[Clifton]

Originally Posted by Casper (aka ENINTY)

So here is the exact wording from the 2006 Z4 owner's manual. The 2006 Z4 has a mechanical dipstick.:

The oil level should be between the two marks on the dipstick.

The oil volume between the two marks on the dipstick corresponds to approx.1.1 quarts/1 liter. Do not fill beyond the upper mark on the dipstick. Excess oil will damage the engine.

While you should wait until the level has dropped to just above the lower mark before adding oil, you should never allow the oil level to fall below this mark.

So the way I read this is, "wait until the engine needs 1 quart of oil before adding oil to the crankcase." The language in the Z4 manual reads pretty much the same way as the E90 E-dipstick operates: the owner keeps track of the oil level using the e-dipstick and when it gets to 1 quart low (as notified by the CBS), he adds 1 quart of oil.

No where does the manual say the owner should top off the oil level in small measured increments to keep the oil level at the top mark.

Casper (aka ENINTY).

ENINTY - you are not kidding anyone here.

If you want to add one full quart, I would agree, you need to wait till it the dipstick shows that the car needs one full quart. However, show me where is says the system is not designed for topping-off oil and that you can only add oil in quart increments.

And ENINTY, with regards to your wife's car, I think you meant Z3, not Z4. *wink* *wink*

[MstrRogers330i]

Originally Posted by shata

Hey Mstrrogers, Does your 330i burn little oil between changes? What interval do you change oil at and how much if you do does your car burn in certain mile period?

I bought my car with 46,000 miles on it and the dealer said it was changed at 44ish (which I found out when I went to get it topped off). I got the +1 quart warning at around 55,000 and went to the dealer and they topped it off for free....had it changed the next week. So i went about 11ish I guess....not sure if thats normal but I plan on changing it every 7500 or so

[gkroegman]

Last time the dealer changed my oil, they put in 5.5 quarts. My oil gauge showed it was about halfway between Min and Max.

(Question 1 - when the gauge is at min, how much oil is actually still in the engine?)

I figured it was OK since that's what the gauge said "OK"... I drove and watched it consume oil at a pretty normal rate, from what I've read.
It's been about 5k miles (Has 61k on it) and I got the "+1 QT" message on my dash. I also got this light: http://www.ottos.subarudealer.ca/con...%20warning.jpg (Yeah I know that's from Subaru but its the same icon, with the little waves underneath that oil pan thing)

Figuring that since the oil was lower than the full 6.9Qt to begin with, adding 2Qt would bring it back up to what it should be.

I added 2qt and took it for a spin (about 10 miles). E-Dipstick showed perfectly at Max.

I noticed that while driving, the ride is MUCH smoother, and I feel like I've gained back some power that I didn't even know I lost. Gas mileage also went up. Sooo everythings pretty much improved.

(Question 2 - If I've added too much, the car would tell me, right? I've seen posts where there's an indicator light for that. 2009 328i, E90)

Because the reading is at Max and not over it, I'm not too concerned, but wanted to triple check. I drove it to work this morning, about 36 miles one way, and the gauge was still perfectly at Max. I know the E-dipstick isn't accurate right after oil is changed or added, so I'll keep monitoring, but once I get home tonight... that will have been 80 miles on the car since adding the oil. That should be enough time and distance to reasonably think that the e-dipstick is reading correctly, RIGHT?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by gkroegman

Last time the dealer changed my oil, they put in 5.5 quarts. My oil gauge showed it was about halfway between Min and Max.

(Question 1 - when the gauge is at min, how much oil is actually still in the engine?)

I figured it was OK since that's what the gauge said "OK"... I drove and watched it consume oil at a pretty normal rate, from what I've read.
It's been about 5k miles (Has 61k on it) and I got the "+1 QT" message on my dash. I also got this light: http://www.ottos.subarudealer.ca/con...%20warning.jpg (Yeah I know that's from Subaru but its the same icon, with the little waves underneath that oil pan thing)

Figuring that since the oil was lower than the full 6.9Qt to begin with, adding 2Qt would bring it back up to what it should be.

I added 2qt and took it for a spin (about 10 miles). E-Dipstick showed perfectly at Max.

I noticed that while driving, the ride is MUCH smoother, and I feel like I've gained back some power that I didn't even know I lost. Gas mileage also went up. Sooo everythings pretty much improved.

(Question 2 - If I've added too much, the car would tell me, right? I've seen posts where there's an indicator light for that. 2009 328i, E90)

Because the reading is at Max and not over it, I'm not too concerned, but wanted to triple check. I drove it to work this morning, about 36 miles one way, and the gauge was still perfectly at Max. I know the E-dipstick isn't accurate right after oil is changed or added, so I'll keep monitoring, but once I get home tonight... that will have been 80 miles on the car since adding the oil. That should be enough time and distance to reasonably think that the e-dipstick is reading correctly, RIGHT?

It was a BMW dealer you went to? The refill quantity of the N52/N54 is 7 quarts (6.9), so why they added just 5.5 quarts means they are incompetent and you shouldn't go back to them. If it were me I'd report them to BMW NA. But regarding your question, the e-dipstick reading (bar graph) shows the percentage remaining of the top-most (7th quart) of oil. So when the bar graph is half way lit (i.e. 50%), it means 50% of the 7th quart of oil has been consumed and the engine has 6.5 quarts of oil in it. The "+1" indication means you need to add 1 full quart of oil. In your situation the engine was more than 1 quart low (the e-dipstick can't report lower than 1 quart low - it's not designed to). However you are correct, the e-dipstick will indicate if the engine is overfilled with oil. I think you are safe. Next time what you should do is add in 1 quart of oil and drive the car a few days and let the e-dipstick get a good measure of the oil level. Then if necessary, add in the 2nd quart if the system indicates so.

BUT NEVER GO BACK TO THAT DEALER AGAIN.

[gkroegman]

No, it was the dealer where I purchased the car used. I can't see spending the $$$ on something as simple as an oil change at a BMW dealership. In fact I'm only bringing it to the dealer for this service because they offer a lifetime power train warranty if you have your oil done there.

So if I was initially 1.5 qts low, (5.5 instead of the 7), why did my e-dipstick read anything at all? If it's not designed to read anything under 1qt low, why was it in the middle "OK" range when I was that low to begin with? Shouldn't it have prompted me to add 1qt when I picked it up after the oil change? That was 5k miles ago...

Thanks for the answer on the car reporting an overfill, I was more concerned with that than anything else.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by gkroegman

No, it was the dealer where I purchased the car used. I can't see spending the $$$ on something as simple as an oil change at a BMW dealership. In fact I'm only bringing it to the dealer for this service because they offer a lifetime power train warranty if you have your oil done there.

So if I was initially 1.5 qts low, (5.5 instead of the 7), why did my e-dipstick read anything at all? If it's not designed to read anything under 1qt low, why was it in the middle "OK" range when I was that low to begin with? Shouldn't it have prompted me to add 1qt when I picked it up after the oil change? That was 5k miles ago...

Thanks for the answer on the car reporting an overfill, I was more concerned with that than anything else.

Seriously, that used car dealership does not know what it is doing if it only added in 5.5 qts. of oil. Maybe they didn't drain the oil out of the filter housing, I don't know. The e-dipstick will report old reading levels right after the oil change. Take the car to a BMW independent shop and have a proper oil change done next time. The place you are taking it to is probably not even using the correct oil type.