To trust or not

W37V · 07-15-2016, 01:46 PM

So, I dropped off my car at the dealership for service: oil change, brake flush and coolant flush.

Going in, the car was indicating that the oil level was slightly less than full - about 80-85% full.

After service was done I checked the oil level, and the car is showing the oil level as about 80-85% full.

I went back to the dealership and told them that the oil level is not at max, and it is quite a coincidence that the level is at the exact level as when i came in. I asked them, if they actually changed the oil. Service rep said that they changed it and called over a shop foreman. Foreman told me that it might take few miles (~10) for oil sensor to calibrate, but it should be at the max level. If it is not, they will top it off.

I drove ~60 miles since the visit and the oil level has remained at the same level 80-85%.

My question is, should i trust them that they actually changed the oil at all?

John 070 · 07-15-2016, 02:00 PM

hmmmm....that is really low if they didn't change it....did they ever call over the tech who did it? Can you find any evidence at all that the filter cap was touched? I used to actually make a mark myself with olive oil. At minimum, I would expect the mark to be gone, indicating they wiped up. Also, the green dot usually will not be in the very exact same place. I've never caught a BMW dealership not doing the change, but I have caught GM and Nissan, so anything is possible.

I don't know how the oil calibration works, if it even does. Because for the life of my car I have always seen OK when off, and then the level at max. The next time I DIY I will try putting 4 quarts in, and without starting, check the oil to see if it shows up low. I hate to run the motor low, to verify the sensor. Like if it had only 5.5 qts, it should show as being down a quart. But I've never seen anthing but full in 9 years....

There's no way to tell for sure but I would lean towards they didn't do the work. How about the brakes, is the fluid clear/golden, and full? I have found BMW fills it, meaning if your brakes have worn, the level will go down, but when they flush, they fill to max...

Delta0311 · 07-15-2016, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W37V

So, I dropped off my car at the dealership for service: oil change, brake flush and coolant flush.

Going in, the car was indicating that the oil level was slightly less than full - about 80-85% full.

After service was done I checked the oil level, and the car is showing the oil level as about 80-85% full.

I went back to the dealership and told them that the oil level is not at max, and it is quite a coincidence that the level is at the exact level as when i came in. I asked them, if they actually changed the oil. Service rep said that they changed it and called over a shop foreman. Foreman told me that it might take few miles (~10) for oil sensor to calibrate, but it should be at the max level. If it is not, they will top it off.

I drove ~60 miles since the visit and the oil level has remained at the same level 80-85%.

My question is, should i trust them that they actually changed the oil at all?

Had my oil changed last week.. Before I changed it the HP bar was just a slightly below the line.. Had dealer change the oil.. Drove home, drove to the gym, drove to work the next day; no change.. Finally when I was driving back home from work I went to check again and it showed the correct amount.

One way to check is open the oil cap for the motor.. Run your finger inside.. If oil was changed then the residue on your finger should be pretty clear..

nekbreaker · 07-15-2016, 02:31 PM

I make a lil mark on the oil filter housing or cap small that they will never see it and so far so good they do what I pay for but I have a good relationship with my sa

ctuna · 07-15-2016, 04:27 PM

The electonic oil indicator only shows the top quart
out of 7 quarts . The idiot light goes off when its one quart down.
So at 85% full you are down about 150 to 200 mili liters.
Also the stupid thing is slow to update it can take two or three
drives before it settles down. stupid ass design if you ask me.

tlow98 · 07-15-2016, 08:23 PM

I don't think it would be in a dealership's best interest risk oil changes on such a high OCI motor, buttttttttt i can't say for sure.

007_e350 · 07-15-2016, 09:29 PM

Open the oil filter cap and pull out the filter, you can tell for sure if it's a new one or older, along with quality of oil

PureE92 · 07-15-2016, 11:38 PM

I always have trust issues with ANY dealership. I would definitely ask the service manager to square up.

kkasson · 07-15-2016, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 007_e350

Open the oil filter cap and pull out the filter, you can tell for sure if it's a new one or older, along with quality of oil

Yeah, the only way to really know is to take out the filter...either do it yourself, or if you don't have the tool for it then ask them to open it to show you. The oil turns dark pretty quickly, but it should still be a nice clean gold color for at least a couple hundred miles. I'm not sure how quickly the filter itself will turn dark.

Efthreeoh · 07-16-2016, 05:05 AM

My standard response is you checked the oil level too soon after the oil change and it was registering the oil oil level because the CBS had not yet updated the reading. But you said you drove the car 60 miles, which should have updated the reading.

However the bar graph (in the non-idrive models) reports the oil level in 1/4-quart increments; it will never read 80% - 85%, so I'm wondering if you are interpreting the bar graph reading incorrectly and it is actually full.

Lastly, and I can't explain it, but ever since BMW switched its oil from quart to liter bottles, every oil change I've done with the new oil has left the new oil level a 1/4-quart low. The oil fill spec for the N52 and N54/55 is 6.9 US. Quarts or 6.5 Liters. Using BMW's liter bottled oil and adding only 6.5 L to the crankcase after the oil change leaves my reading 1/4-quart low. I've done 22 oil changes on my E90 and 3 changes on the Z4 (both have the N52) and this happened in both cars. I've since on the last oil change on both cars just put in 6.9 liters and had a full oil level has returned as normal. That said, I'm not sure if at a BMW dealer they use BMW's bottled oil, or metered oil from bulk storage.

My advice is give it a few more days to get a good solid reading. It's not hurting the engine being a bit down on a full oil fill.

W37V · 07-16-2016, 12:03 PM

After 132 miles and 7 driving cycles, the virtual stick is finally showing oil to the max.

@Efthreeoh I have an iDrive and 85% was measured within the lines of min and max - min line being 0 and max line being 100%.

The foreman also told me that they change the oil by punching in the model number into the computer, which then dispenses proper amount of oil through the nozzle. That way they shouldn't be able to overfill the engine with oil.

BruceJ · 07-16-2016, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

The electonic oil indicator only shows the top quart
out of 7 quarts . The idiot light goes off when its one quart down.
So at 85% full you are down about 150 to 200 mili liters.
Also the stupid thing is slow to update it can take two or three
drives before it settles down. stupid ass design if you ask me.

+1 - His point above is that you are probably Ok on the oil change and the oil level. As to the wonderful BMW over-engineered electronic dipstick, well you are in the same boat as the rest of us. We feel your pain.... It only hurts if you are used to being part of your car's well-being. Cause they are surely cutting the average, older, motorhead out of it. And doing their best to cut us all out of it. Fortunately, they have not password locked out, or encrypted their ECU's yet. But that's coming..

BruceJ · 07-16-2016, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W37V

The foreman also told me that they change the oil by punching in the model number into the computer, which then dispenses proper amount of oil through the nozzle. That way they shouldn't be able to overfill the engine with oil.

LOL, they don't do much without the computer's approval already, now it does it for them.

sk55 · 07-17-2016, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W37V

So, I dropped off my car at the dealership for service: oil change, brake flush and coolant flush.

Going in, the car was indicating that the oil level was slightly less than full - about 80-85% full.

After service was done I checked the oil level, and the car is showing the oil level as about 80-85% full.

I went back to the dealership and told them that the oil level is not at max, and it is quite a coincidence that the level is at the exact level as when i came in. I asked them, if they actually changed the oil. Service rep said that they changed it and called over a shop foreman. Foreman told me that it might take few miles (~10) for oil sensor to calibrate, but it should be at the max level. If it is not, they will top it off.

I drove ~60 miles since the visit and the oil level has remained at the same level 80-85%.

My question is, should i trust them that they actually changed the oil at all?

i wouldn't trust them.

but its an easy DIY..

cheap rhino ramps.

open flap on splash shield... loosen a bolt drain the oil...

then add back the required qts..

use a new crush washer...

clean the bottom with brake cleaner..

start up check for leaks...

good to ..

drive around should be 100% in 10 -15 min.

takes me 10 min or less to do a drain and fill...

if anyone wanted to learn one DIY it would be how to change the oil...my 2cents

rsyed07 · 07-18-2016, 08:41 AM

BMW I would trust but there are some blind owners who will take their car to a Jiffy Lube or some express oil change shop. Those I NEVER trust nor have I ever gone to them. There was a documentary on how they rip off senior citizens or people who don't have the basic knowledge of a car and it's components.

07-15-2016, 01:46 PM	#1
W37V [Oo=\|\|=oO] 1103 Rep 2,470 Posts Drives: e92n52 & f15n57 Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: DMV iTrader: (0)	To trust or not So, I dropped off my car at the dealership for service: oil change, brake flush and coolant flush. Going in, the car was indicating that the oil level was slightly less than full - about 80-85% full. After service was done I checked the oil level, and the car is showing the oil level as about 80-85% full. I went back to the dealership and told them that the oil level is not at max, and it is quite a coincidence that the level is at the exact level as when i came in. I asked them, if they actually changed the oil. Service rep said that they changed it and called over a shop foreman. Foreman told me that it might take few miles (~10) for oil sensor to calibrate, but it should be at the max level. If it is not, they will top it off. I drove ~60 miles since the visit and the oil level has remained at the same level 80-85%. My question is, should i trust them that they actually changed the oil at all?
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07-15-2016, 02:00 PM	#2
John 070 Lieutenant General 1705 Rep 14,829 Posts Drives: 335i cpe Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: ZSP/ZPP/ZCW iTrader: (0)	hmmmm....that is really low if they didn't change it....did they ever call over the tech who did it? Can you find any evidence at all that the filter cap was touched? I used to actually make a mark myself with olive oil. At minimum, I would expect the mark to be gone, indicating they wiped up. Also, the green dot usually will not be in the very exact same place. I've never caught a BMW dealership not doing the change, but I have caught GM and Nissan, so anything is possible. I don't know how the oil calibration works, if it even does. Because for the life of my car I have always seen OK when off, and then the level at max. The next time I DIY I will try putting 4 quarts in, and without starting, check the oil to see if it shows up low. I hate to run the motor low, to verify the sensor. Like if it had only 5.5 qts, it should show as being down a quart. But I've never seen anthing but full in 9 years.... There's no way to tell for sure but I would lean towards they didn't do the work. How about the brakes, is the fluid clear/golden, and full? I have found BMW fills it, meaning if your brakes have worn, the level will go down, but when they flush, they fill to max...
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07-15-2016, 02:31 PM	#4
nekbreaker Captain 170 Rep 618 Posts Drives: bmw e92 m3 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: massachussett iTrader: (1)	I make a lil mark on the oil filter housing or cap small that they will never see it and so far so good they do what I pay for but I have a good relationship with my sa
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07-15-2016, 04:27 PM	#5
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	The electonic oil indicator only shows the top quart The electonic oil indicator only shows the top quart out of 7 quarts . The idiot light goes off when its one quart down. So at 85% full you are down about 150 to 200 mili liters. Also the stupid thing is slow to update it can take two or three drives before it settles down. stupid ass design if you ask me.
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07-15-2016, 08:23 PM	#6
tlow98 Major General 2188 Rep 5,002 Posts Drives: 2009 E91, 2014 F15 x35i Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (2)	I don't think it would be in a dealership's best interest risk oil changes on such a high OCI motor, buttttttttt i can't say for sure.
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07-15-2016, 09:29 PM	#7
007_e350 Lieutenant Colonel 217 Rep 1,909 Posts Drives: 335i 2008 MHD'd / x5d E70 Join Date: May 2013 Location: left lane iTrader: (3)	Open the oil filter cap and pull out the filter, you can tell for sure if it's a new one or older, along with quality of oil
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07-15-2016, 11:38 PM	#8
PureE92 First Lieutenant 90 Rep 315 Posts Drives: E92 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Texas iTrader: (0)	I always have trust issues with ANY dealership. I would definitely ask the service manager to square up.
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07-16-2016, 05:05 AM	#10
Efthreeoh General 17309 Rep 18,733 Posts Drives: The E90 + Z4 Coupe & Z3 R'ster Join Date: May 2012 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	My standard response is you checked the oil level too soon after the oil change and it was registering the oil oil level because the CBS had not yet updated the reading. But you said you drove the car 60 miles, which should have updated the reading. However the bar graph (in the non-idrive models) reports the oil level in 1/4-quart increments; it will never read 80% - 85%, so I'm wondering if you are interpreting the bar graph reading incorrectly and it is actually full. Lastly, and I can't explain it, but ever since BMW switched its oil from quart to liter bottles, every oil change I've done with the new oil has left the new oil level a 1/4-quart low. The oil fill spec for the N52 and N54/55 is 6.9 US. Quarts or 6.5 Liters. Using BMW's liter bottled oil and adding only 6.5 L to the crankcase after the oil change leaves my reading 1/4-quart low. I've done 22 oil changes on my E90 and 3 changes on the Z4 (both have the N52) and this happened in both cars. I've since on the last oil change on both cars just put in 6.9 liters and had a full oil level has returned as normal. That said, I'm not sure if at a BMW dealer they use BMW's bottled oil, or metered oil from bulk storage. My advice is give it a few more days to get a good solid reading. It's not hurting the engine being a bit down on a full oil fill. __________________ A manual transmission can be set to "comfort", "sport", and "track" modes simply by the technique and speed at which you shift it; it doesn't need "modes", modes are for manumatics that try to behave like a real 3-pedal manual transmission. If you can money-shift it, it's a manual transmission. "Yeah, but NO ONE puts an automatic trans shift knob on a manual transmission."
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07-16-2016, 12:03 PM	#11
W37V [Oo=\|\|=oO] 1103 Rep 2,470 Posts Drives: e92n52 & f15n57 Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: DMV iTrader: (0)	After 132 miles and 7 driving cycles, the virtual stick is finally showing oil to the max. @Efthreeoh I have an iDrive and 85% was measured within the lines of min and max - min line being 0 and max line being 100%. The foreman also told me that they change the oil by punching in the model number into the computer, which then dispenses proper amount of oil through the nozzle. That way they shouldn't be able to overfill the engine with oil.
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07-18-2016, 08:41 AM	#15
rsyed07 Captain 175 Rep 595 Posts Drives: E46 330i, E92 13' 335is Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Central FL iTrader: (0)	BMW I would trust but there are some blind owners who will take their car to a Jiffy Lube or some express oil change shop. Those I NEVER trust nor have I ever gone to them. There was a documentary on how they rip off senior citizens or people who don't have the basic knowledge of a car and it's components.
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