>> Ok, how about some techniques on how to hold the liscense plate down and
 > check the oil and hold the rag at the same time?

Let's see, I tried using the filler cap to hold the plate down, it slipped
out and I poured a quart all over the place.

I tried the foot on the plate, but I'm not as thin as I used to be :)

I did what someone else mentioned, cut a small length of wood, about the
width of a pencil, and I keep it under the carpeting, along with a few
paper towels from the service station.

The best solution so far tho is sending my son out to do it for me. I
trust him, he knows what my van means to me. I love watching him try to
get the stick back into the tube :-)

John