I have a M54 engine and with almost 160k (100k miles) km on it. i used to lose oil for about 1l per 10k km, changed the oil to a little thicker one, and there is no loss anymore. previously it had 0w-30, i put in 5w-40. Also the engine runs much smoother now.

 

yes he is right there is no dip stick
the last petro engine with a dip stick is my 1 M54.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M54
all new petro engines will not have them.
so you can not tell if the oil is black or not. :thumbsdown:
I like to control my oil so I alway check every 6000km and change at 7000km. I will never trust the computer or the dealer.
I have seen oil so think and black it like very think juice.