[ln1234]

Some of you may remember a post I started a couple of months ago about low oil level on an approved used 320i MSport I had just bought.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61175

Recently, I got the 'low oil' warning come up on the car (at 6k miles), so I contacted the dealer again to see if they could sort this for me. It was suggested that I 'top up' the oil myself, which I could buy from the dealership, but I decided to give it to them to fix as I had a couple of other bits I wanted them to look at (Start Engine button problem and rear driver window sticking). I was willing to pay for the extra labour charge to add the oil - at least I couldn't get it wrong then!
Anyway, they checked the car out and found out that instead of the oil being low, the actual oil pressure sensor was faulty. The car still had loads of oil in it and topping it up would probably have had disastrous consequences. They replaced the sensor, recoded the car and now it has 1 bar less than maximum on the oil level.
This car doesn't come with a dipstick so if we can't even rely on the computer being correct then how can we top up oil levels ourself and be sure we aren't screwing up the engine? Needless to say I dont' think i'll ever top it up myself again - even if I have to pay for half an hours labour at the dealership.

[dxb335d]

least its all sorted matey now

thats better to have faulty pressure sensor than actual low oil pressure



Carl

[330cdsport]

I felt a bit hard done by when I discovered that the 335i users got an oil level guage thru the board computer and that us poor 335d users had to lift the bonnet and pull the dipstick to find out.

On reading this post, it is maybe as well to just stick to the good old manual method.

That could have been really bad if you had overfilled it, since high oil pressure is not good for the engine and seals etc.
Glad you found out the safe way

[ln1234]

Does my car have a manual dipstick? I was told it doesn't, and that the onboard computer is the only way of finding out?

[dxb335d]

Originally Posted by ln1234

Does my car have a manual dipstick? I was told it doesn't, and that the onboard computer is the only way of finding out?

have look under the bonnet for the dipshit buddy

[ln1234]

I dug out a few posts which suggest that the lower end E90's only have an electronic dipstick, which relies on the oil pressure sensor to give it a reading.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...light=dipstick

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...light=dipstick

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...light=dipstick

This was the whole point, if the electronic dipstick is telling you your oil is low (when it's not), and you top it up, you could in fact wreck your engine.

[ShereKhan]

Originally Posted by ln1234

Some of you may remember a post I started a couple of months ago about low oil level on an approved used 320i MSport I had just bought.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61175

Recently, I got the 'low oil' warning come up on the car (at 6k miles), so I contacted the dealer again to see if they could sort this for me. It was suggested that I 'top up' the oil myself, which I could buy from the dealership, but I decided to give it to them to fix as I had a couple of other bits I wanted them to look at (Start Engine button problem and rear driver window sticking). I was willing to pay for the extra labour charge to add the oil - at least I couldn't get it wrong then!
Anyway, they checked the car out and found out that instead of the oil being low, the actual oil pressure sensor was faulty. The car still had loads of oil in it and topping it up would probably have had disastrous consequences. They replaced the sensor, recoded the car and now it has 1 bar less than maximum on the oil level.
This car doesn't come with a dipstick so if we can't even rely on the computer being correct then how can we top up oil levels ourself and be sure we aren't screwing up the engine? Needless to say I dont' think i'll ever top it up myself again - even if I have to pay for half an hours labour at the dealership.

Must have missed your original post. I had a two day loan of a 07 320iSE touring when my car went to the garage.

i only drove it 5 miles and it reported low oil level - I had to drive back to dealer and wait 1.5 hrs to get them to top it up. They told me the level was fine and to ignore any warning lights!!

The car only had 3k on the clock. As a first time BMW owner I think BMWs seem to built by the same guys who build Alfa's.......

[Micky Dee]

Believe me, I've had several Alfa's and BMW's are perfect in comparison!!!! Worst was a 146ti which automatically locked and unlocked the doors as you drove along and promptly snapped it's cambelt at 38,000 miles (long before the scheduled belt change)! Nightmare.

[dxb335d]

was the 146ti new micky?

[DervFan]

Originally Posted by ShereKhan

As a first time BMW owner I think BMWs seem to built by the same guys who build Alfa's.......

Don't get wrong Alfa's are luurrvely to look at but the build quality is light-years apart from BMW. My Alfa GTV used to leak water through the passenger window if it rained in a certain direction. The number of times I used to have to bale out the the passenger footwell with a coffee mug in the morning - Nightmare.

[dxb335d]

Originally Posted by DervFan

Don't get wrong Alfa's are luurrvely to look at but the build quality is light-years apart from BMW. My Alfa GTV used to leak water through the passenger window if it rained in a certain direction. The number of times I used to have to bale out the the passenger footwell with a coffee mug in the morning - Nightmare.

derv my old chap had brand new one in 97 i think.. didnt have any probs with that didnt have it long tho
when did you have yours?

[ShereKhan]

Originally Posted by Micky Dee

Believe me, I've had several Alfa's and BMW's are perfect in comparison!!!! Worst was a 146ti which automatically locked and unlocked the doors as you drove along and promptly snapped it's cambelt at 38,000 miles (long before the scheduled belt change)! Nightmare.

From what the BMW assist guy was telling me on his recent visit - I thought I'd gone back in time to one of my previous cars. (I've had Italian trouble before - last car was franco-italian).

He mentioned that there are some serious quality issues with cars blowing valves as they are dropped off to the UK mainland. He's had to sort out quite a few of these. He was quite open with his comments.

[DervFan]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

derv my old chap had brand new one in 97 i think.. didnt have any probs with that didnt have it long tho
when did you have yours?

I had mine from 99-00. It was a whim purchase, loved the styling and the sound of the exhaust (although the V6 sounded nicer ). Sadly the affair was short-lived due to the poor build-quality and I traded it in for an Audi TT Coupe