How do i check the oil??

Alfisti · 07-31-2018, 09:21 AM

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.

E90705 · 07-31-2018, 09:33 AM

Take out the oil filter and inspect? or oil cap. or oil drain bolt. unfortunately i wish there was a dip stick too

HUNGBX3 · 07-31-2018, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfisti

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/...

MetaX · 07-31-2018, 06:08 PM

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.

02420X3 · 07-31-2018, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HUNGBX3

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.

Lurcher · 07-31-2018, 09:59 PM

RTFM

BIG_KID · 08-01-2018, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfisti

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

Alfisti · 08-01-2018, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetaX

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.

BIG_KID · 08-01-2018, 12:48 PM

Next time you can stand over the guys shoulder and watch him do it. Or better yet a hidden camera

Bufalo · 08-01-2018, 01:09 PM

Open the freakin' oil filter housing and look at the oil. It'll be black.

BIG_KID · 08-01-2018, 04:18 PM

Sell the car
Buy one with a dipstick

hpotter · 08-02-2018, 09:03 AM

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.

Riick · 08-02-2018, 01:51 PM

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.

alpwhite46 · 08-02-2018, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riick

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.

BMWKLR · 08-02-2018, 11:13 PM

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????

Taoster · 08-03-2018, 01:34 AM

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.

Sea-Tac · 08-03-2018, 02:09 AM

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.

BIG_KID · 08-03-2018, 05:09 AM

Mines good

Riick · 08-03-2018, 06:31 AM

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.

oVeRdOsE. · 08-03-2018, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hpotter

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.

Bufalo · 08-03-2018, 08:13 AM

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.

tracer bullet · 08-03-2018, 03:08 PM

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.

07-31-2018, 09:21 AM	#1
Alfisti Colonel 5728 Rep 2,713 Posts Drives: 2013 X3 (Totaled) Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Toronto, Canada iTrader: (0)	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
E90705 First Lieutenant 124 Rep 383 Posts Drives: E90/F25 M-sport Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Central iTrader: (0)	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, 06:08 PM	#4
MetaX Second Lieutenant 70 Rep 221 Posts Drives: 2022 X3MC Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: San Francisco iTrader: (0)	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, 09:59 PM	#6
Lurcher Captain 71 Rep 678 Posts Drives: 2012 z4 Join Date: May 2013 Location: Buford, GA (right side of ATL) iTrader: (0)	RTFM
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08-01-2018, 12:48 PM	#9
BIG_KID Second Lieutenant 45 Rep 215 Posts Drives: 2011 X3 28i Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Northern indiana iTrader: (0)	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
Bufalo Second Lieutenant 124 Rep 285 Posts Drives: 2009 328i Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Harrisburg, PA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2017 BMW X3 35i [0.00] 2009 BMW 328i [0.00]	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
BIG_KID Second Lieutenant 45 Rep 215 Posts Drives: 2011 X3 28i Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Northern indiana iTrader: (0)	Sell the car Buy one with a dipstick
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08-02-2018, 09:03 AM	#12
hpotter New Member 4 Rep 11 Posts Drives: X4 F26 Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: MA iTrader: (0)	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
Riick Banned 128 Rep 818 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	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, 11:13 PM	#15
BMWKLR First Lieutenant 138 Rep 372 Posts Drives: white m235 cp RED w/gray pop Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pembroke Pines iTrader: (0)	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
Taoster Enlisted Member 17 Rep 33 Posts Drives: F25 n20 Join Date: May 2018 Location: san jose, ca iTrader: (0)	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
Sea-Tac Major 1437 Rep 1,487 Posts Drives: 2108 X3 xDrive30i Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Bellevue, Wa iTrader: (0) Garage List 2018 X3 xDrive30i [0.00] 2016 328i xDrive [0.00]	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
BIG_KID Second Lieutenant 45 Rep 215 Posts Drives: 2011 X3 28i Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Northern indiana iTrader: (0)	Mines good Attached Images
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08-03-2018, 06:31 AM	#19
Riick Banned 128 Rep 818 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	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, 08:13 AM	#21
Bufalo Second Lieutenant 124 Rep 285 Posts Drives: 2009 328i Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Harrisburg, PA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2017 BMW X3 35i [0.00] 2009 BMW 328i [0.00]	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.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-03-2018, 03:08 PM	#22
tracer bullet Brigadier General 1698 Rep 3,042 Posts Drives: '11 135i , '15 X3 35i Join Date: May 2011 Location: Saint Paul, MN iTrader: (1)	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.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

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