Put in some oil, oil level goes down! lolwut

Check this out. My oil level fell from the 3/4 full mark to the 1/2 mark about a month ago. I didn't care very much but I have a spare bottle of oil, so I put in half of it (500ml) this morning.

Now I know the manual says that putting in half a bottle may not result in an increase on the oil level display, but I didn't expect that adding oil would make my oil level go DOWN! After I put the oil in and drove the car around the oil level fell from 1/2 to 1/4. WTF?

So now I don't know what to think other than I do not trust that gauge to be accurate.

the gauge is definitely not accurate. usually when u put oil u wont see the changes right away. sometimes it takes a few days... like 4 days to update. but in ur case if it's going down maybe u have other issues/leaks?

BMW engineers were so focused on getting the maximum performance from the V8 that they forgot the dipstick. Brilliant move that idea was.

alright... i'll buy that... why isnt there a dipstick in 328's?

///Mantis wrote

the gauge is definitely not accurate. usually when u put oil u wont see the changes right away. sometimes it takes a few days... like 4 days to update. but in ur case if it's going down maybe u have other issues/leaks?

I don't think there's a leak because the oil level has been at 1/2 since early January. Then as soon as I put 1/2 a bottle in on a whim, it drops to 1/4. That says to me the gauge just sucks and that's all. I mean I guess since the gauge isn't trustworthy anything is possible, but the car runs great and there are no visible leaks in the engine bay or under the car. Now I'm just wondering if the oil level really was at 1/2 in the first place. For all I know I overfilled it by 1/2 a liter.

///Mantis wrote

alright... i'll buy that... why isnt there a dipstick in 328's?

The 328 must have been a better engineered car.

FStop7 wrote

I don't think there's a leak because the oil level has been at 1/2 since early January. Then as soon as I put 1/2 a bottle in on a whim, it drops to 1/4. That says to me the gauge just sucks and that's all. I mean I guess since the gauge isn't trustworthy anything is possible, but the car runs great and there are no visible leaks in the engine bay or under the car. Now I'm just wondering if the oil level really was at 1/2 in the first place. For all I know I overfilled it by 1/2 a liter.

In case you're worried bring it in and have an OBD readout of the oil level done. It's as easy as that.


Best regards, south

southlight wrote

In case you're worried bring it in and have an OBD readout of the oil level done. Easy as that.


Best regards, south

If the OBD can read the correct oil level (to me this implies that the car already knows the right level) then why doesn't it read out correctly to the driver?

ersin wrote

If the OBD can read the correct oil level (to me this implies that the car already knows the right level) then why doesn't it read out correctly to the driver?

Don't know why but these don't necessarily match. The BC level readout seems to be slower.


Best regards, south

So I check again on my way home tonight and the oil level is back to normal at the top of the OK range, where I expected it would be this morning after I put that extra half liter in. Would it kill BMW to just put in a dipstick? Oh well, still loving the car despite some of BMW's weird choices.

southlight wrote

In case you're worried bring it in and have an OBD readout of the oil level done. It's as easy as that.


Best regards, south

Wow, good to know I can get the oil level from the OBD. Might be time to buy a reader. It really pisses me off that there's no dipstick. After my Audi sunroof started opening itself, I have been very suspicious of German electronics .

FStop7 wrote

So I check again on my way home tonight and the oil level is back to normal at the top of the OK range, where I expected it would be this morning after I put that extra half liter in. Would it kill BMW to just put in a dipstick?

That's definitely on my list of major gripes. I had a similar issue to what you did after changing my oil. I put in almost the full capacity amount and it was still reading low. Luckily, I gave it some time and it came up to normal. This is how engines get overfilled.

The manual does say, "If engine oil was added it may take up to 30 minutes to get an oil level reading." But, it does not say "to get a CORRECT oil level reading."

CeeP wrote

Wow, good to know I can get the oil level from the OBD. Might be time to buy a reader. It really pisses me off that there's no dipstick. After my Audi sunroof started opening itself, I have been very suspicious of German electronics .

Anyone can recommend an OBD reader? Would be cool to read the various parameters, eg after a track day!

Just to let everyone know, as a few people have noticed. When u top off oil, drive the car for a few miles then let it sit at idle for a few minutes then shut it off for a while. Let the car sit and start it up after about 20 min. or so. Let the gauge come up and it should b updated. Of course this doesnt always work correctly but whatever u do, DO NOT KEEP TOPPING OFF. The gauge (i know sucks) but just let it update. Just keep repeating these steps, they dont have to be exactly the same but similar. For example u top off n go to the mall, u let the car sit for a few hours whatever, thats ok. Just dont expect the gauge to update immediately.

I have seen an m6 engine almost seize because the owner put in up to 30qts of oil thinking it was low because he didnt give the engine oil gauge time to update. I hope most of us would notice something is off by putting even more then 2 qts. but just wanted to give u guys a heads up. It cost this owner about 2,500 dollars and a few days down to get the vehicle back to running conditions. Have he took it into the shop a day or 2 later, he would have needed a new engine.

gr8000 wrote

Anyone can recommend an OBD reader? Would be cool to read the various parameters, eg after a track day!

As far as I know not any OBD reader will read ur oil level, correct me if im wrong. Only a gt1, which is not ur average OBD reader and cost thousands, can accurately check ur oil level and a lot more. So if u notice ur gauge just doesn't seem to update after a few days, take it in to a dealer and ask if they can check ur oil level. This shouldn't take more then 30 min.

niterider wrote

As far as I know not any OBD reader will read ur oil level, correct me if im wrong. Only a gt1, which is not ur average OBD reader and cost thousands, can accurately check ur oil level and a lot more. So if u notice ur gauge just doesn't seem to update after a few days, take it in to a dealer and ask if they can check ur oil level. This shouldn't take more then 30 min.

Although we discuss the oil level issue in this thread, when I was asking for recomendation for an OBD reader I was not specifically interested to use it in order to obtain a precise readout of the oil level but I was rather interested to to get recorded data out - particularly after a track day.

I realise this is off topic here - apologies. I may create a new thread to avoid messing this one up.

///Mantis wrote

alright... i'll buy that... why isnt there a dipstick in 328's?

maybe the car was designed around October Fest.

I can confirm the same "I'm saying I'm low but I really have plenty" BC reading. And I started down the same path (adding oil), but stopped because I'd had the 1200-mile service about two weeks before. Called the dealer, service advisor confirmed the BC being inaccurate.

Terrific, 70 large for a car with no dipstick and a digital readout that has to be second-guessed by tech support over the phone. Well, it's only the engine.

GregW / Oregon wrote

That's definitely on my list of major gripes. I had a similar issue to what you did after changing my oil. I put in almost the full capacity amount and it was still reading low. Luckily, I gave it some time and it came up to normal. This is how engines get overfilled.

The manual does say, "If engine oil was added it may take up to 30 minutes to get an oil level reading." But, it does not say "to get a CORRECT oil level reading."

This is why I've been trying to find out exactly how much oil needs to be put in for an oil change. With a dipstick, it's no big deal... put in close to what you need, let it sit for few minutes, check the dip stick and top it off to exactly where you want it. With this car, I would like to find out EXACTLY what the oil capacity is, like within a quarter of a quart. Don't want to drive around for half a day to find out I was a quart or more short, and obviously don't want to overfill.
So, Greg, do you (or anyone else) know exactly how much you put in?

You should ask a tech who's worked on a lot of new M3s. When I had my 1200 mile service done at Long Beach BMW, the oil level came out 1 tick below the top of the "OK" range. Which to me says they're careful not to over fill, since it's easier to over than under fill. I appreciated that because I've heard so many stories of people having to turn around and go back to the dealership to get oil drained after a tech over fills.

MysticBlue wrote

This is why I've been trying to find out exactly how much oil needs to be put in for an oil change. With a dipstick, it's no big deal... put in close to what you need, let it sit for few minutes, check the dip stick and top it off to exactly where you want it. With this car, I would like to find out EXACTLY what the oil capacity is, like within a quarter of a quart. Don't want to drive around for half a day to find out I was a quart or more short, and obviously don't want to overfill.
So, Greg, do you (or anyone else) know exactly how much you put in?

You might want to have a look at this: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129886

It's 8.8 liters including oil filter, 8.4 liters without.


Best regards, south

Filling up oil seems to have become rocket science... I know that the absence of a proper dipstick or the inaccuracy of the electronic dipstick may be causing this but filling up oil shouldn't be (and isn't in my experience) rocket science!

In simple terms, just add 1lt when prompted to do so in the dashboard! Simple & reliable!

You may want to check my other post which describes this in a bit more detail:
6th post in http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=228993
[or directly http://www.m3post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4435733&postcount=6]