BMW oil level indicators, trustowrthy?

[ryan2022]

Hi folks,

I just changed my wifes oil for the second time in her X3.

It has the 3.0 liter engine.

There's no dipstick on this one, and the supposed capacity is 6.9 quarts or just over 6.5 liters. I've added 6.7 litres and the indicator says it's OK.

I've heard these can cause overfilling and I'm thinking I'm right on the edge. Should I drain a bit out?

Thanks!

 

[Pesca]

If you overfill, the system, like looking at a dipstick, will tell you.

Look at it in a few days to be sure if you want.

oil level indicator is a much trustworthy as a dipstick: How can you be sure the dipstick it the right length? Same trust has to be put in the oil level indicator.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Pesca


oil level indicator is a much trustworthy as a dipstick: How can you be sure the dipstick it the right length? Same trust has to be put in the oil level indicator.


Good point, assuming you change the dipstick from the (assumed right) OE one.

I suspect also that if the level gets too low, the system will warn you, which is probably a better thing for most than assuming any person will rigorously check their oil level...

Im sure a wire can fail or a sensor can go bad, but Id also guess that calibration drift or other things would flag the system such that the user could be warned... And if that's the case, the system is actually better than a dipstick.

Having a car with this setup, the one downside I can say is that the car has to be run a while and the oil pretty warm to get a reading. You cant start your car in the morning when embarking on a road trip and check the oil in the driveway (!). While I have no issue with the e-dipstick, for that reason I do wish there was a real one, or at least the option to add one.

That said, IME with BMW inline engines, they are more sensitive to air leaks than others. I can open the oil filler cap or remove a breather hose on my chevy 4.3L v6 and it will run no problem. Pull the dipstick or oil cap on my M42 (318, haven't tried it on my 135i) and it will stall right away. So there may be some sensitivities to leaks at the dipstick on these ever hotter and higher power dense engines...

 

[slacktide_bitog]

It actually isn't.

There have been problems with the add oil light coming on when the oil level is fine, so people were adding oil when they shouldn't have.

According to BMW, the proper way to check the oil is to put it on a lift, drain the oil, and measure it.

You're only .2 qt above what it's supposed to be, and 7 qt is quite a large sump, so there is no harm done

Dipsticks for the oil and automatic transmission should be mandated.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I suspect also that if the level gets too low, the system will warn you, which is probably a better thing for most than assuming any person will rigorously check their oil level...

On most cars today even with traditional dipsticks, a warning will still come on the dashboard if the oil level gets too low. At least my old e39 behaves this way.

 

[ryan2022]

Thanks guys. I appreciate it! I may leave it and check at the end of the weekend.

It's actually a pretty cool system, but I like the standard dip stick...somethings are worth keeping.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I suspect also that if the level gets too low, the system will warn you, which is probably a better thing for most than assuming any person will rigorously check their oil level...

On most cars today even with traditional dipsticks, a warning will still come on the dashboard if the oil level gets too low. At least my old e39 behaves this way.



level or pressure? If level, that is the best of all worlds.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
That said, IME with BMW inline engines, they are more sensitive to air leaks than others. I can open the oil filler cap or remove a breather hose on my chevy 4.3L v6 and it will run no problem. Pull the dipstick or oil cap on my M42 (318, haven't tried it on my 135i) and it will stall right away. So there may be some sensitivities to leaks at the dipstick on these ever hotter and higher power dense engines...

I had oil fill cap off my S2000 twice, drove about a miles or two and I smelled something unusual I stopped to open the hood, there was the oil fill cap on top of the engine. The engine was running normal, but some oil on the under the hood.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: ryan2022
It's actually a pretty cool system, but I like the standard dip stick...somethings are worth keeping.

I hear ya. Our Q5 didn't come with a physical dipstick, but at least it came with a dipstick tube, so I purchased the dipstick, just to verify that the electronic one isn't lying. I'm mistrustful like that, but some of the Audi guys did report the electronic sensor misrepresenting things sometimes.

I know your BMW engine doesn't even have a dipstick tube, so purchasing a physical dipstick isn't even an option for you.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
level or pressure? If level, that is the best of all worlds.

Not sure. It just displays "CHECK OIL LEVEL" message in the dashboard when the oil level gets too low.

 

[edwardh1]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
level or pressure? If level, that is the best of all worlds.

Not sure. It just displays "CHECK OIL LEVEL" message in the dashboard when the oil level gets too low.



then how would you check the actual level? with the e system?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: edwardh1
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
level or pressure? If level, that is the best of all worlds.

Not sure. It just displays "CHECK OIL LEVEL" message in the dashboard when the oil level gets too low.



then how would you check the actual level?

With a physical dipstick. I was talking about my e39 that has a physical dipstick.

Quote:

with the e system?

With an electronic system, there is a screen in the dashboard that shows the level between MIN and MAX on the display.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: ryan2022
It's actually a pretty cool system, but I like the standard dip stick...somethings are worth keeping.

I hear ya. Our Q5 didn't come with a physical dipstick, but at least it came with a dipstick tube, so I purchased the dipstick, just to verify that the electronic one isn't lying. I'm mistrustful like that, but some of the Audi guys did report the electronic sensor misrepresenting things sometimes.

I know your BMW engine doesn't even have a dipstick tube, so purchasing a physical dipstick isn't even an option for you.

My E430 has electronic oil level sensor, but to display it the car have to be driven until oil is above certain temperature, turn off the engine for few minutes then do the check. To me it is not very convenience compares with checking oil level with dipstick in the morning before driving, this manual checking is less than 30 seconds to do.

Not including dipstick and tube may save company $10-20, but this amount is peanut for a vehicle that has MSRP of $40-50k or more.