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      07-21-2010, 09:50 AM   #1
Zeus69
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Add 1 quart? Already?!?

So I had the 1200 mile service performed at my local dealership three days ago. I have a 6MT so they changed oil, tranny/rear diff fluids. I adhered to a meticulous break-in period so was excited to spool up the V8 over the weekend. Didn't go nuts, just a few runs up to around 7K RPM after proper warm-up.

Today on my way to work, I'm driving at leisurely pace and a warning display chimes that "Engine Oil is low" and that I need to add a quart "immediately" or "risk engine damage", etc...

WTF?? I've read about the M3 needing to have oil topped off every few thousand miles perhaps, but this seemed odd right after the service was performed. I will be taking over to the dealer later this morning, but wanted to run it by the forum. I didn't look for an oil spot on my garage floor b/c the warning came after I was already on my way to work.

Any thoughts? Loose oil-pan screw? Underfilled from the start? Did I actually "burn off" a quart with my limited weekend rev-ups (that would suck)??
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      07-21-2010, 10:04 AM   #2
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Barring any leaks or major screwups my guess would be that your car was underfilled from the start. Seems that the fancy electronic 'dipstick' is confusing even for dealership personnel.

After my initial service the oil was reading a little low - put in a half quart and it was fine. Let the dealer know I did not appreciate spending five bucks a quart only to use it immediately after a scheduled service because THEY underfilled.

Could be the specs tell them to put in a very specific amount of oil which under some circumstances is not enough? Just seems like BMW makes this way more complicated than it has to be...
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      07-21-2010, 10:12 AM   #3
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Thanks, Drey--makes sense. I'll post back after my trip to the dealer in awhile.
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      07-21-2010, 10:31 AM   #4
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Yeah i had my 1200 done Monday and noticed yesterday my oil level is just above minimum. Guess its the dealer being cheap.
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      07-21-2010, 11:14 AM   #5
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I am only at 200 miles on the clock. It came from the factory a little UNDERFILLED, but when I asked one of the main service guys, he stated that almost all M3s will be UNDERFILLED a little because even the slightest OVERFILL on an M3 is really bad.
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      07-21-2010, 11:43 AM   #6
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Mine was exactly halfway between Min and Max after my 1,200 mile service. I added a half liter and now she is good-to-go.

I would much rather have them underfill it and then I top it off then have them overfill. Keeping a liter of oil in the garage has always been standard practice for me, not a big deal in my books.
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      07-21-2010, 12:42 PM   #7
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What oil brand do you guys use to top off??
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      07-21-2010, 12:58 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeus69 View Post
What oil brand do you guys use to top off??
10w 60 Castrol

Price is anywhere from around $11 -17 (17 at some dealers) a quart.

I bought a case during an accessory fest for $100 (12 quarts.)
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      07-21-2010, 01:11 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drey View Post
Let the dealer know I did not appreciate spending five bucks a quart
Try $28.50 here . I obviously buy it from Tischer, at around $13 shipped.

Some dealers are only using 8 liters, hence the low level from the start. You need to check oil level after every oil change. Search for the proper way to check it with this stupid sensor. It's pretty consistent once you get the hang of it.

By the way, if you drain the oil long enough (and suck the oil filter hosing dry ), you'd need 9.5L. I just changed mine, and that's what I needed. And yes, I always keep level topped off in all my vehicles, but hasn't been necessary to add anything to the M3 yet. Hope it stays that way. Later.
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      07-21-2010, 03:03 PM   #10
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Just got back from a quick stop off at dealer. They confirmed oil was about a quart low and that everything else was ok. Filled it up and now reading is just where it should be. Not sure why the underfill, but from others on here it doesn't sound like I'm the only one
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      07-21-2010, 04:58 PM   #11
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Liters people, liters!!!!!!

You are driving a German car, not an American car. The bottles of Castrol 10W60 are 1L.

1 L = 1.05668821 QT
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      07-21-2010, 05:35 PM   #12
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Had the same issue at my last oil change. Oil light came on about 2 miles after I left the dealership. They miscalculated the ammount of oil it needed. It only took about half a liter to top it off.
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      07-21-2010, 06:13 PM   #13
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Can you read english in your German car???? :)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Slpnbyu View Post
Liters people, liters!!!!!!

You are driving a German car, not an American car. The bottles of Castrol 10W60 are 1L.

1 L = 1.05668821 QT
Thanks for the conversion lesson. Most people know the difference. My German car says add +1qt!

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      07-21-2010, 06:23 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by E82Pilot View Post
I am only at 200 miles on the clock. It came from the factory a little UNDERFILLED, but when I asked one of the main service guys, he stated that almost all M3s will be UNDERFILLED a little because even the slightest OVERFILL on an M3 is really bad.
Mine came filled up to the top from the factory. When I took it in to get a door lock fixed (kept getting stuck) @300 mi, they did the 1200 mi service and filled it to the middle.
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      07-21-2010, 07:33 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///Metak View Post
Thanks for the conversion lesson. Most people know the difference. My German car says add +1qt!
My lesson was directed towards the posts above like:

Quote:
Originally Posted by E82Pilot
I bought a case during an accessory fest for $100 (12 quarts.)
Out of curiosity, what happens if you change the units in the settings menu when you have that message? My bet is that the qt changes to L and the 1 is just fixed (i.e., the car doesn't do the conversion when the units are not metric).
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      07-21-2010, 07:46 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///Metak View Post
My German car says add +1qt!


TWS is probably the only exception of oil sold in the US in liters, rather than quarts. It's okay to think in quarts; it's almost the same .
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      07-29-2010, 04:20 AM   #17
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same thing just happened to me. Glad I found this tread. Go figure I just had a service done about 300 miles ago.
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      07-31-2010, 06:52 AM   #18
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I believe that the dealer (service dept.) failed to fill your M3 accordingly and as they should. Me, I do my M3's oil/filter changes myself, even when it's free at the BMW dealers. Would you trust them messing around with your investment? Not me. I've been there, done that. Heard many stories about what's going on at many car service establishments, and lived many service deceptions myself in the past. It's not "rocket science" to do and oil/filter yourself. And the best of all, at the end you'll feel satisfied that the job was done properly, without having to think what someone could have done incorrectly to your M3. Take the challenge, my friend...
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      08-01-2010, 09:33 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Moe's M3 View Post
I do my M3's oil/filter changes myself, even when it's free at the BMW dealers. Would you trust them messing around with your investment? Not me. I've been there, done that. Heard many stories about what's going on at many car service establishments, and lived many service deceptions myself in the past. It's not "rocket science" to do and oil/filter yourself. And the best of all, at the end you'll feel satisfied that the job was done properly, without having to think what someone could have done incorrectly to your M3.
You can say that all over again . That makes at least the 2 of us . Anybody else doing his own service?
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