Check Engine Oil Level

Do any of you have to add a quart in between oil changes? What are your intervals for the oil changes? Thanks.

1-Yes, many of us prob. have to add a qt every 1200 to 3000 miles, depending upon driving conditions.
2-"Interval" is noted by 'puter/green lights based on OBC, eng. mgmt sys., etc.
3-Most here would do an oil change and Filter espc., every 7500 - 10K; (a min of
once per year), but the annual change or waiting for the maint lights to extinquish may be a
stretch, escp for the filter. Easy DIY, by the bye.
4-Read that lil'black book in your glove box, aka RTFM.
GL,md

all i needed to know was if you needed to add oil. I change the oil+filter every 7500 miles. I need to add a quart once in between. By what you said, i suppose its reasonable.

Originally Posted by vinu_neuro

all i needed to know was if you needed to add oil. I change the oil+filter every 7500 miles. I need to add a quart once in between. By what you said, i suppose its reasonable.

If I read your original post correctly, you had 2 questions. And that's what motordavid was trying to answer. Be grateful that someone took the time to answer your questions.

Originally Posted by motordavid

but the annual change or waiting for the maint lights to extinquish may be a stretch, escp for the filter. Easy DIY, by the bye.

GL,md

What is the basis of your opinion that waiting for the lights to go off is a stretch especially for the filter?

I think filters these days last a whole lot longer than the oil, I think someone told me that on porsches they now recommend filter change only every 30K miles while oil changes is at every 15K.

Just wondering.

hchon

checked mine this weekend and it is in the MIN. section. I asked my dealer about speeding up the oil service and they said no...(i have 2 green lights remaining and have only gone down from 3 to 2 in the last 11,000 miles). I guess I'm going to have to spend my own money to buy a qt. and add it huh? its not the expense, its the principle of the situation.

Oh yeah, service guy said it was normal to be in the MIN. and said it only needs oil change every 15 - 18,000 miles. What do you guys think about that?

What timing on this thread. My wife is driving down to the Cape this weekend so I decided to check the oil. We had our first service at 14,000 miles and now 5000 miles later I find the dip stick to be below min while there are 4 green bars showing. I added 3 quarts to bring it 1/2 way up. I assume that the dealer did not add enuf oil when he did
the change, because this consumption is ridiculous.
Fred

Originally Posted by drfred

What timing on this thread. My wife is driving down to the Cape this weekend so I decided to check the oil. We had our first service at 14,000 miles and now 5000 miles later I find the dip stick to be below min while there are 4 green bars showing. I added 3 quarts to bring it 1/2 way up. I assume that the dealer did not add enuf oil when he did
the change, because this consumption is ridiculous.
Fred

Yeah, either the dealer didn't use enough oil on their change, or your X5 is one of those known 2004 models that leaks oil.

Originally Posted by hchon

What is the basis of your opinion that waiting for the lights to go off is a stretch especially for the filter?

I think filters these days last a whole lot longer than the oil, I think someone told me that on porsches they now recommend filter change only every 30K miles while oil changes is at every 15K.

Just wondering.

hchon

It's not so much as the materials that the filter is made of. Filters (if they're doing their job correctly) will get clogged up by debris and all sort of gunk that might be in your engine after a certain amount of usage. Thus leading to MD's opinion on the filter wear.

If the filter can last longer than the oil, then it isn't a very good filter, is it?

Originally Posted by TSAGG

checked mine this weekend and it is in the MIN. section. I asked my dealer about speeding up the oil service and they said no...(i have 2 green lights remaining and have only gone down from 3 to 2 in the last 11,000 miles). I guess I'm going to have to spend my own money to buy a qt. and add it huh? its not the expense, its the principle of the situation.

Oh yeah, service guy said it was normal to be in the MIN. and said it only needs oil change every 15 - 18,000 miles. What do you guys think about that?

waiting to get an oil change all the way at the end of the green bars is not a good idea. Most of the time that ends up being about 15000miles. My SA told me that a lot of times, at that point they end up taking out the oil filter in pieces. At the MINIMUM you should change you oil filter once in between. If you look at the service schedule:

http://www.x5world.com/articles.php?...icle&artid=175

BMW recommends an oil change in between oil "services (the one at the end of green bars)". Its worth the extra $60 for an oil change in between to keep you enginge healthy.

This topic is like asking 20 WallStAnalysts for their top stock pick of 2006; not necessarily SWAG, but diff'n strokes for diff...and full of opins. Here's mine, for the umptyseventh time:

Short Sticking: I've had 3 stlr oil changes by 2 diff stlrs: all have been listed as "7.0 units" on the 'puter receipt, which is about a quart low from capacity in a 3.0iL motor; one change was nearly 2 qts short, when I got home to top off. They either don't care, hurry, or are stiffing BMWMutha for that extra qt several times per day. I suspect all three.

Filters: I agree w/dkl and still feel that filters take a real beating in 12-15k miles with the hundreds of thousands of gallons circ'd through them. The filter remains, imo, the real "wear" link in the lubrication sys. Oil is the "coolant" of a motor's lower end. A filter is giving the extended wear oil a new life. Filter is easy to do w/out changing oil, but the whole oil change process is easy.

Consumption: there are occas. anecdotal posts about posters' Xs not using a drop of oil per year, but it is not the norm, from my reading memory. I suspect the autos do better than the 5 Spd manuals due to lower cruise rpms. I add about a qt Every 1000-1500 miles. I live with it. My other sleds and cars do not use that much...I fig it's a BMW thang sorta like the constantly disappearing coolant. A qt consumed less than 1K, will still probably fall in BMWMutha's "reasonable/normal" range. I suspect one would have to get down to the 5-600 mile range for them to take some interest. (I run 5W-50 Castrol Syntec in warm months, trying to slow the use and 5W-30 in winter.)

Oil: I suspect that Syn Oils of today last a long, long time. It's a coin toss or a "feel good" or "common sense" to dump it at least annually, regardless of mileage or, sooner IF you feel you should. A vg poster by the handle of "Withidl" posts here on occas. and he is an Xpert at this topic, imo. The oil change freg and "life" of synthetics can be debated until the cows come home.

If one's car is a lease and you don't care, (understandable, not judgemental), I'd prob. not change it any sooner than the lights or annual change, either.

Not The word, not The answers, jes' my 2Cts.
BR,OlUncleMotor

read up on castrol syntec: bobistheoilguy.com . its not a real synthetic motor oil. when you go to the dealer, they are using a different oil. if youre doing your own oil change, why not just use mobil1 or amsoil?

Originally Posted by vinu_neuro

read up on castrol syntec: bobistheoilguy.com . its not a real synthetic motor oil. when you go to the dealer, they are using a different oil. if youre doing your own oil change, why not just use mobil1 or amsoil?

I've read that and various other tomes on the Castrol catch. I continue to use it; I like the 5W-50 visc. spread. By the bye, both stlrs in my "area" use Castrol out of a drum w/a BMW part #. The point of my post, which you may have missed, is today's syns are amazing, regardless of brand, IMO. Do as you choose.

Originally Posted by motordavid

I've read that and various other tomes on the Castrol catch. I continue to use it; I like the 5W-50 visc. spread. By the bye, both stlrs in my "area" use Castrol out of a drum w/a BMW part #. The point of my post, which you may have missed, is today's syns are amazing, regardless of brand, IMO. Do as you choose.

Castrol Syntec has LONG been known to use Group III oil mostly. It's really not a synthetic at all, you're wasting your money paying for that crap. Esp since it's still costing you $4+ per quart while Castrol GTX(not even a synthetic is a better oil). I repeat that Castrol German Formula is completely different from Syntec.

Originally Posted by Bavarian

Yeah, either the dealer didn't use enough oil on their change, or your X5 is one of those known 2004 models that leaks oil.

Just checked the dealer service invoice here at the office this morn and it states that they added 8 qts of oil 5 months ago. Guess I better buy a case of mobil 1 to have on hand.
Fred

Anyone put in any additives?

Originally Posted by Dennis215

Anyone put in any additives?

no, extremely bad for sensors. usually, the point of additives is to either clean the engine + fuel system. if you use good gas, you shouldnt have a problem. various tests have shown that using good synthetic oil leaves NO deposits. You shouldnt be needing additives. Just take care of your engine.

Originally Posted by vinu_neuro

Castrol Syntec has LONG been known to use Group III oil mostly. It's really not a synthetic at all, you're wasting your money paying for that crap. Esp since it's still costing you $4+ per quart while Castrol GTX(not even a synthetic is a better oil). I repeat that Castrol German Formula is completely different from Syntec.

Vinu: everyone has an opinion. You are the same xpert that posted the oil consumption question on 2 or 3 boards and got bascially the same responses.
It seems to me you post a question and then wanna arm wrestle with the responder...this is a fooking chat board on cars. No one here is an Xpert on much of anything, imo. It's all opins and ideas and sharing info. I'm done w/this tussle. Have a nice day.

I was thinking more along the lines of a Slick50 or some other teflon type of product....?

Originally Posted by Dennis215

I was thinking more along the lines of a Slick50 or some other teflon type of product....?

FYI, i was in the dealership yesterday for unrelated issues and mentioned to them that my oil level was at MIN when I last checked. They said they would top it off for me for free. I am still under Maint. warranty so I'm assuming if you guys are doing this yourselves in between changes that your X's are out of maint. warranty? Maybe your dealers will do it for you too?

Originally Posted by TSAGG

FYI, i was in the dealership yesterday for unrelated issues and mentioned to them that my oil level was at MIN when I last checked. They said they would top it off for me for free. I am still under Maint. warranty so I'm assuming if you guys are doing this yourselves in between changes that your X's are out of maint. warranty? Maybe your dealers will do it for you too?

thats what ive always done. never spend a cent on oil for my X from the auto parts store.

My take on this 15,000 mile oil change interval thing is that yes, synthetic oils are better and last longer than regular dinosaur oil but it's interesting that dealers have taken a different tact since the inception of "free" maintenance. The other problem is that people seem to think that their cars are like their toaster and don't need to be checked in any way. I bet if you ask 10 people on the street when was the last time they checked their own oil all 10 would say never or they might even ask you "how do you do that?".

I check my oil regularly because I know that X5's tend to burn some oil, just as I check my tire pressure from time to time. Whether you use Castrol Syntec, Mobil 1, or Redline, anything is better than dirty oil or not enough oil. Personally, I let the dealer use the BMW Performance oil during the freebie oil change and I use Mobil 1 when I add or change oil in both my BMW and my Porsche. I buy the jugs at Wal-Mart for cheap.

Originally Posted by PersonaNonGrata

My take on this 15,000 mile oil change interval thing is that yes, synthetic oils are better and last longer than regular dinosaur oil but it's interesting that dealers have taken a different tact since the inception of "free" maintenance. The other problem is that people seem to think that their cars are like their toaster and don't need to be checked in any way. I bet if you ask 10 people on the street when was the last time they checked their own oil all 10 would say never or they might even ask you "how do you do that?".

I check my oil regularly because I know that X5's tend to burn some oil, just as I check my tire pressure from time to time. Whether you use Castrol Syntec, Mobil 1, or Redline, anything is better than dirty oil or not enough oil. Personally, I let the dealer use the BMW Performance oil during the freebie oil change and I use Mobil 1 when I add or change oil in both my BMW and my Porsche. I buy the jugs at Wal-Mart for cheap.

amen

Originally Posted by vinu_neuro

Castrol Syntec has LONG been known to use Group III oil mostly. It's really not a synthetic at all, you're wasting your money paying for that crap. Esp since it's still costing you $4+ per quart while Castrol GTX(not even a synthetic is a better oil). I repeat that Castrol German Formula is completely different from Syntec.

Pretty strong opinions. Personally, I don't think I am wasting my money buying Castrol Syntec, but thank you for your concern. In my local auto parts store (Lordco), they carry GTX, Syntec, and Syntec with the BMW partnership label. Three oils, three prices. The latter costs more, has a different base stock, and IMO, is most likely identical to the oil coming out of the drums in the BMW dealer. It is the one I buy. It is cheaper than the BMW bottle, and more than the regular Syntec.

I don't think that slandering Castrol is contributing much, but that is just my opinion. No, I don't have shares in the company.

It seems to be an issue that we have to live with to own a 4.8is. I have very low miles on my X and my "Check Engine Oil" light came on. I pull the dipstick and its almost dry?!?!? Makes no sense to me that this engine can burn this much oil in such a short time. Hopefully the long term effects of this will not be severe. Who knows....Maybe BMW USA will issue a recall on the 4.8 for this. But I doubt it. Lets keep our fingers crossed