Oil Capacity???

I took my car to my independent garage today for an oil change. I have had a couple of issues with the oil level indicator and they called BMW to see if they knew of any issues. No known problems, but BMW told them that now wanted 9 quarts in the crankcase instead of the previous 8. Anyone else have this experience?

John

first of all, why would you take it to an independent garage when your free maintenance plan is still in effect? Did you buy your car in 2007 or something?

the oil levels are in this thread:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129886

If you want to change the oil before BMW's recommended 14000 miles it's on your own dime.

mdosu wrote

first of all, why would you take it to an independent garage when your free maintenance plan is still in effect? Did you buy your car in 2007 or something?

the oil levels are in this thread:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129886

Thank you for the thread. But it is 3 yrs old and I am asking if BMW has changed the amount of oil since then.

I suppose it is just some bizarre netiquette, peculiar to web forums and internet heroes, but the constructive and helpful among us might have thought that the independent shop was doing the 7500 oil changes between the 15000 oil changes done for free by the dealer. In my case, at 60K+ miles, the free service is no longer.

I don't think BMW changed the oil capacity. It is the same 4liter V8 engine anyways...

erhanh wrote

I don't think BMW changed the oil capacity. It is the same 4liter V8 engine anyways...

thank you erhanh, this is a very competent shop, but I admit, this sounds strange, which is why I have asked.

John

socalm3lover wrote

Thank you for the thread. But it is 3 yrs old and I am asking if BMW has changed the amount of oil since then.

I suppose it is just some bizarre netiquette, peculiar to web forums and internet heroes, but the constructive and helpful among us might have thought that the independent shop was doing the 7500 oil changes between the 15000 oil changes done for free by the dealer. In my case, at 60K+ miles, the free service is no longer.

just trying to help, geez. Believe it or not, there are some ppl out there who are not aware of the maintenance plan, and seeing that you've only posted 20+ posts, the constructive and helpful among us might have thought that you may have not browsed the maintenance thread.

whenever i do my own oil change. i only add bout 7.5 to 8 quarts... then i wait for the engine to get the oil reading and top up as needed. i typically have to add another .5 quarts, sometimes less.

always add less oil than you need. topping up is easier than having to drain oil out.

socalm3lover wrote

thank you erhanh, this is a very competent shop, but I admit, this sounds strange, which is why I have asked.

John

The BMW dealership probably told them that because...they have no clue either. There's been numberous reports of people getting their cars back with the computer saying the oil level is over filled.
I had a similar situation, so I took it back, they gave it back 90 min later, a tick under the middle. They said no matter how many times they put some in, and took some out, they couldn't get it back to the middle of the readout.
I keep a quart in the trunk JIC.

Nelrock wrote

The BMW dealership probably told them that because...they have no clue either. There's been numberous reports of people getting their cars back with the computer saying the oil level is over filled.
I had a similar situation, so I took it back, they gave it back 90 min later, a tick under the middle. They said no matter how many times they put some in, and took some out, they couldn't get it back to the middle of the readout.
I keep a quart in the trunk JIC.

thanks Nelrock, the indicator is at full....., will it show "overfull" if overfilled? I agree that most dealers lack knowledge about their M cars. I carry extra oil.

On a road trip months ago, the level dropped pretty quickly (250 miles?). This had not happened before. I finally added a 1/2 quart to be safe hopefully without overfilling too much. It stayed somewhat above 1/2 low for 1,000 miles then seemed to malfunction (read low) again toward the end of the trip. I ignored it and two days later, it was back to 1/2 low.

Thanks for the help!!

John

Around 9.3 quarts with the oil filter, 8.8 without filter bud.

You will need to purchase 10 bottles of the oil to do your oil change.

socalm3lover wrote

thanks Nelrock, the indicator is at full....., will it show "overfull" if overfilled? I agree that most dealers lack knowledge about their M cars. I carry extra oil.

On a road trip months ago, the level dropped pretty quickly (250 miles?). This had not happened before. I finally added a 1/2 quart to be safe hopefully without overfilling too much. It stayed somewhat above 1/2 low for 1,000 miles then seemed to malfunction (read low) again toward the end of the trip. I ignored it and two days later, it was back to 1/2 low.

Thanks for the help!!

John

John, check the oil change in DIY section. There is a proper way of using the indicator which is explained in that thread. In short, you have to take measurements at the same spot/location (eg, your garage). Think of this system as a relative system.

I got mine back from the dealer with an overfill. Fun times.

The capacity of mine when I bought it was 8.8 liters. I've changed it myself and put in 8.8. Not 8.7. Not 8.9. And the level indicator ended up being exactly the same, before and after. And now, almost 3 years later, the capacity hasn't changed. It's still 8.8 liters.

socalm3lover wrote

thanks Nelrock, the indicator is at full....., will it show "overfull" if overfilled? I agree that most dealers lack knowledge about their M cars. I carry extra oil.

John

Yeah. I didnt even notice it at first, but I was bopping around the vehicle diagnostics menu and noticed some warning to the effect of "oil level too high" and to take it in for service.
So, I turned around and went back. Like I said, they had the car for 90 minutes or so, and when the guy came out...he seemed slightly embarrassed...but said they drained and topped a number of times and just couldnt get the readout in the middle.
So I was like "Gee thanks for leaving it 1 tick above low". They hooked me up with an extra quart for if/when it does drop. That was about 4500 miles ago...so far it hasnt dropped.

Exactly 9.5L after sucking the oil filter housing dry. And yes, I do my own oil changes out of pocket . Without sucking the housing, it was 9.3L after an overnight drain with the rear higher than the front (both plugs are in front of the sumps, so maximum drain occurs with rear higher). Later.

elp_jc wrote

Exactly 9.5L after sucking the oil filter housing dry. And yes, I do my own oil changes out of pocket . Without sucking the housing, it was 9.3L after an overnight drain with the rear higher than the front (both plugs are in front of the sumps, so maximum drain occurs with rear higher). Later.

Hmm. Are you sure? I've done mine twice. Both times I did suck oil out of the filter housing, and although I didn't let it drain overnight, I did let it drain for a couple of hours. Rear was slightly higher than front, by maybe an inch or two, just because I backed into the garage. I've always been on the highest mark on the level indication before and after every oil change, whether it was me or dealer. Exactly 8.8 liters. I still have two bottles in the garage with .2 liters in each. Could letting it drain overnight make that much difference? Or was your rear raised by a couple of feet? I've never seen anything other than 8.8 liters in DIY write ups.

Malekreza11 wrote

Around 9.3 quarts with the oil filter, 8.8 without filter bud.

You will need to purchase 10 bottles of the oil to do your oil change.

9 bottles works perfectly, it's sold in liters. 1 liter is 1.05 quarts. Assuming the filter is drained and so are both sumps on a warm engine. Overfills are usually a result of the front sump not being drained. Holds about 1/2 a liter. Between the half that doesn't get drained or the extra half that goes in as a result, gives a 1/2 liter over typically.

mdosu wrote

first of all, why would you take it to an independent garage when your free maintenance plan is still in effect? Did you buy your car in 2007 or something?

the oil levels are in this thread:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129886

My dealer suggests me to change every 15k miles so i never go to dealer

MysticBlue wrote

Hmm. Are you sure?

Positively. You need to JACK UP the rear man; I lift it and put it on my Rhino ramps. Do it next time and see how much more it comes out . That's more important than overnight. I leave it overnight because there's usually nothing coming out by then. Oh, and you need to open the filter cap BEFORE draining the oil, because it's full inside. And open the rear first, until you hear a gulping sound. I just pulled the cap straight up the first time and oil leaked into the engine. Fortunately had a rag at hand, and only a few drops fell onto the serpentine belt, but took me an hour removing parts and being able to clean it up perfectly.

This second time just put exactly 9.5L, and right on the top mark, where I always have it. By the way, 8.8L is with a quickie oil change; no way that'd register full if you drained the filter housing completely. I suck it bone dry with a fluid extractor. You need either that or a 60ml syringe. Good day.

The oil level on the S65 is difficult to get right. I've spoken to BMW mechanics about it and they've told me that with an oil change, normally 8 quarts is just about right. If they put in 9, the overfill will usually light up. When I had my oil changed and was leaving the dealership, I had the low oil light come on so I brought the car back. The mechanic was embarrassed and said S65 makes them look like idiots. Anyway for me, a quart was added which was just right.

Michaeljh2000 wrote

The oil level on the S65 is difficult to get right. I've spoken to BMW mechanics about it and they've told me that with an oil change, normally 8 quarts is just about right. If they put in 9, the overfill will usually light up. When I had my oil changed and was leaving the dealership, I had the low oil light come on so I brought the car back. The mechanic was embarrassed and said S65 makes them look like idiots. Anyway for me, a quart was added which was just right.

what my dealership does is usually add bout 8 quarts and give me 1 extra quart for me to top up later. this way i never have to bring my car back to the dealership. i've never had a problem with this arrangement.

i can understand the mechanic's frustrations. its hard to get the exact amount of oil needed for the car right.