M3 people, how much oil are you burning?

[bill k]

Just taking a poll on how much oil our engines are burning. I assume everyone is still using the Castrol 10w-60 oil from BMW.

Mine only has about 1k miles since last oil change and no burning of oil so far (knocking on wood).

[Kevlar]

About one liter every 7-8000 miles.

[mosesEMMMY]

1.5L b/w oil changes.

[David Z]

A question the manual isn't clear on:
1) Does a warning pop up when it's low/at the bottom of the gauge or does one need to keep checking?
And a question on personal preference:
2) Do you wait to add when the indicator is at the bottom or getting near the bottom (or when a warning pops up if there is one)?

Thanks

[Kevlar]

A warning will appear telling the driver to +1 qt (add one quart). I add mine when the warning comes on.

[JJCTHE1]

8k miles and no issues. Ive had the car since new, Sept 09

[mryakan]

A warning will appear telling the driver to +1 qt (add one quart). I add mine when the warning comes on.

+1, wait till it tells you to add 1 qt, that way there is less risk of overfilling. I always keep a quart in the trunk (2 for long trips).

[mosesEMMMY]

same here, wait for the indicator light. i had the same question until i finally saw the light. Its best to have it on hand too because i have not found it anywhere but the dealer. Even the Summit racing down by me did not carry it. I buy 2 at a time just for safe measure.

[Kevlar]

Plus, if you wait until the indicator light comes on... you don't have half filled oil containers fumbling all over the trunk and garage.

[bill k]

When I had my 1200 miles service, the oil level read 1/4 low. I waited a couple days and added less than 1/4 oil (10w-60) and it read full. I have about 3k miles so far and it hasnt changed. I think that guage works on quarters and it isnt precise.

[mryakan]

When I had my 1200 miles service, the oil level read 1/4 low. I waited a couple days and added less than 1/4 oil (10w-60) and it read full. I have about 3k miles so far and it hasnt changed. I think that guage works on quarters and it isnt precise.

It does work on quarters and you do not need it to be any more accurate. .25 of a qt more or less is not going to do any harm. No need to top it off constantly.

[IBoughtA740IL]

Why in the world are your cars burning oil? Maybe it is because I am a 2JZ guy.

[David Z]

Why in the world are your cars burning oil? Maybe it is because I am a 2JZ guy.

I've found 8,000+ RPM engines pushing 100 HP plus per normally aspirated liter tend to burn oil (late model M3s, Integra Type Rs, Honda S2000s, etc). I guess with stuff spinning that fast oil just aerates/vaporizes and finds ways into to the combustion chamber and out the exhaust?

[Kevlar]

It's called production tolerances... not every engine is built perfect, but instead within 5% of specifications. The perfect engines burn no oil, the ones at the far end of the tolerance, burn some oil.

It happens.

[David Z]

No offense, but I would disagree with that. Every other car and owner I know of with "regular" engines has never had to top off their oil between changes, even on 20+ year old cars well past 200K miles. I mean there may be a few here and there, but it's very rare. It's only the high revving motors I've seen that commonly need topping off between changes. Or maybe it's because everyone I know drives Japanese cars and this is my first non-Japanese car?

[Kevlar]

I guess I've got bad luck then, I've always had to top up oil on every car I've had. Mind you this one is the worst at 1 liter every 7-8k miles. Previous cars have always had a little oil burn that I just accepted as 'that's just how it is'.

[IBoughtA740IL]

Trust me, that is bull.

Any motor burning oil is not good. There is a local 2JZ around here pushing over 900HP that was built 5-6 years ago and it does 9.2xx in a 1/4 and does not burn a bit of oil.

Obviously it is a performance motor and the clearances are larger than stock and it still does not burn oil.

I would demand a new engine if I am under warranty or do something that will make then give you a new engine. I know people who have done it.

Valve grinding paste in a motor, Indian head paste mixed with oil. Trust me, there are many ways you can get a new motor from BMW if you are still under warranty and the so called "techs," won't be able to see past their hands what you did....

[Kevlar]

Every motor I have had for the past 15 years has always burned a little oil. How many miles is that 900hp 2jz putting on a batch of oil anyway? Probably not enough to give it a chance to notice any burn off.

[SilberE39]

I went through about 1/4-1/2 a quart in about 3800 miles. However, I do have a tendancy to drive the car pretty hard when I'm given the chance and it's only a weekend car right now so all I do is drive it hard. Especially late nights.

[JJCTHE1]

Both the E36 and the E46 M3s Ive had burned a little bit of oil. I dont know if my E92 is burning any or not, but at 8k miles no lights on. I dont think this is an issue at all. Cars have their quirks, so do motors. In fact, when I had my break in service done, the tech gave me a quart of oil to "keep in the garage" he said.

[JJCTHE1]

Another thing to note is I remember when my buddy took delivery of his SLR Roadster, it actually CAME with a quart of Mobile 1, direct from Mercedes Benz. It was in the owners kit. I also remembering buying my E46 and it came with a quart of castrol (that I cannot remember). So like others have mentioned, we are driving vehicles designed to be revved high and be put on a track, your jap cars are mostly made to be efficient gas sippers you are comparing 2 different animals

[IBoughtA740IL]

Every motor I have had for the past 15 years has always burned a little oil. How many miles is that 900hp 2jz putting on a batch of oil anyway? Probably not enough to give it a chance to notice any burn off.

How many miles? The car is daily driven in the Summer as it makes no sense to drive it in NY winters. With that said, oil changes are done every 3000 and that includes passes at the track.

No motor should burn oil. Cylinders are coated with oil and when they are washed down with rich conditions, that causes excess wear. With that same coating of oil, you can expect a very slight amount to be burned off but I have never had to top off in between oil changes and this is coming from experience with E38 that have over 150K and have properly been maintained throughout their life.

I am a Toyota guy but regardless, all engines have the same principle. I can sit here and have a balls swinging contest about who is right or wrong but I won't. I know saying this on a BMW forum will get my head bitten off but if anyone here with a bit of knowledge about cars, they would know the quality of BMWs have really went down in the recent years.

[mryakan]

No motor should burn oil.

Go tell that to RX8 owners lmao. Dude, you just proved you know nothing about engines in 5 words, bravo!

[David Z]

No motor should burn oil.

If you're talking semantics, these motors aren't burning oil, they're using oil. There is no blue smoke coming out the exhaust. To say no motor should use oil and need to be topped off is patently ridiculous. From Why Engines Burn Oil:

Now a word about new cars. People notice the engine in their new vehicle seems to be burning oil. They contact the dealer and are advised that using oil is a "normal condition." I agree, however there is a difference between "burning oil" and "using oil." We just discussed how oil is burned. In contrast, today's engines operate at higher temperatures and compression ratios, causing oil to be used. Higher temperatures and compression ratios achieve two things:

1. Lower exhaust emissions
2. More power out of smaller engines

However, along with these benefits comes the side effect of using oil, due to the increased friction and heat. As a result, the oil is evaporating or being broken down while doing its job. In other words, the oil is being used. It is not going out the tail pipe as it does when it is burned.
The rate of oil use depends on how much the vehicle is used and, more importantly, under what load. For instance, a 3/4-ton pickuptruck used for hauling will use more oil than a small passenger car. For those experiencing a higher rate of oil use, I suggest using synthetic oil. It has a higher resistance-to-viscosity breakdown and will do a better job than standard oil.

Engines that "use" oil like the M3, S2000 and Integra Type R have high compression ratios and spin fast (over 8K RPM), unlike a turbo 2JZ.

[Shadytech]

According to BMW, it is normal for the M engines to use up to 1L of oil every 1000 mi depending on driving style.