oil question, kind of worried!

[prism]

Today I checked the oil level with the dipstick (I hadnt done this for a while) and the level was below the low level marking! I didnt get any of the warning lights as described in the manual, is it possible that I damaged the engine?
Also is it normal that the oil is so low after 12,000 km? What kind of oil should I be using for a diesel engine?

Thanks for the help!

[JCL]

You need to be checking the oil much more regularly.

Can't tell if you have damaged the engine, but unless you hear new and expensive-sounding noises, I suspect not. You likely hadn't reached the point where the warning light would come on (if the light is working). You shouldn't plan to run it until the light comes on (that is the equivalent of parking by sound, without PDC).

Oil consumption is normal. How many 1000 km per liter of oil are you using? Anything up to a litre every 1500 km will likely be rated as normal by the dealer, high as it seems. A litre every 4000 km is nothing to worry about at all.

For oil recommendations, see your manual.

[prism]

Originally Posted by JCL

You need to be checking the oil much more regularly.

Can't tell if you have damaged the engine, but unless you hear new and expensive-sounding noises, I suspect not. You likely hadn't reached the point where the warning light would come on (if the light is working). You shouldn't plan to run it until the light comes on (that is the equivalent of parking by sound, without PDC).

Oil consumption is normal. How many 1000 km per liter of oil are you using? Anything up to a litre every 1500 km will likely be rated as normal by the dealer, high as it seems. A litre every 4000 km is nothing to worry about at all.

For oil recommendations, see your manual.

Thanks but it seems to me that if the OBD did not function, it would be tantamount to a catastrophic failure because, according the the manual, there are three specific warning lights/messages related to oil and so three failures that need to occur. Also, it specifies that if the oil warning light comes on whilst driving, it means you shouldnt drive more than 50km before adding oil so I dont understand your analogy with the PDC?
Im not trying to excuse myself from not checking the oil more frequently, I should be more attentive but I would expect the car to have at least some fail safe features especially for something this serious, im sure there are plenty of people out there that dont check their oil between services!

[JCL]

Originally Posted by prism

Thanks but it seems to me that if the OBD did not function, it would be tantamount to a catastrophic failure because, according the the manual, there are three specific warning lights/messages related to oil and so three failures that need to occur. Also, it specifies that if the oil warning light comes on whilst driving, it means you shouldnt drive more than 50km before adding oil so I dont understand your analogy with the PDC?
Im not trying to excuse myself from not checking the oil more frequently, I should be more attentive but I would expect the car to have at least some fail safe features especially for something this serious, im sure there are plenty of people out there that dont check their oil between services!

Yes, if the OBD did not function you could get a catastrophic failure. It is likely designed to be failsafe, which means that if the OBD fails the engine stops. However, even a failure of the dashboard display light could lead to you driving it without realizing that the warning was there.

My comment on PDC was that driving it until the light comes on is similar to those people who park by sound. I am not referring here to the ones who have PDC, with an audible distance warning, but rather those who back up until they hear contact with a car behind them. The point is that it is usually better to stop just before that. With oil level, that just means checking it regularly when you fill up. Once you know how much oil it consumes, you will know how often to check it, ie the consumption is likely to be somewhat linear.

Even if you don't run it right down to the warning light, running a few litres low isn't as good for the engine as keeping it topped up.

I believe the three levels of warning are amber for low oil (50 km to get some oil in it), red for low oil (get some oil in it right now) and red for oil pressure (the oil pump just drew air, and it is time to listen for those expensive noises that indicate bearing failure). The first light isn't the end of the world, but OTOH there is a reason the vehicle has a dipstick.

And don't beat yourself up too much, because there are many people who never check the oil. That is what led to the inclusion of the additional lights for oil level, before the traditional oil pressure warning activates. It has gone even further with the new models (E90, etc) that don't have a dipstick and rely totally on warning lights, albeit slightly more sophisticated ones with a level readout on dash.

[prism]

Originally Posted by JCL

Yes, if the OBD did not function you could get a catastrophic failure. It is likely designed to be failsafe, which means that if the OBD fails the engine stops. However, even a failure of the dashboard display light could lead to you driving it without realizing that the warning was there.

My comment on PDC was that driving it until the light comes on is similar to those people who park by sound. I am not referring here to the ones who have PDC, with an audible distance warning, but rather those who back up until they hear contact with a car behind them. The point is that it is usually better to stop just before that. With oil level, that just means checking it regularly when you fill up. Once you know how much oil it consumes, you will know how often to check it, ie the consumption is likely to be somewhat linear.

Even if you don't run it right down to the warning light, running a few litres low isn't as good for the engine as keeping it topped up.

I believe the three levels of warning are amber for low oil (50 km to get some oil in it), red for low oil (get some oil in it right now) and red for oil pressure (the oil pump just drew air, and it is time to listen for those expensive noises that indicate bearing failure). The first light isn't the end of the world, but OTOH there is a reason the vehicle has a dipstick.

And don't beat yourself up too much, because there are many people who never check the oil. That is what led to the inclusion of the additional lights for oil level, before the traditional oil pressure warning activates. It has gone even further with the new models (E90, etc) that don't have a dipstick and rely totally on warning lights, albeit slightly more sophisticated ones with a level readout on dash.

Thanks JCL, my dad just got a 330i, and as you correctly point out, there is no dipstick, the OBD draws the engine with the oil level on the idrive display, its kind of neat! Im just crossing my fingers that I dont have a catastrophic failure with the warning lights! Thanks for the insight!

[dksavage]

If the light hadnt come on (and you dont hammer it frequently) then I wouldnt be too worried. I have also noted that the dipstick does vary quite a bit depending on the slope of the car, so make sure you check it somewhere quite flat.
My diesel got to the min level after 11,000 km so I figured it was smarter to just dump what was left and put new oil in - if you DIY then its small $$ for a bit of extra piece of mind.
DS

[prism]

Just to update you, I called BMW assistance who sent me a dispatch who arrived rapidly. The guy confirmed it was practically empty and filled the oil tank with up to 2.4 litres of LongLife BMW oil. I think I will take the car for a check up sometime next week to find out if there is a problem with the OBD. I guess I should have at least had a yellow light warning but nothing came up!

[vinuneuro]

Remember that the dipstick can be deceptive. From the min to max mark, is one quart. If it's below that there isn't a sure way of knowing how much you need, so after adding a quart add oil slowly and keep checking the dipstick as you go till it's at the max mark. I would make sure that there isn't too much oil in there now since the BMW Assist guy might have thought the pan was empty after seeing that there wasn't any oil on the dipstick.

As fas as instrument cluster oil notices go:

*If the OBD says "Check Engine Oil Level"- you are one quart low

*If the Red Oil Light comes on- you have insufficient oil pressure; shut off the vehicle immediately!.....and check, add more oil.

[prism]

Originally Posted by vinuneuro

Remember that the dipstick can be deceptive. From the min to max mark, is one quart. If it's below that there isn't a sure way of knowing how much you need, so after adding a quart add oil slowly and keep checking the dipstick as you go till it's at the max mark. I would make sure that there isn't too much oil in there now since the BMW Assist guy might have thought the pan was empty after seeing that there wasn't any oil on the dipstick.

As fas as instrument cluster oil notices go:

*If the OBD says "Check Engine Oil Level"- you are one quart low

*If the Red Oil Light comes on- you have insufficient oil pressure; shut off the vehicle immediately!.....and check, add more oil.

Thanks, he actually added the oil in a series of steps checking the dipstick several times. He also had me switch the engine on for a couple of minutes to warm it up. I checked just a while ago with the engine warm and the dipstick level was just below the max level!
I also wanted to know what the signs or symptoms would be if the engine had been damaged by lack of oil? Does anyone know? I mean is it possible that im riding with a damaged engine and I am not aware of it?

[JCL]

Originally Posted by prism

I also wanted to know what the signs or symptoms would be if the engine had been damaged by lack of oil? Does anyone know? I mean is it possible that im riding with a damaged engine and I am not aware of it?

Possible, but unlikely. If the damage was severe, you would hear rattling, knocking, or clattering noises. If there was some scoring of the bearings, but not to the point of failure, then you wouldn't know until the engine failed.

If you can't hear what I referred to above as 'expensive noises' then you are likely fine. Relax, and enjoy the car.