Oil top off. How often?

[ERK]

Around 6 weeks ago the oil light started coming on after I shut down the car so I topped it off with a quart. Now it's happening again. Is it normal to have to top off this frequently?

[The HACK]

Yes.

[ERK]

Interesting. Off to the store for me...better than off to the service bay I guess.

I've never had to top off so often on other cars I've owned. Is it a hard driving thing, a milage thing, what's eating all that oil?

[bmw325]

Originally posted by ERK
Interesting. Off to the store for me...better than off to the service bay I guess.

I've never had to top off so often on other cars I've owned. Is it a hard driving thing, a milage thing, what's eating all that oil?

Oil consumption seems to be hit or miss around here. For some reason the 3.0 liter engines seem to consume more oil than the 2.5s. My 325 barely goes through any oil in 5k miles. Excessive Oil consumption can be caused by improper seating of the piston rings during break-in. But, pretty much every car manufacturer says that 1 quart/1000 miles is within normal limits (so you're pretty much never going to get BMW to admit that its excessive). So, the answer is yes, your oil consumption is probably normal--annoying, but normal.

[brewthunda]

My 2001 325i only burns about a quart every 10,000 miles.

[ERK]

Originally posted by robg
Oil consumption seems to be hit or miss around here. For some reason the 3.0 liter engines seem to consume more oil than the 2.5s. My 325 barely goes through any oil in 5k miles. Excessive Oil consumption can be caused by improper seating of the piston rings during break-in. But, pretty much every car manufacturer says that 1 quart/1000 miles is within normal limits (so you're pretty much never going to get BMW to admit that its excessive). So, the answer is yes, your oil consumption is probably normal--annoying, but normal.

I broke the car in gently so it shouldn't be pushing any oil out through the rings. I certainly am below 1 qt./1000 mi. Normal but annoying seems about right.

FWIW, I treat the car well, broke it in properly, etc. but since it's a lease I've decided to only go for the scheduled oil changes (flame suit on). That could be one reason why I get the oil light and others don't.

[The HACK]

Originally posted by ERK
I broke the car in gently so it shouldn't be pushing any oil out through the rings. I certainly am below 1 qt./1000 mi. Normal but annoying seems about right.

FWIW, I treat the car well, broke it in properly, etc. but since it's a lease I've decided to only go for the scheduled oil changes (flame suit on). That could be one reason why I get the oil light and others don't.

That has nothing to do with it. The others probably don't notice it when they do 3,000-5,000 mile changes because the amount burnt through is insignificant.

There's a couple of things you can try. Do a few Italian Tune-ups and see if the problem goes away. My car used to burn a bit of oil (1 quart in about 7,000 miles) but lately it does not consume a single drop despite how hard I drive it.

Also the problem seems to go away after the first oil service (at about 15,000 miles). If it continues to consume oil at that rate, you may have bigger problems than just improper seating of the seals. Then again it's hard to tell without physically inspecting the car.

[Kaz]

I've said this in the past, but I lost a quart between ~6k and ~7k, but not a drop before or since (at 24k now).

[goodfella]

I've been low on oil 3 times in 6000kms. To me this is not acceptable and unusual even if not outside the realm of possibility. I have had a couple of other early problems, including with the electrical system and the throttle motor has had to be replaced.

My advice to you is to at least have the dealer check it and document the problem.

[little<><]

I bought a 1 litre bottle when I first bought the car, and only added 1/2 a litre before my first oil change at 8000 Kms. I regularly check my oil, change it every 8000, and have not had to top it up yet. My driving style varies, some days I baby it, some days I drive it like I stole it, corner hard and shift at 5500 or so. All depends on the road conditions.

[Cadetdrivr]

I drive my '02 330i like I have a sponsor, and I have added 1qt (total) in the first 10K mi.

I guess a proper break-in followed by hard driving keeps the rings tight???? Or did I just get lucky???

[Bavarian]

You never know when something's leaking. Top off the oil every time it looks like it needs it. Doesn't matter if it's 6 weeks or 4 months.