thanks for the advice everyone!

My 35d most definitely has a dipstick!. It's hard to get at, but it IS there. It also has a message printed above the radiator requesting that the oil be checked at every fill up. This info is in the waranty maintenance manual. The dipstick is located on the left side of the engine. Just take a look. It is black.

Yes, both the 3.0d and 3.0sd (35d) have a dipstick. Check the pics I posted in the following thread, post #21.

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e70-forum/...ngine-oil.html

19k miles on my 4.8 and have only gone through 1 qt during the first 8-10k but have not had an issue since. The 4.8 has not only the Idrive oil level indicator but also a dipstick so I guess you get the best of both worlds...... Also the S62 engine is not close to the n62 in the X5 and if it was close they you would burn 2x times as much as you think it should.... BMW even stated that eh S62 is an ultra low friction engine which is accomplished by low friction rings adn 10/60w oril which any engine guy will know oil leakage will happen......

I can't find a dipstick on my late model 2008 4.8i. There is a plug of some sort on top of what appears to be a dipstick tube, but it doesn't pull out. I was afraid to pull too hard, but I certainly pulled hard enough to be able to remove it if it were a dipstick.

It appears they may have stopped putting dipsticks on the 4.8i sometime during the 2008 model year.

Does anyone know if a dipstick can be added? It looks like there is still a tube going down to to oil pan.

It is right next to the oil cap. I gave it a good pull in a twisting action. Once it is done a few times it gets much easier.

Thanks. Now that I know for sure there is a dipstick attached to that plug, I won't be afraid to pull harder.

2009 4.8, idrive says oil is ok and is max. pulled the stick, jsut tad above min. How can idrive accurately test the level with engine running and expect to be accurate? It only allows for testing when engine is running.

Now I wonder about my 335i without the dip stick.

This is exactly the point of my original post - is the oil level sensor just a yes or no switch, or does it tell you the actual level of the oil in the sump? Has anyone ever seen the green bars at mid level? Or are they either 'Max' or 'Min' and nothing in between?

From what I have seen so far, the oil level device is a lot less sophisticated than BMW would have us believe.

Long live the dipstick!

Yes, it is gradated from full to add a litre. Mine moves smoothly between the two indicated levels depending on the oil quantity. Just as with a dipstick, it is important that the vehicle be level, and that it be at operating temperature, and so I let it cycle through a new check before deciding to add a litre. That is just the same as pulling the stick and wiping it, and then checking it again before adding a litre. Works fine for me. Yes, I would like to have a dipstick, but I haven't had any problems with the new level sensor. I think it is the opposite of what you note: it isn't that the sensor is less sophisticated, if anything it is that it is too sophisticated.

EDIT: I went looking for a pdf I had seen on the technology contained in the oil sensor. Earlier sensors were floats. Later models have a pretty high tech approach. I had noted this pdf originally because the sensor measures oil quality as well as temperature and level. I have also read that the sensor is affected by condensation in the oil, so if you have lots of short trips you may get inaccurate readings. The condensation is the same problem as with the oil separator, but in this case it is because the conductivity or capacitance of the oil changes, instead of it freezing. I have heard of a software update, since all of the messages are processed in the DME. I don't know if you model is impacted by that software upgrade or not. We would need a BMW dealer technician to advise on that. Weasel?