When I was shopping for X5's, I found one that had a dealer invoice in the glove box. Owner had complained of "excessive oil consumption". Dealer reported on the invoice that 0.8L/1,000km was the acceptable limit as per BMW and their oil consumption was within spec. I laughed. Out loud.

Beamernewbie look up cleaning ccv. Its a good start

or if ccv never been replaced do it now don`t wait another mile ,trust me I know. I lucked out with my 3.0i ,now I`m trying to get all that oil burnt out of the exhaust system.(my ccv froze this winter and dumped oil through the exhaust plus dumped oil into the intake onto the top of the pistons and hydro locked engine, but didn`t bend any rods ,which does usually happen.) thats my 2 cents.

There have been several threads concerning oil consumption very similar to what you are experiencing. As posted, BMW states a quart per 1000 miles is acceptable usage. I can't buy into that and would be looking for a problem as you are doing.

Of the suggestions, I would start with reading the plugs and checking compression before trying heavier weight oil. If it is time for an oil change I might try 5-40 oil though I think that is masking a problem. IMO using a quart per 1000 miles is going to increase maintenance and be a negative impact on plugs, valves, o2 sensors, cats, muffler, etc.

Of the potential causes, CCV trumps all others in previous threads.

If you are using a brand that meets BMW specs I don't think changing brands matters. Most of us have a particular brand we feel is the best but just because someone uses a different brand and uses less oil does not mean the oil is making the difference.

:iagree: As long as you use a good 5W-40 oil your ok. The main thing to look out for is the synthetic base stock, i advise against castrol due to it being hydrocracked base stock oil (with alot of pure marketting hype). Use a good group 3 or 4 oil, i recommend Amsoil since its uses group 4, mobil 1 is good as it is a combination of group 3 and 4, same for Pennzoil platinum. The only thing with the PP is it is a lighter 5W-40 but i didnt have any issues when i used it. Also as puddinboo said check and if needed replace the CCV, also seriously check your spark plugs/combustion chamber for signs of oil.

The CCV you can check one way by popping the oil fill cap off and seeing if the vacuum is excessive, it will literally suck a vacuum bag right in if the CCV is clogged

Normal, all E46 330s, especially the early ones had oil consumption issues...5W-40 reduces consumption a bit, but for the most part, the 3.0 consume it...my old 330 consumed a lot when A/C was running...

Yes, absolutely within specification...

Open the oil fill cap and if you have high vacuum your CCV is probably clogged.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKal0ZjMr7M