Oil level indicators.........

[JIO]

I have two oil level indicators...the one on the dash between the tach and speedometer, and one on the navigation screen under vehicle status. Well the dash gauge reads 3/4 full and the nav gauge reads full. So which is correct?

So today I warmed up the car and when it read the oil level, I stopped and added about an 1/8th quart of oil. I then ran it again until it read the level again and the 3/4 reading went up to about 7/8 (the nav gauge stayed at full). OK, so I stop and add another 1/8 quart to top it off....no change in the level. I said once more...1/8 added and still no change. I quit after that as I was afraid it would tell me I was overfilled.

Anyone get two different readings?...and if the oil is filled correctly, will the dash gauge have the bar totally colored to the top?

[Sticky]

Is a dip stick really too much to ask for?

I don't understand why the two indicators would point to two different levels.

The car sometimes will give different levels after a start. It doesn't really adjust the oil level reading on the fly, at least that is my experience.

Drive it around for a bit and see what it says. Don't want to overfill. I added 1/2 a quart once and there was no change in the reading at all.

TPMS actually showing the tire pressure would be nice as well...

[sard]

Full is when the bar hits the top arrow. Do you think the bar goes beyond that?

[Fanta]

First E92 don't has dip stick.
Read car manual, it will show you. If your oil level indicators indicate at the top, you have over fill motor oil.

[JIO]

The manual shows the indicator at about 7/8 to the top arrow and it says oil OK. It also shows the indicator at the top mark and is shows off to the side ">max". I was told that when the oil is filled correctly, the indicator would be at the top mark and without the ">max". It just seems strange that the nav screen shows the oil level att the very top (max) and the dash indicator shows now 7/8.

I can't believe on one hand with the oil, we have to wait until the motor is warm and we've driven several miles. If I were going on a long trip, I'd have to drive the car the night before to make sure the oil is ok. Then on the other hand we have to manually check our tire pressures as the inside monitor doesn't give psi readings. I think BMW has it backwards. My wife's Acura shows the psi on the dash...but I do have check the oil with a "manual" dipstick.

[Fanta]

Originally Posted by JIO

The manual shows the indicator at about 7/8 to the top arrow and it says oil OK. It also shows the indicator at the top mark and is shows off to the side ">max". I was told that when the oil is filled correctly, the indicator would be at the top mark and without the ">max". It just seems strange that the nav screen shows the oil level att the very top (max) and the dash indicator shows now 7/8.

I can't believe on one hand with the oil, we have to wait until the motor is warm and we've driven several miles. If I were going on a long trip, I'd have to drive the car the night before to make sure the oil is ok. Then on the other hand we have to manually check our tire pressures as the inside monitor doesn't give psi readings. I think BMW has it backwards. My wife's Acura shows the psi on the dash...but I do have check the oil with a "manual" dipstick.

I have the same experience! At first I felt terrible and now is OK!
When the oil indicator displayed and M-Drive asked for no more than 1 Quart, I only add 600ml to it and then OK! I store 1 quart of 10W60 in my trunk. After driving 2000km, oil indicator display 1 unit less. Oil tank can hold 8.6 Litres. Oil indicator use as a precaution tools which is good!
I have a Honda Accord V6, temperature indicator has a lot of room, as soon as water temperature rise, it is at the red. Engine head gasket gone, replacement cost $2000.
Store a quart of oil in the trunk, you can add it anytime! no problems!
You want a car with good indication for precaution than timeup!

[Johndoe]

Originally Posted by JIO

It just seems strange that the nav screen shows the oil level at the very top (max) and the dash indicator shows now 7/8.

Same exact on mine.....I Drive shows max but dash shows ok and 7/8th.....will go with the dash as the definitive, per manual..also the I drive does not have a warning of "overfill" (per the manual)....simply shows "MAX"...

[lugnut]

I wouldn't worry about it. When you need oil the car will tell you. I tried filling it up when I thought I was low, and then I overfilled it. Once you get through the first 5k or so it stops drinking oil. Don't add oil until the car tells you that you are low. They programmed in some wiggle room, so when the chime goes off for Low Oil you still have plenty of time to add it.

As for waiting till the engine is warm, you should always wait till an engine is warm before you check the oil level, regardless of how old the vehicle is.

[GregW / Oregon]

This is the low point of BMW engineering. I could understand, maybe, if this were a 760iL, but an M3 with no dipstick? Stupidest thing ever. Even dealers have overfilled because of the lag time in adjusting readings, let alone the different readings you were seeing. I could rant on and on!

[AZ-BMW]

I have 5K miles and the same goofy different readings between the Dash and iDrive statuses. However, so far I've not had to add any oil after the 1.2K break-in service. Is this unusual? I thought on an M3 it would use some oil until 5-10K miles on the car

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by AZ-BMW

I have 5K miles and the same goofy different readings between the Dash and iDrive statuses. However, so far I've not had to add any oil after the 1.2K break-in service. Is this unusual? I thought on an M3 it would use some oil until 5-10K miles on the car

Usage will vary quite a bit from car to car. Mine used maybe 1/2 - 3/4 liter in that same period. Of course, the measuring system does not really aid precision in this regard.

[mdrobc13]

Be careful...my experience recently cost me $160 for a full oil change. After driving my M3 down to the PDC for my M School I had an indicator that said I was low and to add oil immediately. I found an appropriate oil allbeit 10-50 Synthetic weight and added about 1/2 quart until I found the recommneded Catrol project from the local BMW shop down in Greenville SC where I added 1 quart of the BMW OEM oil cause the car was still registering low. Two days later the car is showing Oil FULL MAX LEVEL exceeded so I look and now its telling me overfill is present. So I drive her back home because there's no way of knowing how much I am over or under without dip stick. I then get the car to the shop after phoning the dealer who says not to worry you're okay. Then I read them the manual entry after taking the car actually INTO the dealer after work so they can see my readings and the manual entry. They then agree yeah it needs to be drained some and to bring it in the next day where they'll just drain the oil pan and put it back into the system. Ah no thanks...since I plan to change mine every 7500miles (under BMW's old maintence plan) so I went ahead and changed it 1000miles early at 5950 miles. Result? Smooth car and I am sure the engine is good but my pocket is now $160 lighter!

Dealer even took me back and showed me...you CAN measure your actual oil levels on the M3...IF you have the BMW diagnostic computer and USB plug that plugs into what looks like your OBD port/diagnostic port and reads/communicates with the car. With that the service tech was able to tell me that I had about 0.7 liters over AFTER the oil change! But the computer read "Oil is OK" on the diagnostics this time...however we ALL agreed that the new NO Dipstick method is a ROYAL pain in the azz!

[dcstep]

Why are people adding oil before it's required. I think there's a reason that the capacity is 8.5 liters. Lots and lots of cars get by just fine with 5 or 6 qts. I'm guessing that BMW thinks that the M3 will be fine with 7.5 liters just before the add is needed. Trying to keep it topped off is a waste of energy and risky behaviour. I think that we should just do what the meter says and don't try to second guess everything.

Dave

[JIO]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Why are people adding oil before it's required. I think there's a reason that the capacity is 8.5 liters. Lots and lots of cars get by just fine with 5 or 6 qts. I'm guessing that BMW thinks that the M3 will be fine with 7.5 liters just before the add is needed. Trying to keep it topped off is a waste of energy and risky behaviour. I think that we should just do what the meter says and don't try to second guess everything.

Dave

That's fine, except to be sure we have to carry an extra quart of the 10W-60 BMW snake oil just in case it tells us to add a quart, and then it might be lying to us, so we overfill it. If I'm going on a long trip, I like to have the oil at the top so I don't have to worry about it. I really like the idea of a dipstick which give gives the best true level of the oil. When I have multiple meters and they don't read the same, I don't like it. If we had the same problems on jets with same instruments reading differently, I'd sure be worried, especially if we overshot the ground by 20 ft since the readings were inaccurate. So before a trip, I check oil level, coolant level, and tire pressures (amazing that we don't have a reading for actual psi from the tires....we have to check the tires the old fashioned way).

This is just me though...I am obsessive compulsive.

[SenorFunkyPants]

Get one of these from BMW, has velcro tags and just sticks anywhere in the boot easily holds a quart...oil on hand anytime you need it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-O...spagenameZWD2V

[dcstep]

Thanks for the link Mr. Pants.

Dave

[Fanta]

Originally Posted by JIO

That's fine, except to be sure we have to carry an extra quart of the 10W-60 BMW snake oil just in case it tells us to add a quart, and then it might be lying to us, so we overfill it. If I'm going on a long trip, I like to have the oil at the top so I don't have to worry about it. I really like the idea of a dipstick which give gives the best true level of the oil. When I have multiple meters and they don't read the same, I don't like it. If we had the same problems on jets with same instruments reading differently, I'd sure be worried, especially if we overshot the ground by 20 ft since the readings were inaccurate. So before a trip, I check oil level, coolant level, and tire pressures (amazing that we don't have a reading for actual psi from the tires....we have to check the tires the old fashioned way).

This is just me though...I am obsessive compulsive.

I have an BMW 08 M3, Mercedes C320 and Porsche Carreara, all use more than 8 Quart.
My first experience; driving C320 on Highway, oil indicator came on and wanted 1.5 Quart 10W50 Syn Oil, I could not find those oil on Highway Gas station. I called Mercedes, their engineer told me not to worry, you still had 6.5 Quart inside your engine. After drove another 200miles, I added 1 Quart and engine indicator displayed "OK" and at that moment I hated "NO DIPSTICK". I went to dealer to buy a factory dipstick and it was $170. I refused to pay! I spent time to read the requirement of engine oil. What I get is...
Japanese car measure horsepower with half full engine oil in order to provide more horsepower. People ride on track with half full gas tank to provide better performance. I drove 200 miles with missing 1.5 quart engine oil. Fine and OK!
What is the accuracy of an indicator? Engineer design a car for normal people to drive and work on. Engineer have University degree and knowledges, they know how to communicate with us; allowance! How can we verify a dipstick is 100% accurate, it is just an estimate measurement tool with allowance. Electronic indicator is just an estimate tool. All we have to do is, read the manual carefully and know how to use electronic tool in a correct way. Have 1 quart of oil in your trunk and add it when you feel comfortable. I remember that I drove another 350 miles with oil indicator on and what is the problem?

[AZ-BMW]

Originally Posted by SenorFunkyPants

Get one of these from BMW, has velcro tags and just sticks anywhere in the boot easily holds a quart...oil on hand anytime you need it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-O...spagenameZWD2V

I don't know, but I'll bet this one is a lot cheaper ($0) and just as functional:

[foosh]

Hah, that is just like the one I have!

[SenorFunkyPants]

Originally Posted by AZ-BMW

I don't know, but I'll bet this one is a lot cheaper ($0) and just as functional:

Mine were 0$ as well...everytime I got my E46 M3 serviced the dealer put one in the boot with a qrt of oil in it. I have the blasted things all over the shelf in my garage.

[AJBoston]

You know what else is $0. Pulling into my dealer's service bay for a free top off and thus making them responsible for any issues related to over/under-filling. Incidentally, I'm at 8K miles and had burned just under a quart since my 1,500mi service.

[AZ-BMW]

Originally Posted by SenorFunkyPants

Mine were 0$ as well...everytime I got my E46 M3 serviced the dealer put one in the boot with a qrt of oil in it. I have the blasted things all over the shelf in my garage.

Unfortunately many of the USA dealers are too cheap to spring for that kind of freebie (many have even stopped providing a complimentary top-off)