The process of checking your oil level is fairly simple. Many drivers conduct their own inspections. Anyone can complete this task with ease.
You must perform essential maintenance on your car, which includes changing the oil. Your car’s parts will stay lubricated if you get your oil changed. Therefore, you must be aware about how to check your oil level in order to proceed with the oil change.
Regular oil changes are necessary. Therefore, it is essential that you regularly check your oil level to determine whether to perform another oil change. You must make sure that your oil is not too unclean or at an excessively low level.
Your car’s dipstick is often located on the left side of the engine. The dipstick typically has an orange or yellow circular handle, making it conspicuous.
Once you’ve located it, simply take it off to reveal lengthy metal sliding out. So many individuals are having trouble locating where their dipstick is.
The general norm is to locate and study your owner’s manual, although some users have claimed that the location of the dipstick was never specified. You will use your dipstick to check the oil level on your automobile, so you must know where it is. Understanding the oil level in your car is crucial.
The placement of the oil dipstick and how to check your oil level will be discussed next. All BMW 328i models are mentioned here.
We’ll talk about each model, find out if it has a dipstick, and learn how to check the oil. Let’s leave.
In This Article...
Where is the oil dipstick on a 2009 BMW 328i?
The engine of the 2009 BMW 328i does not utilize a conventional physical dipstick. Instead, an electronic gauge has been installed in the car’s instrument panel so you can check the oil level. For a pleasant ride, it’s crucial to regularly check your levels. With this vehicle, start it up, then use the steering wheel stalk to slide the selections up until you reach the oil. If it displays a symbol for an oil light, you will be aware. When You notice this, press the button on the stalk’s extreme left edge inward. This will make the car’s actual levels visible. The range is min to max. You might need to go in for an oil change or top-up depending on where it is.
Instead of having an oil dipstick, the 2009 BMW 328i uses an electronic monitoring system to check the oil level.
Check the oil level and locate the oil dipstick on a BMW 328i.
The oil dipstick was eliminated by BMW with the 2011 328i. The oil level in your car can be checked with an electronic sensor. When your car is running, look for the stalk on the left side of the steering wheel.
Click on your stalk to locate the oil symbol. Press the BC button on the stalk inward with your left index finger. Your oil level will be shown on the screen after a short while.
Traditional dipsticks have been replaced by BMW Low Oil Level Sensors.
Under the hood, BMW has removed the oil level dipstick and replaced it with an oil pan sensor (the shaded part in the figure). If the oil level inside the oil pan falls below the safe level, the sensor should sound an alarm. Not accountants who determine how long you may drive without changing or checking the oil in your automobile, but engineers who created the engines who computed this number. Another thing to keep in mind is that these electronic level meters do occasionally malfunction.
BMW wants you to think that your car’s engine oil only needs to be changed every 15,000 miles and that the transmission oil never needs to be changed. Does that strike you as reasonable?
Did you know that BMW claims that a quart of oil is consumed by each of their vehicles every 800-900 miles? This equation’s irrational component is the 15,000-mile oil change interval with certain models’ oil pans holding up to 7.5 quarts of oil.
If you used this formula, your oil pan would entirely run dry after 8,000 miles of driving. That is around half of the suggested oil change interval of 15,000 miles. Not to mention that the oil pump will be unable to refuel well before the fifth quart runs out. The end consequence is a defective engine that needs a significant and pricey service. You would require an oil pan with a capacity of roughly 20 quarts to address this issue. There are only 8 quarts in the typical BMW. That is a tragedy waiting to happen!
Keeping with the lifespan fluids described earlier, how long is the “lifetime”? According to manufacturers, “lifetime” is often defined as 8 to 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. Be advised, nevertheless, that you shouldn’t adhere to the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule if you intend to retain your automobile for longer than five years. Autoscope advises having your oil changed every 7,500 miles with synthetic fluids and every 3,500 miles with petroleum-based fluids to prevent costly repairs.
Why do BMW vehicles lack a dipstick?
BMW switched to utilizing electronic sensors since market research showed that drivers rarely used their dipsticks.
The majority of owners depended solely on their vehicle’s warning system to alert them when they required extra oil, which is never a good idea, especially in a BMW.
However, many observers have argued that this action was an unnecessary addition of technology where it wasn’t required in an effort to simplify the lives of drivers.
For drivers, especially those with a passion for all things mechanical, giving up one of the most fundamental components of car maintenance—checking your own oil level—removes some of the connection they have with their vehicle.
However, younger generations of drivers simply don’t enjoy getting their hands dirty to the same extent as older generations did, so BMW adjusted.
When did BMW stop using dipsticks?
The 4.4L V8 in the 2018 BMW M850 is the engine in dispute. This engine is a development of the BMW N63 engine, which was initially unveiled in 2008, two years after BMW stopped using oil dipsticks. When a reader wrote in to ask how he should check the oil in his 2006 330i, BMW created such a stir that even the Wall Street Journal ran a story on it. One of the earliest engines that BMW designed with a dip stick was the N52 engine beneath the hood.
I watched the video below, which illustrates how difficult it is to check your oil in a new BMW, while not owning one myself.
The car must apparently be turned on in order to use this improved technology, and doing so requires simple navigation through the cluster’s display. However, it may take the device 5 to 15 minutes to record your oil reading. Unacceptable and, in my opinion, not significantly better than the standard stick.
I’m fine with digital meters being used in addition to conventional dipsticks. But to completely remove the dipstick is just…fiddling.
It will be better for everyone if this report is true and BMW doesn’t surprise us by removing the dipstick from the production model.
How is oil poured into a BMW 328i?
- Take off Oil Fill Cap – Remove the oil fill cap.
- Add Oil – Select the proper sort of oil and add it.
- Replace the oil fill cap by placing it back on the engine.
- Information – Further details regarding the addition of oil
A BMW 328i oil change costs how much?
Oil change price range for a BMW 328i. A BMW 328i oil change typically costs between $210 and $237. While parts are priced between $154 and $166, labor costs are predicted to be between $56 and $70. Taxes and levies are not included in this range, nor are your particular model year or special location taken into account.
What would happen if your car lacked a dipstick?
It’s possible that your vehicle lacks a dipstick for testing the gearbox fluid if it’s recent. This not only makes it challenging to check the fluid level and condition, but it also removes the dipstick tube or orifice, which is the typical method of adding fluid to an automatic transmission.
Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac (Catera), Chevrolet (Equinox), Chrysler (300), Ford, Mazda (Miata and MPV), Saturn, Toyota, and Volkswagen are among the automakers that offer certain of their models without dipstick automatic transmissions. The transmissions on these cars are all of European design at the moment, which serves as their commonality. The idea is growing, though, as the GM-built 6-speed automatic utilized in the newest BMW vehicles likewise does without a dipstick.
The transmission fluid must be checked at the transmission if the car lacks a dipstick. To check the fluid, the car must be lifted using four jack supports so that it is level. The side of the transmission case will have a fill plug. The drain plug that is found at the sump’s base is not this one. Cycle the transmission through the gears while keeping your foot on the brake to ensure that fluid is present in all of the internal channels. Next, take off the fill plug while the engine is still running. There should be a thin stream of liquid emerging. The liquid level is low if not.
There won’t be enough area for a funnel, so you’ll probably need a fluid transfer hand pump, like one made by Mityvac that costs approximately $25. Tighten the fill plug to the specified torque setting while the engine is still running after adding fluid until some starts to leak out.
When checking the fluid level or adding fluid, some manufacturers, like Audi and BMW, are even more strict about the recommended technique, mandating that the transmission fluid temperature be between 30 degrees C and 50 degrees C (86 degrees F to 122 degrees F). However, after draining, the Audi transmission needs to cool to room temperature before being replenished.
But things get much more complicated because some manufacturers, like Toyota and Volkswagen, demand that an unique scan equipment be used to permit accessing particular gearbox channels before testing fluid level on some models.
Make sure you are aware of the correct, factory-specified process before attempting to check the fluid level in a car without a dipstick. The manufacturer shop manual is still the greatest source of information, though you might be able to discover that technique online.
How often should I replace the oil in my BMW 328i?
How often should an oil change for a 2016 BMW 328i be required? Generally speaking, synthetic oil needs to be changed every 7,500 to 10,000 miles. One of the most important and significant services for your car is an oil change. For conventional oil, BMW advises having your 2016 BMW 328i’s oil and filter replaced every 3,000 to 5,000 miles.