Can anyone with the new 4 cylinder engine tell me where the dip stick is? The manual is no help because the picture is for a different engine.
I consider myself a car guy but I'm defeated on this one. It's probably right in front of my face but I sure don't see it.

 

There is no dipstick. They are correcting the manual, it should be up to date in the online version.

 

I suppose I should feel better that I didn't miss it but is Volvo so sure of their engines not burning oil that they wouldn't install a dipstick? That brings up an interesting question. If during the warranty period, engine damage occurs due to low oil, how can the owner be blamed if there is no way to check?
I just checked the manual to see if there was an low oil level warning light but there isn't, at least according to the manual. There is a low oil pressure warning light but by the time you get to that point, it's almost too late.
I see that there also isn't a dipstick for the transmission but I can understand that because the transmission isn't going to burn oil and if it leaks, you should be able to see that on the ground.

 

I just checked the online manual and lo and behold, there is an oil level sensor and readout but that's according to the manual. I did the procedure to bring up the display and it's not there.
Most frustrating.

 

It's there. And I agree. As a tech, I hate the lack of the dipstick.

If the oil level is low, you'll get a warning message telling you how much to add.

 

So, I went to a dealer today to order roof rails for the V60 and decided to ask a service writer about checking the oil. I didn't tell him about this thread and just plain dumb. He said that there is a sensor that will turn on a low level light should the oil ever get low. I said you mean you're supposed to drive until the light comes on and then add oil. His response was "welcome to the world of electronics".
I decided to play around some more with the dash display and I finally able to get the actual level readout to display. Thank you ES6T for pointing me in the right direction. It does make you wonder if Volvo is going to reissue a corrected owner's manual.

 

It probably won't be a whole manual. Maybe just a sticker to put in it or a letter explaining the process to check the oil. They are aware though.

 

You can't follow the readout on the display for oil level. I forgot the specifics for it but it will only move a certain amount and I know for sure that it will not read correctly. The only way to correctly read the oil level is through VIDA. If you're oil just so happens to get low there will be a message on the dash saying to add 1liter of oil. That's when you know the oil is low.

 

Yeah, that is true. The graph is not linear. If the level is okay, it shows full. If it is low, and I'm not sure the threshold, it will show empty, even of it only needs a quart

 

I suppose Volvo's reasoning is who ever checks their oil anymore? We replaced our old Caravan with the Volvo and at 205,000 miles on the Caravan, I had never needed to add oil between changes. A few years ago, I switched to synthetic and extended the change interval to around 8,000 miles and still never had to add.

 

A lot of car companies are going with no dipsticks it's not just Volvo

 

Just an update for those with 2015 Drive-E engines. The separate download for checking the oil level is incomplete and won't get you the screen if you follow it.
After much screwing around and actually getting it a couple of times, the procedure is as follows:
1. Insert key in slot
2. Hold the start/stop button for 2 seconds until the headlights come on. That
is Level 2 ignition.
3. Press the ok button on the end of the stalk. This is the part that is not
included in Volvo's literature.
4. Turn the selector wheel until the oil level display comes up.

It's certainly simple enough when you have the right procedure. I just finished driving 2200 miles and decided to keep trying until I figured it out. At 9500 miles, it said the oil level was low but I never got a light telling me that so I'm assuming that the low level light means it is more than a quart low.
I do have an appointment in 2 weeks for the first service on the car. Not that a quart in 9500 miles is bad but our 2001 Caravan with 206,000 miles on it still doesn't need oil between its 7500 miles change interval.
Out of curiosity, do the dealers use an oil extractor rather than draining the oil?
Is the filter accessible from below?

 

We drain it from below. The filter housing is underneath anyway.

 

I have 2000 miles before I am due an oil change. This is the third time I have a low oil warning. Add 1liter. Is this normal???

 

My 2015 V60 had 2 significant flaws - no dipstick and goop + pump instead of spare tire. The latter has been rectified - a bit of knife work on the lower insert and there is now a spare (unfortunately one of the temporary ones) in place but I see no way to address the former.

A general comment: warning lights are a poor substitute for oil pressure and, in some cars, temperature gauges. Those who do not know how to read these gauges should not, in my mind, be allowed to drive.

The electronic read-out is a poor substitute for a dip stick. Sensors can fail and actually seeing the oil can, in the case of certain malfunctions like a coolant leak into the crankcase, provide critical warnings.

As an aside, I recently drove a 2020 V60. I liked the size, styling and was intrigued by the "Thor's Hammer" headlamps but Volvo's decision to move most of the center console mechanical functions to a touch screen put me off - a clear triumph of fashion over form.