dipstick??

Originally Posted by Artslinger

What the heck is wrong with having a simple low tech dipstick that will never malfunction!?

Know we have another freakn' sending unit that will malfunction and cost 200 bucks to have fixed. If if the damn thing does malfunction now there is no way to check the oil level... this just frockn' stupid.

I agree and wouldn't be surprised to see the dipstick return in a couple of years.

You can see the oil level with iDrive or the multi-function stalk (The one that can be used for the flashers or to alternate between the types of information displayed between the two main dials and make your selections with the BC button).

Never add any oil even if the reading looks low. If oil is missing, it's going to tell you, and also exactly how much liters/quarts (Depending if your in metric or not) you need to add.

How could that be so complex?

The dipstick won't return.

Originally Posted by Orient330iNYC

and who could forget the E46 and the faulty oil level sensor. just had that one replaced on my 330i. what are u supposed to do then? i never heard of a dipstick going bad....

Yep...my car went through two sensors before they installed one that worked right.

With BMW's reputation for the performance of their sensors/electronics, I would have a hard time relaxing enough to fully trust what the dispay was providing...regardless of interface...

Originally Posted by Wolf359

You can see the oil level with iDrive or the multi-function stalk (The one that can be used for the flashers or to alternate between the types of information displayed between the two main dials and make your selections with the BC button).

Never add any oil even if the reading looks low. If oil is missing, it's going to tell you, and also exactly how much liters/quarts (Depending if your in metric or not) you need to add.

How could that be so complex?

The dipstick won't return.

That's a hell of a lot more complex than having a dipstick! And the dipstick would be good to have so you can verify that the electronics is working correctly, and to be able to do oil-extractor-style oil changes!

Look at how often we already see reports of the oil level sensor going bad. Unless they've done it right (triple redundant oil sensors, 2 of the standard design but from different batches/manufacturers, plus a third type/manufacturer as a backup), then I wouldn't want to trust it. What is BMW gonna do when the sensor says you have plenty of oil but the engine seiqzes up for lack of oil????? The dipstick will make a comeback just to avoid BMW shelling out loads of money on new engines after they get a bad batch of sensors.

How often did your fuel gauge fail? Not many times I'm sure. And no one ever complained of not having some kind of stick to find out how much fuel was left. It's the same principle, applied to oil. At some point the paranoïa towards electronics has to let way to the practicality of not even popping the hood to know how much oil is left in the engine...

Forgit the dang dipstick………I want my dad gum manual choke knob back dag nabit! I can’t get used to these new fangled automatic mixture devices. No tellin when they break and leave me stranded in the daded gumed boon dangled boon docks. Not to mentioned these new fangled dang electric windas that might get stuck down then the car gets rained in or my radio stole….or worst yet my new pack a Marlboros. Not to mention these missin points…..solid state………what the heck is that…….anywheres near New York? Sca-rew that.

Originally Posted by operknockity

That's a hell of a lot more complex than having a dipstick! And the dipstick would be good to have so you can verify that the electronics is working correctly, and to be able to do oil-extractor-style oil changes!

Look at how often we already see reports of the oil level sensor going bad. Unless they've done it right (triple redundant oil sensors, 2 of the standard design but from different batches/manufacturers, plus a third type/manufacturer as a backup), then I wouldn't want to trust it. What is BMW gonna do when the sensor says you have plenty of oil but the engine seiqzes up for lack of oil????? The dipstick will make a comeback just to avoid BMW shelling out loads of money on new engines after they get a bad batch of sensors.

I agree. What if?

Originally Posted by Wolf359

How often did your fuel gauge fail? Not many times I'm sure. And no one ever complained of not having some kind of stick to find out how much fuel was left. It's the same principle, applied to oil. At some point the paranoïa towards electronics has to let way to the practicality of not even popping the hood to know how much oil is left in the engine...

So you run out of gas someplace. No big deal. You run outta oil cause the electronics is screwey, and you destroy your engine. The risk/cost profiles of the 2 scenarios are significantly different, and I'd rather see BMW err on the side of keeping the engine from seizing by giving us back the dipstick. I mean really, how much could it have cost them to keep it versus how much is it gonna cost them now to put it back in?

my oil went under max to 3/4. added1/4qt. at a time took adrive, over a couple days,added one qt. stupid dummy light didnt budge : what gives/ no i drive

Lots of angst here over a very small change, and one that is for the better, IMHO.

Sure, a dipstick is foolproof, or almost so. I remember a recall on a non-BMW, US made vehicle, for the wrong length dipstick. Lots of toasted iron that time.

The real issue is, hardly anyone checks a dipstick anymore. While the posters here seem to collectively value a dipstick, I suspect we are all in the minority. A perfectly accurate dipstick that doesn't get checked is of less value than a mostly accurate dash indicator that is more easily (and thus more often) checked.

And this isn't about running out of oil, that's a red herring. My current BMWs all have low oil level sensors, separate from the oil pressure indicator, and I would wager that the same sensor is still installed in the new engine. The level indicator is likely a separate sender. Either way, with the current oil level sender (which is electronic) I haven't heard about high numbers of failed engines due to missing oil.

The level indicator needs to indicate at least three or four discrete levels, possibly more. The low oil sensor needs to indicate the absence of oil, and in most similar applications is wired such that a failed sensor (ie open circuit) indicates low oil level, thus protecting the engine. It isn't completely 'fail safe', but it is better than relying on Joe Average to check his oil at a self-serve gas station.

Get used to technical advancement, it isn't going away. And if you don't like lots of electical sensors, you are probably looking at or driving the wrong make of vehicle, as BMW seems to love them.