Hi,
Could anybody help me out, l purchased a BMW 320d SE Tourer last year, on a 54 plate, l bought it 7 months old with 6000 miles on the clock, and since then l have noted it seems to use about 3/4 of a litre of oil per 2000 miles. Is this the correct oil consumption, for this type of car, as it seems excessive to me.
Could you also let me know the best procedure for checking the oil level on that particular car.
Many thanks
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 12/01/2008 at 15:42
|
This is excessive.
I have a 330Dse and have 45k on a 54 plate in 15 months. I had to top up less than a litre before each of the 2 services, i.e @ 20k & 40k.
HTH
|
That is definitely excessive, I adhere to H.J`s recommendations and change the oil at approx 7K intervals, and never need to top up between changes, the oil level never deviating from max on the dipstick.
I trust you are aware that BMW dipsticks are fitted with two `o` rings at the top which seals in the crankcase pressure, so requiring the dipstick to be first removed to release this pressure, then cleaned & reinserted to get an ACCURATE reading.
Failure to follow this correct procedure will always result in a falsely low reading and you may be over filling unecessarily, which will not only cause the engine to burn oil, but could even cause total engine failure.
|
Hi Dude,
Thanks for the reply, at what stage should l check the oil, when the engine is hot or cold.
Also l have tried to tell BMW my concerns and they say this is perfectly normal, especially when the car is so new. What would you advise l do/ or talk to.
Many thanks once again.
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks Robert.
|
Your consumption is at the limit of what is acceptable. Ask BMW to put in writing what they have said and monitor it carefully.
Doesn't matter whether you check it hot or cold (oil doesn't expand much with heat) - the main thing is that you check it the same way every time.
Pull dipstick out, wipe clean with kitchen paper. Dip it for a couple of seconds and pull it out again. Read level, holding dipstick upright.
|
Doesn't matter whether you check it hot or cold (oil doesn't expand much with heat) - the main thing is that you check it the same way every time.>>
You should let it stand for a short while, perhaps 10 mins, after switching off though to let the oil collect in the sump.
|
You should let it stand for a short while, perhaps 10 mins, after switching off though to let the oil collect in the sump.
I have been checking oil ('professionally' and personally) for over 30 years. You don't have to wait 10mins for oil to drain down! Not with modern thin oils anyway. 30 seconds will see 99% of it back in the sump if the the engine is hot.
Don't start a cold engine then stop it immediately and check oil - it *will* take a while to drain down then.
|
I have been checking oil ('professionally' and personally) for over 30 years. You don't have to wait 10mins for oil to drain down! Not with modern thin oils anyway. 30 seconds will see 99% of it back in the sump if the the engine is hot.
Seems reasonable - lets face it, in the old days, when you checked your oil every time you bought fuel, the engine's only been stopped for a couple of mins.
The key point is to do it the same way each time so you get a true comparison. The exact level isn't crucial - it's just got to be between the lines. Modern engines are very sensitive to being over-filled anyway.
|
Thanks everyone, l feel reassured with your sound advice, if any body else has anything toi add please do so as lt not only help me but other owners too.
Cheers Colledanchise
|
This is quite heavy oil consumption, however the car hasn't done much mileage, and being a diesel is probably not fully run-in yet. It is often the case that new diesel engines can take at least 10,000 miles before the oil consumption stabilises, and if the car has been run-in very 'gently' this could be a lot longer, due to glazing of the bores etc.
In my view for a diesel to run well, after the first 1000 miles it should be driven hard and got hot as often as possible for the next few thousand miles, for the car to run realy well for the rest of its life.
|
|
|
|
|
