See the following forum. Malfunctions of the BMW electronic oil-level sensors are a very common problem.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=386901
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=386901
Post-OC oil consumption, BMW N20
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Just a quick question. Is the 2013-2020 difference limited to the 0w40 being discussed, or is there a difference across the entire Mobil 1 product line?
Originally Posted by LeakySeals
Just a quick question. Is the 2013-2020 difference limited to the 0w40 being discussed, or is there a difference across the entire Mobil 1 product line?
Mobil 1 has been constantly updating their formulations.
For example M1 AFE 0W-20 used to be half-PAO-based. Very recently it has become entirely GTL-and-AN-based. M1 EP 0W-20, M1 AP 0W-20, and M1 AFE 0W-16 are still entirely PAO-and-AN-based.
I just saw OP's friend's car seems to be exhibiting the same issue. In that case this could be a software-calibration issue. I would check with the dealer to see if there is an updated calibration file for the oil-level sensor and get a software update if there is one.
Just a quick question. Is the 2013-2020 difference limited to the 0w40 being discussed, or is there a difference across the entire Mobil 1 product line?
Mobil 1 has been constantly updating their formulations.
For example M1 AFE 0W-20 used to be half-PAO-based. Very recently it has become entirely GTL-and-AN-based. M1 EP 0W-20, M1 AP 0W-20, and M1 AFE 0W-16 are still entirely PAO-and-AN-based.
I just saw OP's friend's car seems to be exhibiting the same issue. In that case this could be a software-calibration issue. I would check with the dealer to see if there is an updated calibration file for the oil-level sensor and get a software update if there is one.
Thanks. I was asking because last summer I tried out
M1 0w 40 in the 6.0 lq9. I did notice the level went down a bit. I normally use M1 5w30 and the engine consumes no oil at all over the 6500 OCI.
M1 0w 40 in the 6.0 lq9. I did notice the level went down a bit. I normally use M1 5w30 and the engine consumes no oil at all over the 6500 OCI.
Originally Posted by LeakySeals
Thanks. I was asking because last summer I tried out
M1 0w 40 in the 6.0 lq9. I did notice the level went down a bit. I normally use M1 5w30 and the engine consumes no oil at all over the 6500 OCI.
Pre 11/2015 Mobil1 0W40 had VISOM base, mostly Group III, but really stout oil. HTHS of 3.8cp, Noack 9%, KV100 13.5. I used it in some applications but my cars always ran much smoother on Castrol 0W30 or 0W40. I did UOA of it in VW CC 2.0T and it was stellar except TBN retention.
Post 11/2015 Mobil1 0W40 is GTL based, HTHS of 3.6cpm, KV100 12.9, Noack 8.7%. It is on thinner side of W40 spectrum.
Thanks. I was asking because last summer I tried out
M1 0w 40 in the 6.0 lq9. I did notice the level went down a bit. I normally use M1 5w30 and the engine consumes no oil at all over the 6500 OCI.
Pre 11/2015 Mobil1 0W40 had VISOM base, mostly Group III, but really stout oil. HTHS of 3.8cp, Noack 9%, KV100 13.5. I used it in some applications but my cars always ran much smoother on Castrol 0W30 or 0W40. I did UOA of it in VW CC 2.0T and it was stellar except TBN retention.
Post 11/2015 Mobil1 0W40 is GTL based, HTHS of 3.6cpm, KV100 12.9, Noack 8.7%. It is on thinner side of W40 spectrum.
Originally Posted by Gokhan
See the following forum. Malfunctions of the BMW electronic oil-level sensors are a very common problem.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=386901
It is actually not very common problem. Everything on forums is common problem. I had 3 BMW's with oil sensors and none ever had an issue.
Can it happen? Yes.
See the following forum. Malfunctions of the BMW electronic oil-level sensors are a very common problem.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=386901
It is actually not very common problem. Everything on forums is common problem. I had 3 BMW's with oil sensors and none ever had an issue.
Can it happen? Yes.
Last edited:
Originally Posted by edyvw
Can it happen? Yes.
It's possibly a software update needed to better calibrate the sensor. The way sensors work is that they produce a voltage and the software reads off the sensor output value corresponding to that from a calibration table, which sits in a file. If whoever wrote that file didn't do a good job, the readings will be less than accurate to say the least. There is apparently a TSB for it, but the dealer wanted to charge this guy for the software update, despite also having replaced the sensor earlier.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=17120765&postcount=29
This thread probably belongs in the maintenance forum.
Can it happen? Yes.
It's possibly a software update needed to better calibrate the sensor. The way sensors work is that they produce a voltage and the software reads off the sensor output value corresponding to that from a calibration table, which sits in a file. If whoever wrote that file didn't do a good job, the readings will be less than accurate to say the least. There is apparently a TSB for it, but the dealer wanted to charge this guy for the software update, despite also having replaced the sensor earlier.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=17120765&postcount=29
This thread probably belongs in the maintenance forum.
The vehicle has been checked out by a BMW specialist. I am leaning towards exploring Mitch Alsup's hypothesis. I just checked my M1 0w40 stash. It dates back to 2015 and I have 40 quarts of that vintage left.
Originally Posted by vavavroom
The vehicle has been checked out by a BMW specialist. I am leaning towards exploring Mitch Alsup's hypothesis. I just checked my M1 0w40 stash. It dates back to 2015 and I have 40 quarts of that vintage left.
If it has LL01, then it is old VISOM (and IMO better) version.
The vehicle has been checked out by a BMW specialist. I am leaning towards exploring Mitch Alsup's hypothesis. I just checked my M1 0w40 stash. It dates back to 2015 and I have 40 quarts of that vintage left.
If it has LL01, then it is old VISOM (and IMO better) version.
Originally Posted by edyvw
If it has LL01, then it is old VISOM (and IMO better) version.
Before the Visom Group III+ base stock was used in the Mobil 1 0W-40 with the introduction of API SN, it was the PAO base stock in the API SM days. In a leaked presentation, Mobil 1 discusses the PAO - Group III+ (and the future GTL) transition. They made the specifications of the Visom Group III+ formulation (the original SN formulation) very similar to the PAO formulation (SM formulation), and it neared PAO performance in most tests, except very demanding tests like thin-film oxidation.
Here is the leaked presentation:
Mobil 1 PAO - Group III+ (Visom) transition leaked presentation (PDF)
Oil viscosity and Noack affect the oil consumption (evaporation is responsible for about 1/3 of the oil consumption in a healthy engine; most of the rest is through transport, which is affected one way or the other by the viscosity), but I doubt switching oils will make a change in what the OP is observing. This is the first time I heard the oil mist (liquid oil droplets) consumed by the PCV may be affected by the oil level, but nothing can be ruled out until tested. My prime suspect is an oil-level-sensor software issue.
If it has LL01, then it is old VISOM (and IMO better) version.
Before the Visom Group III+ base stock was used in the Mobil 1 0W-40 with the introduction of API SN, it was the PAO base stock in the API SM days. In a leaked presentation, Mobil 1 discusses the PAO - Group III+ (and the future GTL) transition. They made the specifications of the Visom Group III+ formulation (the original SN formulation) very similar to the PAO formulation (SM formulation), and it neared PAO performance in most tests, except very demanding tests like thin-film oxidation.
Here is the leaked presentation:
Mobil 1 PAO - Group III+ (Visom) transition leaked presentation (PDF)
Oil viscosity and Noack affect the oil consumption (evaporation is responsible for about 1/3 of the oil consumption in a healthy engine; most of the rest is through transport, which is affected one way or the other by the viscosity), but I doubt switching oils will make a change in what the OP is observing. This is the first time I heard the oil mist (liquid oil droplets) consumed by the PCV may be affected by the oil level, but nothing can be ruled out until tested. My prime suspect is an oil-level-sensor software issue.
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