sf550i

There doesn't seem to be many M5 owners here - perhaps everyone is just on the m5board.

There are so many e60 owners in this part of the site, I think more so than M5 owners. As a former 550 person, I stayed on that side because the cars are so different in its mechanical thoughput.,

The e60 5 series site provides a ton of value ofr its owners. Almost everything you can imagine. Whereas the M5 portion of the site discusses grills or wheels -

I had posted about oil levels , as M5 owners know - there are different views on where that should be - and the m5 owners know that this engine burns a ton of oil!

Not one response!!

The RPI scoops got and handful, but I think to turn this site around, it needs to attract an M5 Audience. Just some thoughts.

EuroCarFan

Yeah, most M5 owners are on M5Board. There are a handful of them here but I think the ones that post here more are the ones that started out with a regular E60 and upgraded to an M5. Seems like people who went straight to an M5 are mainly active on M5Board and most of those guys don't even know about this forum.

But hey, I'll discuss oil levels with you!

Mine's all over the board some times. I want a standard dipstick back!

Rudy

I agree that most M5 guys (even regular E60.net members) probably spend their time on M5board instead of here. Clearly, there is a bunch of crossover information available here -- you know, stuff that pertains to both M and non-M cars.

I guess those M5 dudes don't want to hang out with us lowly non-M dudes!

Feel free to tell them we're here if you think they don't already know...

sf550i

Hey ECF - I know we had chatted or traded emails before - I had a 545 with R10's blk/blk everything dinan and smg, someone saw it and payed more than I did with even all the mods!

Anyway - I drove the car from SF to SJ, probably averaging 80. Got to SJ and met a friend with a new zr1, and punched it just a few times -

My oil level read .07 when I left.

Now its at .04. Crazy. I know that there's 10 litres in the engine - that's a lot of oil.


and some members say top it off when it gets low, others say don't touch it - it will tell you -

whats your reccommendation. I used to be sf545smg.

thanks

sf550i

m5board - great site - but really slow! and there's a bit too much immaturity!

I just traded my 08 550i, greatest car in the world! I loved it. I had every option - and those rims!! But in the end, traded opportunistically for a great deal on a pre-owned August 06 build m5. I had never seen silverstone II before and fell in love with the color. Its almost a light blue from every angel, but just different than most e60's that I see out there.

The E60 550 (auto) was great, but I didn't have the wheel toasting that I was used to from my previous 545smg. There was just a great launch control that was fun. Even with dsc off in the 550i.. there was just a small chip off the line. Sometimes not even that. I just missed the heck out of the SMG.

The M5 smg is fantasically different. For those who can't drive it smoothly in slow traffic - they probably need to retain tthemselves on a manual. I think its one of the grat innovations - and perhaps will assist the tranny and clutch in lasting longer.

I had the 545, 550 - that's what led me to the m5. I was constantly modding and in the end, I calculated the mods + my personal time = M5

I know that you;re having a blast with your car! Cheers

EuroCarFan

Ah...yeah, the description of your old car rings a bell. I think I may have tried to recruit you to one of our meets before. Your old car was very similar to my old 545.

As for the oil, my car does pretty much the exact same thing. Almost without fail, every time I drive from SJ to SF, I'll usually get the low oil (.2L) warning by the time I'm near SF Airport. I think I've stopped at the Chevron at the South SF exit (near Travelodge) a couple of times to top of my oil. It seems like everytime I drive 30+ miles, the oil drops drastically. I always have a bottle in my car just in case.

The other thing that annoys me is how inaccurate the electronic dipstick is. When it says .2L, I would pour in half a liter and after driving it a bit, I would check and it would say 1.3L! Then the next day, it'll be down to .7L or .8L. This happened a couple of times. I had my dealer checked and they said it's fine; just takes longer for the electronic dipstick to read correctly. I don't think they checked the thing at all. About 4 weeks ago, it was at .7L. Then it slowly went down and when I saw .2L, I poured in half a bottle but it stayed at .2L, for about 2+ weeks! So I decided to pour in 1/3 a bottle and it instantly says .8L and has been that way the last 2 weeks I think.

My head's spinning. haha

I'm not sure what to recommend to you. I always keep a bottle in my trunk and check the OBC often. If I see it gets to .3L or so, I'll pour some in or it'll tell me when it's at .2L (low oil warning).

Hey, so when are we going to meet up to check out each other's cars?

sf550i

Definitely want to meet up with you.

Your mods look amazing. I'm waiting for my first mod - the RPI scoops.

I'm leaving for Dubai in two days, I'll hit you up when I return. It's crazy in the emirates. My client actually just gave me: Mubadala /Ferrarri Hats and race gear from the F1 Grand Prix team that they own. They are building a track for the FI in Abu Dhabi in 2009. It's going to be crazy. My client contact drives a ferrari, an A8, and a G55.

but more importantly, I spoke to my service rep at SFBMW. I have worked with him for 3 years. He basically said, without saying - it's better to have the oil low in the elec dipstick than full. This can cause damage. BMW recommends to do nothing until a warning signal actually tells you to add oil. Even if it is at .0!

You can actually cause engine damage from overfilling - then he said to read the owners manual - where it does state overfilling is not a good thing. With almost 10 litres of oil in the engine - there's plenty in the sump?

So I bought a litre of castrol but I haven;t topped off yet - looking to learn a bit more from other owners.

EuroCarFan

Yep, I read the same in the owners manual. I was freaking out when I saw 1.3L but it wasn't like I filled her up prematurely. I had the low oil warning and it displayed .2L and I only poured in half a liter. Oh well.

BTW, I think I've gone through a liter of oil a month. I'm going to bring this up with my dealer again when I bring the car in on the 31st.

So besides for the RPI scoops, are you planning on anything else?

sf550i

I'm going to try to enjoy the car for a bit and think about exhaust and maybe diff' - I heard that the whining is no more... thinking about getting the dinan software for the extra redline.

how do you like your mods?

I'm not sure if I can afford the rds! I am getting 20% off Dinan through my service manager, so I might take advantage for it - but my range rover is first - it needs a new air suspension and brakes. I'm thinking of getting rid of it and getting a 2000 M coupe. I need the hatch for weekends. But I need to see how big it is in the M Coupe.

Any thoughts on mods appreciated.

DRANGED

Did someone say Range Rover? I'm having maintenance issues right now too