Hi there, I have a 2008 550i with about 28k miles. I just had an oil change done at the dealer 2 weeks ago.
The Oil Level Too High message shows in the Oil Level window (through the IDrive menu).
Is this something I should be concerned with i.e are there any drawbacks of having too much oil? Its not going to mess anything up in the engine area, leak out of somewhere, or affect performance or anythign, right?

Please let me know your thoguhts and if this warrants me going to the dealer to have them remove a bit to bring the level down.

Thanks.

 

Yes it is an issue, too high an oil level can cause severe damage.

Go back to the dealer an get it sorted.

 

I just had a similar problem and went to my dealer. They replaced Oil Leveling Sensor (part number 12-61-7-567-723 or 121060) - invoice shows 2 numbers and now it shows correct level. My paperwork also show that they did reprogram my car, but I had transmission slam in sports mode between 2nd and 3rd gears.

I read about this problem on BMW CCA forum as well, so - definitely ask your dealer to correct this problem. Good luck!

 

+1

Get to your dealer to investigate; it may be a sensor problem. But to be sure and avoid potential engine damage avoid high revs until the oil level is confirmed.

 

Oil level too high can blow the oil seals from the engine. You cna also get oil leaking past the piston rings into the combustion chamber, causing engine loss of power and smoking from the exhaust.

If it's just al ittle bit over, then the engine can usually burn this off, but if it's a larger quantity, say a pint or more, that could be a potential problem.

As other posters have said, you need to get it checked by the dealer and re-filled.

 

thanks for all your replies.
On my drive home from work this afternoon, I called the dealer to ask about this. Their response:
Please park your car where you are and we'll have BMW Roadside assitance tow it in to our dealership. it could be hazardous (!!)

i explained to them that i've been driving it for the past 2 weeks and noticed the message today, and that i'll just drive it in since i'm 10 minutes from them.
Anyway, i took it an and they have it till whenever they are done. i'm so annoyed.

I got a 2009 535i as a loaner. Nice, light car. But I still prefer the feel of the 550i.

 

If the oil level is too high, it may cause the oil to start leaking from any seal that it would allow it to leak. This could also be just a sensor, but I'd get it checked out sooner rather than later.

 

I really miss the oil dip-stick where you pull out the stick and check the level manually, that gave a really good indictation of where your oil level was, with quite a large range between the min and max markers, hence very difficult to overfill.

The electronic version on the Idrive just does not appear as accurate and is too reliant on a sensor, where the mechanical system worked very well for decades.

Oil changing is usally done by the junior members of the service teams, with less experience I guess thee is more chance they will overfill or underfill, although some of the young guys are actually more thorough and knowledgable than experienced one's.

 

People have reported that there is a dipstick on 8 cyl. engines.

 

So this afternoon, I got a call from the dealer. He said they replaced the oil level sensor, drained all the oil, and filled it back to what the appropriate level should be, and the car is STILL throwing the fault code!!
They can't figure out why the car would do that, and they called BMW NA to check with them to get additional guidance from them. So, no good news today. Gotta wait till tomorrow.