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My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:38 pm
by javaboss
Hi All,

My 2012 X5 40d arrived with the oil level indicator showing green. It's had no oil added at all but is now 15 months old (with 10k miles of mixed driving) and the oil level has been very slowly rising for months (on the dipstick) until the level indicator went yellow! I've booked into the dealer next week to see where the problem might be. They have suggested they might need to "drain some off" but balked when I said I haven't put any oil in!

Has anyone else seen this issue?  Could it be serious?

Regards,

Javaboss.

Re: My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 7:03 pm
by Black X5
Only thing I can think is diesel finding it's way into the sump somehow.

Re: My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 7:37 pm
by X5Sport
Strangely enough mine went from full to overfull and the only oil added was at a service.  It's the first BMW I've had which uses no oil at all but goes from full to overfilled.  No fuel in the sump.

Richard

Re: My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 7:48 pm
by Black X5
With the ever increasing cost off LL-04 it may be quite lucrative if you could siphon off the surplus for a profit :))

On a serious note how long after top up to full, to overfull; and by how much?

Re: My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:12 pm
by X5Sport
About 6 weeks and they looked embarrassed when I said they'd done the oil and would not tell me how overfull it was.  I use the dipstick and ignore the iDrive.  How the level is increasing is a puzzle though.  It's not fuel or water contamination, nor is it coming from the gearbox.  I can't believe it's engine expansion/contraction, but I can't think of anything else.

Richard

Re: My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:44 pm
by IanP
Are you sure its not Diesel? Arent the injectors hydraulically operated on these engines, i.e. they use the engine oil

Re: My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:54 pm
by X5Sport
Piezo electric type.  No engine oil pressure, just fuel and a few electrons.

Image

Richard

Re: My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 12:43 pm
by Black X5
If it is increasing regularly then I can't see it being anything else apart from diesel in the oil. (Unless you are loosing coolant at the same time).

On the other hand if it was a one off then I would put it down as an anomaly- but it still does not explain it. Hmmm....

Re: My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 1:20 pm
by javaboss
Well, I'm shipping it into the dealer on Tuesday so I will let you all know what they say! It will be my first experience of BMW after sales service so should be interesting to compare with the last 12 years of Lexus ownership beforehand :-)

Re: My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 2:38 pm
by AW8
Hmm.............Good Luck with that.

If nothing else I like the coffee ;)

Re: My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 7:10 pm
by javaboss
So, top marks to my local dealer already. The salesman lives a couple of roads away from me so is picking my X5 up tomorrow and bringing it back later. Fingers crossed the service boffins are as good!

Re: My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 10:46 pm
by javaboss
So, they tested the oil and it had no water or fuel in it. I was told the sensors are a bit twitchy and the oil level was slightly above max and that's what tripped the amber warning. They drained some and it's gone back to green. I don't understand how the oil level can go up as it was green for months after I bought the car. I have 5k until its due a service so they said they would check again then. The car is running fine so I'm happy.

I wasn't so happy about the scratch on the front wing and kerbed alloy when it came back though! The car is mint and garaged every night - never parked in car parks during the day. So I know it wasn't damaged before it went. I can't prove it though.

So far the salesman has been great and said he'd pop round and look at the damage. He just said it would be "sorted out". Shame though as I'm now going to have to photograph every square inch of the car before it goes anywhere near the dealer in future. Lexus was never like this.......

Re: My X5 is making oil!

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:46 pm
by Black X5
How did they test the oil?

If it is rising on the dipstick and you have physically seen it rising on the dipstick over weeks/ months then there is something untoward!

Yea unfortunately the dealers are not the best at looking after customer cars. On a side, I like many others on here  NEVER take the free wash/ vac option as there is far too much risk if damage.

Sorry to hear about the damage on your car and hope they get it sorted ASAP.