Oil level indicator

philt83 · 24-10-2010, 09:26 AM

Hello to all, i am new to this forum, and also new to csl ownership. I've had mine a couple of weeks now, and absolutely love it. Having previously owned a M3 evo, it is a world apart!

One thing is playing on my mind, the electronic oil level indicator and my local bmw dealer was not a great deal of help. (they tried to tell me i didnt have one!). When i 1st got the car it was showing +1.0L and all of a sudden it is showing -:-L.

all ive heard from other bmw owners i know who have this stupid feature fitted, is that they are notoriously unreliable, and since i dont fancy taking the airbox out every 2weeks to check the emergency dipstick, i was hoping someone can give me some pointers as to how to get the most reliable reading out of this thing, and what the best level to keep it at is.

Many thanks

**outnumbered** · 24-10-2010, 11:22 AM

-:-L just means it hasn't been driven on a long enough journey to take a long term reading. It takes a journey of 20-30 minutes in my experience. There's also a way of taking a short-term reading, if you look in the handbook, I've never bothered.

If it was showing +1.0 within the last 2 weeks you've got nothing to worry about.

Dan · 24-10-2010, 12:20 PM

To force a reading press and hold the sport button and it will show what level it is, do you do a lot of short journey's?

azrael · 24-10-2010, 02:39 PM

It also wont give you a reading if you've used track mode prior

**shimmy** · 24-10-2010, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azrael

It also wont give you a reading if you've used track mode prior

What's track mode?

shane@mbtech · 24-10-2010, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmy

What's track mode?

M track button on steering wheel as people call it.

**shimmy** · 24-10-2010, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lawsy

M track button on steering wheel as people call it.

Ahhh thought I'd missed something for 4 years!

My oil readings has gone to -/- only 3 times and has come back after between 50-150 miles

shane@mbtech · 24-10-2010, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmy

Ahhh thought I'd missed something for 4 years!

My oil readings has gone to -/- only 3 times and has come back after between 50-150 miles

Happened once only in mine.

I have a funny story re missing something on a car.

In my dealer days at Mercedes, I was doing some minor job on a customers 129 chassis 1999 SL, the customer was at the car too, he was peering into the showroom and said to me That he really liked another SL sat in the showroom with the roof down. (same car as his basically).
I said why, yours is just as nice, similar age, just a different colour.
He said but that one in the showroom is a convertible. I said so is yours, he just laughed and said yeh right. I thought he was joking but he was deadly serious. His car just had the removable hardtop on.

After a funny discussion, I had to show him that the hardtop was removeable, we removed it and I showed him his convertible car.

He was like a kid at christmas, gave me a big tip and wanted to get home asap to get his hardtop off and in the garage. He was genuinely in shock, I was just laughing.

He had owned it for nearly 18 months

, it was sold with hardtop on and the used car salesman, whom he bought it off, must have just presumed he knew. Well you would.

Sticks in my memory that one.

**shimmy** · 24-10-2010, 05:04 PM

We had a silver 1980s 500SL and the hard top weighed a tonne and was very hard to get off and at least for two of the years we had her we left it on all summer!

shane@mbtech · 24-10-2010, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmy

We had a silver 1980s 500SL and the hard top weighed a tonne and was very hard to get off and at least for two of the years we had her we left it on all summer!

They are heavy thats for sure, 2 man job to remove and refit.

Nice pimpmobile shim

24-10-2010, 09:26 AM	#1
philt83 Wonky 'L' after Washing Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 1 Casino cash: $264	Oil level indicator Hello to all, i am new to this forum, and also new to csl ownership. I've had mine a couple of weeks now, and absolutely love it. Having previously owned a M3 evo, it is a world apart! One thing is playing on my mind, the electronic oil level indicator and my local bmw dealer was not a great deal of help. (they tried to tell me i didnt have one!). When i 1st got the car it was showing +1.0L and all of a sudden it is showing -:-L. all ive heard from other bmw owners i know who have this stupid feature fitted, is that they are notoriously unreliable, and since i dont fancy taking the airbox out every 2weeks to check the emergency dipstick, i was hoping someone can give me some pointers as to how to get the most reliable reading out of this thing, and what the best level to keep it at is. Many thanks

24-10-2010, 11:22 AM	#2
outnumbered S5, Sport Off, DSC M-track Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Reading Posts: 731 Casino cash: $19557	-:-L just means it hasn't been driven on a long enough journey to take a long term reading. It takes a journey of 20-30 minutes in my experience. There's also a way of taking a short-term reading, if you look in the handbook, I've never bothered. If it was showing +1.0 within the last 2 weeks you've got nothing to worry about. __________________ Now with added SG CSL.

24-10-2010, 12:20 PM	#3
Dan Driving it like I nicked it Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 2,058 Casino cash: $6689	To force a reading press and hold the sport button and it will show what level it is, do you do a lot of short journey's? __________________

24-10-2010, 02:39 PM	#4
azrael S5, Sport On, DSC M-track Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Portsmouth/Reading Posts: 1,292 Casino cash: $9290	It also wont give you a reading if you've used track mode prior __________________ Ashley Shaeffer BMW - Wooo

24-10-2010, 05:04 PM	#9
shimmy CSL Register Uber-poster! Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Uk Posts: 14,646 Casino cash: $43909	We had a silver 1980s 500SL and the hard top weighed a tonne and was very hard to get off and at least for two of the years we had her we left it on all summer! __________________ .