[Jude1]

Originally Posted by TMP

No obvious oil in engine comp and none on drive



the 330d air filter is a different design to the 320d though, is the problem you mention specific all BM diesels? It's also an absolute sod to get at on the 330d

Not heard of the issue with the closed crank ventilation (or is it re-circ via the turbo?). In theory then it could what is causing the problem, however I think there would have been many more who have suffered from this long before you, especially as you have done so few miles. The air filter being restricted again in theory could cause the problem, but surely not to the extent you have been experiencing, I would also supsect that the air filter is slightly over specced to deal with being "clogged up" from time to time, but if it's inlet is being restricted then this would be an issue, but the restriction would have to be quite large e.g. losing say 50% of its efficiency at which point you would notice a performance drop....?

I'd drop it into a Dealer and tell them to investigate it. I personally think that your useage for such low miles is excessive, if there are no signs of a leak (some times hard to tell as the drip tray does an excellent job of masking this) then it appears the extra oil is just being burned away as opposed to being vented away. Maybe turbo related and at such an early stage in the cars life then it shouldn't be a problem for the Dealer to fix.

[Dr Dave]

I wouldn't worry about oil consumption in a low mileage motor that hasn't been fully broken in - I'd wait until at least 20k before I started fretting about oil consumption.

Oil consumption tolerances? Many manufacturers will give 1000 miles per 1 litre as within acceptable limits.

[JamboChris]

My 330d used half a litre in the 1st 8000kms. Since then it's never needed topping up.

Does anyone know what the capacity is? I thought it was 6.5 litres. I changed the oil and filter myself yesterday for the first time. After 7 litres it is just on the minimum.
Checked the oil as per the book and there are no leaks.... Strange.

Chris.

[335DEE]

i have UK 330d and was gutted to find that the oil warning 'below minimum ' flashed up on screen. done 5k since last service. I topped up with 1 litre but that has only taken it to 'mid point' on the dipstick. currently 53k miles

I am mildly concerned about this , the exhaust pipe is that clean you can eat your dinner off it .. no soot at all , and it's definitely not leaking in the water or my drive. I have had friends try to follow me to see if it is kicking anything out the back , but reports are that's it as clean as a whistle
The car is Bluefinned and it gets it's fair share of abuse .. But no explanation as to the whereabouts of, in my opinion ... 2-3 litres of oil... assuming of course that the main dealer filled it correctly when it went in for its service. The car has a service pack on it so maybe BMW are skimping on oil .. After all its a good few quid per litre, and we all know the pressure BMW under recently.. maybe that’s where my oil went !
I'm obviously going to now keep an eye on it .. If i wanted a car that needed weekly attention and topping up every other day , I'd have gone and bought an Alfa .. not happy

[SiKkBaSs]

Just filled mine with oil since it asked for a +1l of oil. Will be keeping an eye on it...

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by o0timbo0o

i have UK 330d and was gutted to find that the oil warning 'below minimum ' flashed up on screen. done 5k since last service. I topped up with 1 litre but that has only taken it to 'mid point' on the dipstick. currently 53k miles

Mines the same Tim.

[335DEE]

Originally Posted by F104

On a general view though, yes any increased air filter restriction will increase oil consumption with closed crank ventilation unless you change the plumbing. Just physics.. 10 years ago these all vented to atmosphere, now they're connected to a vacuum cleaner (= your turbo). The more vacuum, the more oil mist they suck out of the engine.

regards,

I find thiis explanation very credible. I took the filler cap off when i topped up .. it looked like someone had filled engine with dry ice ! , now if that is being vacuumed up by my turbo (which incidently is operating at a higher pressure due to the tuning , also producing more heat in the process which the oil is there to lube and cool ) then that would go pretty much all the way to explain the loss.
It's my first time on a diesel and never really did understand why they needed special or different oil .. it certainly doesnt stay clear for long unlike a petrol where you may get 3k miles before the oil starts to look old , but is this misting or boiling of the oil just down to inferior product ? Should I be looking to replace with something better ?