Did you know?- 2008 BMW 335i has no dipstick

[benhogan]

my neighbor has one, he came over last night for help in checking his oil (some dummy light came on maybe)....alas...no dipstick.

I wonder what the engineers where thinking?

[tbomachines]

Yup, neither does my 135i with the newer N55 engine. It is an annoyance.

[SwampYankee]

Originally Posted by benhogan

my neighbor has one, he came over last night for help in checking his oil (some dummy light came on maybe)....alas...no dipstick.

I wonder what the engineers where thinking?

New Bimmer drivers don't check their own oil and bring them to the dealer for service?

And probably the same for those buying Certified Pre Owned or whatever BMW calls theirs?

They don't care a lick about the 3rd and 4th owners who will likely get their hands dirty and service their own vehicles.

[benhogan]

Originally Posted by tbomachines

Yup, neither does my 135i with the newer N55 engine. It is an annoyance.

ok. so how do you or how does the dealer check the oil level?

[SwampYankee]

Originally Posted by benhogan

ok. so how do you or how does the dealer check the oil level?

Probably plug it in? Just talking out of my @$$ since I don't own one, but don't most modern, higher end engines use internal oil diagnostics to determine oil change intervals and levels?

[spdrun]

I'm guessing that there's a warning light when the oil level drops below spec. Some BMWs as old as the 80s had it -- I know that e28's had this on the "diagnostic panel" near the mirror.

Hopefully they made the sensor damned reliable.

[pj67coll]

I guess that's a "sealed for life" engine

- Peter.

[Air&Road]

There have been MB vehicles delivered with no dipstick also. When I took delivery of my new 2001 C240 back in 2000, I was shocked to learn that it had no dipstick. There was one available from the parts counter as a tool, but I never bought one. The sensors were good enough, and the engine used no oil, so there was never really a need for one.

One of those paradigm changes that's difficult to get accustomed to.

[tbomachines]

DIY - E92 Oil Change

Its actually really easy to change.

[tbomachines]

Originally Posted by benhogan

ok. so how do you or how does the dealer check the oil level?

Electronic level

[nate300d]

Originally Posted by Air&Road

There have been MB vehicles delivered with no dipstick also. When I took delivery of my new 2001 C240 back in 2000, I was shocked to learn that it had no dipstick. There was one available from the parts counter as a tool, but I never bought one. The sensors were good enough, and the engine used no oil, so there was never really a need for one.

One of those paradym changes that's difficult to get accustomed to.

The sensor does give you constant monitoring, yet is it another electrical item that can fail versus the dipstick which is decades old and proven.
The greater issue to me is that you can not a sample of the oil. With a dipstick you are getting to see a sample of the oil to check its condition.

[tbomachines]

Originally Posted by nate300d

The sensor does give you constant monitoring, yet is it another electrical item that can fail versus the dipstick which is decades old and proven.
The greater issue to me is that you can not a sample of the oil. With a dipstick you are getting to see a sample of the oil to check its condition.

I mean...there's still a 710 cap....

[nate300d]

Originally Posted by tbomachines

DIY - E92 Oil Change

Its actually really easy to change.

...drained, not sumped out which I trust provides a better 'flushing' of the bottom of the pan.

[spdrun]

The oil filter design is brilliant. I say this with no sarcasm.

[Air&Road]

Originally Posted by nate300d

The sensor does give you constant monitoring, yet is it another electrical item that can fail versus the dipstick which is decades old and proven.
The greater issue to me is that you can not a sample of the oil. With a dipstick you are getting to see a sample of the oil to check its condition.

You bring up a great point. Since engines rarely consume oil these days, the level is probably being kept up with adequately. What the oil LOOKS LIKE OTOH, is a different issue.

The cars that do not have a dipstick have sensors to monitor the quality of the oil as well. I trust THOSE sensors and technology much less than I do the electronic monitoring of the level.

All this said, every engine I've seen delivered without a dipstick, has had a dipstick tube. It's not difficult to make a stick out of something to draw a visual sample of the oil.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to justify the car makers approach, but there are many if not most drivers that barely know how to get the hood open. For them, finding the dipstick is most definitely graduate school stuff.

My neighbor came over night before last to show me his new purchase, a 2002 SLK. He is a perfect example of someone that barely knows how to open the hood. The dipstick APPEARED to be the one that they sell at the parts counter. He would probably have never known where to find it or what it was, had I not showed him.