Panic...oil at min level.....
 

So I turn off my 4.8is today and the check oil level indicator came on the dash!!! WTF!! So I check the dip stick and its right at the min level marker. I just purchased the vehicle a month ago and the Lexus dealership I bought it from had done an oil change, brakes as well as some filter changes on it so I know it was just done. I haven't seen any puddles of oil so I dont feel like Im losing oil....obviously I will be filling it with 1 or maybe 2L but I was wondering if anyone else has run into this? Any particular issues I should be worried about?

Looking for any help as I am a bit panicked about it!!

You could be burning oil. Some other 4.8 owners have experienced burning oil after idling for an extended period of time.

Or they (lexus) just underfilled....it happend to me at BMW $tealers 4 months ago..., one pinte 1/2 were missing ..... Thank god i've checked the day after ....

Probably used the wrong oil. Change your own oil.

I'm with Whitecat...underfills are common, esp at a non-BMW joint, or even at BMW oriented joints.

Add the qt/ltr or two to max line, drive it for a month and check the stick occasionally, after fully warm and after several mins to let it all drain down.

And, back at the Oil Consumption Ranch, BMW has fairly liberal 'consumption rates', esp on Xs.

Not time for a panic, yet, imo...
GL, mD

rules of owning bmws
 

God damn I love this forum! Sorry, first off because I should have done a search of course before putting this out there....it was just a bit of a panic moment before heading out to my basketball game. My 335 used to chew up oil as well but not to that extent. I will call them first thing and see what they used for oil and top it up and continue monitoring it. Thank you for the quick responses! Think its time for a ATF flush, likely just go ahead and get it changed at that point and do them both.

No indication of a leak, no blue smoke out the back---no need to panic. As suggested add oil to the fill mark and check in a few hundred miles.

When you fill it with oil, start a log book. Check it every few tanks, 1000 km or so, unless it is dropping earlier.

Make sure you check it correctly. Operating temperature. Level ground. Shut it off and wait for it to drain down before checking the dipstick. Many have overfilled by not following the correct procedure, and so getting an incorrect reading.

I wouldn't increase oil change frequency as long as you are sure it is the proper oil and an OE filter. Unless it is in a severe service application, 20,000 to 25,000 km intervals work fine. My CBS sometimes called for up to a 28,000 km interval, but I changed it at 20k to 25k (km).

Thanks JCL, question : what if we make 10k kil a year ? ...not sure if oil changed interval should also consider time duration between service.. What do u think ?

Yeah, I concur. Mine needs a quart every 3 to 4 thousand miles or so. After extended idles and hitting the throttle, the infamous blue cloud comes out. So my seals are letting oil pass through. Just keep and eye on it and you will be fine. No need to panic. The next oil change I am going to do, I am going to use 5w-40 and see if that keep the consumption at bay until I find the time to dig in and replace the seals.

During summer months (May - September) here in Texas I use the "M" weight synthetic for my oil changes and get about 2500 miles on a quart. It's especially beneficial with the towing I do, stretching out the oil consumption an extra 1000 miles per quart. In cooler weather, I go back to the 5W-30 for easier cold weather starting and fuel mileage. For 233,000 miles on my 3.0, I don't think the consumption is too bad at all.

TTGTR,

I switched over to 5w-40 M1 and haven't seen any indications of the smoke at the stop lights or drive-thru's as I did with the 5w30. I only have about 500miles on the new blood tho.

I started noticing the smoke much more often as I put more miles on the 5w30.. could be psychological tho ?? ( those damn voices again )

:stickpoke

I've been changing oil in my own and customer vehicles for over 35 years, so I spent a lot of years living the 3000 mile/twice annual oil and filter change interval. It was the bible for longer engine life in those days. I don't think it is at all relevant today, unless it is an engine from that era, using older oils.

When I first went to longer oil change intervals on a new early 90's BMW 3 series, I checked and saw how it did on annual changes. It did fine.

With my new 2003 X5, I began to move towards the recommended intervals, but capped it around 18,000 km and 18 months. That was on the oils that were current in 2003, not API SM or SN oils. My last three vehicles have been run closer to BMW recommended intervals, on BMW oil. The X3 last called for 28,000 km but I did it closer to 20,000 due to some shorter trips. That is still 30% more frequent than the CBS system suggested. I left the oil in 2 years, and was comfortable with that. Oil condition was fine. The 535 was fine at 24,000 km, still no CBS call for service. No oil consumption on any of these vehicles to speak of, and the last two hardly took any makeup oil between changes, in the order of 1 litre every 10 or 12 k.

So yes, I do think time matters as well, but I would have no concerns with going 2 years. I wouldn't go much beyond that. A few months wouldn't matter to me, but I think 3 years is too long, as an example. Also, there are other things that are a fixed 2 year interval (ie brake fluid) and since I no longer have a garage to work in, I am using a shop, and I get them to do it all at once.

I change oil every 5000 miles. The stick still shows full. I never use anything other the recommend weight. I know it is not necessary but that's what I have done for many years. I feel like it is the cheapest contribution to engine life.

Thank you very much JCL - just want to tell you that we learn A LOT from all your knowledge that you share on the forum ... You should add somewhere : JCL certified BMW Expert !:-) tx again

Two years is too long!
 

I have to disagree with JCL on his time based engine oil change interval, especially considering that he is in Vancouver for one simple reason - condensation. Moisture develops in the crankase from short trips - those times when the oil is not at normal operating temperature for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Even here in Texas, it takes 20 minutes just for those eight quarts of oil to get up to their regular temp of 210-220 degrees. Without having enough time at those temperatures, the oil can't completely "burn-off" the moisture and fuel dilution that it contains. Aside from dirt, those are the contaminents that actually deteriorate the oils lubricating properties.

Even when my wife was only driving her 325i less than 1000 miles per month, I still changed the oil each spring to flush out any moisture that had built up over the winter. Synthetic oil is very tolerant of heat, and usually better at dealing with the effects of moisture. But it's not worth the cost of an oil change to push it past an annual service.

By the way, my automotive engineering degree is from General Motors Institute, and I've had experience with vehicles such as the Cosworth Vega, Pontiac SD455 and Turbo V-8s, Buick Turbo V-6, Buick GSX 400 and 455 Stage I. With ten years in automobile assembly and another ten with Tier One suppliers, I've been around the block.

Don't leave your oil in the engine for more than a year unless it's in storage and not being driven!

2002 X5 3.0
2004 325i

If the engine was never getting warmed up completely, often evidenced by a buildup of condensate paste under the oil filler cap, then I would be changing it more often. We make the occasional short trip, 5 km for groceries once per week, but alternate trips are 30 minutes plus, and the vehicle gets highway trips (Okanagan, Calgary) regularly. We stopped using the car for all work commutes and daily errands two years ago, as we now live two blocks from the Skytrain (subway) line.

If the car was being put in storage for any length of time and not being driven, I would have fresh oil in it when I parked it.

Srmmmm, some interesting engines there. Not any that I would extend an oil change interval on, though ;). I work with a Tier 1 automotive supplier as well, managing engineering product development through PPAP, and service support after delivery.

Yup, they were some "special" engines, but never enjoyed the manufacturing tolerances that are commonly experienced in engines produced the last ten years. As long as I was running at least a 10W-40 synthetic though, I wouldn't hesitate to leave it in for 10,000 miles, maybe 15,000 with an intermediate filter change. It is surprising to see how long it takes the oil to come up to temperature compared to the coolant though.

I'm almost "too" familiar with the 5.7 liter GM diesels - had a 1981 2-Dr Bonneville with one that went 265,000 miles. Believe though, that one never saw more than 3000 miles on an oil change!