08-19-2012, 02:12 PM | #1 |
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Engine oil at minimum!
I was startled by a warning gong driving home yesterday evening, indicating that the engine was at the minimum oil level. Very strange considering I've only had the car four months and have only driven about 3100 km (1900 miles).
After consulting the manual I added 1L synthetic 5w30 this morning and rechecked the oil level a few minutes later. Much to my surprise it read maximum level, so it would seem the difference between minimum acceptable and maximum capacity is only 1L. I don't seem to be leaking any oil. I checked last night and this morning and the only dripping is the AC condensation drip (rubbed my fingers in it to make sure). Could this be an indication of some kind of issue? It happened Saturday night so I couldn't take the car in to the dealership today, but I intend to on Monday afternoon. |
08-19-2012, 02:15 PM | #2 |
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Next time just take it to the dealer, let them put the oil in and save you from paying for it.
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08-19-2012, 02:17 PM | #3 |
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08-19-2012, 02:30 PM | #4 |
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Oil consumption during break-in is not unusual, and I expect the dealer will tell you it is normal. When I have had this happen, it happened only once, and after that there was no loss of lubricant.
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08-19-2012, 03:00 PM | #5 |
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As you have noticed, the difference between MAX and (acceptable) MIN level is one litre. One should not fill up the oil unless the car says so.
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08-19-2012, 03:14 PM | #6 |
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Strange. 5300mls in, my 328i has used zero oil!
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08-19-2012, 03:57 PM | #8 |
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Completely normal. Is this your first BMW? I would say you should have gotten the message around the 4000 KMs mark, but 3100 isn't too far behind. Expect to keep adding 1 liter between changes for the first 30K KMs
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08-19-2012, 05:59 PM | #9 |
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It is neither strange nor completely normal. Many new BMW engines use no oil. But some do in the first few thousand miles or km's. So it is not unusual.
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08-19-2012, 06:25 PM | #10 |
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Yet they recommend no oil change for 15k in the states and even more in Europe. OK, yeah sure.
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08-19-2012, 07:31 PM | #11 | |
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08-19-2012, 08:09 PM | #12 | ||
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I am at 5400miles and my oil still at max. For an idea of my driving style is I get around 280miles per tank and I hit over a 100mph everyday and my highest being 153mph so far.
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08-19-2012, 08:12 PM | #13 |
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It happened to me on my 5 series.. Added a quart of oil and it was fine until the service interval..
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08-19-2012, 08:21 PM | #14 | |
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I think this may just be some random event due to a combination of driving factors. I'll see what the dealership has to say tomorrow. I'm just glad it's sounding like nothing serious. |
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08-19-2012, 08:23 PM | #15 |
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08-19-2012, 09:19 PM | #17 |
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To be fair, I would never have thought to check the oil level after only 3000 km. I miss being able to easily check oil via a dipstick too, but in this case the gizmo warned me of a potential issue before I would ever have realized it.
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08-19-2012, 09:36 PM | #18 |
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I remember my sales dude pointing out that there was a quart of synthetic oil in the trunk in case the car needed oil before the first service.
So maybe this is no biggie |
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08-19-2012, 09:36 PM | #19 | |
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So you know if you are exactly on the MIN mark add 1 more quart and you will be perfect. Make sure you are on a flat even surface of course. |
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08-19-2012, 10:43 PM | #20 | |
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I just touched over 105mph for a short second when someone thought they were going to blast by me on the highway. I totally want to find a place to let the car stretch its legs, cruising at 80-85mph and it just wants to keep going. |
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08-20-2012, 09:34 AM | #21 | |
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Was just using it as example of how hard I drive and my oil is still full. I followed the breaking in instructions in the manual.
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08-20-2012, 09:41 AM | #22 | |
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