[JeeZues]

Originally Posted by Me_Hi

drive the car hard on high RPM's for a month and you'll see the oil level drop.

I'll try that

[2kaccordocoupe]

Times like this make me wish we had a physical dip stick to check the level as opposed to the electronic method.

[JeeZues]

Originally Posted by 2kaccordocoupe

Times like this make me wish we had a physical dip stick to check the level as opposed to the electronic method.

Maybe some smart one can come up with a "retrofit" dip stick... I would consider it now that my warranty is almost over...

[Oulixes]

Originally Posted by JeeZues

Thanks for the info, so maybe I don't have a problem and maybe my local BMW shop is slightly over filling it so I'm never seeing any drop. I wish there is a way to know for sure though...
How quick does the oil level update, in the manual it says to drive for 10km I think to get an accurate reading, I wouldn't feel safe if I drained a liter and drove for 10km

If you want to play with the oil level, do not drain the whole liter. Drain less, from 250 to 500 milliliters, and drive for 10 km. The oil level will drop from one to two divisions. The four divisions that are displayed correspond to one liter. The speed with which the system reacts is the same as when you start the car in the morning when the engine is cold - it takes about 3 to 5 minutes to get the oil level reading displayed.

[MrDummy]

^^^ I have been noticing in the past week that it doesnt Calculate (or show the little clock time display) but rather always shows a the oil level.

It is not always the same but even in the morning when the car has been off and sitting overnight I immediatly start the enging and check the oil and it shows full.

Could this be a sign of a faulty sensor?

06 with 58k miles

Thanks guys,

[CHCCubs]

Originally Posted by MrDummy

^^^ I have been noticing in the past week that it doesnt Calculate (or show the little clock time display) but rather always shows a the oil level.

It is not always the same but even in the morning when the car has been off and sitting overnight I immediatly start the enging and check the oil and it shows full.

Could this be a sign of a faulty sensor?

06 with 58k miles

Thanks guys,

Are you able to check your oil level right after you start your car? On mine it will not give a reading right away, it only shows a reading after driving for a certain period of time or distance.

[Edward]

My car kept reading MAX since it was new, until out of nowhere it told me I was below the MIN level and I should put in oil IMMEDIATELY. Then after another ignition start, it read some random figure along the scale...maybe around 3/5th full. Then they topped it off (keep in mind I probably had 3500 miles on the car at this point since it was brand new) and it went back to reading full. Now at 5500 or so miles, it still reads full and has never deviated up or down. I also never seem to have to wait at all to get a reading. This damn car acted normally when they topped off the oil and we had to wait on a reading and it gave us a normal reading afterwards. Since the second I drove back off the lot, the thing was reading Max always. WTF BMW give us back a traditional dipstick. I swear sometimes germans over-engineer shit that should not be messed with. This is easily one of the worst "features" of the E9X series.

[TheRox]

Originally Posted by JeeZues

Thanks for the info, so maybe I don't have a problem and maybe my local BMW shop is slightly over filling it so I'm never seeing any drop. I wish there is a way to know for sure though...
How quick does the oil level update, in the manual it says to drive for 10km I think to get an accurate reading, I wouldn't feel safe if I drained a liter and drove for 10km

35 K km on mine

never dropped below max once.

[cparke]

My oil level reading was always at MAX/OK! I knew the car had a big oil burning issue and the oil level should be going down. When I started getting flashes of low oil pressure, added a half quart and drove the car to service tech to drain oil and find out how much was actually in there. He found 1 quart! Amazing the engine can even run like that. Totally disappointed in the electronics for lying to me! (almost lost the engine)

[marcvtec]

Originally Posted by cparke

My oil level reading was always at MAX/OK! I knew the car had a big oil burning issue and the oil level should be going down. When I started getting flashes of low oil pressure, added a half quart and drove the car to service tech to drain oil and find out how much was actually in there. He found 1 quart! Amazing the engine can even run like that. Totally disappointed in the electronics for lying to me! (almost lost the engine)

Its amazing, that a person would except a computer to tell them everything.
Unfortunately, in your defence you should get better oil. and furthermore not trust the cars sensors and change oil 5 K or less if you care about your car.
Simple.

[cparke]

Originally Posted by marcvtec

Its amazing, that a person would except a computer to tell them everything.
Unfortunately, in your defence you should get better oil. and furthermore not trust the cars sensors and change oil 5 K or less if you care about your car.
Simple.

Hey - that's not fair! I don't want to trust the computer, but they gave us no dipstick to use when in doubt! The oil was full synthetic, and it burned through all of that in no more than 2,500 miles, unbelievable!

When I changed out the oil separator, I found the intake manifold filled to the brim with oil, and the exhaust not much better. O2 sensors and catalytic converters still work despite all this. However, my point is BMW trusted the electronics too much, and expects us to do so too! With no dipstick, it should not give false readings, and if not working an error message should appear. However, that's not the way it always is!

[lnxguy]

I'm happy my 335d comes with a dipstick.

[marcvtec]

Originally Posted by cparke

Hey - that's not fair! I don't want to trust the computer, but they gave us no dipstick to use when in doubt! The oil was full synthetic, and it burned through all of that in no more than 2,500 miles, unbelievable!

When I changed out the oil separator, I found the intake manifold filled to the brim with oil, and the exhaust not much better. O2 sensors and catalytic converters still work despite all this. However, my point is BMW trusted the electronics too much, and expects us to do so too! With no dipstick, it should not give false readings, and if not working an error message should appear. However, that's not the way it always is!

Agreed,
Unfortunately this engine, as with most turbo applications, will have blow by.
It the nature of the beast.
This as, all us, have to ensure that oil level and consumption and oil top up are a priority. # turbo engine - it is what it is.

[JamesBMW123]

Originally Posted by JeeZues

Update:
Went to BMW of Mississauga and met some great people there.
They first offered to scan the computer for fault which I refused since it has been done already and the computer thinks the sensor is working.
They then offered to drain the oil and fill 5 liters and see if the sensor was working, if it reported correct oil level they were going to charge me for the oil (fair enough).
They did the above and the car stayed at the max level. They changed the sensor, flashed the car software and replaced the oil again under warranty. All done under 3 hours.
A+ for BMW of Mississauga!

I’m going to be that guy who tries to revive a 14 year old thread. I could use some help. I have a 2014 f30 335i with the exact same issue you had. Did this actually solve your issue? My level is always at max even though I leak oil. I’ve drained out less then the minimum amount twice now… any help is appreciated. Thanks