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      10-28-2009, 01:36 AM   #16
Lemans_Blue_M
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Drives: Lemans Blue M3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by meevo View Post
That being said, I'm a little curious as to why it's almost "expected" for m3 motors to consume oil. Wasn't it somewhere along the lines of 1qt/1000 miles or something? Depending on break in

PS, thanks for all the input from knowledgeable members going around!
Correct...

It's due to the nature of BMW's "M" high revving NA engines in general. The S54 E46 M3 engine was the same way...

A small amount of oil spray bypasses the piston rings at cold startup, until the rings expand to seal off the cylinder wall after initial warmup. This why it's so important NOT to rev the engine excessively before it is properly warmed up.

And depending how well the rings & cylinder walls were worn in (during the initial break-in period), the rate of your individual oil consumption can vary greatly once it's hot and under high revs. (from 1-liter per 1000mi to 1-liter per 10,000 mi)
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