[jeddo45]

Today, my job sent me on service call that was about 100 mile trek to the desert. Because I haven't had a road trip with my car, I was looking forward to a nice, traffic free drive!

In the morning, I topped off my oil. I am going to detail the progression of the oil:

Pre-trip: Oil level at max capacity (not filling the indicator bar completely in the dash. The preferred fill level.)

At the service call (100 mile drive): Oil level was at the quarter mark right before the car asks for one more quart.

Luckily, I brought my oil with me and added 3/4 quart. The indicator went back up to the preferred fill level.

After the drive back home (about another 100 miles): Oil level was at the 3/4 full mark.

Is this normal, or is this an abnormal amount of oil to be burning? I was driving about 80-85 miles average, and the oil I use is Motul 5w-40. Lastly, a Carly scan indicates no engine codes.

Could anyone enlighten me?

[STR8-6IX]

that is A TON of oil burning. if you are the original owner, I bet you drove the car very hard for the first 3000 miles, effectively breaking your motor in the the "fast way" if you bought the car used, its safe to say that the first owner thrashed it and redlined the shit out of it for its whole life. thumbs up for using the right oil however

[jeddo45]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

that is A TON of oil burning. if you are the original owner, I bet you drove the car very hard for the first 3000 miles, effectively breaking your motor in the the "fast way" if you bought the car used, its safe to say that the first owner thrashed it and redlined the shit out of it for its whole life. thumbs up for using the right oil however

I am not the first owner. I don't really race this car. I will say I feel like as of recent its burning quite a bit more than when I first got the car.

Is there anything that I could do to slow it down, or is this an engine issue that can't be addressed?

Thanks for chiming in!

[STR8-6IX]

honestly.. there really isnt much you can do. the damage has been done by its first owner. just keep adding 5w-40 as this will defintely slow the burning in comparison to a lighter oil. I can even go so far and recommend you simply top up with a good quality 5w-40 non-synthetic oil like castrol to save money, because the rate your car burns it is astounding.. its really a shame your car was driven like this by the first owner. engines that were broken in properly and dont burn any oil are much louder, will last longer, produce more power not to mention better fuel economy.

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by jeddo45

I am not the first owner. I don't really race this car. I will say I feel like as of recent its burning quite a bit more than when I first got the car.

Is there anything that I could do to slow it down, or is this an engine issue that can't be addressed?

Thanks for chiming in!

my n52 equipped F10 literally does not burn a drop of oil. i can drive 7000km in between oil changes, redlining the shit out of it whenever i please, and the oil level will still read full. yes, its true that the turbo BMW's are more prone to burning oil, but thats because the 35i's are more likely to be driven by idiots who dont care about the initial break-in process and start to do full throttle pulls the same day they buy the car.

[jeddo45]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

my n52 equipped F10 literally does not burn a drop of oil. i can drive 7000km in between oil changes, redlining the shit out of it whenever i please, and the oil level will still read full. yes, its true that the turbo BMW's are more prone to burning oil, but thats because the 35i's are more likely to be driven by idiots who dont care about the initial break-in process and start to do full throttle pulls the same day they buy the car.

Soooo.... I'm screwed lol!

[STR8-6IX]

i mean, its unfortunate. I feel sorry that you need to deal with a problem that was caused by some idiot who owned the car before you. I suggest you try to sell the car with the oil level full lol.. just buy another one. try to reason with the seller and see if he will admit that the car burns oil or not. check exhaust tips for sooty burnt oil. some soot is normal, but if your exhaust tips are caked in soot, it probably burns oil. good luck!

[noah.s]

I don't think you can say his engine is fucked based on what's been said.
Have you looked for any oil leaks? Valve cover gasket, oil filter housing gasket, oil drain plug, look around the turbos, ust to name a few.
Is your exhaust blowing blueish smoke? If it was truly burning that much oil there would be a good amount of smoke.

Also you shouldn't really be adding oil until it gets the the +1 quart mark and says you need to add a quart. The oil level sensor can be finicky and takes time to settle and give a true reading.

[jeddo45]

Originally Posted by noah.s

I don't think you can say his engine is fucked based on what's been said.
Have you looked for any oil leaks? Valve cover gasket, oil filter housing gasket, oil drain plug, look around the turbos, ust to name a few.
Is your exhaust blowing blueish smoke? If it was truly burning that much oil there would be a good amount of smoke.

Also you shouldn't really be adding oil until it gets the the +1 quart mark and says you need to add a quart. The oil level sensor can be finicky and takes time to settle and give a true reading.

I'm driving my car right now. I'm looking behind me in the rearview mirror, and I don't see any smoke. I did originally think that if I'm burning all this oil there should be some kind of smoke constantly coming from my exhaust. It looks like I'm going to have to do some troubleshooting this weekend. I really hope it's just not the engine going out.

[jeddo45]

OK, so update. It looks like I have a pretty substantial leak. This must have happened in the last couple of days because my undercarriage was not this wet at the beginning of this week. Here is a picture. Where do you think the leak is coming from?

[Dark_Knight_335]

Mine is burning much more oil lately. Kinda concerned.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by jeddo45

OK, so update. It looks like I have a pretty substantial leak. This must have happened in the last couple of days because my undercarriage was not this wet at the beginning of this week. Here is a picture. Where do you think the leak is coming from?

It's coming from the engine.