[M Fifty]

Originally Posted by JMM

Has anyone already tried my measuring procedure instead of making assumptions that lead nowhere?
Try it out and see what the results are and then share the experience to get a better understanding of this measurement system.

It's worth a try, isn't it?

Could you describe how in a bit more detail? Mine refuses to let me measure the oil level until I've done the specified longer drive.

[JMM]

After a drive or at least when the engine is well warmed up, drive the car to the place where you want to perform the measurement and switch off the engine. Then wait at least one hour before taking the oil reading.
You will then see that the oil level check tab is greyed out, so it is indeed not possible to immediately start the oil level check.

So the trick is to be patient and keep waiting (with the engine running of course) until the tab with start the oil measurement lights up, and that waiting time will be several minutes.

It simply comes down to the fact that there is a certain waiting period after the engine temperature has cooled down and the more it cools down the longer the waiting period. Waiting an hour to an hour and a half before taking the oil reading is more than sufficient.


PS:
In the winter, I would not wait longer than an hour before taking the oil reading due to the stronger cooling down.
With a completely cold engine, you will not get a reading anyway.

[vrooooom]

So in short wait for 2 hrs after a drive before running the measuring process to get an accurate reading. Hmmm. I think I would have forgotten by then.

Originally Posted by JMM

This is not a directly related comment to the OP's question but I have discovered a way to measure the correct oil level.
Knowing that this electronic oil leveling raises many questions, I asked to put in 6L instead of the prescribed 6.5L at my oil change to verify the accuracy of the measurement.

After the oil change I did a drive and warmed up the engine well and then did a measurement, result was that it indicated that the oil level is up to the max.
To me that was a wrong measurement because there is 0.5L less oil in it.
Then I let the car cool down for a couple of hours and did another measurement and this time it gave a bit more than a quarter under the max, so correct.

Conclusion: Directly measuring after a ride with warmed up engine (As indicated by BMW) gives you a wrong oil level value but with the engine cooled down a few hours after a ride will give you the right oil level value.

I did the second measurement twice, after two hours and after four hours cooling down and both indicated the same, about a quarter under the max.

Measuring procedure is the same as BMW indicates, only you have to wait 2 to 3 minutes before the I-drive allows you to start measuring.
By the way, when the engine is cold, it does not want to take a measurement.

I hope this info wil contribute to better understand this measurement system, it is reassuring for me in any case.

[JMM]

Less than 2 hrs is already sufficient and if you keep forgetting then you will never know..

[JMM]

Originally Posted by M Fifty

Could you describe how in a bit more detail? Mine refuses to let me measure the oil level until I've done the specified longer drive.

Have you succeeded in doing the measurement now?

[boldy1]

Originally Posted by JMM

After a drive or at least when the engine is well warmed up, drive the car to the place where you want to perform the measurement and switch off the engine. Then wait at least one hour before taking the oil reading.
You will then see that the oil level check tab is greyed out, so it is indeed not possible to immediately start the oil level check.

So the trick is to be patient and keep waiting (with the engine running of course) until the tab with start the oil measurement lights up, and that waiting time will be several minutes.

It simply comes down to the fact that there is a certain waiting period after the engine temperature has cooled down and the more it cools down the longer the waiting period. Waiting an hour to an hour and a half before taking the oil reading is more than sufficient.


PS:
In the winter, I would not wait longer than an hour before taking the oil reading due to the stronger cooling down.
With a completely cold engine, you will not get a reading anyway.

does this work everytime ?

[F87source]

Originally Posted by ///M TOWN

M2 holds 6.9L of oil

I put in slightly less and add if needed once the car gives a correct reading

That being said, the car has never asked for additional oil to be added

So 6.9L is a correct answer

No, it's 6.5L with a filter that's the ISTA specified volume.

6.9 is the rounded up quart value which is a slight overfill.


In terms of the oil level sensor use a live readout via ista if you don't want to wait until the car warms up, it won't be entirely accurate but if you get a measurement when the car is cold before and oil change and while it's hot you will get a better idea on measurement metric.


In summary you during an oil change 6.5L is the volume you should be replacing. If you measure the drained oil volume you may have less than this if your car burns oil. So generally it's best to refill to 6.5L. if you let your car sit a really long time and drain it cold you might have more than 6.5L as all the oil from the head etc drips down. So at that point you should fill the drained volume which would be a bit more than 6.5L - but this is why you should change oil when it's hot. But in general 6.5L is the safe BMW specified number for an oil and filter change, where no measurement is required.

[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by F87source

No, it's 6.5L with a filter that's the ISTA specified volume.

6.9 is the rounded up quart value which is a slight overfill.


In terms of the oil level sensor use a live readout via ista if you don't want to wait until the car warms up, it won't be entirely accurate but if you get a measurement when the car is cold before and oil change and while it's hot you will get a better idea on measurement metric.


In summary you during an oil change 6.5L is the volume you should be replacing. If you measure the drained oil volume you may have less than this if your car burns oil. So generally it's best to refill to 6.5L. if you let your car sit a really long time and drain it cold you might have more than 6.5L as all the oil from the head etc drips down. So at that point you should fill the drained volume which would be a bit more than 6.5L - but this is why you should change oil when it's hot. But in general 6.5L is the safe BMW specified number for an oil and filter change, where no measurement is required.

I actually had put in 6.5 thankfully

And the reading was spot on

Thanks for the correction

[JMM]

Originally Posted by boldy1

does this work everytime ?

Yep, I have done it several times and now today i did the test again... When I follow the procedure that BMW prescribes, the oil level is at max, when I follow my procedure, the oil level is about 50% between min and max...