Oil level

[Ralphhall]

Have 2012 X5 5.0, do not have a dip stick, my only gauge for the on screen oil level is the vehicle information center. The question is when it tells me oil is low I top it off with a quart, this fills up the green bar to the top but I thought I read on here that it’s actually 2 quarts, and I could put 2 quarts in...is that true.? I do not want to overfill but again no dipstick to check the actual level.

[E53fan16]

I would only add a quart to be on the safe side.

[josiahg52]

I think the owner's manual says one quart. I'd read it to be sure.

[ard]

Those oil level sensors can fail..... I had one fail under warranty.


Way to take something fool-proof and turn it into a clusterfruck.

[Qsilver7]

Until you can verify the "source" that you read that said to use 2 quarts...my recommendation is to stick with the info from the owners manual and the other BMW tech info that says that the difference between the MIN & MAX measurement marks is approx 1 liter (to start with) if the measurement is at the MIN level. Then add more if needed (perhaps up to 1.3 liters?):

[Ralphhall]

Engine Oil Consumption
Technical Service SI B11 03 13

Oil Consumption specification:
- All BMW engines (excluding Motorsport) can consume up to 1 quart of engine oil per 750 miles at any time.
- Due to the increased engine power, all Motorsport engines can consume up to 2.5 quarts of engine oil per 1,000 miles at any time.

All turbocharged engines also require a complex crankcase ventilation system. The crankcase ventilation system needs to maintain a small vacuum on the crankcase and not allow the crankcase to be pressurized. Pressurizing the engine crankcase can lead to external engine oil leaks and increased engine oil consumption via the piston rings and valve seals. When the load and the boost level of a turbocharged engine is varied, the path of the crankcase pressure is changed. During the crankcase ventilation path transition, a small amount of engine oil will pass through the crankcase ventilation system and is additionally consumed. The additional engine oil consumption of a turbocharged engine, as compared to a normally aspirated engine, is normal and not a defect.


Engine oil: Topping up

When one of the above vehicles displays a message to add 1 quart of engine oil, BMW recommends adding 2 quarts of engine oil instead. The engine's oil sump design allows the additional quart; the result is a total capacity of 9.5 quart

[Qsilver7]

[aloyouis]

Originally Posted by ard

Those oil level sensors can fail..... I had one fail under warranty.


Way to take something fool-proof and turn it into a clusterfruck.

And how! I had to BUY an oil dip stick for my 2012 Avant. The tube was there and plugged by the factory.

That car drank a quart every 3K like clockwork.