What oil for a 2003 facelift 330Ci?

Kingy

Kingy

Kingy

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Hi all, the oil light has come on, so I want to get some oil to top it up, but don't know the spec off the top of my head, does anyone here know?

Any rules on topping up? How high on the dipstick + does the oil need to be cold etc?
 
There is markers on the dipstick, MIN / MAX and also Oil takes few moments to filter through, so after topping up don't expect the dipstick to instantly reflect this.
 
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Why do people wait until the oil light comes on...

Check it yourself once a month or at least every 2-3 months. Oil is very important to your car and if it's low your engine is either burning it or you have a leak.
 
So much wrong information in this thread!

Where to start...

The oil level is only correct with the engine at operating temperature. Check it from cold and you'll overfill it by loads.

You must use BMW Longlife approved oil, not just any old stuff. Castrol Edge 0W-30, Mobil 1 0W-40, Shell Helix Ultra AP 5W-30 are all LongLife approved - make sure it mentions BMW LongLife-01 or LongLife-04 approval on the back of the bottle.

The M54 engines DO use oil and it's completely normal - the light comes on well before you hit the minimum on the dipstick as a very early warning.
 
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Stonedofmoo said:
Why do people wait until the oil light comes on...
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Because that is what most normal people do. The light on the 330ci is just a low oil level warning light (similar to a dipstick approaching the minimum level), it's a long way from being an oil pressure light.
 
merlin said:
Hit the max mark with the engine cold.
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No, do NOT do this or you will overfill the car. I speak from experience :p

The oil must be checked with the engine WARM, 5 minutes after shutting the car down. Anywhen else and you'll get a false reading. This is explained in the handbook.
 
I have the same engine in my Z4, am I right in thinking that the top of the notch is the max mark? Its quite hard to get a clean reading.
 
You wont overfill it slightly you could overfill it quite a lot - the reading when cold is not accurate.

It isn't designed for you to take the reading when cold, so don't do it. It's really that simple.
 
Why take the risk when the handbook clearly states how to do it properly? I don't understand the benefit in deliberately checking and filling the oil the wrong way.

Sometimes you can have the dipstick showing the oil on minimum when cold but near max when checked properly. The potential for overfill there is large!
 
That is true :p I checked my oil about a week after the service and found it was almost on empty. I topped it up, booked the car in under warranty for excessive oil consumption, and collected it with them saying 'We've drained the excess for you, sir'

:o
 
I cannot see how you can overfill when it is cold, when its cold the oil has drained into the sump and will show a higher level.

When you measure when warm oil is still draining down so the level should be lower and has been my experience on other engines also.
 
I don't understand it either (Hence why I just topped it when cold the first time) - but the other day I checked the Z4 with it cold and it was low. I checked it again with it warm and it was spot on..

Maybe the dipstick doesn't go right to the bottom of the sump?
 
Am I a very bad man for waiting until the computer tells me to check the oil level then adding 0.5l without ever looking at the dipstick?

I've been through 4 litres in 15,000 miles!
 
Adz said:
Am I a very bad man for waiting until the computer tells me to check the oil level then adding 0.5l without ever looking at the dipstick?
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No idea how the A6 TDI works with regards to oil so cannot answer that. With the BMW's, the oil light works in 3 stages:

Yellow light after shutdown: Oil low, please top up when convenient (ie within 300 miles)

Yellow light during driving: Oil very low, please top up immediatly, within 50 miles

Red light during driving: Oil so low it's about to break everything. Stop right now!
 
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