[TahoeOG]

Hey guys quick question. Last week my car gave me a warning that said "low oil add 1 quart". So I thought it might be wrong since I did an oil change 6000 miles ago. Anyway, I waited 2 days and it reminds me. I went to BMW and bought 2 quarts since I figure it might ask me for more and if not I can save it for my next oil change in 1500 miles.

So I get home and add 1 quart which is 1 full bottle of their oil. I closed it and all was good. Before work I was going to check the oil but I kept forgetting to check. Anyway 4 days later I get a check engine soon light. So that reminded me. I went into the the car info in my I drive and checked my oil. All the green lights reach up to Max. What the hell????

Is this normal? Asks for 1 quart and you add the quart and then it reads MAX?

I'm at the dealer to find out what the code is for but have anybody experienced this or will this cause a thick engine light? Also would you do an oil change at this point instead of waiting the next 1500 miles.

Thanks

[fravel]

Yup, 7 quarts is the max. Low oil light comes on when you're at 6 quarts. Add a quart, you're back to the max.

[TahoeOG]

Thanks for the fast reply. I was worried because I thought it was supposed to read in the middle of MIN and MAX.

It's weird because even when I did my oil change I added 5 quarts and it was in the middle of MIN and MAX so I figured that was good. Month later it asked for a quart. I read that on the oil change your supposed to add 6-7 quarts of oil and it was strange that 5 quarts made my idrive read normal. So I should be putting in the 6 quarts to make it read MAX?

[fravel]

Originally Posted by billmister

Thanks for the fast reply. I was worried because I thought it was supposed to read in the middle of MIN and MAX.

It's weird because even when I did my oil change I added 5 quarts and it was in the middle of MIN and MAX so I figured that was good. Month later it asked for a quart. I read that on the oil change your supposed to add 6-7 quarts of oil and it was strange that 5 quarts made my idrive read normal. So I should be putting in the 6 quarts to make it read MAX?

If you completely drain and refill you should be putting 7 quarts in, and your oil should be at max.

Was the car level when you were adding oil? If not you might have just tricked the sensor into thinking it was full when you put the 5 in.

[leo67]

"1 quart" is the difference in the amount of oil in your car between just below MIN level (when the control message "Engine oil level below minimum. Add 1 quart!" appears) and the MAX level. I confirmed this a few days ago when at 6,000 miles my car's oil level was at the just below MIN level and I got the add 1 quart message. I added 1 quart, drove it around for a bit, and now the oil reading is MAX level.

Read the owners manual carefully!
"Add up to 1 US quart/1 liter of engine oil only
after a corresponding message is shown on the
Control Display."

Overfilling is a bad, but so is operating below MIN level. Gone are the good-ole days when you manage the oil level yourself adding a bit here and there in order to keep the oil level between the two lines on the dipstick (between oil changes). Per my read of the owners manual, you should only add oil when the car tells you to, and add no more than 1 quart at a time. And car won't tell you to add oil until the level drops below MIN. And when the car does tell you to add oil, you better do it before you drive another 125 mi, or risk voiding your warranty. All this tells me I need to keep a spare quart of approved oil in my trunk so I can immediately add it when my car tells me to.

[TahoeOG]

Thanks for the replies.

When my car requested 1 quart of oil I only added 1 quart. Then days later I saw my oil level read MAX. I was confused since my car requested 1 quart and after I gave it 1 quart why it read MAX and not in the middle.

This made me get my manual. In the manual it says it should read between MIN and MAX. That means level is good. When level reads MAX you have over filled and should bring in the car to BMW. That made me think, how could it be max if I gave it what it requested.

This type of situation makes me miss the dip stick. :-(

[TahoeOG]

Originally Posted by fravel

If you completely drain and refill you should be putting 7 quarts in, and your oil should be at max.

Was the car level when you were adding oil? If not you might have just tricked the sensor into thinking it was full when you put the 5 in.

No my car was not leveled. I had the front two wheels on the ryhno thing. I followed the DIY and went great. Perhaps that's why it read max and then requested 1 quart about a month later.

So I should add 7 full quarts after a complete drain (oil change). I read some do 6-7 due to the idrive read out.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by billmister

Thanks for the replies.

When my car requested 1 quart of oil I only added 1 quart. Then days later I saw my oil level read MAX. I was confused since my car requested 1 quart and after I gave it 1 quart why it read MAX and not in the middle.

This made me get my manual. In the manual it says it should read between MIN and MAX. That means level is good. When level reads MAX you have over filled and should bring in the car to BMW. That made me think, how could it be max if I gave it what it requested.

This type of situation makes me miss the dip stick. :-(

You don't understand how the e-dipstick works. It reads just like a mechanical dipstick (people here have already told you this). A mechanical dipstick has a section on it marked as two lines (as old BMW dipsticks do) or an area of hatch marks (like most American and Asian cars do). That area on the mechanical dipstick represents the amount of oil left of the "top" quart (i.e. the 7th quart in your engine) of oil in the engine. So when the mechanical dipstick reads oil is halfway up the hatch marks, it means (for a 7 quart engine like yours) there is approximately 6 and one-half (6 1/2) quarts of oil in the engine (i.e. the engine is a 1/2 quart low of being full of 7 quarts). The hatch marks on the mechanical dipstick are known as the "safe range" level of oil in the engine; meaning it is safe to operate the engine with a quantity of oil between 6 quarts (minimum) and 7 quarts (maximum).

The BMW E-dipstick bar-graph reading is analogous to the mechanical dipstick reading and represents just that hatch mark area on the mechanical dipstick. When the bar-graph on your I-drive is reading 1/2 (and the "OK" sign lit) it means the engine is one-half quart low [i.e. it has 6 and one-half (6 1/2) quarts in it]; it doesn't mean the engine is only half full of oil. The "OK" sign means there is enough oil in the engine to safely operate the car. When the screen says "MAX" it means the engine is full with the correct amount of oil.

By adding the full 1-quart of oil you stumbled into actually doing the correct thing.

[TahoeOG]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

You don't understand how the e-dipstick works. It reads just like a mechanical dipstick (people here have already told you this). A mechanical dipstick has a section on it marked as two lines (as old BMW dipsticks do) or an area of hatch marks (like most American and Asian cars do). That area on the mechanical dipstick represents the amount of oil left of the "top" quart (i.e. the 7th quart in your engine) of oil in the engine. So when the mechanical dipstick reads oil is halfway up the hatch marks, it means (for a 7 quart engine like yours) there is approximately 6 and one-half (6 1/2) quarts of oil in the engine (i.e. the engine is a 1/2 quart low of being full of 7 quarts). The hatch marks on the mechanical dipstick are known as the "safe range" level of oil in the engine; meaning it is safe to operate the engine with a quantity of oil between 6 quarts (minimum) and 7 quarts (maximum).

The BMW E-dipstick bar-graph reading is analogous to the mechanical dipstick reading and represents just that hatch mark area on the mechanical dipstick. When the bar-graph on your I-drive is reading 1/2 (and the "OK" sign lit) it means the engine is one-half quart low [i.e. it has 6 and one-half (6 1/2) quarts in it]; it doesn't mean the engine is only half full of oil. The "OK" sign means there is enough oil in the engine to safely operate the car. When the screen says "MAX" it means the engine is full with the correct amount of oil.

By adding the full 1-quart of oil you stumbled into actually doing the correct thing.

Very we'll explained and understood. Thank you for the detailed explanation. After further reviewing the manual it does say it will warn with a message of "engine oil level too high."

Thanks much!!!

So when I do my oil change next month, 7 quarts it is!