So you see the barrel on top and bottom. Ok...doesnt take a genius to know that the read should have oil in the grooves, nice and thick. Sometimes it looks low on oil, other times it doesnt read at all. I always take a read on a cold engine and on a level surface. I have had 15+ cars and am 50 years old. Not new at this. I am taking it over to the dealer. The only thing worse than underfilling the oil is overfilling.