E60 525i M Sport Engine Oil Low

[shawnwong76]

Hi Guys,Have a 2005 525i M Sport with new Magnesium Block that always after a c ouple of months usage on a daily bassis comes out short on engine oil. Oil level will be low and iDrive will state "engine oil level low, add 1 litre". This is after adding 7- 71/2 liters of Castrol fully synthetic during service. Stange. And this seems to be a common problem with the E60 525i from what I was told.Apart from this annoying problem, the car has no other problems eventhough it's a CKD model. BMW has really upped their quality compared to Mercs which are rubbish in build quality.Could it be the viscosity of Castrol is too thin and should swap to another engine oil like Shell Helix? Holler at me if you have come across the same problem.

 

[k3nny]

i think all of us have the same problem.

i dont complaint because i get it every 5000 - 7000kms.

so everytime i service my car, i just buy 2 bottles and put it in my boot at approx rm95 per bottle and this will last me till my next service with minimum inconvenience.

ive also met some owners that are going thru the 1 litre within 2000 - 3000kms.

they did that 1000kms test and flush etc and no difference. still the same? no response. no feedback.

if its anywhere from 5000 - 7000 before it asks for more oil, i personally know of 6 other 525i m-sports that do this incl mine so i think it should be normal?

 

[Lancelot Adolph]

1) send your car and check whether there is leakage,

2) if no leakage, see whether any other reason that causes it leaks

if no,

3) add 2 liter black oil every time after you service your car, should last you at least 10,000km for next service,

this is how i do it, so far no problem

 

[shawnwong76]

Thanks guys. No oil leak. Had it checked. The car is serviced every 6 months or 10,000 kms. I don't believe in following the manufacturer's schedule. Our country is too hot and humid for the oil to last that long.
Have also changed the stupid run flats to Continental Conti Sport Contact 2 tires. So much better grip and ride confort. As long as you have an additonal tire pump no problem there.

 

[thule]

Try Shell Helix Ultra AB 5W-40... see how it performs ok?

 

[shawnwong76]

Thanks Thule. May need to change ignition plug coils also as car sometimes judders on idling. Seems a common problem too.

 

[thule]

have a thorough check at your regular service centre... or better if you go to other BMW specialist to check...

 

[shawnwong76]

Doing so now. My guys are hinest and dependable. Have so for the last 2 years. Better than stupid Auto Bavaria. Lousy. Have a E90 320 as well. They couldn't solve a simple and easy problem. On top of that parked my car overnight and had a scratch on the rear bumper.
I keep all my cars in mint condition and I'm very fussy. Not sending to them anymore. I do occsionally send to Sapura but only for software upgrades if necessary.

 

[Mouse]

i guess u guys must be using 5w-40 when u encounter the problem of topping up 1 liter after travelling for 5-8k. have u guys try 10w-50 to see if it solve the problem?

 

[SilverKITT]

e60

hi guy i also using e60 5251 seen that i hv no problem with the engine oil fill up

pls asvise me because i m anew member for the club.

rgds
silverkitt

 

[thule]

silverkitt - since u r new member, I assume that you have just got your ride not long ago right??? Drive for another few months to see if the engine oil problem pops out or not. I have been driving since October last year and so far encounter none of this problem... FYI, I change my engine oil every 10000km instead of 25000km recommended by BMW...

mouse - I'm using Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 (the latest in the market) and ans so far no problem yet (touch wood)

 

[j0shua]

Doing so now. My guys are hinest and dependable. Have so for the last 2 years. Better than stupid Auto Bavaria. Lousy. Have a E90 320 as well. They couldn't solve a simple and easy problem. On top of that parked my car overnight and had a scratch on the rear bumper.
I keep all my cars in mint condition and I'm very fussy. Not sending to them anymore. I do occsionally send to Sapura but only for software upgrades if necessary.

who do you send your car to?
you can pm me if you prefer. i've been sending to AB and have gotten sick of them, and now have been sending to sapura, but am rapidly running out of patience too. looking for someone honest and reliable.

 

[E46Fanatic]

The N52 should be taking 5w-30 of BMW LL oil (Petronas) when you service is authorized dealers. For those with oil burn problems, whats your average speeds clocked on your OBC? Curious if its related to daily commute patterns.

 

[t2ribena]

The N52 should be taking 5w-30 of BMW LL oil (Petronas) when you service is authorized dealers. For those with oil burn problems, whats your average speeds clocked on your OBC? Curious if its related to daily commute patterns.

bro me using 0W-30 and average speed is 40kmh...so far no need top up but afta 7000km one/two bar down on the i-drive engine oil indicator...i change oil every 10k km...

 

[thule]

who do you send your car to?
you can pm me if you prefer. i've been sending to AB and have gotten sick of them, and now have been sending to sapura, but am rapidly running out of patience too. looking for someone honest and reliable.

I dont' know about you... but since I didn't buy my ride from either Ingress, AB or Sapura... I didn't take it back for servicing coz the charges are on the high side, the technician handling your problem might be a trainee instead of experienced mech (you think that your car is the only one being serviced there?).

Alternatively, you can find some other BMW specialists out there... depending on where you live. Please look at the usual workshops that the Bimmers here go to... for me, I take my car to M1 in Kayu Ara PJ or Auto Mobile Garage in Sec 13 PJ... they have the tools and expertise needed... so far, no complaints. Good luck :top:

 

[j0shua]

I dont' know about you... but since I didn't buy my ride from either Ingress, AB or Sapura... I didn't take it back for servicing coz the charges are on the high side, the technician handling your problem might be a trainee instead of experienced mech (you think that your car is the only one being serviced there?).

Alternatively, you can find some other BMW specialists out there... depending on where you live. Please look at the usual workshops that the Bimmers here go to... for me, I take my car to M1 in Kayu Ara PJ or Auto Mobile Garage in Sec 13 PJ... they have the tools and expertise needed... so far, no complaints. Good luck :top:

Mine came from AB, and not only are the charges high, but they're constantly booked. I can't wait a week for them to get around to fixing my car, and with so many cars going into AB and now Sapura, I'm sure they can't give as much attention as I'd like them to. I'd prefer to send it to someone that knows the car inside out, and has worked on it, and the previous generations, for years, so the knowledge and understanding is there, rather than someone who has read this all from a BMW textbook, and follows that to the letter.

Example would be the air con compressor, Sapura recommended a RM5k compressor change while I've been told others have sorted it out by tweaking a valve.

Anyways, thanks for your recommendations, I've actually used AMG for my S class, which was very rapidly dumped in favour of a 7, so I've never really thought of them as a BMW shop.

 

[thule]

you getting the new 7-Series?? Looks cool with so many high tech stuff loaded. The only downside is taht the high tech it is... the more complicated to service the car... lol!!! What can I say??? Opportunity cost...

 

[j0shua]

you getting the new 7-Series?? Looks cool with so many high tech stuff loaded. The only downside is taht the high tech it is... the more complicated to service the car... lol!!! What can I say??? Opportunity cost...

I've got a 7 on order, delivery is slated for some time in March. E66 prices have bottomed out like mad, so it's hard getting rid of the current one, and the economic forecast is not helping, either. I'm hoping the stuff in the F02 is just refined evolutions of what was in the E66, so while the high-tech stuff is new, it's not ground-breakingly new, and therefore they would've had some time to iron out the kinks. Most of the stuff I spec'd exists on other cars already, like the HUD and all, so if all goes well, they'd put the thing together well enough for it to stay in one piece for a while. Opportunity costs indeed... not to mention the road tax savings on the 3l twin turbo.

edit: sorry for the thread hijack!

 

[thule]

Just to poison you more and more to mod your F02... muahahhaah (evil laugh):

http://www.bmwcoop.com/2009/03/03/ac-schnitzer-2009-bmw-7-series/#more-1408
http://www.bmwcoop.com/2009/03/07/bmw-alpina-b7-bi-turbo/#more-1438

Good luck!!!

 

[tinman]

no new car engine should top up engine oil or consume oil. this problem was seen in my partners e60 n52 o6 530i
model .he made so much noise at AB , so they changed his engine ,still same problem every 5000km- 6000km so in 2oo8 he traded in for x5 d. n52 is not bmws finest hour, some insiders say bmw dropped the ball. the m54 was bullet prove. n52 the fault is at the magnesium crankcase and pistons.. if you look at classified add loads of n52 for sale.325i 523i 525i 530i 730li. . so people buyin better stick to 320i , e60 m54, diesel or v8. .this info is my personal opinion and based on data collected . tq