Had a major service done on my 2005 545i at the dealership and picked up the car yesterday. Car was driving great on the way home, about a 4 mile trip.

3 miles into the trip home, the Oil Level Below Minimum warning comes on. Luckily I was almost home so I drove gently the remainder of the way and parked in my garage.


Any ideas what would cause the oil warning to come on so fast? I went back top the dealership parking lot and checked where it was parked for any puddles to see if maybe it drained out before I left. But there were no oil spots. Also no oil spots on my garage floor, either.

I'm not very mechanically inclined and have never actually put oil in a car before, I'm embarrassed to say. I do have a quart of Castrol Edge 5W-30 full synthetic oil at home. Is this the correct stuff for my car? Should I just add the oil and drive and see if it drains out again? Or should I just wait until Tuesday and take it back to the dealer?

Or there is a Firestone Auto Care about 1 mile from my house. They are open on Sundays. Are they qualified to change oil on a BMW?

Thanks for any help/guidance.

 

You should be ok just adding a quart to the car. This is possibly nothing to worry about. Supposedly BMWs burn a little bit of oil between changes.

 

Presumably if you just had 'major service' done to the car, it included an oil change. If so, they didn't add enough. I'd be taking it back for a bitch session with their service manager if that's the case.

Not sure if yours has a dipstick of if you monitor only in iDrive. Either way, have you checked the oil level? Driving with low oil should not be a problem, but if it's so low that you lose pressure you'll have major problems.

 

+1 - Most of the 'catastrophe' warnings are dual-stage. Low oil level will come in 2 phases. Minimum level, warning you to add a quart, and oh shit - a quart aint gonna cut it. Same with temp warnings - engine hot, drive moderately. Engine about to explode - shut down NOW. The 545i should have a dipstick in the upper right. Be sure to check it after the car rests for about 30 minutes to allow oil flowing in the upper systems to settle down to the drain pan for an accurate measurement.

 

Agree with others - check the dipstick first!

What exactly did the "major service" include?

 

Dipstick indicated oil level below minimum.
Added a quart of Castrol Edge 5w30. No problems since.

Car has 107,500 miles and this is the first time I have ever had to add oil. Hopefully, that's a good sign??

 

Yes, it's a good sign. But if the stealer did an oil change I'd be pissed.

 

I would personally add just a little, no more than 1/3 qt and see if the indicator changes. With an oil change at the dealer, it's unlikely, but not impossible for them to make a mistake like this. And of course, I would never throw out the option of the sensor itself failing. It might be a problem if the oil level IS correct and you throw in another qt of oil. Not sure what would happen but i'm sure it wouldn't be a good thing and could be a little messy. Have you called the dealer? I would be raising you know what especially if 1/3 qt puts out the light indicating they shorted you a qt of oil! If the light does go out you can now add the remaining oil. Bring this to the attention of the SA and maybe you can get another oil change in the future at no cost. But, then if they can't get it right the first time I'm not sure I would want them to change it again...