BMW OLM ????????

[hattaresguy]

Their system sounds like the old FSS system. It works well if you use the correct spec oil, which a lot of people in this country have problems with.

Germans don't understand how specifications cannot be followed, it goes against their DNA.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4

Find me an oil that'll go 10,000 miles without causing varnish stains and I'll run it.


Sorry, but I can only go by my experience with owning BMWs over the past 30+ years and using Mobil 1 lubricants most of that time. Here is what Blackstone had to say about the last 10,000 mile OCI on my son's 158,000 mile 2004 X3 2.5:

This oil was run a couple thousand miles longer than the last, and the engine didn't even notice. Copper went high a couple of samples back, but it's back down now. Fuel has been an on and off find in your BMW, though it's down to a trace here and that's great. Maybe it will be gone entirely next time. Usually the amount of fuel in the oil is dependent on what kind of driving you do, and how much idling. The TBN of 0.7 shows the oil is running out of active additive, but continuing 10K miles on the oil should be fine for the foreseeable future.

If you can demonstrate that a 10,000 mile OCI is harming that engine I'm more than willing to listen...

And, FWIW, based on my UOAs Blackstone believes that I could run even run Mobil 1 5W-30 for 10,000 miles in my Mazdaspeed 3- and it has a turbocharged DI motor(no varnish stains there, either).

 

[Fleetmon]

My '99 528i oil monitor bar graph followed the miles traveled pretty closely. Our '11 X35d doesn't and as I posted earlier, does not follow mileage traveled closely until the oil has accumulated several thousand miles.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: MCompact

If you can demonstrate that a 10,000 mile OCI is harming that engine I'm more than willing to listen...


I'd say the burden of proof is on you sir. If you can demonstrate that an engine can go 10,000 miles on Brand X oil and not have a single trace of varnish anywhere, I'll be happy to run it for that length of OCI.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4

I'd say the burden of proof is on you sir. If you can demonstrate that an engine can go 10,000 miles on Brand X oil and not have a single trace of varnish anywhere, I'll be happy to run it for that length of OCI.


In other words, a great UOA means nothing if "a single trace of varnish" can be found.
Got it.

Now seriously, you have to be joking, right?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
Now seriously, you have to be joking, right?

He's not joking. Read his other posts. He goes strictly by looks. He changes oil as soon as it turns slightly dark. Alas, it's his car and his money. Who are we to judge? We all do what helps us sleep better at night.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...CIs#Post3194978

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

He's not joking. Read his other posts. He goes strictly by looks. He changes oil as soon as it turns slightly dark. Alas, it's his car and his money. Who are we to judge? We all do what helps us sleep better at night.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...CIs#Post3194978



Understood. I'll follow Dilbert's advice- and stop attempting to have a fact based discussion with him.

 

[kjbock]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: small
BMW, MB, Porsche, et. al. are not doing oil analysis while you drive.

Actually, some time ago BMW has introduced a dielectric sensor that attempts to determine the condition of the oil while you drive. But as OVERKILL noted, it's just one of the parameters that gets taken into account when calculating OCI.

Not sure if it's still in use today. This is a few years old...

This is an excerpt from the N52 engine spec document published by BMW. They probably use something else for the N20 and N55 engines.

Fig. 46: Monitoring Electronic Oil Condition
Courtesy of BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Function Of The Oil Condition Sensor
ENGINE - OVERVIEW - N52 -2006 BMW 330i Page 57 of 73

The sensor consists of two cylindrical capacitors arranged one above the other. The oil condition is determined by the lower, smaller capacitor (6). Two metal tubes (2 + 3), arranged one in the other, serve as the capacitor electrodes. The dielectric is the engine oil (4) between the electrodes. The electrical property of the engine oil changes as the wear or ageing increases and the fuel additives break down.

The capacitance of the capacitor (oil condition sensor) changes in line with the change in the electrical material properties of the engine oil (dielectric). This means that this capacitance value is processed in the evaluation electronics (7) integrated in the sensor to form a digital signal.

The digital sensor signal is transferred to the DME as an indication of the status of the engine oil. This actual value is used in the DME to calculate the next oil change service due. The engine oil level is determined in the upper part of the sensor (5). This part of the sensor is located at the same level as the oil in the oil pan. As the oil level drops (dielectric), the capacitance of the capacitor changes accordingly. The electronic circuitry in the sensor processes this capacitance value to form a digital signal and transfers the signal to the DME.

A platinum temperature sensor (9) is installed at the base of the oil condition sensor for the purpose of measuring the engine oil temperature. The engine oil level, engine oil temperature and engine oil condition are registered continuously as long as voltage is applied at terminal 15. The oil condition sensor is powered via terminal 87.