measuring oil level

I know BMW uses a sensor to measure the oil level in the car, but is there any way to determine the level of the oil either manually, or with the car turned off. My reason for asking is that the oil guage on my car has been slowly going down over the past few weeks, approaching the point where I would add a quart. Today, it rebounded to almost full. With the way BMW measures the oil (with the car on), it doesn't seem like it would be able to accurately tell how much oil is in the car, and you run into the possibility of overfilling.

I suspect that the reasons behind the measurement error is that I drive on roads that are not exactly flat. Compound this with the fact the engine is running, and you are constantly shifting, I would think it would be hard to get a good measurement.

Anyone else have this problem?

Originally Posted by Stonehauler

I know BMW uses a sensor to measure the oil level in the car, but is there any way to determine the level of the oil either manually, or with the car turned off. My reason for asking is that the oil guage on my car has been slowly going down over the past few weeks, approaching the point where I would add a quart. Today, it rebounded to almost full. With the way BMW measures the oil (with the car on), it doesn't seem like it would be able to accurately tell how much oil is in the car, and you run into the possibility of overfilling.

I suspect that the reasons behind the measurement error is that I drive on roads that are not exactly flat. Compound this with the fact the engine is running, and you are constantly shifting, I would think it would be hard to get a good measurement.

Anyone else have this problem?

It's fine, just wait for the message that you need to add a quart, and do so. Other than that if you want to go further, just have the dealer change it. A quart low isn't low, just the point where you can add a quart.

Tha gauge seems to have quite a bit of buffering, to prevent constantly changing levels. When I add manually (which isn't very frequently), the gauge can take a while to read full again. The first time, I almost kept adding oil thinking I hadn't added enough, then it finally went to "full". It's odd though that your reading would vary more than 1/4 quart, that is the gradation of the readings. I add when mine reads 1/4 quart down. Honestly though, I think I only added oil one time, between my 8500 mile changes. I have a 535i, from what I've seen on the forum, 550's seems to use oil a little faster.

It sounds like you're doing the measurement when the car is in motion. I think you will get the most accurate and consistent measurements, when you're idling at a standstill, on level ground, with the engine fully warmed up. That's what works for me.