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Best Regards,
Shipo
What's next? No, no, not my washer fluid reservoir cap. It's the LAST thing i can check!
The diffs on my wife's 2004 X3 don't have drain plugs, but the slushbox and transfer case still do...
What's next? No, no, not my washer fluid reservoir cap. It's the LAST thing i can check!
I still have the owners manual for my 1972 Bavaria 3.0. It explains how to drain the oil and change the filter as well as how to drain, refill, and bleed the cooling system. 2008 BMW manuals only state "Please visit your local BMW Center for all your maintenance needs."
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Is the BMW still really an enthusiast's car, or a vehicle (pardon) to produce the largest ROI by providing the least common denominator at the lowest cost? If it's an LCD game, I may as well go with an Acura Tsx. While it may be an appliance, it has a nice tight manual shifter, real tires, a dipstick & no history of oil abuse.
Oh well. . .
To be fair, though: if today's manuals had all that information, how many people do you think would use it? Do the majority of people today even know what their tires should be inflated to?
I don't mind that the manuals leave out the good stuff - I can find out on my own. However, when you take away the resources I'll need to maintain my car (dipstick, oil temp indicator), then I get :mad:
Seriously though, I'm afraid all cars are going this way. The days of the enthusiast/shadetree mechanic are dying. Cars aren't designed to be kept on the road for 10+ years - drive it for 3 years and then toss it aside for a new one.
It's a shame, really. The entry-level BMW's are terrific cars, dynamically speaking, but how does an enthusiast buy a "special" car when nobody builds one? None of these current cars has the potential to ever become a "cult classic."
What has become of the genuine sports cars - the Porsche 911, Alfa GTV, E30 M3, etc? Is it any wonder that values are climbing for these classics?
All this from a lost dipstick!
I agree, the typical American vehicle operator is a moron. Still, BMW shouldn't be accomodating those automotive imbeciles.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
That's a large part of the reason that my latest automotive purchase was NOT a BMW.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Unfortunately, these same morons who know nothing about cars also know nothing about money. They see a $389/month add in the paper and next thing you know, they're pulling up to their 40-year interest-only mortgaged home in a brand new 3-series.
Sure, we'd hope that BMW Manufacturing Co. wouldn't accommodate these imbeciles, but BMW Financial Services depends on them.
True enough, sadly...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Since I feel for the house poor people, I rate myself as amateur but I used to change my plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor and would never let anyone change my oil. Heaven forbid!!
But it's like fighting the Cuban government anymore with these new cars...the bolt-on cover over the engine is harder to remove than both heads and rocker assemblies of an old 283 small block!
Regards,
OW
And no DIPSTICK? The light just came on again today after not being a problem since Dec 2007. I've NEVER heard of having to add oil between changes on any of the 12 - 14 new cars I've had..
FWIW, unlike you I've never had a new car that didn't use at least a little bit of oil, and between my wife and I, I'm talking like 15 new cars, two of which were BMWs.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Like shipo, most of my new/gently used BMWs have used a little oil.
Some only consumed oil at high rpm(E24 M6)
Others only at lower rpm(E36 318ti)
And some nary a drop(E36 318tiA, E39 528iA, E83 X3 2.5)
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
My 2001 330i seems to be consuming oil at a higher than normal rate recently (previously it was a quart every 3K miles; more recently it was a quart every 1K miles)... here's the recent history:
1- brought it to my indy mechanic around 85K to do a leak-down test; nothing came back, he pulled the plugs and said everything looked clean (ie, no oil). So, I had him change the oil (I suggested that he switch from the BMW oil to Mobil1 0-40, based on threads I had read on another board);
2- around 87.1K miles the oil lamp came on so I added a quart (I was okay with this as it had been 2K miles); but
3- this morning at 88.1K miles the oil lamp came on again (I will check the level this evening and add another quart again).
Question... what should the mechanic be looking for and/or what do you think might be the problem?
Could this be a problem with the oil separator valve? (though I've heard this is more likely in colder climates)
FWIW, I drive about 1K miles per month and live near SF (moderate climate).
What is an oil separator valve? I can't find any mention of it in Bentley.
You have to be burning the oil or leaking it. There is no other explanation under the laws of the universe (as we now know them) :P
Cylinder leakdown might not show worn valve guides or bad valve stem seals.
One quart every 1K is just about minimum tolerable level.
Can this be discovered through another test or just visual inspection with a trained eye?
What you have done is create a situation of high engine vacuum (coasting downhill in gear) and then relieve it by hitting the gas.
Valve stem seals might not be too expensive (not sure on procedure on your engine) but badly worn valve guides require removal and re-machining of the cylinder head.
As soon as I put the finishing touches on my 100% efficient machine, I'll tackle this one.
Thanks!
He's suggested changing the oil separator valve ($120 part + $150 in labor) as that might be the culprit, and monitoring it (ie, the oil level). He said that there's little way to know if this is the real problem until he pulls the old one out.
Thoughts??
Again, this mechanic has always been straight-up with me so I have little reason to suspect that he's trying to empty my wallet.
That being said, this is getting to be a more expensive situation than I would like (especially if this doesn't solve the issue). I was (am?) hoping to keep this car to 150K... but I don't know how feasible of an idea this is.
Perhaps it could be the oil separator and perhaps you can't see the blue smoke while you drive?
I think the car needs to go to a shop that knows how to diagnose worn valve stem seals and guides or can insert dye into the oil and then shine a black light on the engine to spot the point of exit.
I get the sense nobody's really trying here, just guessing. That oil separator installation isn't that cheap. What if he is $300 wrong?
We also have this method:
Vacuum gauge testing
I was told by dealer BMW spec was 1qt per 1000 miles while the car was under warranty. I was told today that BMW spec is 1qt per 700 miles (funny how this has changed now!). I have been documenting this for the last 50K but it has not really gotten me anywhere. There is no consistency about how many miles to the quart I get.
BMWNA paid to have a leak down test and pressure test done at 98 or 99K (just recently) - everything was in spec and no problems found. Prior to that they replaced the the oil sensor, the cyclone valve, the oil filter housing, and the head gasket (I paid for head gasket, but it was a super tiny leak and didn't change the oil consumption)
In the end it still uses 1qt every 700 miles to 1500 miles. It drives great so it isn't a problem - but a concern - at this point I give up until something drastic happens to the engine.
Other than having the engine seize up, that is.
Thanks for the feedback.
The dealerships drain the oil, measure the results, figure an extra liter (or there abouts) of oil is in the oil filter, and you have your results.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Yessir, you are exactly correct. It's bad enough to have no dipstick, but when the substitute proves to be unreliable and very expensive to repair. . .
That, plus the run-flat tires, explain why the car I lusted for over the past four years isn't in my garage at the moment.
Now, to add to the joy, the prices are up and the residuals are down.
Gotta love them BMWs.
js330xi-- thanks for the info... on one level, this is good to know; and on another level, this is bothersome that it's just something to "live with". But, sounds like your car is still driving and operating fine, despite the consumption.
Seriously... this means that by the time you get to the regular oil change (7500 interval), then you are in fact draining out relatively new oil (ie, the oil put in at the previous oil change is already gone and replaced by these 7 "top-ups"). Bummer.
Uhhh, what was I supposed to possibly take offense at? :confuse: Personally I think the oil separator and/or anything else to do with the PCV system is a very good place to start when there is unexplained oil consumption, regardless of what type of engine or who built it.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Sorry... I meant to apologize to Mr Shiftright, who asked "what if he's $300 wrong?".
Best Regards,
Shipo
Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30
Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40
Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30
Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30
Here's the link:
http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Owner/SyntheticEngineOils.aspx
I had the first oil change on my '07 328i done at about 13.5k. Just paid to have the second oil change done at 19.7k and had that oil sample sent in to Blackstone for analysis. Here's what they said:
"Don, your BMW is still relatively new, so we are probably seeing some lingering wear-in, in these elevated metals. Universal averages show normal wear levels from this engine type after 61,000 miles on the oil. 7,300 miles will be a fine oil change for you, especially once you get the extra metal out of the system. We'll let you know what things look like next time around, but hopefully everything is going to improve. The TBN is still good at 3.4, and no moisture, fuel, or antifreeze was present. The viscocity was just a little thicker than expected. Try 7,000 to 7,500 miles again."
Basically across the board, there were higher metal levels in my car than the universal averages. Looks like I'll be paying for the off-cycle oil changes since I intend to keep the car to at least 100k miles and quite frankly, oil changes are a small thing to pay for on this otherwise problem-free car.
Just wanted to share with everyone, let me know if you have specific questions on the report.
Thanks-
Don
Thanks.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
My 2006 330xi has 65k miles now. I last changed at around 10k interval out of pocket. I don't rev or drive the car hard.
Can I use Castrol 5w-30 synthetic blend?
Do I have to use BMW filters?
Can I use Wagner brake pads and rotors?
What tools should I buy?
I am a mechanic, but never worked on BMW's.
What should I be worried about?
What recommendations do you have?
Thanks for any information and recommendations for this vehicle.
If you want to keep the car performing "as new" I wouldn't go substituting after market parts... if the performance can be good enough, or for transportation and doesn't matter to you then give it a try - you can always go back to oem parts..
The tools on the car are pretty simple - there are not a wide variety of fastener types... there is a special snap on trim tool for removing plastic rivets, there are a couple metric hex heads and bolts, but the main issue with tools is access - long tools to reach deep tight locations...
My car has dissappearing oil (passed leak down tests etc) of about 1qt per 1000 mi, yet drives like new, and is very fun at 8 years and 110,000 miles. I have stuck with oem parts and find the repairs costs to be reasonable, more reasonable than your average US made car...
I am not a mechanic, but I find these cars easy to take apart and put back to gether with my limited tools... but I have not gotten as daring as some...
BMW 5W-30
Castrol Syntec 0W-30
Mobil 1 0W-40 (which is what I use)
Best regards,
Shipo