2011 e90 m3 Oil level question..

[srmast1]

Hello every body. I am very new to this or any other forum but i recently (last October) purchased a 6spd manual e90 m3. Im still not sure if that was a good idea or not but I absolutely love it. Period. I was coming from a modded and protuned 6spd 2011 Subaru Sti. That was an absolute rocket and was rock solid in monsoon type conditions, but loud, kinda ugly duckling-ish (no offense to any subaru fans, i just never got used to it) with brutal boost..not for me. And my girlfriend did not like it at all. The m3 is a classic and refined enough to disguise the angry, snarling beast it truly can be. The smooth, seamless power delivery is amazing. Driveline is a bit lashy but overall still awesome. And it is pure fun to drive. So I got an oil change done at my local BMW dealer at ~36500 miles. I specifically remember the oil level being at about 75% (as shown by the graphical readout) full, with an orange bar and "ok" at the bottom. Now at 38400 miles, the orange bar is at the 25% level! Still with the orange, still with the ok. Is this normal? How could it have fallen so quickly? I have taken some 4hr and less road trips and sometimes i drive in a a spirited manner, but I have NEVER tracked it. I have not modified or tuned it. It is bone stock. The Ultimate driving machine indeed it is, however hopefully it doesn't require the ultimate maintenance schedule. Oil analysis perhaps? Anyway to those of you that reply, thanks for your time and input

Sorry about the long-windedness

[Agent-GHQ]

I take it you don't have the idrive system? But regardless, this is a high reviving F1 inspired engine so it's gonna be thirsty. I can only recall adding a qt one time in between oil change but then again I change my oil twice a year, not once a yr.

The oil level will show ok cuz there's a quarter left but you should add a qt to bring it about 3/4 full. Best to have 2 qts of oil in your trunk

[srmast1]

Thank you for the reply. I do have idrive. The car has everything package - wise (cold weather. Technology, convenience) except for the multiple suspension modes. Still it came with 19" wheels. But I'm getting no alerts or "!" Symbol.

[nholmes]

Just fair warning, the distance between the very top and very bottom of that vertical line is not equal. The upper half of the line (between the two arrows) is ONE QUART. If you do end up wanting to "top off" your oil, you will need to add 0.25/qt at a time and then check the indicator each time.

I've (ironically) found the indicator to not be the best way to verify oil level though. The way the ECU interprets the signal from the sensor and displays that to you is not 100% accurate. I'm not trying to be alarmist here, mostly just to save you the concern of over filling and then having to bring it in to get a shop to drain the excess oil. You cannot run these motors over OEM suggested capacity. If you add too much oil and the indicator reads, 'MAX' you will have to drain off some oil.

I know this first hand as I added the recommended amount of oil and then started to add 0.25/qt to top it off. Each time I checked the level, the indicator never went closer to the top arrow. I kept adding 0.25/qt until it finally gave an accurate reading, which by that point was at MAX.





YMMV

EDIT: Good thread here about it: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167090

[srmast1]

Ok nholmes, thank you for all that valuable information and the link..I gotta say, you guys (and gals?) On these forums possess an impressive wealth of knowledge. But what exactly is happening to the oil? Is it being structurally degraded that quickly?

[nholmes]

I can't speak to your car specifically, but the S65 does consume oil.

I burned a quart driving from Houston, Texas to Los Angeles, California.

[aus]

Try bringing it back to the dealer and see if they'll top it off since you just had it changed there. The oil meter really sucks and this car does burn oil.

Last time I changed my oil, the meter said it's was overfilled. I drained the front tank 3 times and each time it kept saying it was too high. After the 3rd drain, it said it was 1 quart LOW!! So I filled it about 1/2 quart and it said it was perfect at the top.
Just an FYI, that meter you see is suppose to represent a quart of oil.
.

[srmast1]

Originally Posted by nholmes

I can't speak to your car specifically, but the S65 does consume oil.

I burned a quart driving from Houston, Texas to Los Angeles, California.

That's just crazy

[srmast1]

Originally Posted by aus

Try bringing it back to the dealer and see if they'll top it off since you just had it changed there. The oil meter really sucks and this car does burn oil.

Last time I changed my oil, the meter said it's was overfilled. I drained the front tank 3 times and each time it kept saying it was too high. After the 3rd drain, it said it was 1 quart LOW!! So I filled it about 1/2 quart and it said it was perfect at the top.
Just an FYI, that meter you see is suppose to represent a quart of oil.
.

I guess I'll just keep an eye on it. When it asks to add oil, I'll add some oil. Do they charge to top up at the dealer? I can't imagine that the answer to that question would be "no"

[aus]

Most dealers will top of for free, especially if you just had work done there since the oil meter is notoriously inconsistent after an oil change.

[Jonathan@BimmerWorld]

All good advice in this thread. Dealer will likely top off for you, but add slowly if doing it on your own, and always keep an extra quart or two in the trunk in case you just have a thirsty engine.

We really like the old fashioned method of using a real dipstick to keep track of oil level since that's the lifeblood of your engine. Image below is linked to our mechanical dipstick options for the S65:

[srmast1]

Originally Posted by aus

Most dealers will top of for free, especially if you just had work done there since the oil meter is notoriously inconsistent after an oil change.

Ok I will stop by my friendly neighborhood BMW dealer.

[srmast1]

Originally Posted by Jonathan@BimmerWorld

All good advice in this thread. Dealer will likely top off for you, but add slowly if doing it on your own, and always keep an extra quart or two in the trunk in case you just have a thirsty engine.

We really like the old fashioned method of using a real dipstick to keep track of oil level since that's the lifeblood of your engine. Image below is linked to our mechanical dipstick options for the S65:

I actually have started keeping (since it was suggeated to me in this thread)2 quarts of oil in my car at all times. So you installed an actual, mechanical dipstick on your e9x m3? If so, i gotta hand it to you, that's pretty cool! I'm impressed.

[nholmes]

I've got one of those. It's a nice piece, the bracket on mine didn't fit right though, so I had to bend it out of the way so the tube could clear. I already sent feedback to VAC about it.

[Johndong888]

i actually never knew how to read a dipstick lol. Everytime i try, the stick comes out super dirty or it touches the side of the tube. Wouldn't that skew the reading?

Anyways nholmes is on point. The digital reader isn't all that precise but if you must top off, top off a little bit a time. 0.25- under .5 qt and then go about your day. Check it later and see where you're at. Obviously also make sure the car is leveled when checking.