2006 325xi - Oil Dipstick - Warning!

[istvanor]

2006 E90 - Oil Dipstick - Warning!

Okay,

I have a nice one for those considering the purchase of this fine automobile. I recently bought one (right after the test drive) and I have been loving it for its great roadholding abilities.

The other day, the oil light came on even though the car only has 1200 miles on it. When I went to check the oil, I discovered that the geniuses in Germany decided to make things easy for the owner and you only have to push a few buttons on the dash and presto! the car will tell you if you are low on oil - no need to even get out of your car.

So, I push the button and I am down a quart.....seems funny with so few miles but I go ahead and add a quart. Two days later, the oil light comes back on and I decide to stop by the dealer and have them check it out.

The service department comes right out and whisks the car away. They put it up and drain the oil to check how many quarts there are. Sure enough, the car was not low on oil - and now was exactly one quart heavy. Turns out, the sensor was bad. Had I added another quart, I would have seriously damaged the engine.

Okay, so, what is the moral of the story? Well, there is NO MANUAL WAY OF CHECKING THE OIL!!! Holy cow! All of a sudden, you have an electronic sensor telling you if you need oil, but that fails! So what happens when the oil light comes on? You need to take it to the dealer! What if you add oil and you don't need it? - you're screwed!

Anyway, just a word of advice and something for you to consider before plunking down almost $40k for a car.

Anyone else run into this problem?

-Istvanor

 

[jrt67ss350]

I KNEW this was a bad idea when I found out about it after driving the first E90 330i our dealer received.

The new M5 also doesn't have a dipstick. Seems this is the way that BMW is moving. I don't think it's a great move.

 

[Skipper]

I had the same problem. The oil light went on the day I took delivery. I went back to the dealer and they added a litre of oil. Next day the light went on again.

The dealer was great they came and got the car left a loaner and replaced the sensor.

But I was pretty frustrated that there was no dipstick to check the oil manually.

 

[IsellBMW]

If the truth be told:

Manual dipsticks are not all that reliable, either. I can't tell you how many vehicles I've had where I KNOW put 5 quarts in, yet the dipstick read much higher or lower. Didn't you think it was strange that most dipsticks have the cross-hatched "range" area? If the vehicle requires 5 quarts, and you put 5 quarts in, then why isn't there a distinct LINE indicating that it's full? I'm not saying that "dipstick-less" engines are the be-all-end-all, but cars have had low-oil sensors for years. The fact that one failed doesn't surprise me, and at least it went bad and told you there was a probelm. An old-fashioned warning light bulb could burn out and you may never know the difference.

 

[Big Daddy]

Yes but with the "idiot lights" you still had a backup, the dipstick! I have only ever had one car where the dispstick was off and that was one I rebuilt and ordered a new dipstick and tube for it. When I put in 5 qts and checked it it was off, dealer confirmed that they gave me the wrong tube for the dispstick I bought (old chev 350) And who holds five qts. anymore, my roadster takes 7!

 

[nadroj]

Okay,

I have a nice one for those considering the purchase of this fine automobile. I recently bought one (right after the test drive) and I have been loving it for its great roadholding abilities.

The other day, the oil light came on even though the car only has 1200 miles on it. When I went to check the oil, I discovered that the geniuses in Germany decided to make things easy for the owner and you only have to push a few buttons on the dash and presto! the car will tell you if you are low on oil - no need to even get out of your car.

So, I push the button and I am down a quart.....seems funny with so few miles but I go ahead and add a quart. Two days later, the oil light comes back on and I decide to stop by the dealer and have them check it out.

The service department comes right out and whisks the car away. They put it up and drain the oil to check how many quarts there are. Sure enough, the car was not low on oil - and now was exactly one quart heavy. Turns out, the sensor was bad. Had I added another quart, I would have seriously damaged the engine.

Okay, so, what is the moral of the story? Well, there is NO MANUAL WAY OF CHECKING THE OIL!!! Holy cow! All of a sudden, you have an electronic sensor telling you if you need oil, but that fails! So what happens when the oil light comes on? You need to take it to the dealer! What if you add oil and you don't need it? - you're screwed!

Anyway, just a word of advice and something for you to consider before plunking down almost $40k for a car.

Anyone else run into this problem?

-Istvanor

Shouldnt you have been going in for the 1200mi oil change for the break in period any ways, maybe this idiot light was really working right to make people go to the dealer ? lol just a thought