Hi All - I'd like to know if any one has experienced issues with seemingly unusually high oil consumption with their E53 4.8is. Had the oil change at the BMW dealer about two months ago, and shortly afterwards, the engine oil light came on. The dealer said at that point, that it could be that the oil settled after the change and a top off should cure the issue. Unfortunately, the light has come on again. As background, the SAV is closing in on 90K miles and is used primarily in around the town traffic so I can understand some higher level of consumption. I guess the main concern is that prior to the oil change, we were not experiencing this level of top up requirements. Anyw advice you can provide would be hellpful. Wife is threatening me with going to a Toyota or Nissan. Help!
leak? That sounds too soon to be strictly consumption... I'd be looking for a leak. You can't just look underneath for a puddle or pooling either as oil can collect without ever reaching the ground for quite a while. Since it happened after the oil change then I'd look at the list of things that were done and have the mechanic go back and recheck all associated bolts and such have been tightened to the correct torque rating...also replace the copper washer on the oil drain plug just because its the likely culprit... maybe even missing. Using an inspection mirror and a flashlight from above (engine compartment) is a good way to check around for yourself without having to get it up on a lift... but access is still quite limited. My 740 was leaking oil into the enclosed space where the spark plugs go... it can hold quite a bit in there before it needs to go anywhere else... and the valley pan (under intake manifold) is another place it can collect quite a bit before it needs to go elsewhere as well. Chuck
Same problem with my 2006 3.0L X5 I have 72k miles on my truck and I am experiencing the same problem, however several different repairs have been done to my truck due to oil leaks, and yet again just recently my check engine oil light is on. Now the service manager at the dealer is stating this is normal consumption. They added a little over one quart and it has been approx 2800 miles since my last oil change. I am very frustrated and thinking about getting another vehicle, as the extended warranty will be over next year.
Sounds like within "normal" specs BMW's TIS on oil consumption (00 12 07 381) allows UP TO about a quart in 1200 miles. My '91 525i used about a quart every 2,000 miles from about 100K miles until it was retired (due to a minor accident) at 197K miles. Ran strong, had compression and leak-down tested, got same mileage as when new. Unless you've got a CCV problem, what you're seeing is normal.
Thanks Thanks for everyones' insights on the oil consumption. I'll keep a suspicious eye on it for now. I'm thinking something might be wrong since it's only been about 5K since the last oil change and I've added about 3 qrts. That said, this parttern does seem to follow the logic from the last post which suggests that a quart every 1200 or so miles is normal consumption. As a big, heavy vehicle running about town in FL, it might just be normal to some extent. I also have a 535i with less than 15K miles on it that I' ve had to top up at least once after an oil change at the dealer. Annoying, but no real concerns about that one.
Oil Consumption I have a 2001 X5 3.0 that has been consuming oil since I purchased it in 2003 as a CPO. Recently over the last 1 1/2 years I have had to replace the oil sperator due to a failure. When the repair was made the valve cover was also replaced at that time. This did not change the oil consumption at about 1 quart every 2500 miles. In February of this year I had an oil leak in the casting that holdes the oil filter. That was repaired and now after 4000 miles I am not consuming as much oil. You may have a leak that is very difficult to find. After I prchased the car I was told by the BMW service manager that 1 quart after 1200 miles is within specification but my feeling was that was too much. If the leak is very slight, the oil may burn off and not drip on the ground. Have you replaced the valve cover gasket? May be a cheap solution or test. Good luck.
