Question for Car Enthusiasts

I bought a BMW this year (first time) and I have had to put a quart of oil in it every 5000 miles. The service interval is at 15,000 miles, so I'm thinking I just never went that long between service intervals with my old cars (5000 miles was the interval before), which may be why I have never added a drop of oil to any Lexus I've owned since 1990. The guy at the dealer said it's probably nothing, but they would look at it when I bring it in for it's 15k service.

Does this seem weird to anyone here who knows cars? It seemed odd to me.

I bought a BMW this year (first time) and I have had to put a quart of oil in it every 5000 miles.

We have gotten pretty spoiled.. I had cars that burned a quart every 250 miles...

Jon

david goldman said:

Have u checked to see any oil on your garage flow?
Is your engine coated underneath with tar oil?
Have u seen any color on the inside of your tail pipe?
Did u accelerate hard only to see a plum of blue smoke in your rear view mirror?
If it's not a gasket leak,it's probably internal.
U can powerwash your engine when cold then look for any oil leaks.
Some engines burn more oil than others that have mucho miles.
It also could mean the engine overheated in the past, unless it's new.
It's difficult if not impossible to diagnose a car over the phone.
Dave.

Hi Dave,

THe car is new, and I can't see a bit of oil anywhere on the ground or the car itself. I don't see anything exhaust-wise either when I drive it. The first time I brought it in at 5000, I took it to service, and they said "you don't need service, you need a quart of oil" implying that this isn't unusual. It sure seems unusual to me.

Hi Russ,
I was a Master Tech (Shop Foreman) for BMW for over 20 years, so I know quite a bit about them. You did not mention which BMW you bought, model and year.

But, it is uncommon to have to add oil in 5,000 miles with these cars. This is a new car, then of course this is not at all normal or acceptable. If the dealership does not seem interested, ask to speak to the BMW representative about this. I would insist on this being looked into by the regional rep if they do not want to address the problem.

I have replaced engines, transmissions and just about any part under warranty and BMW has always been willing to take care of these types of problems. You have rights and you should make them aware of the fact that you have them

I will be out of town for a couple of days and will return Saturday, but I will check this forum before I leave.

But

Acellerate, then take your foot off the gas. That is when you will see if the engine is burning oil - look in the rearview to see if there is any faint smoke.

Rolando

Thanks for all the input. Let me answer a couple questions posed:

1) I tried the "smoke-test" and didn't see any smoke at all after flooring it and letting go of the gas peddle.
2) The exhaust pipes are clean and don't have oil in them
3) My driving habits I would call "ordinary", and I drive this like a commuter vehicle. Mostly expressway driving around 75 MPH. No heavy peddle here. I bought it for it's size/reputation/driving pleasure and I was bored driving the same brand of vehicle since 1990. To be totally frank, my wife liked it better than I did. I actually liked the Audi A8 better when we test drove it for it's comfort and appointments and the quality of it's interior (not even close in my view), but I think she was right that the BMW "drove" better.

I'm not a big fan of the turbo-charger, as it "kicks in" well after you demand power for a lane-change or something where you need to accelerate quickly. Of course, when it eventually takes effect it has quite a punch.

Anyway, thanks for the input, guy. I hope this clarifies a little.