Low oil?

[Frupal]

On the tail end of an 800 mile round trip to Oakland, I got a message: 'Oil level at minimum; please add 1 quart as soon as possible.' I was .9 miles away from Santa Barbara BMW, so I stopped by, bought a quart and put it in.

Is this normal for the N55? I know about the 650s eating oil, but I never got this message in my 5 years of ownership. It's got about 70k miles.

[Opie55]

Partly depends on when you last checked the level, or how long it had been since filled. If it leaked out in 2 weeks, that's an issue, if it's been most of a year, less of an issue. But being a BMW, step one is to have somebody you trust check it for leaks. If no leaks, then you may have a consumption issue. I've never had to add a drop of oil to my 650 between changes.

[CoffeeBean]

Unlikely the N55 is eating that much oil, so probably a leak. Have the valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, or oil filter housing gasket ever been changed? Those are the 3 culprits. OFHG will be obvious (where the oil filter is) and the one you should be most concerned with as it drips down onto the serpentine belt and can cause it to swell up, come loose, and get pulled in through the crank seal. A VCG leak is easy to see too- look to the left of the valve cover and above the turbo. You'll see a silver lip that runs along the side between the head and VC. If it's leaking you'll have oil sitting in it. Also a good chance it will drip down onto the downpipe and start smelling/smoking. OPG you'll have to get under the car and look, but they always start weeping first before leaking badly.

[Frupal]

Originally Posted by Opie55

Partly depends on when you last checked the level, or how long it had been since filled. If it leaked out in 2 weeks, that's an issue, if it's been most of a year, less of an issue. But being a BMW, step one is to have somebody you trust check it for leaks. If no leaks, then you may have a consumption issue. I've never had to add a drop of oil to my 650 between changes.

Last oil change was 4000 miles ago in July 2023. I'll check her parking spot when I leave today.

[CoffeeBean]

Originally Posted by Frupal

Last oil change was 4000 miles ago in July 2023. I'll check her parking spot when I leave today.

Because of the underbody tray, leaking oil won't always make it to the ground. Really have to check those gaskets I mentioned to be sure.

[Frupal]

Originally Posted by CoffeeBean

Because of the underbody tray, leaking oil won't always make it to the ground. Really have to check those gaskets I mentioned to be sure.

Had the valve cover replaced about a year ago. I'll have those gaskets checked.