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Thread: No Oil Dipstick?

  1. #26
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    If you run low on oil, your oil pressure sensor will tell you as well.
    Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by hundreds of engineers that get paid thousands of dollars for something you bought at Pep Boys because your buddy who doesn't have a job told you it was 'better'?!?

  2. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevlar View Post
    With the oil level sensor ... the car can check the oil many more times than you will. The oil level is checked almost drive, versus you checking it every "now-and-then".
    im really sorry for bringing up a thread that has been dead for a year, but I just ran across this whole no-dipstick thing with my boss's 2010 328i and it is plain idiotic. I understand that 90% (or more) of BMW owners do not check their oil.
    That being said, I have no problem with the electronic oil sending units and sensors - HOWEVER why cant an engine have BOTH a electronic system, and a "fail-safe" Dipstick?

    there is no logical reason that BOTH systems could not be in place other than they want to take 90% of those home-oil changers out of the loop to get dealers more easy work - and the cost savings deleted dipstick
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  3. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maximus924

    im really sorry for bringing up a thread that has been dead for a year, but I just ran across this whole no-dipstick thing with my boss's 2010 328i and it is plain idiotic. I understand that 90% (or more) of BMW owners do not check their oil.
    That being said, I have no problem with the electronic oil sending units and sensors - HOWEVER why cant an engine have BOTH a electronic system, and a "fail-safe" Dipstick?

    there is no logical reason that BOTH systems could not be in place other than they want to take 90% of those home-oil changers out of the loop to get dealers more easy work - and the cost savings deleted dipstick
    Better Sealed engine is their reason. BMW is trying to meet very strict emissions standards as best they can and care less about DIYer, not that a missing dipstick will prevent a DIY. Just drain, fill 7 qt and call it a day.
    P. S. I used to check my dipstick on the e36 every few days but do not miss that a bit in the past 5 years.
    Last edited by mryakan; 08-21-2012 at 07:31 PM.
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  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by mryakan View Post
    Better Sealed engine is their reason. BMW is trying to meet very strict emissions standards as best they can and care less about DIYer, not that a missing dipstick will prevent a DIY. Just drain, fill 7 qt and call it a day.
    P. S. I used to check my dipstick on the e36 every few days but do not miss that a bit in the past 5 years.
    This is it. When cars are produced and tested for emissions, they actually test stuff like this. Interior materials gassing, leak points (a dip stick, gas cap, etc) and whatnot. It's another emissions related thing. It bothered me at first, but not so much anymore. The computers on these vehicles have enough logic to know when something is wrong, and I doubt they would leave such a critical component like the oil level sensor with a high failure risk. Then even if it does fail, you'll definitely get some sort of check control message.

  5. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maximus924 View Post
    im really sorry for bringing up a thread that has been dead for a year, but I just ran across this whole no-dipstick thing with my boss's 2010 328i and it is plain idiotic. I understand that 90% (or more) of BMW owners do not check their oil.
    That being said, I have no problem with the electronic oil sending units and sensors - HOWEVER why cant an engine have BOTH a electronic system, and a "fail-safe" Dipstick?

    there is no logical reason that BOTH systems could not be in place other than they want to take 90% of those home-oil changers out of the loop to get dealers more easy work - and the cost savings deleted dipstick
    This technology has been out since 2007. BMW sells about 220,000 cars a year (2010 stats). So 5x220,000= 1.1 million cars without dipsticks on the road. Assuming the whole world drive's 10,000 miles a year, that means 11 million miles were traveled just last year alone. I don't remember enough from statistics to figure out how many miles in total have been driven, but a lot is the main message here.

    I haven't heard of a single failure in the system in all these years and all those cars and all those miles. I have not seen a single thread created, an article written or a recall issued. I think the system has proven itself to be reliable.

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  6. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by BoldUlysses
    Skeptical as to whether cost in a reason. Is it cheaper to add a metal tube and rod to the side of the engine block, or to put a sensor in the sump and program the necessary electronics? My hunch is that it's a wash, at best.

    Thing is, even for the "enthusiast" segment that supposedly checks their oil more often, it's not a foolproof process. I've heard several stories of guys checking their oil immediately after shutting the car off, when the warm oil was still up in the galleries, thinking it was low, and overfilling it. And dipsticks can be difficult to read, especially when the oil in fresh and clean. So the argument could be made that the sensor eliminates the guesswork for the enthusiast, too.
    Think about it. If they save 1 cent per vehicle and they sell 1000000 vehicles, thats a 1000000 savings! Cars are built by accountants. Not engineers.

    I think i said that wrong. I ment to say $1
    Last edited by Saucy069; 08-21-2012 at 08:27 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  7. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saucy069

    Think about it. If they save 1 cent per vehicle and they sell 1000000 vehicles, thats a 1000000 savings! Cars are built by accountants. Not engineers.

    I think i said that wrong. I ment to say $1
    The sensor probably costs many times more than a dipstick. If cost savings was the driver, they'd have left the stick and not put in a sensor to begin with. Not to mention the millions in R&D on developing that tech. But gotta love subscribers to the Conspiracy Times.
    Current Car (delivered 20/10/21): 2021 G80 M3; 6MT; DravitGrau/Kyalami Orange/Black Extended Merino; Permium Pkg (ZPP); 826M bicolor wheels; Black M Compound brakes; Sunroof (yes no CF roof)
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  8. #33
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    not to bust any ones bubble, but before i left BMW in 08 i had probably replaced a 100 or more of those sensors. they had all kinds of issues. EVEN BMW had several SIB's out about them. had a brand new E60 M5 have a bad one right off the truck.

    NOW MB has always had dipstick tubes. some of the older models had no dipstick but had the tube. They also had the electronic check. the new cars have both, dipstick tubes with dipsticks and electronic readout in the cluster.

    I have been with MB for 14 mths or so now and have yet to replace a level sensor. Dont think anyone in the shop has replaced a level sensor. believe it or not BMW and MB may both be german, but they are totally different.
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  9. #34
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    I think it's a resource-saving strategy. Let's assume SB is right that there are 1.1 million dipstick-less cars out there. Let's also assume that those people would check their oil once per month, and I figure each check would cost about 3 drops of oil. That's over three million drops of oil being saved each month because there are no dipsticks. (except for dipsticks like me!)

  10. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saucy069 View Post
    Cars are built by accountants. Not engineers.
    They're still built by engineers, they're just approved by accountants - you think an accountant is gonna get their hands dirty?
    Not so much a signature as a cry for help.

    Hold on, saw this in a cartoon once...think I can pull it off.

  11. #36
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    I miss the days of hand-cranking my car or kick starting my bike...


    progress... whether you like it or not.

  12. #37
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    You want a dipstick, buy a diesel. They still have them ... for now. End of story
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  13. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maximus924 View Post
    im really sorry for bringing up a thread that has been dead for a year, but I just ran across this whole no-dipstick thing with my boss's 2010 328i and it is plain idiotic. I understand that 90% (or more) of BMW owners do not check their oil.
    That being said, I have no problem with the electronic oil sending units and sensors - HOWEVER why cant an engine have BOTH a electronic system, and a "fail-safe" Dipstick?

    there is no logical reason that BOTH systems could not be in place other than they want to take 90% of those home-oil changers out of the loop to get dealers more easy work - and the cost savings deleted dipstick
    BMW pays for oil changes under warranty anyway, so I don't see why it would matter.

  14. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by RidgeBack View Post
    I miss the days of hand-cranking my car or kick starting my bike...


    progress... whether you like it or not.

    Came in to say this ^^^ .

    And then, "I can't believe that they wouldn't just leave the HOLE for the hand crank so in case that newfangled electric starting machanism thingee fails, you can just put the good ole hand-crank in there and get your car started. But NOOOOOOOO ... now you gotta get a whole new starter and you're stuck by the side of the road. What? Really? No one here has replaced a starter in a decade? Really? Hmph.... maybe we don't need no stinkin hand-crank".
    Quote Originally Posted by B4SH View Post
    If anyone knows, it's this guy who knows literally nothing about everything.
    Quote Originally Posted by fcvapor05 View Post
    Do you even OT? The mean 401k around here is probably about $6, what with all the shiny cars and $1,000 watches and donations to get other members' Volvos running.


  15. #40
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    My 1961 MGA had a hand crank as well as the hole through the front bumper. At one point, the starter's armature developed a flat spot, and I had to use that crank for a few weeks while I saved up the money for a new starter. I was happy to have it!

  16. #41
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    Okay, reviving an old thread. Again.
    I just changed the oil/filter in my (new to me)(first non dip stick BMW) '08 X5 3.0. Drained all the oil (it was warmed)(two beers worth of waiting for the drain - LOL). Looked like close to 7 quarts came out.
    Plug back in . New filter installed. Put in 5 and a half quarts to see if the "oil level" display would indicate it wasn't quite full. It didn't. All green . . . oil level was reported full. BS !
    I let it sit twenty minutes and tried again. Same results. Maybe I'm a little OCD about the oil level, you know, not letting it go a quart down, etc. Now I don't trust the darn thing.
    Do I put another quart and a half in and call it good or will I be overfilling the thing and causing all sorts of horrors to the engine? I've worked in an industry that totally depended on accurate level sensors.
    Ones that can can be accurate to fractions of an inch. Seems to me BMW cheaped out a bit here. (Either that or oil level isn't that important in the overall scheme of things. End of sarcasm.)
    Last edited by JoeBimmmer; 10-23-2013 at 11:41 AM.
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  17. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by JoeBimmmer View Post
    Okay, reviving an old thread. Again.
    I just changed the oil/filter in my (new to me)(first non dip stick BMW) '08 X5 3.0. Drained all the oil (it was warmed)(two beers worth of waiting for the drain - LOL). Looked like close to 7 quarts came out.
    Plug back in . New filter installed. Put in 5 and a half quarts to see if the "oil level" display would indicate it wasn't quite full. It didn't. All green . . . oil level was reported full. BS !
    I let it sit twenty minutes and tried again. Same results. Maybe I'm a little OCD about the oil level, you know, not letting it go a quart down, etc. Now I don't trust the darn thing.
    Do I put another quart and a half in and call it good or will I be overfilling the thing and causing all sorts of horrors to the engine? I've worked in an industry that totally depended on accurate level sensors.
    Ones that can can be accurate to fractions of an inch. Seems to me BMW cheaped out a bit here. (Either that or oil level isn't that important in the overall scheme of things. End of sarcasm.)
    Well, did 7 qts come out or do you think 7 qts came out? Put in the required amount, drive car around, measure, move on with life. The sensors are extremely accurate so I wouldn't worry about it.

  18. #43
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    Mine tells me when I need to add 1 liter... it also tells me when I've over filled. :
    Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by hundreds of engineers that get paid thousands of dollars for something you bought at Pep Boys because your buddy who doesn't have a job told you it was 'better'?!?

  19. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by JoeBimmmer View Post
    Okay, reviving an old thread. Again.
    I just changed the oil/filter in my (new to me)(first non dip stick BMW) '08 X5 3.0. Drained all the oil (it was warmed)(two beers worth of waiting for the drain - LOL). Looked like close to 7 quarts came out.
    Plug back in . New filter installed. Put in 5 and a half quarts to see if the "oil level" display would indicate it wasn't quite full. It didn't. All green . . . oil level was reported full. BS !
    I let it sit twenty minutes and tried again. Same results. Maybe I'm a little OCD about the oil level, you know, not letting it go a quart down, etc. Now I don't trust the darn thing.
    Do I put another quart and a half in and call it good or will I be overfilling the thing and causing all sorts of horrors to the engine? I've worked in an industry that totally depended on accurate level sensors.
    Ones that can can be accurate to fractions of an inch. Seems to me BMW cheaped out a bit here. (Either that or oil level isn't that important in the overall scheme of things. End of sarcasm.)
    did you start it to fill the filter, your pan might be full at 5 qts, because the filter is empty.All my s50 3 liter motors held 7 qts.!?,

  20. #45
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    Dis u check to see the actual capacity?


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  21. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by RidgeBack View Post
    I miss the days of hand-cranking my car or kick starting my bike...


    progress... whether you like it or not.
    Not quite the same.

    Starter gives out? You're late to wherever you were going and out 200 dollars.

    Engine runs low on oil because some sensor malfunctioned and failed to inform you? A month without a car and 5000 dollars.



    Not putting a dipstick on an engine is not progress, it's a deliberate attempt to make money.

  22. #47
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  23. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by slocar View Post
    Engine runs low on oil because some sensor malfunctioned and failed to inform you? A month without a car and 5000 dollars.



    Not putting a dipstick on an engine is not progress, it's a deliberate attempt to make money.
    The system is redundant, if one sensor fails another picks it up ... and then lets not forget about the oil pressure sensor to prevent catastrophic failure. One could argue these systems help prevent engine failure. Next time you have a chance, ask your friends/neighbors how often they check their oil. I bet you it is less often than once per drive...
    Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by hundreds of engineers that get paid thousands of dollars for something you bought at Pep Boys because your buddy who doesn't have a job told you it was 'better'?!?

  24. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevlar View Post
    The system is redundant, if one sensor fails another picks it up ... and then lets not forget about the oil pressure sensor to prevent catastrophic failure. One could argue these systems help prevent engine failure. Next time you have a chance, ask your friends/neighbors how often they check their oil. I bet you it is less often than once per drive...
    I wish people would be honest with themselves and admit they never check their oil or tire pressures. I can count on my fingers how many people I know that do it regularly.

  25. #50
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    I checked mine once a week on my previous car but that had a known leak. On a car that dosen't drip or smoke once every 2 months is probably more than adequate. With the electronic system I check every couple days because I can do it whenever I remember. As far as oil changes and more business for the dealer goes by the time I buy the oil and filter from either ECS or the dealer I might save $15 to do it myself.

    For the extra $15 I am happy to check out what's new on the lot and have a cup of coffee while they do the oil change.

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