[sickem]

Hey All,

Did a quick search but I must admit it's late and I don't feel like searching anymore. So I have 12,800 miles on my E90 and the exclamation came up during my ride home. I checked the oil level and it said it was at the minimum and to add one quart. So I stopped and bought a quart of castrol syntec. then it was fine. It is also worth noting that I used the SOS button to ask what kind of oil to put in (manual was in trunk and I was driving!) and they were awesome. Responsive, knowledgeable, and friendly.

I guess my question is: is that out of the ordinary for my oil level to be THAT low after only about 13K mi? I suppose the car breaks in over the course of the first oil cycle, but I'm wondering whether I should have BMW take a look at it. I have not noticed any smoking or oil leakage.

Toodles,

Andy

[VTECaddict]

Normal. If it was 1280 miles then yes.

[nyknickfan]

normal...you could even stop by at any dealership and they shouldn't give you any problems with topping off your oil...just went today with 6000 miles left until my next oil change

[Silvr&Blk]

Did you fill your oil to the max level at your last oil change? And do you rev the engine hard when you drive normally? 1 quart is a bit much to lose if you're driving conservatively but it's not unheard of.

[jopa489]

Certainly well within spec. My E90 (with 95% highway driving) hardly burns any oil. I'm guessing if you drive more city miles, you might burn a little more.

[nyknickfan]

Originally Posted by jopa489

Certainly well within spec. My E90 (with 95% highway driving) hardly burns any oil. I'm guessing if you drive more city miles, you might burn a little more.

+1...def agree with that...I drive 95% city and had to get the oil topped off only a few months after purchasing the CPO vehicle (only 2,500 miles of driving)...of course I'm assuming the fluids were topped off before my purchase

[chromisdesigns]

I used to use about a quart every 5K miles on the E36 M3. That and yours are well within normal limits. BMW says even a quart every 2K miles is "normal". So far, with changes about every 5-6K, I haven't put any additional oil into the 335i. The engines all seem to vary within a broad range. A very good BMW mechanic told me, basically, "it uses what it uses". Unless it's literally pouring out, BMW won't do anything about it anyway.

[John 070]

My loaner 328 had only 4k and oil was low. Don't understand it, 335 has always been full. That was the 2nd time a 328 loaner that was relatively new had its crankcase not full. Technically, it was filled to full at the factory, why 40 miles (1st case) or 4k later should it not be full?

[742]

Some oil consumption is normal. In fact it is inevitable. It will vary between specific engines, and can range from 1 quart/1,000 miles to virtually undetectable.

And the later is not necessarily the best. Adding occasional make up oil greatly improves the oil's chemistry over the length of a long oil change interval.

[CHCCubs]

I got the same warning over the winter and stopped by the dealer to top it off for free. My car was about 9 months old and had about 10,000km at the time.

[nogard13]

I thought one of the great benefits about using synthetic oil is that it doesn't burn off as easily as dino juice.

I owned an 88 RX-7 (known for burning oil) and the word always was that you didn't want to use synthetics because the engine needed to burn the oil in order to lube the rotors. The synthetic would just pileup and make a mess.

[floot_roops]

I got this warning this past weekend (I have about 13000 miles) when I started up my car. I checked the owner's manual and saw that the oil level should be checked once the car is warmed up. I drove to the store, bought some Castrol syntec and made a few other quick stops. Every time I turned the car back on, it would go through the normal cycle of checking the oil level and then give me the warning. The visible gauge showed it below the "min" line and said +1 quart. At this point, the light had come on after 4 separate starts over a 30 min period, and I had driven a total of about 15 miles, and the engine was at normal operating temp.

However, it was dark, and I couldn't see well enough under the hood, so I set off towards home (from my parents' house, about 50 miles away on the highway), thinking I'd stop at a well-lit gas station and top it off, or failing that, once I got back to my garage.

The light went away spontaneously after driving 25 miles or so. I checked the readout, figuring it might have just nudged from below to above the "min" marking, and I was just borderline low. But the readout showed my oil level at over halfway between the "min" and "max" markers.

Very strange. I could understand if it was borderline, but these were two completely different readings, and the "low" reading was reproduced multiple times. There has been no sign of it in the last week, and the readout shows the level in the same place. I kept the oil in my trunk just in case it's needed.

Any thoughts on this odd behavior?

[sickem]

Originally Posted by floot_roops

I got this warning this past weekend (I have about 13000 miles) when I started up my car. I checked the owner's manual and saw that the oil level should be checked once the car is warmed up. I drove to the store, bought some Castrol syntec and made a few other quick stops. Every time I turned the car back on, it would go through the normal cycle of checking the oil level and then give me the warning. The visible gauge showed it below the "min" line and said +1 quart. At this point, the light had come on after 4 separate starts over a 30 min period, and I had driven a total of about 15 miles, and the engine was at normal operating temp.

However, it was dark, and I couldn't see well enough under the hood, so I set off towards home (from my parents' house, about 50 miles away on the highway), thinking I'd stop at a well-lit gas station and top it off, or failing that, once I got back to my garage.

The light went away spontaneously after driving 25 miles or so. I checked the readout, figuring it might have just nudged from below to above the "min" marking, and I was just borderline low. But the readout showed my oil level at over halfway between the "min" and "max" markers.

Very strange. I could understand if it was borderline, but these were two completely different readings, and the "low" reading was reproduced multiple times. There has been no sign of it in the last week, and the readout shows the level in the same place. I kept the oil in my trunk just in case it's needed.

Any thoughts on this odd behavior?

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the input, everybody. I figured it wasn't too out of the ordinary but I'll keep an eye on it. I would've gone to the dealership but this was around dinner time and they were already closed and since the oil level was low I didn't want to mess around. The peace of mind was worth the $6.

I haven't had my first oil change yet as the car only has 13K on it now. I don't beat on it, although I do occasionally give it "the berries." and I do a mixture of city/highway to work...

@floot_roops: that sounds a little strange...as soon as I added the oil mine was completely fine...maybe the level sensor is malfunctioning. call me old fashioned, but I DO like being able to check my own oil and not rely on an electronic sensor that is bound to malfunction...especially with something as important as engine oil. I hope they put the dipstick back in the cars (cue the Scottish Guy Castrol ads!!!!)

Thanks again

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by John 070

My loaner 328 had only 4k and oil was low. Don't understand it, 335 has always been full. That was the 2nd time a 328 loaner that was relatively new had its crankcase not full. Technically, it was filled to full at the factory, why 40 miles (1st case) or 4k later should it not be full?

That's because people drive loaners hard from day one.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by jopa489

That's because people drive loaners hard from day one.

Gotcha, what may be in common with my experience is "loaner," as opposed to 328i......

[chromisdesigns]

Originally Posted by floot_roops

I got this warning this past weekend (I have about 13000 miles) when I started up my car. I checked the owner's manual and saw that the oil level should be checked once the car is warmed up. I drove to the store, bought some Castrol syntec and made a few other quick stops. Every time I turned the car back on, it would go through the normal cycle of checking the oil level and then give me the warning. The visible gauge showed it below the "min" line and said +1 quart. At this point, the light had come on after 4 separate starts over a 30 min period, and I had driven a total of about 15 miles, and the engine was at normal operating temp.

However, it was dark, and I couldn't see well enough under the hood, so I set off towards home (from my parents' house, about 50 miles away on the highway), thinking I'd stop at a well-lit gas station and top it off, or failing that, once I got back to my garage.

The light went away spontaneously after driving 25 miles or so. I checked the readout, figuring it might have just nudged from below to above the "min" marking, and I was just borderline low. But the readout showed my oil level at over halfway between the "min" and "max" markers.

Very strange. I could understand if it was borderline, but these were two completely different readings, and the "low" reading was reproduced multiple times. There has been no sign of it in the last week, and the readout shows the level in the same place. I kept the oil in my trunk just in case it's needed.

Any thoughts on this odd behavior?

From what I understand, the "gauge" isn't continuous reading -- it only has a few states: Full, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, and add oil. Splash, drain down, etc. can easily nudge the gauge over one of the inflection points, if the level is actually right on the edge.

[Firefly6]

Originally Posted by chromisdesigns

From what I understand, the "gauge" isn't continuous reading -- it only has a few states: Full, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, and add oil. Splash, drain down, etc. can easily nudge the gauge over one of the inflection points, if the level is actually right on the edge.

That always kind of bothered me - that it is not more precise. I'm afraid of over-filling, so I add a half quart - then see if the reading changes. If not, I'll add more.

[mike3000fl]

everyone knows this but still....it's important to remember also that the entire bargraph between min and max only represents 1 quart, it doesn't represent how much oil is in the car in a linear fashion.

lol, so if it shows up as halfway, don't go adding 3.5 quarts thinking half the oil is gone, you are literally supposed to wait until the car says add oil, then add one quart.