[RicheyBMW]

Okay, so when I check out the oil level in the dashboard. It's under the halfway point. The bar is showing 1/4 of it filled. However, the warning of add "+1 quart" has not popped up yet. My guess is since the bar looks low it will say low oil soon. My question is, can I go right ahead and add 1 quart right now even though it doesn't say I need to yet, or do I have to wait for the warning sign to pop up to add it?

[ovaltine224]

You can add some if you want. I'd prob add about half a quart and drive around and check the levels then

[Efthreeoh]

The car will indicate when the oil needs to be topped off with 1 full quart. BMW recommends only topping off the oil level in 1 full-quart increments. The e-dipstick measures the oil level under several different parameters over time. It measures the oil level with a sophisticated sensor using a concentric capacitance tube, not a float level as you might think. Right now your engine has approximately 6 and 1/4 quarts (out of 7 quarts) in it. It has plenty of oil to lubricate the engine parts and operate the VANOS system. What most people don't understand is the bar graph in the oil level menu screen just shows the top quart of oil in the engine i.e. the "7th" quart. The bar graph does not show the quantity of the entire load of oil in the engine.

If you try and top off the oil level using less than a full quart of oil you can possibly over fill the engine because the e-dipstick is not a direct-read device. The e-dipstick determines the evel of oil in the engine under specific engine conditions over time. Adding a partial quart (let's say 3/4 of a quart in your case) may be too much or not enough. You are really just guessing how much oil it may need to read full. When the car indicates a full quart is needed then that is what it needs.

The engine can safely operate with less than a full load of 7 quarts of oil. If you have ever read any owners manual of a car with a traditional mechanical, direct-read dipstick, it says to monitor the oil level of the engine and keep the level within the range of the hatchmarks (or two lines) on the dipstick. It is not necessary to keep the oil level at the very top of the dipstick mark.

Wait until the car indicates +1 quart then add one quart of oil to the engine.

[RicheyBMW]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The car will indicate when the oil needs to be topped off with 1 full quart. BMW recommends only topping off the oil level in 1 full-quart increments. The e-dipstick measures the oil level under several different parameters over time. It measures the oil level with a sophisticated sensor using a concentric capacitance tube, not a float level as you might think. Right now your engine has approximately 6 and 1/4 quarts (out of 7 quarts) in it. It has plenty of oil to lubricate the engine parts and operate the VANOS system. What most people don't understand is the bar graph in the oil level menu screen just shows the top quart of oil in the engine i.e. the "7th" quart. The bar graph does not show the quantity of the entire load of oil in the engine.

If you try and top off the oil level using less than a full quart of oil you can possibly over fill the engine because the e-dipstick is not a direct-read device. The e-dipstick determines the evel of oil in the engine under specific engine conditions over time. Adding a partial quart (let's say 3/4 of a quart in your case) may be too much or not enough. You are really just guessing how much oil it may need to read full. When the car indicates a full quart is needed then that is what it needs.

The engine can safely operate with less than a full load of 7 quarts of oil. If you have ever read any owners manual of a car with a traditional mechanical, direct-read dipstick, it says to monitor the oil level of the engine and keep the level within the range of the hatchmarks (or two lines) on the dipstick. It is not necessary to keep the oil level at the very top of the dipstick mark.

Wait until the car indicates +1 quart then add one quart of oil to the engine.

Sounds about right. I was worried about that too. I will wait till it indicates it needs +1 quart even though the bar level is low. Thanks for the advice.