E60 525i M Sport Engine Oil Low

[E46Fanatic]

Ya, unfortunately there are known excessive oil burn issues with the N52 for _some_ cars but not all. In most cases the oil burn is acceptable ~ a quart in about 7-8k kms which even in the M54 days most folks wont notice cos they never pop the hood and pull the dip stick to check oi levels at all. In our cars its just via push of buttons from the cockpit so, folks generally check more often (I know I do with the N52).

Having owned and driven both the N52 and M54, I'll still take the N52 anyday! Its much better mated with the 6 speed gearbox which is a lot more responsive and its got lower center of gravity compared to the rather top heavy feeling M54. Even braking distances is shorter on a E90 330i with the N52 vs. a E90 335i fitted with bigger brakes all round and an N54 (similar block to M54), so you get the benefit of a lighter engine in these areas as well. In terms of excitement, the M54 doesn't come close to the N52, esp when its screaming away at 7k rpms. The M54 is much more subdued, and more Merc V6 like. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[t2ribena]

for such a technological advanced and wonderful engine, i can accept the oil burn and top up afta 6 to 7k km...the N52 is so much nicer to drive on than the M54...

 

[QME7555]

Does this also happen to the 2004 model E60 525i cause I just bought one just last 2 weeks ago.

 

[t2ribena]

Does this also happen to the 2004 model E60 525i cause I just bought one just last 2 weeks ago.

ur car is on the M54 engine and i havent heard any oil burnt issue with this engine...M54 is also on the e39 also no such issues...

 

[astroboy]

Wah! N52 can push up to 7k rpm meh? I know my N46 ECU induced upshift at 6k+ rpm, regardless of the shift mode..

 

[E46Fanatic]

Wah! N52 can push up to 7k rpm meh? I know my N46 ECU induced upshift at 6k+ rpm, regardless of the shift mode..

Yup! It breeds excitement at those rev ranges :wink:

 

[B33mEr]

Ya, unfortunately there are known excessive oil burn issues with the N52 for _some_ cars but not all. In most cases the oil burn is acceptable ~ a quart in about 7-8k kms which even in the M54 days most folks wont notice cos they never pop the hood and pull the dip stick to check oi levels at all. In our cars its just via push of buttons from the cockpit so, folks generally check more often (I know I do with the N52).

Having owned and driven both the N52 and M54, I'll still take the N52 anyday! Its much better mated with the 6 speed gearbox which is a lot more responsive and its got lower center of gravity compared to the rather top heavy feeling M54. Even braking distances is shorter on a E90 330i with the N52 vs. a E90 335i fitted with bigger brakes all round and an N54 (similar block to M54), so you get the benefit of a lighter engine in these areas as well. In terms of excitement, the M54 doesn't come close to the N52, esp when its screaming away at 7k rpms. The M54 is much more subdued, and more Merc V6 like. Different strokes for different folks.

Too bad N52 can't be force fed (S/C or turbo) so in terms of increasing power it's quite limited as opposed to M54

P/s: But the N52 is lighter and more powerful in NA form compared to the M54 due to extensive use of magnesium alloy and other new techs by BMW ... but still the power upgrades path is very limited.

 

[QME7555]

Thanks, so don't have to worry then

 

[t2ribena]

Too bad N52 can't be force fed (S/C or turbo) so in terms of increasing power it's quite limited as opposed to M54

P/s: But the N52 is lighter and more powerful in NA form compared to the M54 due to extensive use of magnesium alloy and other new techs by BMW ... but still the power upgrades path is very limited.

bro the aluminium alloy block encased with the magnesium alloy is just to reduce weight ler...as far as I know it does not increase power...hehe

power is improved with the valvetronic tech (that M54 tarak

also the reason why cannot do force induction) that eliminates throttle body, 3-stage intake, electric water pump, on-demand oil pump...etc etc

 

[B33mEr]

bro the aluminium alloy block encased with the magnesium alloy is just to reduce weight ler...as far as I know it does not increase power...hehe

power is improved with the valvetronic tech (that M54 tarak

also the reason why cannot do force induction) that eliminates throttle body, 3-stage intake, electric water pump, on-demand oil pump...etc etc

From wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_N52

"The BMW N52 is BMW's latest straight-6 engine, which debuted in 2004 on the BMW E63 630Ci. Its crankcase is made entirely of magnesium and aluminum, a first in the world of engine construction. BMW used Alusil aluminum cylinder sleeves, which offer high heat conductivity, and cast them into a lightweight magnesium block [1], creating one of the lightest production engines of its size class in the world at 161 kg (354 lb).

It includes BMW's second generation Valvetronic system and Double-VANOS for fuel-efficiency (12% fuel savings over the previous generation BMW M54 engine - and increases performance. Producing 63 kW (85.5 hp) per liter of displacement, it has the lowest weight per horsepower of any six cylinder engine (1.24 hp per kilogram with the latest version). It is the world’s lightest six-cylinder engine.

It was awarded as one of Ward's 10 Best Engines of the Year in 2006 and 2007. Technologically it is even more advanced than the new N54B30 bi-turbo, which is based on an older M54B30 design and lacks several improvements that BMW has made for this engine."

Hehehe you're right bro .. let me re-phase the use of mag alloy helps the N52 to achieve a high power to weight ratio :top: Also it's the other way around It's a magnesium block with aluminum cylinder sleeves

 

[t2ribena]

Wah! N52 can push up to 7k rpm meh? I know my N46 ECU induced upshift at 6k+ rpm, regardless of the shift mode..

astro...next mod lo...make ur car go until redline...

bro ur avatar pic izzit a vios...wtf vios also got M5 body kit...

so far the following car got M5 kit;

1. BMW e60
2. Perodua MyVi
3. Toyota Camry
4. Toyota Vios
5.

 

[grossypinnocchio]

Castrol Edge Sport 10W-60!!

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.

My E60 has the same problem too... In fact i have read an article through the net (hehe... can't recall what website was that.. guess is the website or something) stating the E60 has a high ...ermm... some sort like high RPM type of engine whereby the engine will ...ermm... vaporise (guess its the right word) faster therefore it need a higher viscosity type of engine oil .. i am a big fan to Castrol Edge 5W-40 but now i changed it to Castrol Edge Sport 10W-60 (price is reasonable much cheaper than the Mobil 1 and with API SM/CF rating) which is strongly recomended for turbo engine and now it saves me time & money to top up the engine oil anymore... Happy driving...

 

[t2ribena]

My E60 has the same problem too... In fact i have read an article through the net (hehe... can't recall what website was that.. guess is the website or something) stating the E60 has a high ...ermm... some sort like high RPM type of engine whereby the engine will ...ermm... vaporise (guess its the right word) faster therefore it need a higher viscosity type of engine oil .. i am a big fan to Castrol Edge 5W-40 but now i changed it to Castrol Edge Sport 10W-60 (price is reasonable much cheaper than the Mobil 1 and with API SM/CF rating) which is strongly recomended for turbo engine and now it saves me time & money to top up the engine oil anymore... Happy driving...

u need a higher flash point of engine oil and not higher viscosity oil...:top:

 

[davidtch]

My E60 has the same problem too... In fact i have read an article through the net (hehe... can't recall what website was that.. guess is the website or something) stating the E60 has a high ...ermm... some sort like high RPM type of engine whereby the engine will ...ermm... vaporise (guess its the right word) faster therefore it need a higher viscosity type of engine oil .. i am a big fan to Castrol Edge 5W-40 but now i changed it to Castrol Edge Sport 10W-60 (price is reasonable much cheaper than the Mobil 1 and with API SM/CF rating) which is strongly recomended for turbo engine and now it saves me time & money to top up the engine oil anymore... Happy driving...

This is a very thick viscocity for ///M engine.

 

[RahimRad]

i was told by someone from BMW that if you are a high revving type of driver then you can expect this top up warning to come up every now and then. in layman's term, high revving makes the engine thirsty..

i had it twice in the last 3.7 years of driving my 530. mileage now 43,000 but the last top up request was way back at 20,000km mielage. anyone care to corroborate with me? high revving results to top up request :stupid:

 

[yellowmanta]

Hi Rahim,
Don't think the loss of engine oil is confined to the high revving type. I have the E60 523 and encountered this problem even before hitting the 5000km mark back then. Then it got worse and the warning to top up came on like almost every 2000-3000km. I don't drive fast (use the car purely for business purposes) and certainly seldom rev the engine to high RPM levels yet I had the problem. Finally after much hassle with AB and going thru some tests, they replaced the engine block, piston rings and other ancillary parts under warranty. And the problem seems to be solved so far, touch wood.
Infact, on the contrary to what you say, when they handed me the car back after the engine block swap, they advised me to rev the car every now and then, maybe to burn off carbon deposits that could have contributed to the problem. So now every Sat I'd bring my car to the NKVE and really give it a good rev...
FYI the engine swap was done at mileage 32800km and my present mileage is 43,000km.
Cheers,
Pete

 

[thule]

bro yellowmanta...
You mentioned last time that it cost more than 20k alone just to replace the whole engine block & stuff right??? So far, I encountered none of this problem (touch wood) hope your engine behaves well now...

 

[t2ribena]

i normally and usually drive near the redline and so far no message to ask me to top-up...mileage at 102k now...so guys...rev the engine...hahahahah

 

[yellowmanta]

Hi thule,
Indeed, the cost of replacing the engine block and ancillary stuff is more than RM22k if not under warranty!
Yeah, better rev your engine! Guess BMW is designed to be driven that way anyway, haha.
Cheers,
Pete

 

[astroboy]

Recently spoke to a friend that owns an E60 525i MSport, bought from Sapura. It's a 2006 car, he bought it brand new, pre-reg, now clocking 50k km with BSRI and warranty, both just expired.

Few weeks ago, fuel pump fail with no warning on the OBC, engine just died in the middle of a typical KL traffic, blocking the road, had to call BMW voice to tow it back to SC. Fuel pump replaced, didn't ask the cost though, I think it was warrantied. Symptom was strong petrol smell for sometime before the fuel pump died.

Last week, engine was shivering, and it happened just outside of Tabung Haji, KL. So a quick u-turn and drop the car at Sapura SC.

Got to leave the car there, no courtesy car.. Diagnostic found heavy sludge problem with the engine that clogs up all the sensors. I think his E60 needs more than just engine flush.. He only did once oil change under BSRI, as advised by the SC and OBC.. :stupid:

So who's fault? I think he's giving up on the E60 and booking for an F10 now..