+1 quart

[Mpowah]

So I just had an oil change today and 5 hours later I have the oil light come on asking me to add 1 qt. Do you think it's risky to drive for the next 1.5 days until the dealer is open?

Note when I got my car from service the oil level was at 50% so obviously they didn't fill enough or they never did an oil change since that's where my meter read when I took it in :/

[///M-Night]

Originally Posted by Mpowah

So I just had an oil change today and 5 hours later I have the oil light come on asking me to add 1 qt. Do you think it's risky to drive for the next 1.5 days until the dealer is open?

Note when I got my car from service the oil level was at 50% so obviously they didn't fill enough or they never did an oil change since that's where my meter read when I took it in :/

Also you should have your dealer check out your oil level gauge. I had mine replace cause it was showing low oil when it wasn't. Wish the car come with a dip stick!!!
If worried then why not just throw in a 1qt? Better then worrying about :

[Mpowah]

Yeah I can get a qt just that it won't be BMW oil so I'm not sure if it will do more harm than good?

[RBB]

You should always keep a couple quarts of TWS around since you'll need to top off between changes anyways. I leave one in the trunk at all times. Buy yourself a few bottles and just take care of it yourself.

[CBS]

^ Agreed, I bought a BAV Auto quart holder and always keep in the trunk.

OP: I have had my oil changed twice before and within a few miles had the screen say I was low. Dealer replaced oil sending unit recently, they said they drained and measured the oil and it was correct therefore they decided it was a bad sending unit.

I've driven before when it was down a quart but not very far and certainly not high revs.

Good luck!

[fuddman]

Originally Posted by Mpowah

So I just had an oil change today and 5 hours later I have the oil light come on asking me to add 1 qt. Do you think it's risky to drive for the next 1.5 days until the dealer is open?

Note when I got my car from service the oil level was at 50% so obviously they didn't fill enough or they never did an oil change since that's where my meter read when I took it in :/

If it says to add a quart, if I were you I'd do it; however, I'd add just a little at a time until the oil lite goes away.
Before you start the process, I suggest you take a picture of the the message asking for an additional quart. That way, you can present the screw up to the dealer. You should tell him to drain all the oil, remove the filter and start all over again and do it right. Have him show you the cans of oil he puts in the car if need be.
Good luck with it.

[Nuke818]

If your going to be driving it i would add oil. Just make sure you don't add the whole quart. Add half quart and let the computer check the oil again and then add more if needed. I got the same warning a week ago and added a full quart and I got the oil at max warning. I had to take it to the dealer to have them drain some oils. When it was all said and done it ended up taking them 5.5 hours.

[Mike van D]

Had this warning after both oil changes. Let her cool off for at least 30 mins, add 1/4 liter, drive her easy for a bit and recheck gauge. Usually diff is in the with and without filter change amount that a lot of service techs can't seem to get right.

Key is to put small amounts...

[Mpowah]

Thanks for all the replies! Since I don't have any BMW oil I'm going to not drive today and then take the 40 mile trip to the dealer tomorrow morning to have this addressed. Definitely going to keep some spare oil for the future

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by Mpowah

Definitely going to keep some spare oil for the future

Thats the best thing you can do and something I learned right away as the M3 does eat some oil. Buy a few liters and keep them around and always have one in your car. I bought the BMW oil bag that velcros in the trunk so I always have a liter on me.

[RBB]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Thats the best thing you can do and something I learned right away as the M3 does eat some oil. Buy a few liters and keep them around and always have one in your car. I bought the BMW oil bag that velcros in the trunk so I always have a liter on me.

Yeah, I bought that bag as well....about $5 from Tischer and convenient. Just slap that in your trunk and forget about it.

[Mpowah]

So the story gets better..I make the 40 mile drive to the dealership to get there 15 min before they open. This valet guy walks up to my car and I tell him I need to speak with the service manager. He tells me "sorry nobody is here today, we are open but not really, like customers can pick up their cars and stuff." I proceed to tell him "we'll I just got an oil change on Saturday and they fucked it up and now I'm already down a quart" I then asked if the parts dept is open so I can buy oil" he then waves me in to pull my car up. So I'm thinking.. This is promising at least I can get my oil even if its paying for their mistake. Well..he walks in and then walks out and says "what kind of oil does the m3 take? I tell him the type of oil and he walks back in talks to this lady then walks back out and says "sorry it's all locked up I can't help you"

So now I'm heading to a dealer 15 miles from here who opens at 9 to see if I can buy any oil. When I get home from work I am going to draft a nice letter to Ottos BMW (stay away from this dealer) and to BMW NA about this whole ordeal. Imagine if this was something more serious makes you wonder what type of service you would get.

[fuddman]

Originally Posted by Mpowah

So now I'm heading to a dealer 15 miles from here who opens at 9 to see if I can buy any oil. When I get home from work I am going to draft a nice letter to Ottos BMW (stay away from this dealer) and to BMW NA about this whole ordeal. Imagine if this was something more serious makes you wonder what type of service you would get.

Two suggestions:
1) Calling BMWNA on their 800 line can get quick results, especially when you have a valid case against a dealers performance, at least it has for me.
2) Be prepared to tell them (BMWNA) what you want done to make it right.

[thekurgan]

Be careful with the TWS bottles, they are usually sold as liters, not quarts.

[Munit]

No offense guys and especially OP-you can add a quarter of a quart or even a whole quart of many types of oils found in your local pep boys. There are both castrol and mobil 1 synthetics that have a close enough spec for an occasional usage. castrol 5w 50 for example. You could add an entire quart to the other 8 quarts of the TWS and there would be zero difference in ability to perform.

So while I obviously am pretty strict with frequent maintence and proper fluids, there is a point where being overly stringent just is silly.

[Mpowah]

Well fortunately a local euro garage was able to order me a 5 liter bottle of liqui-Molly 10w-60 from jersey and its here already. Put in a quart and my car feels great. Still going to complain to BMW NA but this local shop was great.

[mPlasticDesign]

Originally Posted by Mike van D

Had this warning after both oil changes. Let her cool off for at least 30 mins, add 1/4 liter, drive her easy for a bit and recheck gauge. Usually diff is in the with and without filter change amount that a lot of service techs can't seem to get right.

Key is to put small amounts...

No the key is to read the manual. Adding small amounts will only confuse the e-dipstick.

OP. Dealership will top it off for you. Obviously, not enough oil was put in the car during the oil service. Your car isn't going to burn a qt of oil in 5hrs.

There is a lot of misinformation being given out here. Adding too much can be just as damaging. Again people, RTFM!

[BMWSpeedFreek]

Just had this issue - car said add 1 litre, so I did. Did not take photo (with time stamp) of the car message. Lesson #1. Lesson #2 is: if the car says add another litre in an unrealistically short time from a recent oil change, don't. Turn the car off, wait half an hour, and restart, ensuring you are on a level surface. If you can afford to, my dealer said to wait > 6hrs as that is when the car 'goes to sleep' and stops looking for a key (Comfort access I think). My last oil change was 3k km ago, and I went and drove the Nurburgring F1 track (wet) for 40 mins - end of the session, the car said it needed oil. Fact is, it didn't. One minor overfill later, and the embarassment of 'fessing up to my SA and my M-Flight brethren, I have learned a couple good lessons.

In talking with others, I think if you have BMW dealership closeby, and you can afford the time (I know, rarely), take the car to them, ask them to top it up, and they can make the assessment, that way you are covered warranty-wise...

My 2 cents...

[ms372]

i think it a common issue after an oil change as the mechanic cant really get the exact reading as the car needs to get to the right temp and the electronic gauge is not as accurate as a dip stick. i had this happen to me before the dealer gave me a free TWS to fill up. but as everyone said always have some in ur trunk.

[av2]

I usually keep a few extra bottles of motor oils on the shelves...

[Kaylin032]

I've seen some variability in oil levels after a change at the dealer. I honestly don't think they measure how much goes in beyond counting "one one thousand, two one thousand..." etc.