nd Donor Wagon for parts)
Country flag
Heat guns are not not nearly powerful enough to melt plastic. Use a blow torch. But I’ll try it
I think mine would be, if I kept it on the plastic long enough.

If you do mess up the Dipstick, and brand new one is only about $17 incl shipping.
You should be able to heat the surface to begin turning it white, and less shiny, before it gets hot enough to start deforming and melting.

Good Luck
 


jgreen16

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Threads
3
Messages
510
Reaction score
345
Location
Cleveland, OH
Vehicle(s)
2020 Civic EX Hatch, 1990 Chevrolet C1500
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
OP
OP
pjw7454

pjw7454

Senior Member
First Name
Pete
Joined
Dec 1, 2018
Threads
26
Messages
185
Reaction score
49
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
2017 civic couple ex-L

JT Si

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2019
Threads
19
Messages
1,299
Reaction score
1,151
Location
Place
Vehicle(s)
Car
Country flag
Anyone on here try this yet? They have Si and Type R fitment. I am sure the dipstick from the Si would be the same for all L15 engines though.

https://www.superstik.com/product/superstik-2/
That's very tempting except for the price.... $90 for a dipstick? Lol! I want one, but I'm having a real hard time with that price. If it was even $60-75 it would be much easier to accept...
 


JO3L

Senior Member
First Name
Joel
Joined
Apr 17, 2018
Threads
6
Messages
387
Reaction score
379
Location
Southern California
Vehicle(s)
FC1E5, NA6CE
Country flag
That's very tempting except for the price.... $90 for a dipstick? Lol! I want one, but I'm having a real hard time with that price. If it was even $60-75 it would be much easier to accept...
I hear you on that! Maybe when they have a sale I will get one at a discounted price. If you think about it though would you rather pay $90 to accurately read your engine oil levels or pay to replace a motor with oil starvation issues.
 

360glitch

Moderator
Joined
Feb 15, 2017
Threads
108
Messages
4,710
Reaction score
4,873
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
2019 Accord Sport 2.0T, 2017 Si Sedan (Sold), 2017 Sport Hatchback (Sold)
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
Anyone on here try this yet? They have Si and Type R fitment. I am sure the dipstick from the Si would be the same for all L15 engines though.

https://www.superstik.com/product/superstik-2/
That's very tempting except for the price.... $90 for a dipstick? Lol! I want one, but I'm having a real hard time with that price. If it was even $60-75 it would be much easier to accept...
I too thought this one looked interesting but was not interested in paying that much money for it.
 

JT Si

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2019
Threads
19
Messages
1,299
Reaction score
1,151
Location
Place
Vehicle(s)
Car
Country flag
I hear you on that! Maybe when they have a sale I will get one at a discounted price. If you think about it though would you rather pay $90 to accurately read your engine oil levels or pay to replace a motor with oil starvation issues.
That's a crock because you know you can read the oil level well enough to avoid oil starvation with literally any dipstick. Either there's oil or there's not.
 

JO3L

Senior Member
First Name
Joel
Joined
Apr 17, 2018
Threads
6
Messages
387
Reaction score
379
Location
Southern California
Vehicle(s)
FC1E5, NA6CE
Country flag
That's a crock because you know you can read the oil level well enough to avoid oil starvation with literally any dipstick. Either there's oil or there's not.
I was being sarcastic but yeah with fresh clean 0w20 on the dipstick after an oil change i cant tell for the life of me if i am at the full mark or not. Just buy 4 quarts and leave a little leftover in the final quart and hope i got enough until the oil gets dirty enough to be able to read on the dipstick.
 

xRiCeBoYx

Senior Member
First Name
Josh
Joined
Nov 16, 2017
Threads
8
Messages
923
Reaction score
1,022
Location
Las Vegas, NV
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic Sport Hatchback CVT
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
That superstik is cool, but not $90 cool. I was gonna make fun of the fact that they have an installation instructional video, then realized that they literally throw the old shitty dipstick out of frame and pop in the new one. Sure, it illustrates the fact that it's a direct replacement, but it's a dipstick, that should have been a given.
Sponsored

 


 


Top