[Mark e90]

I recently bought a 325i and I have noticed the when checking the oil level it is only 2 bar above minimum. I have some oil I used to top up my old car "helix 5w30 fully synthetic" would it be ok if I topped up my oil with this ?

The car oil was only changed about 2k miles ago however I do plan on changing it again myself but I'm just wondering what the best way todo it with the electronic level detector. Do I get someone to sit in the car and tell me when ?

[Efthreeoh]

No. Wait until the car tells you it is a full liter low then add a full liter of oil. The e-dipstick does not provide an instantaneous reading of the oil level. If you try it the way you are thinking you will probably over fill the engine with oil. Read the owners manual, it tells you how and when to properly add the oil.

[Three_thirty_I]

Best is to wait until the car asks for 1 quart or 1 litre of oil. As said above, it does not show an instantaneous reading and it only reads on increments, so safest it to simply add the specified amount when asked to. It is also quite important to stick to the same oil that the car has currently when topping up. Some oils are fully synthetic and others are hydra-cracked mineral based oil.

[BKV122]

Wait till it tells you to add oil

[Mark e90]

Originally Posted by Three_thirty_I

Best is to wait until the car asks for 1 quart or 1 litre of oil. As said above, it does not show an instantaneous reading and it only reads on increments, so safest it to simply add the specified amount when asked to. It is also quite important to stick to the same oil that the car has currently when topping up. Some oils are fully synthetic and others are hydra-cracked mineral based oil.

What do u mean it only reads on increments ?
I wish the car just had a dipstick !!

[Meeni]

The electronic reader is actually very practical, as long as you use it as intended.

Wait until it asks for 1qt/1L, add a full bottle, enjoy the drive.

[Mark e90]

Thanks for the replies. Chances are I will be changing the oil before it tells me to top up anyway as from what I have read these engines don't seem to burn oil very quickly.
What is the best method of getting the correct level when filling up after draining the old oil out ?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Markcaughey

Thanks for the replies. Chances are I will be changing the oil before it tells me to top up anyway as from what I have read these engines don't seem to burn oil very quickly.
What is the best method of getting the correct level when filling up after draining the old oil out ?

Drain the oil when the car is level (i.e. on 4 jackstands). Open (unscrew) the oil filter cap first but don't remove it. The open the drain bolt on the oil pan. Let the oil drain out till a few drips are left. There will be a few ounces of oil in the oil filter housing when you pull the old oil filter element out, so suck that out too. Install the new filter element, close the oil drain bolt. Refill the engine with the full compliment of oil (I guess for metric it is 7 liters or close to it). No guess work to it. Just fill it with the correct quantity of oil.

[BKV122]

Originally Posted by Markcaughey

Thanks for the replies. Chances are I will be changing the oil before it tells me to top up anyway as from what I have read these engines don't seem to burn oil very quickly.
What is the best method of getting the correct level when filling up after draining the old oil out ?

It'll take 7 Quarts

[Mark e90]

Should I remove the oil filler cap when draining the oil and also should I do It while the engine is hot ? Would the oil level sensor recognise if you over fill it over the "MAX" level ?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by BKV122

It'll take 7 Quarts

He's in Scotland, so it's metric units for him. A liter is about .95 quarts, so it's probably just 6.5 - 7 liters anyway.

[Mark e90]

I just put it through the converter on my phone but it's giving me 2 different answers. hmmm I'm confused now.

[Three_thirty_I]

The electronic dipstick measures in increments of 25% in mine being a non iDrive model, so in iDrive models the number of increments may differ, but still much the same problem in terms of not being able to "fine adjust" as you would with a proper dipstick.

Best is to drain the oil from hot with the car as level as possible (with the oil filler cap and oil filter cap open), although I do reckon that even if only the nose if lifted, all the old oil will eventually drain - I usually let the oil drain and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. On my car the drain plug is very much towards the rear of the sump anyway, so the oil can still only go down...

Yep, for those like me that are on the metric system, 7 quarts translates to 6.5 litres of oil (also the metric specified quantity according to the operating manual). What I do is start by adding the full 6 litres first and then run the engine, then go for a drive and once I get a 50% reading (mine tends to first show 25%, then later on it shows 50%) I return and add the remaining 500ml. If you do for some reason over-fill the engine with oil it will show that it is over max, and will probably warn you too, but best to check. According to the operating manual, on a non iDrive model if it shows an OK below the level and the level us up to the line on the right side you are fine, but if the level goes over the line and it shows MAX below then you have over-filled the engine!