Oil Level and tire preassure

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#1
I am having some trouble determining the correct oil level and tire preassure for my car. The pics of the dipstick below is nothing like the one in the owners manual and it has no markings on it. I was thinking that full must be the top of the center section. Does anyone have the same one?

Thanks for your help. [wave]
 

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#2
And for the tires. My tires show 51 psi on them but the door sticker shows 32psi for front and 38 for rear. I have no idea. Should I use what the sticker shows or the 51 psi on the tires? The tires are Mitchlin Pilot Sport 255/35 18 back and 225/40 18 front.
 

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#3
51 psi is probably the most the tires can take and I don't think you should ever put that much in. Maintain the pressure your door sticker tells you. It all depends on the weight of the car and size of the tires and the tire manufucturer has no way of knowing how much your car weights. Sorry I can't help with the oil dipstick.
 
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Eugene, OR
#4
Yes, the dipstick looks like that. The level must be between the two notches.

51psi on your tires is the Max recommended by the tire manufacturer. You should never exceed it for safety reasons. Remember, when you drive the air heats up and expands increasing your PSI. You should only check the pressure or add air when the tires are cold for the street use - all recommended settings are based on cold tires.

The door sticker numbers are what BMW recommends to run. 32/38 sounds about right for the 18", though the car is set up for understeer with these pressures. Normal for daily street use though.
 
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#5
I have a similar dip stick. The top (left) notch represents full, the right notch is one quart low. As for tire pressure, the sticker for the Pilot Sports on mine recommend a max of 32 in front (225/40ZR18), 38 in back (255/35ZR18). I run 33 up front and 39 in the rear, as suggested by my SA, for sportier driving.
 

bmwrocks

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#7
My dipstick looks just like yours except the plastic is red not black. And just to confirm, the full level is at the top of the sectioned off segment in the pic. The upper indented section should be dry when full.

As for the 51 psi, my lord your car must be squirrely at that pressure!!! I had 51-55 in my X5 after I got new tires, filled by the tire weeny, and the thing handled completely differently. I checked the tires after wondering for a while why my new tires felt so damn weird. Then I lowered them to recommended door jamb pressure and BAM what a difference.

So I bet you now know what you've been missing if you drive with the proper pressure......
 
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#8
I did have them at 51 for a short time but I could not listen to any CD's because they were skipping all of the time. Not a good ride for sure.

The dipstick was red but it has turned black. I don't think I should go so long between oil changes here in the dirty, dusty desert. This is black after only 6,300 miles.
 
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aNoodle

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#9
Yeah, mine used to be more red than it is now. I'm at 106,200 miles.

I change my own oil every 7,500 miles. Some would say it's a waste of money...others would say, while the oil can go to 15,000, the filters cannot. There are a lot of threads on this. But changing your oil more often can't do any damage...and the car always runs smoother on fresh oil!
 

bmwrocks

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#11
salvo said:
Man, those dipsticks are retarded!!!
No they're not. I disagree. They are far better than the smooth all steel ones with hash marks on them. With these, you have the indents that provide a hard mark. Much better IMHO.
 
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#13
bmwrocks said:
No they're not. I disagree. They are far better than the smooth all steel ones with hash marks on them. With these, you have the indents that provide a hard mark. Much better IMHO.
The length in between the notches should be a bit longer, in order to give a more precise reading...AHHH, who cares though, I was just used to my pick-up...Okay, WYS.
 


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