[james4321]

I have checked the oil level today (M235i) and it showed me half. So I took the oil, to top the level up (0.5l). Took a ride then, and after I checked the level again and it shows the same half gauge. What can it be? Should I refill more oil?
No leaks.

Edit: second day, second ride and level is still 1/2. Total I refilled 0.6l.

Does anyone know if it’s dead sensor or miscalculation or it takes time to update the level (which I don’t believe because when you change the oil it shows max immediately)

[John in VA]

I'd suspect the sensor being faulty. Don't overfill the oil!

[james4321]

I refilled only 0.6. Even if it would be full, I do not think that 0.6 would harm the engine. But yeah, thanks for your answer and I’m also like ‚faulty sensor’, but it was working a month ago when I did oil change.

[freakystyly]

The best way to check would be to drain, measure and refill. Yes it's tedious but at least you would know if the sensor is off. As mentioned above, don't overfill, it could cause more damage. 1/2L shouldn't hurt anything.

Just bumped into this thread: https://www.2addicts.com/forums/show...1393681&page=2
Don't do what he did. At least a lesson was learned but it could be a costly mistake.

[JimM235i]

.

[james4321]

I will not fill more. I refilled 0.1l more because I though maybe the level is somewhere at the point between 1/2 and 1/4 low. But I also knew that 0.5l will not do any damages if the sensor is dead and I’m full.

[cooolone2]

It is the conundrum created by engineers that believe with something so simple and unbroken, it needed fixing!

Is utterly ridiculous NOT to have a physical dipstick on internal combustion engines... Period! Especially because the above example and also that you need to start your engine, get it to operating temps and then check the oil level. Again... Ridiculous!

[Sharpie36]

Seriously. I haven't had any issues yet myself but this is inevitable. I absolutely rage at any combustion vehicle that doesn't have a damn dipstick.

I hate to agree, but getting it to temp, draining, measuring and refilling is the only way to be safe here. If you're going to keep the car long term, and the location of the sensor is DIY-able to you... I would just have a new sensor ready to go for when it's drained.

[Kernel Kurtz]

I had the sensor fail on my '07 328xi. Added a half liter the first time it said low, but when it did the same the next day I was like no I don't think so.

Some people may just put in a bunch more oil before they realize, nothing good will come of that. This should have been fixed 15 years ago. If BMW really, really does not want to provide a dipstick then their alternative ought to be be 101% better. Sounds like it is not.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Kernel Kurtz

This should have been fixed 15 years ago. If BMW really, really does not want to provide a dipstick then their alternative ought to be be 101% better.

To those of us who have owned BMWs over many decades, it's clear the company cuts corners in every last place that it feels secure in doing so.

It was the world's most profitable automobile manufacturer in 2016 and 2017 (I could never find data for subsequent years), which is no mean feat in an industry as brutally competitive as the one in which it competes.

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Just to go through the process, I used my car's system to check the oil level once. I don't recall when - probably in 2018 sometime after I bought it. I haven't done that since, and the car has yet to alert me that it needs more oil. Being old school, I do carry a liter of BMW's 0W-20 in the trunk.

If the car had a dipstick, I'd check the oil at the same time I check coolant levels, which is before and after any road trip. Now, after the dealer's last coolant flush, I'll check the coolant level as soon as the car is made available to me in the dealer's parking lot. More here on that addition to regular procedure: https://www.2addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=2050111

[cooolone2]

Checking or having access to a dipstick certainly provided more than just "level" checking for those of us involved with the mechanical side of our vehicles. It is (was) a simple quick check too on the condition of the oil, by color, smell, and a good indicator if there was contamination, ie, coolant present in certain situations. The absence of the Dip Stick, again, in engineering terms is a complete failure! Ridiculously so... It just doesn't make sense on so many fronts!

[Shovelman]

While I share your frustration with the lack of dipsticks it occurs to me that they have never been provided in differentials or manual transmissions.

[Resoelg]

"Is utterly ridiculous NOT to have a physical dipstick on internal combusrion engine.."

Completely agree!

[raddoc]

I beg to differ. There's tons of BMW dipsticks - all in corporate offices!