Correct me if I'm wrong...

You're supposed to check your oil when your car has been turned off and parked for a while, on a flat surface. Letting it sit for a 1/2 hour or so allows the oil to drain out of the engine and into the oil pan so you get a correct oil reading, right?

The reason I'm asking is, I was driving around last week, haven't really checked my oil since the last oil change 4,000 miles ago, and I got the red idiot light that came on, on the dash, saying the engine was low on oil.

Thanks,

Jeff 1991 300d, 111k