[J56Sedan]

Last Wednesday I took my car to the dealership to get the filter gasket replaced because it was leaking. I had about 3 drops on my garage floor every couple of days. I got it fixed because it started to drip on my belts making a higher-pitched sound. I was very excited to get it fixed. I took my car home and overnight the oil leak was now about 8 to 10 drops (over one night) which was way more than before. I called the dealership who took my car back to check the repair. They say the repair is good, but the oil leak is now coming from my oil pan and the reason why it was not seen before was because of the oil leak from before. When I asked why the leak was worse, they said it is because they cleaned the area and it removed gunk that opened the area for the oil to leak out. They want over $2600 to repair it. I am so frustrated because this does not feel right. This does not make sense. Does this make sense to you?

[Mark963]

The aerodynamic "splash guards" - the big plastic shields under the engine - will hold a lot of oil if they are dirty. A thick layer of oil and dirt forms over it. It's possible that if that was cleaned, then oil dripping off the oil pan could find its way to an edge of the shield and drip off while it is parked. It would appear that a lot more oil is lost from the shield while it's being driven.

The oil pan is a PITA, worse if it's xDrive. This is a very common leak.

[E93Dude]

Oil pan gasket itself is easy to replace…..its just all the other underbody mechanicals you have to remove to get to it - that’s where the cost in time and labor comes in. Thanks, BMW, for your brilliant engineering choices.

I had leaky OPG, but I elected to use a bottle of AT-205 at an oil change. I had only half hearted optomism, but sure enough it stopped the drips underneath. May not be a permenant solution, but its working for now. Will probably help with leaky rear main seal, too. Look up AT-205 on Amazon, $20/bottle.

[Efthreeoh]

Please do not use oil leak stop in your BMW, it's not a fucking lawn mower. Have an indy do the OPG replacement for $900 (RWD). $1,200 (AWD).

Read the DIY on the "Oil Pan Gasket Repair with Subframe Drop" so you can get an idea of the complexity of the job.

[E93Dude]

I used AT-205 precisely because my car is not a lawn mower. If I drove a lawn mower as my daily driver and had a leaky gasket, I’d just fix the gasket myself because its a stupid simple and cheap job. But for someone who dives my actual vehicle, maybe they do not have all the tools, or garage space, or time, or money, or some combination thereof, so changing the OPG is neither simple nor inexpensive. For me it was time, and I needed an interim solution and AT addressed the problem.

Not everyone who uses something like AT is lazy or cheap.

[Efthreeoh]

If one has actually replaced the OPG on a E9X, they would understand there is not much rubber used in the construction of the OPG. They would find the three small wafer-thin rubber blades that profile the circumference of the OPG had turned to crusty, burnt, carbonized, hardened material to which no magic chemical could restore resilience.

The proper way to cure an E9X OPG leak is to remove the oil pan, scrape off the gasket, replace it with a new gasket and use an RTV gasket helper product, such as Permatex Ultra Black during re-installation of the oil pan.

They would also find that what they think is a rear main seal leak is actually just the rear-block section of the OPG has been leaking for some time and the oil residue built up on the inside of the bell housing is leaking out between the bell housing/engine block mating surfaces.

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by E93Dude

I used AT-205 precisely because my car is not a lawn mower. If I drove a lawn mower as my daily driver and had a leaky gasket, I’d just fix the gasket myself because its a stupid simple and cheap job. But for someone who dives my actual vehicle, maybe they do not have all the tools, or garage space, or time, or money, or some combination thereof, so changing the OPG is neither simple nor inexpensive. For me it was time, and I needed an interim solution and AT addressed the problem.

Not everyone who uses something like AT is lazy or cheap.

Give us an update in about a month or two.

And then another one when it is below 0 deg outside.

[whyzee125]

J56Sedan unfortunately all e90s need their oil pan gasket replaced at some point, so while frustrating, it sounds about right. Good move on getting the OFHG one done, as this can cause your belt to suck inside the engine. That concern is out of the way now.

$2600 for the oil pan gasket is ridiculous though. Like efthreeoh said, shop around and find an independent shop. I think I paid about $1,000 for mine.