How to Check & Top Up your Oil in a BMW with no Dipstick 

Hi there! I gotta say, your vids are EXACTLY what I was looking for. You show EXACTLY where everything is on the car, & explain how to not only do the job, but how to check it from the inside panel. All other vids don’t help at all!!! I realize this vid is 3 yrs old, but, if you still can, PLEASE continue with this type of content. It’s more than helpful!! Thank you so much. Very grateful. Stay safe out there 👍🏼😉

Thank you Vince. The oil warning light on my BMW 316i sport kept on flashing with an alert sound. After following your precise, clear and thorough instructions I needed to add one litre of oil. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing but you made it all so, so easy. Jane x

Thank you for making your video with no stupid long heavy metal music intro, no dumb graphics and not telling your life story before getting to the point. The way you edit these is awesome thank you I will keep coming back

One thing to be careful about. When more oil is added the reading may not change right away so don’t keep adding oil. Drive it for a bit check it and check again. Once you see the gauge move you know it’s the new reading (level). At this point add more if necessary and repeat the abound steps.

Thank You! Love your style. Simple, to the point, and easy to understand for us people who don't know much about cars. Please keep it up!

What’s so hard with keeping a physical dipstick for the oil as a backup???!Those sensors can and do fail.

Fast, easy and strait to the point l! You had your book ready and you edit all the real time activity that waste mine! Thank you!

I HAVE A BIMMER AND YES YOU HAVE TO PUT UP WITH SOME CRAZY STUFF BUT IN THE LONG RUN I LOVE HOW THE CAR DRIVES PERIOD.

Thank you so much for making and posting this video. You may have just saved my engine (on my 2009 323i). Much appreciated!

The amount of time it took the sensor to display the amount of oil, someone could have checked and added oil via a dipstick and been on their way lol.

Thank you I was going crazy trying to find the dip stick lol

There is an engineer in Germany who should be flogged in the public square for this.........

Clear instruction and I liked the half plastic milk bottle used for the funnel!

He is awesome. He explains and repeats so that there are no misconceptions. Thank you!

Thanks for this - helpful about the oil pressure warning without the reservoir 👍🏻

Thanks for the tip! I just bought a second-hand 2006 330i, and was baffled by the lack of a dipstick 😂

Excellent video, thanks. My wife's had her car almost 12 years. I never knew there was a way to check the level, I thought there was only the warning light and she'd have to take it in for service. Cheers!

Loved your video Vince so simple and easy to follow thank you!

Thank You for this very helpful video. I was wondered where is the dipstick of this car(BMW 116i) and how I can check the oil level.Thank you.

Thanks for the video, it helped a lot. Greetings from Mexico 🇲🇽.

thank you so much! very clearly explained. just done my top up yesterday:)

Thank you for the video. Just bought a 1 series and was regretting it! My old E36 had a dipstick and was a much more user friendly beast.....

You just saved me. I had no oil in my car!!!!

Thanks for this helpful video. Do you have any more videos on this car? How many miles have you owned it for and how reliable has it been?

It would be awesome if it had this AND a dipstick. Just in case i don‘t want to or can‘t start the engine (would also help when changing the oil). On the other hand it‘s really usefull. Measuring the oil level while driving on the autobahn is definitely a good thing.

What does it mean when it writes service were its written +1L on yourz. But its at 3/4

So what do you do when the digital display in the dash fails like they do in every bmw after it's a few years old?..

Thanks for sharing this video Vince. I just had one question at 2:35 what happens if the display shows the oil level is inactive?

Hi my engine light comes up but it only says I need to refill it in a 1000 miles but all the other videos I've seen it tells you how much exactly you've got in it why does mine not do that?

Can ye help me guys I was wondering can I use any diesel oil on 2008 320d..... 172.000 miles on clock

Thank you Very clear and to the point

At the end, after you had added the 1 litre, why was the sensor light on? The oil can with the wavy line under it.

Is the oil level supposed to be checked with the engine running!? Or key on engine off?

How do I solve this when it’s showing low pressure oil? What do I do I already drove like 50 miles with it on ? Please advise me :/

This was absolutely helpful!! Thank you so much.

Very helpful! Thanks for putting this up. Appreciate it.

This is just something else to break... Absolutely unnecessary.

He topped up 2 litres or 1? Mine was on the half way line and I put 1 litres and came up to maximum and says okay but his was on minimum so he had to put 2 litres right? Or how do you know if you put more then maximum does it show?

Is there an easier way to check it? I have check engine lights and it keeps overriding the oil. And going back to the main screen.

Perfectly done, best video ever! Thanks a bunch!

Low oil pressure red warning light came up while i was driving i ignored it but then i turned the car off and on again and its gone, so now what causes that light to come up and how to fix it

I’m late to this but I got me a 2011 328i m package and where my engine oil goes when I open it it’s like air trapped in there so it releases small pressure when I open is that normal ? Or is it the valve ?

Does it not make it inaccurate whilst the engine is running as the oil is running through the engine?

This video was so helpful! Thank you

Thanks , this video was very helpful.

Great video, perfect for a non mechanical dumbo like me. I got my 07 318i 2 weeks ago and still haven't worked out how to connect my phone 😱

Very helpful video. But what if I want to check the oil quality?

Do you need a funnel to put the oil in?

Excellent demonstration - thanks very much!!

Mine come up red.. Topped it up with 2 litres and its still only half way... Any advice??

Thnks, but what about if i wanna know the quality of the oil and need to change??

Wow. BMW automobiles are wonderful. You can read the motor oil level from the dash. It even tells you how much motor oil to add.

Niece's car flashed up the low oil warning, 'put one litre in'. She drove home and fortunately got away with it. I put two litres in and it showed less than half full. The only dipstick is the BMW designer who thinks this is a good idea. Check the level with engine running?! Start the engine to check and it seizes up because unknown to you, the oil had leaked out or been burned up. The bearings ruined at least. No easy way of pumping out sump oil either, I don't like it but it's what many fast fit garages do.

Do you do this with the engine running before and after?

thank you! i just have one question.. is it really that easy to add oil? why do people take their car in for an oil change if it’s that easy? my question is, i recently (very recently within a month actually) got my oil changed, and now it’s telling me to add +1L already? i do drive my car often i use it as a delivery car but is that even possible id already have to add more? or is it a censor issue maybe?

Thank you this information was very helpful to me👍

What is the thing on the right with the cap on?

I am confused about checking the oil level while the engine is running since oil is circulating continously when engine is running. Please comment.....

Great instruction! Helped me out a lot

Hello Vince! I have a question: Do you not need to change the oil filter when you add so much new oil? Or is it not necessary? Thank you for this video!

Does this test work on e46 too ?

What was the reason for getting rid of the simple dipstick? Thx

Thanks man it was really helpful

Thanks it made it a whole lot easier figuring it out !!

Like perfect explanation thanks very helpful, god bless you.

So helpful I was wasting my time looking for a dipstick and was so confused 😂🙈

Great video thank you, I did not know about this feature

How often do you add oil? I put in 1l about 2 months ago and since then the lamp indicator showed up again. I think it consumes too much..

The 6 pot diesel does have a hidden dipstick, under the engine cover by air intake, grey dipstick.

Thank you so much. Us first time BMW owners appreciate it.

Very helpful. Nice touch adding the pages from the manual. Thanks, VInce.

Very helpful! Thank you!

Love my BMW - I check the oil level once a month and do an oil change every 6ooo miles which is half the recommended. Car is 7 years old and no trouble.

Thanks for the informative video. Just one thing I would add. Ideally you shouldn't pour the cold oil in a hot engine. It's not great for the metals in the engine.

No dipstick sucks. And not sure my sensors are working. My readout says my oil levels are only slightly low, but I noticed smoke coming from my 328i when idling. When I turned it off, the engine was super hot. When the engine cooled down I checked the oil level visually, and it seems bone dry, but I don't know for sure. Which do I believe? The sensor or my own eyes?

my 2008 X5 (E70) doesn't show oil, only "check ok". however the oil level complained the other day that it was low. wtf?

is there a way to retrofit a dipstick

Thank you it does help me the video otherwise i will panic with oil light on bmw 3 months i own this car bmw 328i. You are wise thank for your advice have a great day.

When I remove the oil cap should I be able to see oil inside of the reservoir? It looks empty inside mine and my sensor says I have the maximum amount of oil inside.

Thanks, you just saved me some money

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VERY HELPFUL INFO! :-)

what if the sensor breaks and does not warn you

Thanks this has really helped me..

Bmw = Laptop with 4 wheels...

Is that the n43 320i 170 hp?

German engineering lol.....making even the simplest of tasks needlessly complex!....and its only going to get worse!

Hi I have bmw320i 2006 I don't know what's wrong with the car but every couple of months it shows like engine oil is low like in ur video put 1 ltr So can you please tell me what's wrong with my car or its normal. Thanks

Hi can u try to connect a wii u pro controller to a android plz

fast, easy and straight to the point ! thanks

Great video . I'm looking forward to following your progress.

Hahaha found this after staring under the bonnet for about 15 mins scratching my head lool Thanks anyway

What happens if sensor goes bad?

What a waste of time I would rather have an oil dipstick

Learned something👍

Great video. Thanks for saying quarts for us yanks...

I think I’ve put too much oil in how do I check this?

I’ve never had to top up in our 2 turbo charged BMWs. In the E90 325i 2 bars down =1 quart

Very helpful, thanks for sharing 👍

So glad I have the E90 335d, with a propper dip stick! Unlike your car... where the dipstick was back in the BMW design office!

Thank you! This was great information!