[DSB_550]

Hey guys, first post here!

got my 11' 550i in October.

Today I got the low oil warning level at 3400 miles.

I was concerned and took it to the dealer and was given the same speech about "this is normal, we get concerned at 1000 miles/qt etc..." which was fine.

however, when i got back to the office (should have checked at the dealership) i noticed that the tail pipes were black as hell and there was a ton of oil on the tips themselves.

for those that are burning oil, are you noticing this as well?

I called the service rep back and he said that with no visible leaks, they do a consumption test. So he noted this in the computer and said "keep an eye on it"

[bamboozle]

DSB 550, I have 9700 miles and I just added my 5th quart. I burn a quart about every 1900 miles. My car has the chrome tips and the bottom of them are black but no oil on them.

[ghueser]

Originally Posted by DSB_550

Hey guys, first post here!

got my 11' 550i in October.

Today I got the low oil warning level at 3400 miles.

I was concerned and took it to the dealer and was given the same speech about "this is normal, we get concerned at 1000 miles/qt etc..." which was fine.

however, when i got back to the office (should have checked at the dealership) i noticed that the tail pipes were black as hell and there was a ton of oil on the tips themselves.

for those that are burning oil, are you noticing this as well?

I called the service rep back and he said that with no visible leaks, they do a consumption test. So he noted this in the computer and said "keep an eye on it"

Are you sure this was Oil in the tips and not water? Black tailpipe tips seem to be the norm, I have them on my 535i......but having oil there is a whole other story. If it really is Oil, suggest you take the car back in an have this checked out.

[Autojack]

No, I have not noticed any oil at the exhaust pipe tips, and I added one quart so far. I wash it almost every week - so I would have noticed oil on the exhaust pipes if it was there.
I have about 3600 miles on my 2011 F10 550 M-Sport with an October 2010 build date.

[DSB_550]

Originally Posted by ghueser

Are you sure this was Oil in the tips and not water? Black tailpipe tips seem to be the norm, I have them on my 535i......but having oil there is a whole other story. If it really is Oil, suggest you take the car back in an have this checked out.

right, i'm going to have to check again and make sure it's not just soot/condensation...hopefully it is!

thanks for the answers guys.


I need to get out to wash the car, this weather has been terrible

[Z4C_luvver]

This is an interesting topic.

Could I ask a favour and we do a little survey?

For the guys that have little or no consumption of oil, how did you drive from new? Hard, as in with no break-in in mind, or to the rulebook - gentle for the first 1200miles?

And the same for the guys that have a lot of consumption of oil?

It'd be interesting to see if there's a pattern.

[DSB_550]

Originally Posted by 5er_luvver

This is an interesting topic.

Could I ask a favour and we do a little survey?

For the guys that have little or no consumption of oil, how did you drive from new? Hard, as in with no break-in in mind, or to the rulebook - gentle for the first 1200miles?

And the same for the guys that have a lot of consumption of oil?

It'd be interesting to see if there's a pattern.

we could do that, but i imagine it's going to vary by engine, so unless we specify it won't do much good.

personally, I was pretty gentle on the car for the first 1000 miles...which is about 500 more than I've ever given any other car.


As a side note I spoke to my sister in law's bf, who is a BMW tech and he said it's normal for this car (the 550).

[delvek]

At the 1k miles, following the break in requirements (less then 4500rpm and less then 100mph) I had a break in oil change, the oil was 1 quart low. For the next 3500 miles I had no oil burnage and drove the car not hard but fast.

I am about to go through the break in process again with another F10, I am curious to see what the oil level will be at after its 1k break in.

Originally Posted by DSB_550

As a side note I spoke to my sister in law's bf, who is a BMW tech and he said it's normal for this car (the 550).

Seems to be the feedback I have gotten as well, especially on the break in.

[bobblehead]

550 xdrive
No additional oil consumption at all. Oil level at Max since day 1
Have just over 6,000km to-date and 4 months in.
All winter months driving thus far.
Observed the break-in period and drove conservatively.

[Sharbotcom]

535 xdrive
No additional oil consumption at all. Oil level at Max since day 1
Have just over 6,000km to-date and 3 months in.
All winter months driving thus far.
Observed the break-in period (sort of ) and drove conservatively (mostly ).

[bobblehead]

^^^ No oil burning but lots of tire burning ...

[bamboozle]

5er luvver, I followed the breakin procedure for the first 1200 miles.

[Jon D]

Originally Posted by 5er_luvver

This is an interesting topic.

Could I ask a favour and we do a little survey?

For the guys that have little or no consumption of oil, how did you drive from new? Hard, as in with no break-in in mind, or to the rulebook - gentle for the first 1200miles?

And the same for the guys that have a lot of consumption of oil?

It'd be interesting to see if there's a pattern.

This survey would only bear relevance if it were confined to specific engine types. However, having religiously observed the break-in procedure and then gradually opening it up over a total of 3k miles, before really enjoying the car, the oil level on my 535d is exactly where it was on delivery - no discernible loss after 6k miles.

[DSB_550]

i went out this evening and cleaned off the wheels/tips and the tips came very clean..looks like it was soot/condensation.

it's going to rain for the next few days...but at least the wheels are clean again

[Autojack]

I just added another quart of oil today at 3785 miles, after receiving the low oil message. No charge by the dealer.

I added the first quart of oil at 2650 miles, after the low oil warning message came on - the dealer added a quart - no charge.

The dealer again told me this is "normal" for the F10 550 (???)

What does everyone else think about this?

[Calgary Agent]

Originally Posted by Autojack

I just added another quart of oil today at 3785 miles, after receiving the low oil message. No charge by the dealer.

I added the first quart of oil at 2650 miles, after the low oil warning message came on - the dealer added a quart - no charge.

What does everyone else think about this?

You're getting closer to what BMW rates as "abnormal" oil consumption (1 litre per 1,100km OR 1 qt per 700 miles). Check with your service department for specifics

[JOHNBMWM5]

Update: 2800 miles NO Oil used yet.

[04S]

Same engine, but on a different car. My X5 with the turbo V8 has used 1L at 2,000 ks, another 1L at 4,000 and another 1L at 6,000. It has been driven by my wife - read fairly sedately - and I am told by the various people I have spoken to down here that 700mL per 1000k is within spec. Seems unbelievable to me but that is what I am being told.

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by SS14

Same engine, but on a different car. My X5 with the turbo V8 has used 1L at 2,000 ks, another 1L at 4,000 and another 1L at 6,000. It has been driven by my wife - read fairly sedately - and I am told by the various people I have spoken to down here that 700mL per 1000k is within spec. Seems unbelievable to me but that is what I am being told.

This sound excessive to me, if the car was being hammered yes but
I would not be happy with this rate of consumption.

[Fantasm]

My BMW dealer told me its normal for it to burn 1qt approximately every 1000 miles.
I had to add 1qt already at around 2K miles IIRC.
I just turned over 3K miles so we'll see how much longer before it asks for another qt.

[acsoup123]

For what its worth....F10 550xi, followed break-in first 1200 miles. Then gradually opened up, frequent sprints to 100+ whenever possible. The beast just asked for +1qt @ 6300 miles. Topped off by dealer, no charge.

[bimmerfrei]

18.600 miles driven and this far I have added about 1 litre of oil. Don't know if that would qualify as a little or a lot. The oil I was given from BMW is thin as water so no wonder it has a tendency to burn away pretty fast. Break-in according to BMW's advice in the manual. First oil change according to iDrive will be in 5500 miles.