2009 335i coupe - Normal oil consumption

[Stace]

I've tried to find an answer with the search function - forgive me if this is a common question. I'm adding 1 qt every 3000 mi. the car only has 18K miles (first owner never drove it). is this normal? seems a bit excessive.

thanks in advance for your advice!

[city1991]

Seems excessive to me. Have a dealer or Indy mechanic look at it.

[Wildman518]

I second that, mine has 79000 on it and doesn't burn any.

[Stace]

thanks - that is exactly what I wanted to know. its still under CPO warranty and so I will get the local "stealer" to check it out. no obvious leaks on the garage floor so..... thanks again for the responses.

[Pyewacket69]

I've tried to find an answer with the search function - forgive me if this is a common question. I'm adding 1 qt every 3000 mi. the car only has 18K miles (first owner never drove it). is this normal? seems a bit excessive. thanks in advance for your advice!

Most, if not all manufacturers will tell you that oil usage of 1 quart per 1000 miles is within norms.

Don't expect much from the dealer...

[Critter7r]

+1 on 1 quart per 1,000.

BMW isn't going to help you when it's going 3,000 miles between top-offs.

How long ago did you replace the oil filter housing gasket? How about the crank case vent valve?

[Stace]

thanks - I expect you are right - 1000mi/qt is high usage but all the manufacturers rely on that as "normal" and I won't get far. I haven't changed the filter gasket or the crank case vent - I can certainly look and see if I'm getting any seepage there. thanks again!!!!

[Pyewacket69]

thanks - I expect you are right - 1000mi/qt is high usage but all the manufacturers rely on that as "normal" and I won't get far. I haven't changed the filter gasket or the crank case vent - I can certainly look and see if I'm getting any seepage there. thanks again!!!!

I agree, on a modern engine, oil usage of that magnitude is excessive, IMO.

I actually fought that battle several years ago with a different brand manufacturer, to no avail. In that case, it was a leaking valve guide on # 6 cylinder, which also caused the #6 spark plug to need replacement every 10-12 K miles. All the dealer offered was to replace the plug at no charge, as long as the car was under warranty.

Needless to say, that was the last time I bought from that dealer and manufacturer.

The problem resolved itself when I sold the car.

[Weller22]

I dont burn any. When I was putting oil in it was due to an oil gasket housing seal going south.

[trohde78]

1qt. per 1000 miles? Yet, the car is supposed to go 10K+ miles between oil changes? 7qt-10qt=-3qts after 10K miles. That sounds like it would be an issue.

[light351]

My 328i would burn 2 quarts in 12k

[Critter7r]

1qt. per 1000 miles? Yet, the car is supposed to go 10K+ miles between oil changes? 7qt-10qt=-3qts after 10K miles. That sounds like it would be an issue.

It's not an issue for someone that checks their oil at every fuel fill-up as recommended.

Also, there's a light to warn you when you're one quart low. But if that fails, then you have the 'checking oil at every fuel fill-up' to fall back on.

[city1991]

With no dipstick how does one manually check the oil?

[pauljcl]

With no dipstick how does one manually check the oil?

You can empty the oil out of the engine and then measure the amount that came out. More seriously -> you cannot 'manually check the oil'. You need to trust the sensor.

[Stace]

thanks for the continued thoughts. the area around the filter housing is bone dry. next step will be to drop the undertrays and see if there are any leaks. stay tuned......

[city1991]

My comment about manually checking the oil was made due to the post about how he checks his oil at each gas fill up. How's that even possible with no dipstick? Seems like we have to live an die by the oil sensor. I for one don't seem to understand why taking the dipstick away was a good idea.

[Amtrak98]

Emissions control and the fact that 2/3 people who drive BMWs don't know what the dipstick does anyways. And that BMW doesn't want "owners messing around under the hood".

[Vintage Metal]

Emissions control and the fact that 2/3 people who drive BMWs don't know what the dipstick does anyways. And that BMW doesn't want "owners messing around under the hood".

That's probably so true...and so funny at the same time...

[Stace]

Today I did remove the front undertray - there is not a drop of oil to be seen anywhere. certainly if I was leaking 1 qt every 3k miles there would be a lot of oil somewhere so..... may have to talk to the dealer just to hear what they have to say....

[Pilgrim]

BMW owners seem to me to fall into two camps; the young ones who drive them for image and fun, but who may not know much about cars, and the owners who are into cars and know very well what's going on under the hood. I think BMW has a much higher percentage of knowledgeable owners than many other brands do. I'm also encouraged by the number of new BMW owners who don't know much about cars, but who come to these forums asking questions so they can learn.

Which is all to say that BMW was mega-stupid to remove the dipstick!!! Taking away the only physical means of checking oil levels makes NO SENSE.

[Amtrak98]

BMW owners seem to me to fall into two camps; the young ones who drive them for image and fun, but who may not know much about cars, and the owners who are into cars and know very well what's going on under the hood. I think BMW has a much higher percentage of knowledgeable owners than many other brands do. I'm also encouraged by the number of new BMW owners who don't know much about cars, but who come to these forums asking questions so they can learn. Which is all to say that BMW was mega-stupid to remove the dipstick!!! Taking away the only physical means of checking oil levels makes NO SENSE.

I don't think that's very accurate. I know more older people driving around BMWs because they feel the need to because they have money, not because they like them, than I do younger people. Regardless I feel those two fall in to the same category of driving for image. Splitting the owners of BMW's up 50/50 by age isn't accurate at all. There are enthusiasts at every age and there are people who want the image at every age. I see more younger people driving BMW's because they absolutely love them as a car than I do older people.

[Nikojt]

I don't think that's very accurate. I know more older people driving around BMWs because they feel the need to because they have money, not because they like them, than I do younger people. Regardless I feel those two fall in to the same category of driving for image. Splitting the owners of BMW's up 50/50 by age isn't accurate at all. There are enthusiasts at every age and there are people who want the image at every age. I see more younger people driving BMW's because they absolutely love them as a car than I do older people.

I am 21, I fall into the category of an enthusiast. I adore the NA straight six in my 07 328. I love helping people with their cars, and have been to many CCA events for car control and track days.
I do my own installs, own fluid changes, and my own detailing (granted my car is pretty scratched up from the previous owner).
Anyway, regardless of all of this, every owner is different regardless of age. Some may have had the car passed down, bought it themselves, want it for this reason or that. It doesn't matter IMO. We all drive the car for some reason, those of us who love it, love it.

[Amtrak98]

I am 21, I fall into the category of an enthusiast. I adore the NA straight six in my 07 328. I love helping people with their cars, and have been to many CCA events for car control and track days. I do my own installs, own fluid changes, and my own detailing (granted my car is pretty scratched up from the previous owner). Anyway, regardless of all of this, every owner is different regardless of age. Some may have had the car passed down, bought it themselves, want it for this reason or that. It doesn't matter IMO. We all drive the car for some reason, those of us who love it, love it.

i agree. I bought my E90 when I was only 17. I'm 19 now and I've had it for almost a year and a half. My first car was a 1995 honda civic and I absolutely hated everything about it. It was passed down to me via the family tree and it was just distasteful. I didn't like it. My neighbor had an E46 and I walked by it twice a day on the way to school and always loved the looks of it. I went home and basically did hours of research on the E46 and E90 models, originally having zero knowledge of anything BMW. They were in my price range and I fell in love, and after spending time on forums like this, I felt confident in owning one. It wasn't until I took my first test drives that I really discovered what I was missing on every drive. People say all we pay for is the BMW badge, and it's simply not true. I fell in love with the comfort, safety, looks, and of course driving characteristics of BMWs. I was hooked. Saved my money working two jobs while in high school and was finally able to put a down payment on a dream. 07 E90, sparkling graphite metallic, black leather, aluminum trim, 6 speed manual, sport package. I made the down payment I make my own monthly payment I pay for premium gas every fill up I pay for all repairs
I pay my own insurance My family has not spent one penny on this car. Is it expensive to own? Yes. Have I learned a ton and can I do minor repairs myself? Yes. I would not trade the experience of owning this car for anything. There is indeed a huge enthusiast group centered on BMWS owned by all age groups which makes it easier to own one and feel apart of a community, but at the same time, there is probably an even bigger amount of people of all ages who do not own these cars for an enthusiast's point of view. Getting positive comments on my car is nice, but I don't drive it for that. I drive my car for me, not for looks.

[Nikojt]

i agree. I bought my E90 when I was only 17. I'm 19 now and I've had it for almost a year and a half. … …

Your story is not too different from mine... Haha
I had a green 99 civic sedan
Saved up for a year to buy a new car
Family friend had a beautiful new F10 528i, she let me drive it. Then proceeded to tell me that her daughter was moving to New York (from California), and had an '07 328xi that had been babied by the mom. It had service history that was absolutely perfect. The car was pristine, besides some exterior scratches. I drove it, and it was even better than her F10 528. More responsive steering, amazing acceleration. I fell in love... I looked for financing by myself, looked for insurance, did an inspection, learned about BMWs, everything I could. Now I own it. It's amazing... I've done some upgrades, and fixed some things and will continue to do so
It's got the premium package, executive package, no iDrive!, I've upgraded the halos (LED), installed a Dinan Cold Ram intake (as a weekend project with a friend), and more…
They're great fun

[Nikojt]

To get back to the thread,
I hope the oil issue is resolved!