BMW unceremoniously and without warning took away our oil dipsticks in 2006. More than 10 years later, they’re back?
If you want to check the oil in your modern BMW, you can’t just pop the hood, take out a McDonalds napkin, and check the oil levels on the dipstick like a normal American does. BMWs, since 2006, don’t COME with oil dipsticks. That might change soon. As per some keen-eyed Forum members over at Bimmerpost.com on their exclusive findings they posted about earlier today (Dec 4, 2018) a BMW M850 was spotted with what looks like a measuring device to check the level of oil in that honking V8. Yes, yes indeed. BMW somehow slipped in an oil dipstick in a MY 2019 BMW M850.
Check out the proof for yourself below!
The engine in question is the 4.4L V8 found in the 2018 BMW M850. This engine is an evolution of the BMW N63 engine first introduced in 2008 which is two years after BMW took away their oil dipsticks. BMW caused such a ruckus back then that even the Wall Street Journal did a piece on it when a reader wrote in asking how he’s supposed to check the oil in his 2006 330i. The N52 engine underneath the hood was one of the first engines BMW engineered out the dip stick.
Not being a BMW owner myself, I watched this video below showing just how inconvenient it is to check your oil in a modern BMW.
Apparently, in order to use this better system, the car must be on and you must navigate through the cluster’s display, which is easy enough. But it can take anywhere between 5-15 minutes for the system to register your oil reading. Unacceptable and in my opinion, in no way an upgrade over the plain ‘ol stick.
Digital meters as a supplement to regular dipsticks is A-OK by me. But, to remove the dipstick altogether is just…fiddling.
If this rumor is true and BMW doesn’t pull a fast one on us and remove the dipstick in the production model, it will only be for the greater good.
The dipstick might be back, guys!
Source: Bimmerpost
Their idiots for removing it in the first place. This alone made me shy away from the brand after 2006.
I have a 10 plate e87 bmw and that has a dipstick,??