"Oil level above maximum" - how accurate is the e-dipstick?

[RockDriver]

So a dealer replaced the oil and filter on an F15 30D I bought yesterday (I know, I'm doomed). When I drove back home, I ran the "Measure engine oil level" feature on the iDrive and it came out with "Oil level above maximum" warning. I've checked the physical dipstick and it looked about at max, although it was dark and I'm gonna check again in the morning just to be sure.

Thing is, I saw with my own eyes the guy bring 7 litres of oil (one 5 litre bottle and two 1 litre bottles) and pour about 6.5 litres in, leaving about half of 1 litre bottle for me for future top ups. So that's exactly how much N57 engine needs, right? The margin of error in this case could have been some 200 ml at maximum.

How accurate and how sensitive is this electronic dipstick? Is there any cause for concern in this situation?

[dave01253]

It does depend on how much of the old oil was left in before the 6.5L of fresh was added.

[RockDriver]

dave01253 said:

It does depend on how much of the old oil was left in before the 6.5L of fresh was added.

Indeed. He did use the pump to get the old oil out. This could be annoying, cause the dealer is located 1.5 hours away. So I guess if I check the physical dipstick in daylight and it's over the max, I'm better off finding someone local to drain a bit.

[stevemcs]

It’s why you should really drain it out from the drain and not extract it.

The correct way to do it is to drain it all out and start again, although I thought it was a known issue for the level sensor to play up.

[d_a_n1979]

stevemcs said:

It’s why you should really drain it out from the drain and not extract it.

The correct way to do it is to drain it all out and start again, although I thought it was a known issue for the level sensor to play up.

Thought the dip stick was based in the lowest point of the pan, that's why a lot of dealers will use the extraction way to drain oil etc

Never had an issue myself using a Pela pump and it's nigh on the same measurement of what I've got out of having it on my pals ramps and draining via the sump plug

Then again I know I did mine properly; sounds like corners may have been cut here/a rushed job

[smashy]

With my 2018 335d using a ltr of oil every 2500/3000 miles and 2 main dealers telling me there are no oil leaks, I have become an expert on manual dipstick/ digital reading and checking, sometimes the difference on the dipstick /idrive reading can be different . I have learnt never to put any oil in till idrive gives a yellow warning low oil level put in a ltr if you do It will invariably then tell you it is overfilled ,which is noted at the dealer.
last time I did that manual dipstick was half way ,thought I would put in half a ltr but that led to over fill

Edited by smashy on Thursday 14th December 15:48

Edited by smashy on Thursday 14th December 15:50

[davettf2]

At least you have a dipstick! My 225XE only has the electronic version. Caught me out a treat, when I first got it home spent a happy 10 minutes trying to find one, only to read the manual which informed that you can only check the level via the idrive. Aaarrrggghhhh!

The delights, or not of technology.

Dave

[RockDriver]

davettf2 said:

At least you have a dipstick! My 225XE only has the electronic version. Caught me out a treat, when I first got it home spent a happy 10 minutes trying to find one, only to read the manual which informed that you can only check the level via the idrive. Aaarrrggghhhh!

The delights, or not of technology.

Dave

Yeah, and not only that, but at least in my case the car has to be on level ground and the engine must be warmed up to operating temperature. If those conditions are not met the "Start measurement" button is disabled.

I solved my problem by simply going to a local garage and having these guys extract some 300-500 ml with a pump. Then of course I had to idle the engine for some 10-15 minutes for it to be warm enough to be allowed to perform a new measurement. Only then the damn warning finally went away.

But yeah, the newer the model the more locked down and dependent on electronics, the more difficult to diagnose and fix and the more prone to wrong readings.

[Mr Tidy]

Good to know you found a solution.

I don't have the luxury of a physical on my 3 Series with the N52 engine, although it does mean the oil has to be drained by removing the sump plug!