Dear XXX:

I am not sure if I understand what you are doing and what your problem is.

When you check the ATF level, whether the engine is warm or cold, the car has to be running. But you know that, of course.

Next thing is to pull the dip-stick without paying attention to whatever it reads and wipe it clean, with a very clean towel or rag. Then you put the dip-stick back in, straight that is, and pull it out again to read it. That's the first reading.

Every other reading you do from there should give you similar results. If that isn't the case, the only explanation is that you have been pulling or pushing the stick in a bend way so that the reading is inaccurate. Something like that will be mostly the case after you filled in some ATF. That makes it almost impossible to get a valid reading as long as the fluid is dripping down the tube which can be for as much as an hour.

So what's the problem again?