Am I burning oil?

[ES_TRADER]

i know it says "ok" but last week the oil level bar was right at those two midpoint lines...and now it is below...is the car telling me that im burning oil?

if so, is it normal? i mean ive had bimmers that burn oil before but only after the car had over 100k miles on it.

[blittle887]

I'm curious as well. I had my 1200 mile service done about 3 weeks ago and when I got my car back the oil level was exactly at the middle line. Now it's about where the op's level is at.

[Jewish Elmo from Brooklyn]

its cool man, my 335 burned earl like crazy.... bmws are known for it

[Fsarc]

Consistent reading- parked, level surface, reset from the stalk? From what I've read on some threads here that's seems the best way to check and have an accurate gauge as to levels and if you're burning oil.

[mdosu]

as other have stated, make sure you're measuring at the same place on a level ground.

In general, don't be surprised you're burning oil. I burned about 1/4 quart in 6000 miles. My car is at 14k right now.

[ES_TRADER]

Originally Posted by Fsarc

Consistent reading- parked, level surface, reset from the stalk? From what I've read on some threads here that's seems the best way to check and have an accurate gauge as to levels and if you're burning oil.

I measured all day long. Different places and it was less than last week middle line. So I shot that pic.

I mean I'm fine with it if its normal or course. Love to avoid a trip to the shop

[MattDogg42]

Thats normal. Just go to ur local bmw dealer and tell them to add a quart for you.

[ES_TRADER]

Originally Posted by MattDogg42

Thats normal. Just go to ur local bmw dealer and tell them to add a quart for you.

Is there a charge for this? Can I just drive up to the engine bay area and flag someone down? Cuz it would hardly seem worth it if I had to sit in line, wait for SA to do paperwork, then sit in the queue for 2 hrs. A

[schnell325]

If there is a charge, just pony up the ~$15 for a bottle at the parts counter.

[geneatals]

depends on the dealership, some will do a complimentary "top-off"

but it doesn't hurt to have a bottle of oil in the trunk...

[1sikbmr]

I always keep a quart in the trunk... The one time my car actually needed oil was at 8000 miles. This is totally normal.

[M5280RCR]

Originally Posted by richpuer

Is there a charge for this? Can I just drive up to the engine bay area and flag someone down? Cuz it would hardly seem worth it if I had to sit in line, wait for SA to do paperwork, then sit in the queue for 2 hrs. A

My local dealer would not top off my oil, until I made a stink (even though I did not buy the car from him). Manager finally agreed to do it once but said he would not be reimbured by BMW NA, so he enouraged me to take it up with them (as he would prefer to provide customers the service they expect)...but he couldn't afford to give away oil he was not going to be reimbursed for. After he added a quart I bought another for the trunk (about $11 after BMW CCA discount), and I am adding a quart about every 4k miles (driving like a bat out of hell most of the time...irritating to buy the oil that I feel should be covered under warranty, but worth the grin on my face everyday I get in the car). Final word of advice,avoid the service line and pony up the $11 when needed

[OC3]

Originally Posted by geneatals

depends on the dealership, some will do a complimentary "top-off"

but it doesn't hurt to have a bottle of oil in the trunk...

This, on both.

[bogdan]

All cars burn oil, including our M3's. Depending on the severity of driving conditions, 1 liter every 3k is not unheard of. There are many engines out there that have a huge thirst for oil eg. rotaries.

Originally Posted by m5280rcr

My local dealer would not top off my oil, until I made a stink (even though I did not buy the car from him). Manager finally agreed to do it once but said he would not be reimbured by BMW NA, so he enouraged me to take it up with them (as he would prefer to provide customers the service they expect)...but he couldn't afford to give away oil he was not going to be reimbursed for

Oil the service manager bought you comes out of the "service policy," account, which comes out of his paycheck. You didn't even buy the car from them so why are you so proud of making a stink about it?

......irritating to buy the oil that I feel should be covered under warranty

BMW does not cover fluid consumption. Oil, gas, washer fuid, not covered.

Final word of advice,avoid the service line and pony up the $11 when needed

Yes, agreed. It's best to keep a liter with you in case it.

[z00m]

it's ok, but after few more runs you'll see +1l, so prepare. I always have a liter in the trunk

And yes, it's burning oil, more on long distances at high rpm

[M5280RCR]

Oil the service manager bought you comes out of the "service policy," account, which comes out of his paycheck. You didn't even buy the car from them so why are you so proud of making a stink about it?

I did not mean to indicate I was proud to get a "free" quart of oil. This is my 8th BMW, so believe me these guys have received plenty of business from me.



BMW does not cover fluid consumption. Oil, gas, washer fuid, not covered.

Irritating because all fluids were always topped off by this same dealer under the maintenance warranty of my E46 M3, and I assumed the same for this car (other than gas).



Yes, agreed. It's best to keep a liter with you in case it. [/QUOTE]

Once I got over the irritation of understanding that BMW has changed the terms of its maintenance warranty, $11 ever few months for a quart of oil does not seem too bad...especially after loading it with $70 worth of gas every few days.