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How to check the oil level
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01-22-2014, 01:36 AM | #23 |
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Don't worry, an error that says +1qt will show up in the dash when it's time to top off. You don't even have to check the level, it will be put in front of your face when needed, quite literally.
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01-22-2014, 03:38 AM | #24 | |
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03-29-2014, 03:24 PM | #25 |
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Except when it's really cold and the sensor doesn't work properly and tells you to add a qt only to find out a week later when it's warmer that you were fine and over filled 😏
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07-30-2014, 08:00 AM | #26 |
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Oil level?
When I bought my 09 328i (used), the oil level was right at "MAX" on the e-dipstick. I brought it back to the dealer I purchased it at for my 5k mile oil change (not a BMW dealer). I know the car had an oil change done at the dealership before I purchased. In order to maintain the lifetime powertrain warranty on the car I need to get the oil changed were I purchased it. Well, I just checked my oil level, and it's reading halfway in between MIN and MAX. Level says "OK". But WTF... I think they only put 5 quarts in. I threw out the service record but am calling them to confirm how much they put in.
My question: What SHOULD the level read? Is MAX what it should be? Or is anywhere in the "OK" range fine? I drive 75 miles a day and the last thing I need is an issue with engine oil. |
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08-02-2014, 06:11 AM | #27 | |
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08-05-2014, 10:52 PM | #28 | |
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08-06-2014, 06:09 AM | #29 | |
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BMW has chased after the Posers, so good for it (X6M - ). It's a profitable company, doing well, it'll not miss my business. There are far more posers in the world than real car guys, so from a business perspective, I get it; but not all car guys want an over-priced (I know, sounds funny) "M" car. Things change; that's just the way it is. |
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08-07-2014, 12:37 AM | #30 | |
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I agree with you completely. My next car may be a GTI. Tossable, but not the silken straight six. But a relatively good value and less targeted to posers. X6M is a joke, I agree. Driven by people who know nothing about the BMW of years past and don't care, anyway. I saw a good You Tube video on how much work went into engineering the sound of the E90 warning chime (the "ding" sound). To me, that was a sad statement on where BMW currently has its head at. |
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08-07-2014, 08:08 PM | #31 | |
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07-12-2015, 11:00 AM | #32 |
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You can turn the ignition on and use the the turn signal stock and go to oil and it will either day OK or add while the car is off.. While it's running it will show you be actual level
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07-18-2015, 10:07 AM | #33 | |
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The oil level sensor is a nice idea but should be backed up by a traditional dip stick. Not just as a confirmation check to a faulty sensor but being able to look, feel and smell the oil in your engine. Coolant and fuel can find its way into the engine and do damage if left not noticed. |
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12-29-2015, 05:39 AM | #34 |
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I have an E92 325D and it doesnt have an oil level readout in the OBC like my 335i did (in i-drive though).
As it uses the M57 engine from the E46 I suspect it has a dipstick, keep forgetting to check though |
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03-05-2016, 09:33 PM | #35 |
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My car has 2.5 litre 325i petrol engine. Only done 13,000 km from new.
Checking oil level in i-drive it always displays max level and "oil ok". My question is does the graphic display show progressive drops in level or is there an abrupt shift to minimum - "add oil now"? Hoping it's possible to monitor the gradual consumption as mileage increases. |
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03-06-2016, 07:08 AM | #36 | |
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A manual transmission can be set to "comfort", "sport", and "track" modes simply by the technique and speed at which you shift it; it doesn't need "modes", modes are for manumatics that try to behave like a real 3-pedal manual transmission. If you can money-shift it, it's a manual transmission. "Yeah, but NO ONE puts an automatic trans shift knob on a manual transmission."
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03-09-2016, 05:31 PM | #37 |
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IF there was a dipstick, I could end one small continuous battle with my wife. I can't get across to her that with a 7 qt. capacity, the fact that the light pops up means it still has 6 qts and is plenty fine. I keep telling her that once the light pops up AND is on constantly for 3 days straight, let me know and I will add a qt then.
Overfilling and having that mess all over tarnation just doesn't appeal to me, especially based on the fact that half the time when she tells me the light came on, I can't reproduce it when I drive it around. How difficult is "3 DAYS"???????????? |
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09-25-2017, 08:52 PM | #38 | |
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09-25-2017, 09:02 PM | #39 | |
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Didnt even check how old this post? If outdated then for the new buyers Bryan E92 08 335xi Coupe, Weiss E60 04 525i, Schwartz E36 97 318i Sedan, Tobagoblau |
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08-27-2018, 04:09 PM | #40 |
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Back again looking for updates.
I gave in last week and put a qt in for the wife, because the light was coming on. This weekend, it's on again. There's no puddle of oil on the parking spot. Where the hell does a qt go in a week? I'm very worried it's the sensor and not the level of oil in the engine. But since I can't check manually, short of draining/measuring, I'm forced to worry if there is a hidden even larger gremlin waiting to bite me in the ass. |
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08-27-2018, 06:20 PM | #41 | |
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The "e-dipstick" is a stupid gimmick. I'd be better off without it. |
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09-01-2018, 03:12 PM | #42 |
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Hey, there is no dipstick. I usually check on my dash, through the scroll on the left hand side. Then choose oil. Another way if you have the navi package is to go to maintenance notifications and scroll to engine oil level. Hope this helps.
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09-02-2018, 06:30 AM | #43 | |
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BMW switched to liter-sized oil bottles when they switched to the natural gas-based synthetic oil. What I've noticed now is if I add in the required 6.5 liters of oil the engine holds, after the CBS updates the first time to the new oil level, sometimes the e-dipstick reports 1/4-low. I've experimented with this since I do oil changes every 5 months or so. If I add in 6.6L - 6.8L of oil, then updated oil level shows "max". I don't think the e-dipstick is a gimmick at all. I actually like it; you can check the oil level anytime you like while the engine is at operating conditions (which is the ideal time IMO). The system notifies you when the engine is 1 quart low of oil. The sensor is a very simple device and not prone to inaccuracy; of the several times I've checked the actual drained oil quantity against the level reported by the CBS, it has always been accurate. One has to stop thinking that the engine MUST have and REMAIN to have 7 quarts in it. It doesn't. The engine just needs an oil level between the min - max levels of the e-dipstick, which is the same for any car with a direct-read, old fashioned, mechanical dipstick. My observation is with the N52, BMW has determined a quantity of oil for the sump that is within a safe range of oil level that can deviate about 0.5 quart without under-filling or over-filling the engine at a new oil fill. Most people with mechanical dipsticks never read the owners manual for their cars. If they did they'd find out that the markings on the dipstick are there to show the "safe" range of oil level for the engine (just like the N52 e-dipstick). The problem with the e-dipstick is for people who are OCD about the max oil level. The e-dipstick is not good for minutely topping off the oil level, because it only updates once the engine reaches specific operating conditions and reports the last known level until that time (immediately after adding oil), so one can over fill the engine typing to keep the oil level at max. I was leery of this part of the car when I swapped out my E30 for the E90. Being an old codger now, I grew up with mechanical dipsticks and was one of those OCD owners that kept the oil level in their engines obsessively topped off at full. I was quite uncomfortable at first with the concept that the N52 had no dipstick (as backup) to the monitoring system. The M20 in the E30 had an oil level sensor in it as well (this is 30 years ago now) that reported when the engine reached 1-quart low, but it also had a dipstick. The N52 has taught me the new way of e-dipsticks is not a bad thing, and actually better (once you learn to trust the reliability). I've manged to get the car to 350,000 miles with the CBS/e-dipstick combo, so I can say it actually does work. My 2 cents.
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A manual transmission can be set to "comfort", "sport", and "track" modes simply by the technique and speed at which you shift it; it doesn't need "modes", modes are for manumatics that try to behave like a real 3-pedal manual transmission. If you can money-shift it, it's a manual transmission. "Yeah, but NO ONE puts an automatic trans shift knob on a manual transmission."
Last edited by Efthreeoh; 09-02-2018 at 06:36 AM.. |
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09-06-2018, 08:19 PM | #44 |
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No dipstick freaks me out!
Thinking back to my 390 with a similar oil capacity the dipstick had lines for adding 2 quarts... Anyhow
Since oil is critical for cooling you'd expect any high output engine to have oil pressure indicator (undampened) and an oil pressure warning light. In addition the low oil level indicator is great, but I don't want to d!ck around with going in and out of a car to see I managed to end up X quarts low. There's no excuse for no backup for the electronic sensors on these systems, without even researching it I don't believe there is a reliable way to guarantee a good analogue to digital count over copper wires for the life of the vehicle. Maybe I'll run an 1/8 inch line to an mechanical oil pressure gauge on this car so I'll actually know if oil damage may occur. That low oil warning message really upset me. If you've sucked air through the system you'll know why I say what I do. |
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