nell

Was driving to dinner and when I parked, the indicator light said I was low on oil. Next morning I reread the oil level indicator and same warning. Just before I was about to put a quart in since I was at minimum, I decided to recheck the oil level. found level spot and had motor running. Quess what? All green indicators on and level at 100%.

What gives? I am so glad I rechecked before adding. imagine having to dump out a quart of oil if it was overfilled.

Anyone experienced this before? Bad sensor or something else?

Thanks.

twh

When was your last oil change? If it was months ago, I'd just do an oil and filter change and put in 6.9 quarts (assuming N52 engine). Now you know it's ok and then monitor for a possibly defective sensor. Always get my Mobil 1 0W-40 at Walmart these days. Very good pricing on the 5 quart jugs. Get two jugs and measure out the last two quarts using an old oil bottle. If you want to cover all the bases, a new oil level sensor is about $150.

Chamoh78

Yea, I had a similar issue last year after buying my car. I would come to a stop and the oil level sensor would flash at me that I was dangerously low on oil. A quick press of the gas peddle and it disappeared. This is how I knew it wasn't truly an oil level problem. I believe the PO put in the wrong oil which causes the sensor to misread the oil level when the engine comes down to an idle. I had the dealer change the oil and it's mostly all better now. Gonna have the oil changed again soon to make sure all the old crap oil has been removed before the summer heat kicks in.

Car_Almond

Yes, my 07 BMW 530ix N52 oil level sensor sometimes acts weird. A mechanic who posted elsewhere mentioned he has seen people over-fill by far with add-oil, only to find the sensor doesn't respond, so they keep adding, then sensor responds days later!!! .... Maybe the only answer is to drain, then fill with 6.9 quarts, then WAIT a long time for the sensor to show full, then check it once a week to see if it slowly goes down over time. If the sensor says it drops suddenly, just look for a leak, and if you don't find one, then its probably the sensor acting up again. ... If only I had a dipstick to back it up.

nell

I rechecked over and over on the dumb screen and it told me to add a quart and then at other times it was full... I decided to add 1/2 a quart and the level appears to show three bars of green. I have scheduled a oil change appt. in a week and will advise them to check the oil level indicator...

pcy

There is nothing they can do to oil level sensor... other than replace it.
When you go for oil change, ask them to collect and measure the oil that's in the engine now. That way, you will know how much oil was in the engine.

Car_Almond

I'm guessing that sensor might be getting gunk on it. My 07 530xi has 100,000 miles, so maybe I should use an engine flush liquid for some idling, and change twice at 1 month intervals with high-detergent Pennzoil to clean it all out.

u3b3rg33k

This makes me so glad my 550 has a dipstick! (helpful, I know)

blk550

I'm having the same issue. Did an oil change May 2, 2014 and 3 weeks later I get the message on the iDrive that my oil is below minimum. I went to my mechanic yesterday (May 27, 2014) and he put in 2 quarts of oil which I had to pay for (smh) but the error went away. The mechanic told me its normal for bmw's to burn some oil between oil changes so putting 1 or 2 quarts even after an oil change is normal. I'm also aware that my oil level sensor needs to be replaced.

u3b3rg33k

BLK550, you should have an actual dipstick to look at.