i have a hard time getting a good read on the dipstick, so I now do it like so: make sure engine is running and temp is 80c. Pull the dipstick out and leave it out for a few minutes. Then dip it in and check it. That seems to give me a better reading.

Yeah reading A/T fluid can be tricky, when the stuff is brand new and clean it can be really hard to see on the stick, and any fluid on the tube walls can monkey with the reading. I do it the same way you do, still seems like I need a flash light every time to make sure I can see the cutoff of where the fluid level is.

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1995 E300 Diesel
~300k