I'm sure it's posted somewhere else, but I'm too tired and lazy to look any further, maybe someone can post the forum link. My oil level on my 335i Coupe is half way down!! It only has 2700 miles on it. Is this normal?? I don't want to spend money for oil on a brand new car with only 2700 miles on it. Is there a known issue with this, or some sort of fix? I emailed BMW so hopefully they can give me some insight. I'm a little bummed about. Will a BMW Center top off the oil level for me? Please help! Thanks.

hahahaha! You bought a brand new car, and dont want to spend the money on oil...and you are too lazy to actually look....hahahaha!



I miss the days when people worked on things.

do you redline every day?

I have 7K and my oil was a little less than max. BMW topped it off but I will be doing my oilchange in 500 miles anyways.

I'm sure it's posted somewhere else, but I'm too tired and lazy to look any further, maybe someone can post the forum link. My oil level on my 335i Coupe is half way down!! It only has 2700 miles on it. Is this normal?? I don't want to spend money for oil on a brand new car with only 2700 miles on it. Is there a known issue with this, or some sort of fix? I emailed BMW so hopefully they can give me some insight. I'm a little bummed about. Will a BMW Center top off the oil level for me? Please help! Thanks.

Go to the dealer and have them look at it. Go to the dealer and have them top off the oil. You have four years of maintenance on a new BMW. That means you don't pay for anything other than gas and tires. Oil is certainly covered by the maintenance package.

hahahaha! You bought a brand new car, and dont want to spend the money on oil...and you are too lazy to actually look....hahahaha!



I miss the days when people worked on things.

When you buy a BMW you are paying for four years of oil up front! No need to work on it yourself, you paid for it, let the professionals do the work.

hahahaha! You bought a brand new car, and dont want to spend the money on oil...and you are too lazy to actually look....hahahaha!

I miss the days when people worked on things.

Let me just clarify e28 man, that the 335i doesn't have a dipstick for the oil. Plus for the price of this car, and the low mileage there shouldn't be half the oil gone. It can only be checked electronically through iDrive or through the dash toggle switch. I would like to physically verify this. I will take it into a dealer asap.

Thanks to you others for your constructive feedback.

Let me just clarify e28 man, that the 335i doesn't have a dipstick for the oil. Plus for the price of this car, and the low mileage there shouldn't be half the oil gone. It can only be checked electronically through iDrive or through the dash toggle switch. I would like to physically verify this. I will take it into a dealer asap.

Thanks to you others for your constructive feedback.

No dipstick. Honestly, does anyone else find that absurd?

God, I'm such a relic. Automotive trends are going to pass me by...sigh.

No dipstick... thats an interesting tidbit of knowledge to find out. I'm due to recieve my new 335 coupe monday. Glad I read this post.

No dipstick... thats an interesting tidbit of knowledge to find out. I'm due to recieve my new 335 coupe monday. Glad I read this post.

Don't worry, your car will have a dipstick in it.:alright ;) :D

I'm sure it's posted somewhere else, but I'm too tired and lazy to look any further, maybe someone can post the forum link. My oil level on my 335i Coupe is half way down!! It only has 2700 miles on it. Is this normal?? I don't want to spend money for oil on a brand new car with only 2700 miles on it. Is there a known issue with this, or some sort of fix? I emailed BMW so hopefully they can give me some insight. I'm a little bummed about. Will a BMW Center top off the oil level for me? Please help! Thanks.

You emailed BMW because your car needed oil? I guess I should email them too since my car needs gas and to be washed. I really hope BMW reposeses your car, anyone inable to add a 5 dollar quart of oil should not be alowed near a BMW.

ok this is all a bit silly. no need to flame the guy for asking a question... even if it sounds a bit silly to anyone outside the e9x cult. yes, adding a quart of oil is easy, but there have been rare instances of the oil level sensor malfunctioning on these cars causing the owner to add oil whenever it says to. if they do that, they add too much oil which is very bad for your engine. at this stage in the game it should go into the dealer to have them check it out.

I had a customer take delivery of a 328xi two weeks ago and she got a low oil warning. she asked if she should add oil but something didn't seem right. when she came in it turned out to be a problem with the sensor. when I asked the SA about it he said that someone had once added 5 extra quarts to the engine because it kept saying it was low on oil. that killed the engine.

ok this is all a bit silly. no need to flame the guy for asking a question... even if it sounds a bit silly to anyone outside the e9x cult. yes, adding a quart of oil is easy, but there have been rare instances of the oil level sensor malfunctioning on these cars causing the owner to add oil whenever it says to. if they do that, they add too much oil which is very bad for your engine. at this stage in the game it should go into the dealer to have them check it out.

I had a customer take delivery of a 328xi two weeks ago and she got a low oil warning. she asked if she should add oil but something didn't seem right. when she came in it turned out to be a problem with the sensor. when I asked the SA about it he said that someone had once added 5 extra quarts to the engine because it kept saying it was low on oil. that killed the engine.

wise words. i dont know squat about the e90's but there has to be another way to messure the amount of oil manually. im in denial about the whole no dip stick thing now. if its true and you really cant physically take a look, damn im bummed out, i dont think i want a newer bimmer now. so what happens after the 4 year maintanance package? dont tell me bmw plugs everything into a computer now. could you imagine, you need to login in order to monitor your fluid levels?? no to mention you wold probably need some sort of bmw adapter?? omg.. i feel sick.

It's true... no dipstick to check the oil levels. All electronic, through the car.

Tachyonz: Your car with only 2700 miles on it shouldn't be low on oil. Ours has 6k on it, and the oil level reads full. Take advantage of the BMW service and get it checked. Hopefully it's just a bad sensor. & please let us know what happens.

when I asked the SA about it he said that someone had once added 5 extra quarts to the engine because it kept saying it was low on oil. that killed the engine.

I sure hope the poor slob who was obeying the car's faulty instrux wasn't stuck holding the bag when his engine died. Did BMW cover the repair/replacement?

ahhh what happened to the 3 series? it cant be! no dip stick! what cruel tricks bmw has in plans for us? well ive been thinking. if you were to attempt to maintain a e90 or newer bmw by yourslef. you first need a labtop, why? becuase it is portable and small. second you need some sort of software, probably some sort of bmw program. third a adapter to hook up the ecu. just so you can check the fluid levels. forth an endless bank account. good god. whats in store for us? bmw is sure doing a good job marketing towards adults.

$BMW$ BlingMeanWings

Can someone explain to me why manually checking a dip stick is better than just checking the computer? I bet you guys would still like rotary phones too right?

I sure hope the poor slob who was obeying the car's faulty instrux wasn't stuck holding the bag when his engine died. Did BMW cover the repair/replacement?

if BMW didn't cover it then we would... my dealership doesn't play around. service first, sales second.

I think you guys are a little confused... there is a way for all owners to check the level of the oil through the turn signal stalk. it gives a graphic readout of the level. it's not like you need a special tool for it or anything!

Can someone explain to me why manually checking a dip stick is better than just checking the computer? I bet you guys would still like rotary phones too right?

It's far better than a computer that reads a faulty sensor, and the only way to confirm oil level is to drain and refill. The dipstick should be there as a backup, at least. If my touch tone phone occasionally dialed the wrong number then, yep, I would go to rotary.

-Dave

I called two dealerships in the area, the one I bought it from and another one much closer to my place. They both told me if the computer says I don't need service there is no need to bring it in. They said it is normal for the oil to get burned through and one said it was part of the break-in period.

Now I'm thinking this isn't an oil sensor problem because it hasn't told me to add any quarts of oil yet. Like those stories where it would just keep telling someone to add oil even after having added some.

What I will do is add a half quart (Mobil 1 5W-30 Full Syn) this evening and see if it changes the reading. And if it does a little, perhaps add the remaining quart. What do you guys think?

And seriously, all you flamers who don't even own a 335 telling me I'm retarded for not checking my oil on my own or I'm too retarded to add a quart of oil, just go fly a kite. I care about my car and want to learn about what others are experiencing, this is my first BMW and my first new car. I used to own an '84 Volvo, so no need to question my ability to check fluid levels...or lack of fluids. What a headache.

I called two dealerships in the area, the one I bought it from and another one much closer to my place. They both told me if the computer says I don't need service there is no need to bring it in. They said it is normal for the oil to get burned through and one said it was part of the break-in period.

Now I'm thinking this isn't an oil sensor problem because it hasn't told me to add any quarts of oil yet. Like those stories where it would just keep telling someone to add oil even after having added some.

What I will do is add a half quart (Mobil 1 5W-30 Full Syn) this evening and see if it changes the reading. And if it does a little, perhaps add the remaining quart. What do you guys think?

And seriously, all you flamers who don't even own a 335 telling me I'm retarded for not checking my oil on my own or I'm too retarded to add a quart of oil, just go fly a kite. I care about my car and want to learn about what others are experiencing, this is my first BMW and my first new car. I used to own an '84 Volvo, so no need to question my ability to check fluid levels...or lack of fluids. What a headache.

The difference between minimum and maximum on the oil display is one quart/liter. So half way is ½ a quart, not half of your oil. Half a quart in 2700 miles is very reasonable.

So put in half a quart and things will probably be fine. The Mobil 1 5W-30 is OK for top up, but it would be a good idea to pickup up a couple of quarts of the BMW oil the next time you are at the dealer just to have them in the future. And along those lines, while many dealers will put in oil as a gesture of good will, top off fluids are not part of the “free maintenance”.

The dipstick should be there as a backup, at least.Dipsticks are a potential source of leaks, both vacuum and HCs. Stricter emissions standards make it necessary to remove them.

Dipsticks are a potential source of leaks, both vacuum and HCs. Stricter emissions standards make it necessary to remove them.
So make them screw in. I agree...being able to physically measure is a lot better than relying on a computer.

You emailed BMW because your car needed oil? I guess I should email them too since my car needs gas and to be washed. I really hope BMW reposeses your car, anyone inable to add a 5 dollar quart of oil should not be alowed near a BMW.

I really hope that this guy gets a spelling and grammar assistant to go along with his arrogance. I have nominated this particular person "gmessori" for a lifetime ban from this forum, just because of his rude postings in the past. Now, I nominate him for a lifetime ban for just being stupid. The point is not that a quart of oil "only" costs five dollars, and that a new car owner should be able and willing to spend this amount of money. The point is that comprehensive maintenance and 15,000 mile oil change intervals leave new owners in the lurch if they are down oil earlier than expected. Gmessori- perhaps you should e-mail BMW and let them know that in addition to a fill up and a washing, your car needs to be desanitized of your arrogant misinformed personality.

When I was notified by my OBC that I was down a quart, it turned out to be a false indication. I determined this by buying a quart of 10-50 for the ride, just in case, and watching the oil level gauge closely. The low oil level message was not on again. A few days later, I had an oil change and I took the opportunity to make my service advisor aware of the incident. I paid 80 dollars for this service, as it is not on my service schedule to change the oil at 6,000 miles. However, a notation was made in my file of a possible faulty oil level sender. Also, the oil out was measured, and was nearly the full amount the engine specifies. This is how a coscientious owner deals with a seemingly minor problem on a new car he cares about. Yes, I paid 80 dollars for an oil change BMW says it not necessary. But, going forward I have the piece of mind I wanted.

Instead of making derisive comments, go hang yourself and put us all out of your misery gmessori. I know we would all be better off with one less (insert rude nickname for our friend gmessori here) out there.

Just before my 335i died, it said add one quart. I did, and 20 miles later, it said add one quart. I did and 20 miles it died (with no oil in it). That was over one month ago, and it is still in the shop. A faulty sensor was just one minor item of the many items they changed so far. I am sure this will not happen to you, but be safe and have the dealership check it. Don't bet your whole car on a sensor.

I really hope that this guy gets a spelling and grammar assistant to go along with his arrogance. I have nominated this particular person "gmessori" __snip__Instead of making derisive comments, go hang yourself and put us all out of your misery gmessori. I know we would all be better off with one less (insert rude nickname for our friend gmessori here) out there.

+1. People like this made me hesitant to get a BMW...didn't want to be associated with arrogant pricks.
Now I see that, for the most part, you all are fairly normal.:)

Not sure if someone mentioned this already as I didnt read through all the posts-but I have a 07 530i and had about 5 miles when I bought it-at 3200 miles I had the same oil low warning saying my oil was at a minimum and to add a quart.-I was like WTF-called the dealer and he said that is tottally normal during break in period, and/or if you drive the car hard (which I did always)-if you drive the car pretty hard he said it is normal for the bimmer inline 6s to burn a quart of oil every 4-5k. And I doubled checked with another dealer mechanic and same thing. So no worries. I think bimmer recomends the most expensive Castrol Syntec 5 30-which is what mine says on the oil cap. I just dumped a quart in and I have been good 3k miles later. Totally normal.

If you check it on the cluster or you display screen as long as it is not over filled or below the min level it is fine. Also, are you checking the level with the engine running?

Had the same problem with my E90 335i. First at around 2000-2500 miles it showed add 1qt, then on the startup it was gone showing half way. Went to the dealer he claimed it was normal. Then around 4000 or so again same thing, but went away at the next startup. So around 7500 miles it appeared again, same story saying add 1qt, but this time it kept going between 1/2 to 3/4 then to minimum with each time I drove, and my dealer said there is a bulletin and they have to drain oil, remove the oil sensor, clean it and check it out, and if needed replace it. So I took it in and havent' had problems since. Here is the paperwork write up:

"11bmzoll Oil Level Low
Oil level keeps going from 1/2 to 3/4 and then drops to minimum.
Followed steps outlined in SIB12-05-07, removed oil level sensor, cleaned it and reinstalled then topped off oil with new filter and oil. "

So basically I got a midpoint oil change for free too... and BMW (at least per my dealer) won't top off oil or any fluids until required service. Maintenance is free only at scheduled intervals.

The difference between minimum and maximum on the oil display is one quart/liter. So half way is ½ a quart, not half of your oil. Half a quart in 2700 miles is very reasonable.



Is this really true? The difference between min and max on the dashboard display is on quart? So you're telling me the min oil lvl is 6 quarts, and the max is 7 quarts?

How am I supposed to know how much oil to add without going over the top? I can never seem to get a straight answer!! A BMW tech said add a quart and see where the level is...but if it's only 1/2 quart down then I'll over fill.

Ideas, comments?

BMW is shooting themselves in the foot with this light.

I would want an indicator that shows the total amount of oil in the system, not just the last quart. That the dealers are saying to "just add a quart" when the indicator shows 1/2 is irresponsible - you would over fill. Or, they know something - that BMW's oil sensor is wildly inaccurate. I have a suspicion that it is just a on-off switch, not a variable resistor showing different levels.

Even if variable, the only time it would be accurate is with the engine dead cold and off. Once the engine starts, the oil gets moved and the level changes somewhat. Once it's driven, all bets are off. I've had cars that show a 1/2 quart low after being driven, yet once cold are back to full.