‘Chevrolet Why Are Your Engines Guzzling Oil Like This?': Woman’s Screen Says Her Car Has 25% Oil. Then She Checks the Dipstick

"As an Audi owner, i wish I had the luxury of not doing daily checks!"

Woman’s screen says her car has 25% oil

Photo by: AdobeStock

Nina Hernandez

By: Nina Hernandez

Dec 22, 2025 at 10:00am ET

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A Chevrolet Equinox owner saw ees that her Oil-Life Monitor is at 25%, so she naturally decided to take the car in for an oil change. That’s when she learned the true meaning of the oil life meter.

TikTok creator Genna (@genlynfro) posted a video about her discovery last week. “Randomly stopped to do an oil change because my car said it was at 25%,” she writes in on-screen text. “Only to be shown there was no oil on the dipstick.”

Genna had one response: “Oops.”

In the caption, she writes that one of the technicians told the other that she had “maybe” two quarts in the car. “Chevrolet, why are your engines guzzling oil like this?” she asks.

What Does General Motors’ Oil-Life Monitor Do?

The indicator Genna is referring to in the video is likely General Motors’ Oil-Life Monitor, a computer software that keeps track of certain factors to determine when the car needs an oil change. Essentially, a city driver will get their vehicle's oil changed less often than someone who drives on mountainous terrain or in extreme climates. Instead of calculating yourself, the oil-life system does the math.

According to Chevrolet, drivers should schedule a service when the oil life gets to 15% and get their vehicle serviced as quickly as possible at 5%. If the indicator reads 0%, that means the car is past due and needs an oil change immediately.

Chevrolet owners explained as much in a Reddit thread posted to r/ChevySpark two years ago. “It’s the oil-life monitor display,” wrote one person. “It’s telling you what percentage of the oil life is remaining. Nothing to do with the oil level. Basically, on these cars, you get the oil changed when the car tells you to.”

The oil-life monitor system is not to be confused with the oil pressure gauge, which is used to determine the oil pressure of your engine. When that light comes on, it generally means there’s a leak, a broken hose, or a pump failure. Whatever the problem, it means you need to get to a mechanic as soon as possible for a diagnostic.

Viewers React to the Woman’s 25% Oil-Light Incident

In the comments section, viewers discussed oil-light meters and how they are not a substitute for good, old-fashioned periodic dipstick checks.

“Crazy idea,” wrote one viewer. “Check it once or twice a week.”

“Your car usually doesn’t know how much oil is in it,” wrote a second person. “Most cars go by time and mileage. It’s definitely good to get in the habit of checking.”

Another said, “Hey, so it’s good practice to make it a point to check fluid levels every month or every other month. A small inconvenience beats a whole car not running.”

What do you think?

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Someone else testified, “My Kia warned me about low oil. Dipstick was drier than a Nature Valley bar.”

Motor1 contacted Genna via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also reached out to Chevrolet via press email for comment. We'll update this if either responds.

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