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      07-31-2018, 09:21 AM   #1
Alfisti
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How do i check the oil??

Took my car to a "euro" indy I have never used before, says he changed the oil but the car still says "service due". I realise this is likely just because they forgot to reset the interval but i'd like to see what my oil looks like.

I pop the bonnet and..... NO FUCKING DIPSTICK. Jesus H.

Halp.
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      07-31-2018, 09:33 AM   #2
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Take out the oil filter and inspect? or oil cap. or oil drain bolt. unfortunately i wish there was a dip stick too
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      07-31-2018, 04:16 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfisti View Post
Took my car to a "euro" indy I have never used before, says he changed the oil but the car still says "service due". I realise this is likely just because they forgot to reset the interval but i'd like to see what my oil looks like.

I pop the bonnet and..... NO FUCKING DIPSTICK. Jesus H.

Halp.
Remove the engine cover, and there is a dipstick on the back of the engine as I know.
I never checked though/...
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      07-31-2018, 06:08 PM   #4
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Regardless of whether or not the service meter has been reset, the car can measure its own oil levels. I forget the exact navigation path but I think it starts with vehicle status and ultimately you can find the oil level displayed as a simple bar on the screen. As far as I know, there is not oil dipstick.
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      07-31-2018, 08:18 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HUNGBX3 View Post
Remove the engine cover, and there is a dipstick on the back of the engine as I know.
I never checked though/...
That’s where the dipstick is hidden on an X3 Diesel engine. There is no dipstick on an X3 Gasoline engine.
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      07-31-2018, 09:59 PM   #6
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RTFM
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      08-01-2018, 06:16 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfisti View Post
Took my car to a "euro" indy I have never used before, says he changed the oil but the car still says "service due". I realise this is likely just because they forgot to reset the interval but i'd like to see what my oil looks like.

I pop the bonnet and..... NO FUCKING DIPSTICK. Jesus H.

Halp.
This is why I do all my own work
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      08-01-2018, 09:13 AM   #8
Alfisti
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MetaX View Post
Regardless of whether or not the service meter has been reset, the car can measure its own oil levels. I forget the exact navigation path but I think it starts with vehicle status and ultimately you can find the oil level displayed as a simple bar on the screen. As far as I know, there is not oil dipstick.
Right but she may well have more than enough oil but it could be in terrible shape rather than new. And I can't tell.

This is nuts.
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      08-01-2018, 12:48 PM   #9
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Next time you can stand over the guys shoulder and watch him do it. Or better yet a hidden camera
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      08-01-2018, 01:09 PM   #10
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Open the freakin' oil filter housing and look at the oil. It'll be black.
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      08-01-2018, 04:18 PM   #11
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Sell the car
Buy one with a dipstick
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      08-02-2018, 09:03 AM   #12
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Because the dipstick is to check the oil level, not reliable for checking oil quality or whether need to change the oil. Since BMW has oil level sensor, there is no need to have dipstick.
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      08-02-2018, 01:51 PM   #13
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12 posts and nobody knows that you can check the oil level in the I-Drive menu? BMW has been doing this for over a decade.

If all else fails, read the owners manual.
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      08-02-2018, 04:51 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Riick View Post
12 posts and nobody knows that you can check the oil level in the I-Drive menu? BMW has been doing this for over a decade.

If all else fails, read the owners manual.

Don't think oil level is the debate here .... lol


Buddy got his oil changed by some indy and wants to make sure it was changed.
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      08-02-2018, 11:13 PM   #15
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There is a good story to this......At a board meeting at BMW, the head engineer got up suddenly and said "get rid of that dipshit" and stormed out of the room. The engineer in question understood "get rid of the dipstick" and today we have no dip stick. I couldn't imagine an engineer saying, "yeah lets get rid of the dipstick" and the rest of the engineers concurring with the idea????
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      08-03-2018, 01:34 AM   #16
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the logical conclusion is that BMW, along with multiple other car manufacturers, chose to make working on cars at home much more difficult resulting in an increase of dealership service departments' volume of business. Engineers aren't stupid.
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      08-03-2018, 02:09 AM   #17
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There area bunch of ideas floating around the board why there is no dipstick. Most of them are guesses. I’ve heard thru a very reliable BMW SOURCEthe reason is two fold. 1. The electronic reading is exceptionally accurate and 2. Very few people toady know how to use the dipstick.
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      08-03-2018, 05:09 AM   #18
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Mines good
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      08-03-2018, 06:31 AM   #19
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Manually checking oil level with a dipstick is so.... 1950s.

Progress is hard when there's folks that still latch on to antiquated ideas.

Also, if you don't trust that your indy shop actually changed the oil... why in the fuck did you use them to begin with? Obviously you had distrust before you even walked in their door.

Did you know BMW charges $95 to change your oil every 15k miles, gives you free breakfast/lunch, full car wash and inside detail, and will give you a free loaner to use for the day while your oil is getting changed so you don't miss work? Can't beat that.
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      08-03-2018, 07:23 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hpotter View Post
Because the dipstick is to check the oil level, not reliable for checking oil quality or whether need to change the oil. Since BMW has oil level sensor, there is no need to have dipstick.
i dont agree.

1- yes you can check oil quality with the dip stick, theres some scanners and kit with sheet to get a overall idea of the oil viscosity.

2- electronics can fail, and i wont rely on that. GM got issues with this kind of sensors, cant tell if bmw will tho.

3 - dip stick is more precise, the bmw sensor will tell you when 1 L is missing. 1L is a lot when you're on a road trip. Since a dip stick you can see before leaving for a trip.
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      08-03-2018, 08:13 AM   #21
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The sensor on my 10 year old E90 will give a precise measurement between full and down-one-liter, so that #3 reason above is fully bunk. Even my '07 E83 had a segmented LED readout.

This is like... holy crap people... this is like reading the forums in 2005 when the N52 first launched in the US. We've been doing this "no dipstick" thing for over a decade now. It's not an issue.
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      08-03-2018, 03:08 PM   #22
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I think it's been said -

* Almost certain the oil was changed. Reset the sensor.
* If you decide you must check the oil itself to be sure it looks new then do it through the top of the filter housing. Put a mark on the cap so you know where it sits now (assuming it was reinstalled correctly), unscrew it, have a look, put it back on with the marks in the same spot, and be ready to do a little cleanup.

I too prefer a dipstick, it's faster to check my work after I do an oil change, but the e-version is fine and works.
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