BMW 330i oil burn rate?

[lupinsea]

For those of you with a BMW 330i how often do you burn through a quart of oil?

I had to add a quart about 3000 miles after we received the car when the low oil light started to come on. And after another 4400 miles the low oil light is starting to come on again. Is this normal?

Typically, before the light would come on and stay on while driving the low oil light (yellow) would come on after I shut off the car. When I check the dipstick after the recommended 5-10 min after shut of it's close but not quite to the low oil mark.

With the Miata I changed the oil frequently enough that it never was an issue but I thought I remember hearing that it's not uncommon to go through a quart of oil every 3000-4000 miles. Is this the case with the BMW engines, too?

[FC]

For those of you with a BMW 330i how often do you burn through a quart of oil?

I had to add a quart about 3000 miles after we received the car when the low oil light started to come on. And after another 4400 miles the low oil light is starting to come on again. Is this normal?

Typically, before the light would come on and stay on while driving the low oil light (yellow) would come on after I shut off the car. When I check the dipstick after the recommended 5-10 min after shut of it's close but not quite to the low oil mark.

With the Miata I changed the oil frequently enough that it never was an issue but I thought I remember hearing that it's not uncommon to go through a quart of oil every 3000-4000 miles. Is this the case with the BMW engines, too?

Hmmm... I change my oil ~every 7500 miles. About 500-1000 miles before a change is due the light comes one, and I usually need to add ~half a quart. That's about it.

[Plaz]

Hmmm... I change my oil ~every 7500 miles. About 500-1000 miles before a change is due the light comes one, and I usually need to add ~half a quart. That's about it.

Same here, except I need to add a full quart, and it's usually about 1500 miles before a change is due. It always makes me feel uneasy, but I have no other evidence of problems.

[Sharp11]

I've never had to add oil to either my 323i's 2.5 liter engine (over the five years I had it) nor the Z4's 3.0 liter over the 5000 miles I've been driving it.

I still have a case of synthetic oil in the garage I've never had to touch.

Ed

[TD]

I've had to add oil regularly to my E36, E46, and E90 - usually approx a quart every other month.

[lemming]

this is still very much within BMW NA specs for oil consumption. while it appears to be worrisome, if you called an SA at a dealership, this is what they'd tell you.

personally, i'd not worry about it until it gets to be 1quart per 1000 miles, and even then, that's barely out of spec for BMW, i think. at least this was what i was told by the techs when for the e36/8's and e46s.

[Sharp11]

I've had to add oil regularly to my E36, E46, and E90 - usually approx a quart every other month.

Does that oil sensor light really work?

This is one of my biggest worries wrt getting into the new engines.

Ed

[TD]

Does that oil sensor light really work?

This is one of my biggest worries wrt getting into the new engines.

Ed
Not really but sort of.

I manually select the oil level check every couple of weeks. Sometimes it never comes back with a reading and I have to try again later. I've found that it only reads three settings (and I've only seen two)- top of the range, middle and bottom. When it showed middle, I added half a quart and it's back to showing top of the range. Very inexact science.

[lip277]

Yeah - There are 'specifications' that the car manufacturer's have that say "# quarts per #### miles" is acceptable. I don't buy it.

In the 1.4 million miles I have driven, I have never owned a car or truck I have EVER had to routinely add oil to (gas/diesel, import/domestic).

If I ever did get one, it wouldn't last long in my garage (or be purchased in the first place....)

[Pinecone]

It also depends on how you drive your car. Drive like a granny and you may never add oil. Drive hard and you will tend to use more oil. My E46 M3 uses no oil on teh street, but a weekend at the track will burn 1/2 - 1 liter.

[lip277]

It also depends on how you drive your car. Drive like a granny and you may never add oil. Drive hard and you will tend to use more oil. My E46 M3 uses no oil on teh street, but a weekend at the track will burn 1/2 - 1 liter.

That's true.

But to burn oil 'just' to burn oil.....

Nada....

[Rob]

my low tech engine has stopped eating oil at all. I have not added any this time around and it's a little less than half a quart down after about 6300 miles. I will change it in another 100 miles or so, probably with no top off for an "extended" oil change. I don't baby the engine, either.

But this is the exception I think. I did oil changes every 7500 on the 330 and always had to add at least one quart as top off, sometimes 2. The e36 was about the same I think.

[lupinsea]

Thanks a bunch, guys. I've been doing some searches o Bimmerfest, too, and my oil burn rate doesn't seem out of the ordinary based on some of those comment (not to mention some of the ones here).

I understand that most (all?) engines are designed to burn a little oil. After all, I doubt all of the oil gets scrapped off the cylinder walls by the piston rings. And there's probably some minor seepage through the valveguides.

So, I think I'm good. I will however monitor things and see if the oil consumption is pretty consistent.

Thanks again for the feedback.