[abeardo83]

...How the hell does it work?
SO for the best part of a month, it's been registering that i'm at 50% on the dipstick. Got o check it this morning and now i'm at 75% on the dipstick (so effectively my car is creating oil! ).

Anyone have any idea as to how the damned thing works? Do we reckon i'm at 50% or 75%??

I'm not concerned btw, just wondering, haha! Wonder where you'd stand with BMW if your car ran low on oil when the dipstick was still reading as fine??

Andy

[MR.BLUECOLLARMAN]

I'm guessing you checked it while it was cold and then while it was hot? It will obviously give you a different reading when different temperatures occur. Just read on another forum where they recommended putting in a little bit of oil to "top it off" and then see what it reads. Usually it'll jump up, just make sure not to overfill or you'll be in for a treat

[abeardo83]

Thanks. No it's been checked numerous times across the many many journeys I've made (it's a daily driver). Typically when the temp gauge is reading over 100degs.

No way am I going to try and guess the oil level to do a top up - will wait until it tells me that it needs a 1L top up. I don't fancy gambling with overfilling it.

Was just wondering why it gives such weird readings.

[BMW Steve]

If you have a dip stick then go by that, the electronic reading on the I-Drive that tells you its OK, or LOW, can you trust a computer, along with the fact your meant to have the engine running so dose it go by the engine pressure, it cant read the amount of oil if the engine is running as its all over the place.. BUT, It is a BMW

[AWSAWS]

As I understand it (and I have a good few posts about it on here), the electronic dipstick will tell you about the top 1 litre of oil in your engine.

If the total amount of oil falls 1 litre below what it should be, it'll show a critical level, needing 1 litre to be added asap. If it's at 50% then you are 500ml (half a litre) below full.

I don't like this thing because depending on the angle of the car (pointing uphill, downhill, slope to the left or slope to the right), and probably thermal expansion, you can get some quite variable readings. The sensor is IIRC at the back of the engine near the driver. So pointing uphill to any degree reads high and downhill to any degree reads low. I don't know if it's centre, left or right?

The most accurate way to read the oil level thanks to them removing a simple reassuring dipstick is to have the car warm and on as flat and level a surface as possible and to then use ODB port to read it. Be it INPA, Carly app or some other tool.

[abeardo83]

It's nuts isn't it? It must be down to the fact that people simply don't check their dipstick, so BMW decided to do it for them. I guess it protects the engine (and BMW from warranty claims) to a degree.

Originally Posted by AWSAWS

If the total amount of oil falls 1 litre below what it should be, it'll show a critical level, needing 1 litre to be added asap. If it's at 50% then you are 500ml (half a litre) below full.

But this is my point entirely... yesterday, my dipstick read 0.5l. Today it reads 0.75l. So, how much oil is actually in there, haha!!

...Please god, let my car actually start producing oil!!!! Then I'll be rich!!!!

[Phil325i]

Originally Posted by abeardo83

...How the hell does it work?

Try this:

BMW-OZS sensor.pdf

[Soul_Glo]

I had my oil condition sensor replaced last year under warranty. My issue was the oil low warning light coming on and I had it drained because I didn't want to overfill it. The cock womble dealer accused me of over filling but they had only done the oil service the week before...

[abeardo83]

Back to 50% today. My dream of becoming an oil baron is over.

[Chappers 71]

Just don't keep checking it lol, the car will tell you when it needs a litre of oil, the car also monitors the condition of the oil as well as the level, I think it's excellent, it is the 21st century ... a dipstick, how quaint

[AWSAWS]

Yes it measures quality and miles since the oil change. It would be nice to have that displayed and not to need a 3rd party tool. Everything is geared towards bring it to BMW so they make more money.

The car should really be smart enough to know when an oil reading is not being done on a level surface, where it often gives inaccurate readings.

[Pp4811]

My wife's 120d has the electronic dipstick and it is pretty much accurate. My 318d doesn't have it so it's back to old fashioned manual checking.