Just recently, I have been getting the "Check engine oil level" warning flagging upon the dash, fairly regularly. It seems to happen when I corner a bit sharply, or sometimes on a steep hill, every time I have checked the level it has been perfectly OK, and between the high and low marks on the dipstick. Are the level sensors known to fail on these, or am I just unlucky? I have been quite shocked by the price of a new sensor too, on Ebay the prices varied between £12 to over £120 - which seems crazy! I have ended up buying a replacement made by Erste Wahle,, which I hope is a respectable make, but wasn't a stupid price. The part has just arrived in the post, and looking at it, I cant believe that some suppliers are asking £120 for these, as presumably it cant be much more than a semiconductor or similar. Quite whether it senses liquid (oil) or maybe a temperature difference if it is uncovered by lack of oil, I have no idea!! I do check the oil level on a regular basis anyway, so I don't really need the prompting!! Rich
Well, judging by the number for sale on Ebay, they seem a popular replacement part - admittedly this same part fits a number of other BMW models, and other cars too, but the fact that so many are available seems to indicate they do fail quite often - although having had a few other BMW's, I have not had a problem before.
Replaced the sensor last week, and so far no further issues with the warning, so hopefully it is now fixed! A fairly cheap repair for a change, done at the same time as an oil change, which was due anyway. Rich
