STIG

Well, I was driving my M3 the other day, and oil engine light came on. I have close to 7000 miles on the ODO and had my service done at 1300 mile, and next service isn't due till 10,000 mile. So, I went to the dealership and bought a qt of oil and filled it up.

I was told by the dealership that this is quite normal for these motor. I have never heard of a new engine burning oil since like 1300s. I know that there are folks on CL with other high performance machines (such as IS-F, Z06, goats with V12 bi-turbos) and was wondering if you guys have the same problems.

My M3 so far has oil burning problem, Blue tooth connection problem, and various noises from the suspension that the dealer refused to acknowledge. Still an amazing ride, however, I should have leased it instead of outright bought it with cash.

Ps. I should also mention that the car has no dipstick and the oil sensor is as accurate and reliable as the car itself.

spwolf

how much oil did it lose, and how much can it hold? Pressure your dealer intensivly over this. Dealer will always tell you it is fine.. We had some issues with some Toyota engines (specific to europe) and we replaced them with new units, and if eastern european toyota has better warranty than US BMW, then you are in trouble ;-)

STIG

I'd say it lose about 1 and 1/3 qt of oil over 5000 miles. I cant find the oil capacity in the manual but digging around the internet says 8.8L. I don't really drive my car much, and never been on the track. The car usually sits in the garage and looks pretty. I will go talk to other dealers about this.

mmarshall

Although it may sound excessive to us, most automakers won't make any warranty repairs or replacements unless the amount of oil used is more than one quart every 800-1000 miles or so. The oil sensors in your car may or may not be accurate....that is one reason why, in my reviews, I have strongly criticized BMW and other brands that don't provide a manual dipstick for the oil. BMW had to replace some engines some years back, under warranty, when they first started using sensors.....they let the oil go too long between changes, and let the level get too low.

If you know that the sensors in your car are accurate, and that your engine is using what the sensors indicate, then you have one of two options. You can carry an extra quart with you in the trunk for use when needed, like a lot of Mazda RX-8 owners do (rotary engines are notorious for oil use). Or, if you are not satisfied with the way the dealership is handling the issue, you can ask to make an appoinment and see the BMW zone manager...he or she has the authority to order engine repairs or replacement that the dealership couldn't do on their own without approval. Save any sales slips, receipts, credit card bills, etc.......that you have already spent on oil or filters to prove what you have spent on it (if any)....that will help bolster your case.

And remember, when adding oil, it is almost as bad to have it overfilled as underfilled.......too much oil in the crankcase can cause foaming and splashing from the engines's crankshaft lobes whirling around, which can actually hinder effective lubrication.

spwolf

i am reading on forums how it is ok for them to spend even 1qt every 2000 miles... it is also ok for your brakes to squeal btw ;-)

i think it would be a bit hard for average toyota customer to go into BMW ownership ;-).

IS-SV

In short no auto maker will consider OP's oil usage to be unacceptable.

spwolf

1l per 1500 is what all of them state in the manual, but it is absolutely not true that most manufacturers wont do anything about that. 1l per 1500km (1qt per 1000 miles) is extremely high oil consumption, no matter what manual says...

i can tell you right now that we have had issue with new gen diesels, who liked to spend more oil if driven heavily, and toyota replaced those engines no questions asked, and extended warranty on them to 8 years, 180,000km. I know new common rail diesels from VW also liked to spend oil, and VW gave their customers oil at no cost ;-). It probably has to do with all new engines being low friction design, and using very light, low friction oils, but nevertheless, issue was taken very seriously. They have finally fixed it to the point of no oil spent during 10,000 miles, even if driven heavily around the city (Euro Rav4 drivers have tendency to think they are in sports car, racing from light to light), but it has cost Toyota some seriously $$$. So there is no need to suggest that manufacturers take oil usage lightly - not all of them do ;-).

IS-SV

Early Ford 4.6L SOHC V8's used oil (low friction design was noted by dealerships), but more in the range of 1 quart every 3K-4K miles or so. No action required.

It was interesting how these cars had a separate "low oil level light", so it was a known trait.

STIG

Thanks for doing research. I have been reading the same thing too. VW motors have the same issues as well. My brakes are still ok.

I haven't filled up oil since my 1988 corolla with 1.3L motor. X5 4.8 had no issues with burning oil either.

Looks like I just have to carry an quart of oil in my trunk all the time then.

mmarshall

It varies among manufacturers...I've seen it as low as 800 and as high as 1500. Once an engine is broken in (and very little break-in-time is needed these days, due to precise engine manufacturing tolerances), I agree with you that 1/1000 is unacceptably high consumption, but I guess manufacturers have to allow for all kinds of engine use, in all kinds of conditions, from tropical deserts to polar tundra. And some owners (though I'm not necessarily saying that STIG is guilty of this), don't start and run their cars properly when cold, which just accentuates wear and oil consumption....or they don't break the engines in properly, even with the shortened break-in times, which screws up the honing on the cylinder walls.

IS-SV

That's a lot of amusing speculation and internet hearsey in this thread, lol.

But OP is experiencing oil usage of 1 quart in 6K miles if I did the math correctly. I'd like to hear from actual BMW owners with actual experience with BMW cars to know if this kind of oil usage will result in corrective action, since we have many seasoned BMW owners here. Regardless of the boilerplate written in the owners manual (which anybody can read in their owners manual provided by manufacturer), I doubt 6K miles per quart in a new car will be deemed unacceptable.

I realize we all get spoiled by owning vehicles that require no oil additions between changes from day 1 and showing no oil usage on dipstick between changes (including my current Lexus IS and Mercedes C-class for example).

STIG

Such as....?

spwolf

i think that it is unacceptable for any car, unless you drive it on the track, to require an oil fill up before its service. In USA, it is a bit easier, as service is done for lesser intervals, but here in Europe, it is 10,000 miles minimum (well 15,000 km) and i can tell you that anyone having to fill up before that will be extremely pissed off ;-). At least when they drive Toyota, it seems when you have an german, it is ok, it is part of ownership experience ;-).

IS-SV

Look up there.

What I want to find out (and you as a BMW owner might be interested too) is using a quart of oil in 6K miles on a new BMW the kinid of oil usage that will result in corrective action? Have any BMW owners chimed in with their experiences yet? That's all I'm saying.

And I agree with many that in real life we are accustomed to several brands/models of cars that have insignificant oil usage between changes (which I used my current Lexus and Mercedes as examples and spwolf gave several German car examples too).

spwolf

well as we said already, looking at M boards, M owners advise there to check on oil every time you put gas in :-). So it is accepted as "ok", even 1st at 1000 miles is apparently "per design".

IMHO, having to check oil and add oil to 65k-75k vehicle is crazy idea.