How much to trust MMI oil level indicator?

[thefleshrocket]

I just picked up a '15 S4 last week and did an oil change last night. The MMI had indicated that the oil level was topped off before the oil change, and when I drained it, what was probably 9-9.5 quarts came out. (I have a 10-quart pan that would be almost to the brim when I did an oil change on my E60 M5, and it was pretty close to that level when I drained the S4.) I poured in 8 quarts, ran the car for a bit, and then checked the dipstick (yes, the PO retrofitted one). The level is onto the word that was MAX on the dipstick, so if I trust the dipstick, the engine is a little bit overfilled. However, I checked the oil level on the MMI today and it indicates that it's topped off.

Will the MMI warn me if the engine oil is overfilled?

If I put in ~8 quarts, should I siphon any out?

I've sent in a sample for analysis, so I'll see what kind of condition the PO's oil was in, despite apparently being overfilled.

[hilmar2k]

Trust the dipstick. I would not trust the MMI.

[if6ws9]

Yes, the MMI will warn you if there's too much oil but there's no way of knowing when you get that warning. You could check the MMI and not have the warning, then start out driving, then drive several miles, check the MMI and the warning will appear. But the warning is only visible when you re-check the oil level through the MMI, its not like a MIL or Low tire pressure warning. Trust the dipstick.

[thefleshrocket]

Trust the dipstick. I would not trust the MMI.

It has a dipstick, and it looks mildly overfilled.

From what I've read, 7.2 quarts is what it should take to be topped off--is 0.8 worth of overfilling worth draining out?

- - - Updated - - -

Yes, the MMI will warn you if there's too much oil but there's no way of knowing when you get that warning. You could check the MMI and not have the warning, then start out driving, then drive several miles, check the MMI and the warning will appear. But the warning is only visible when you re-check the oil level through the MMI, its not like a MIL or Low tire pressure warning. Trust the dipstick.

So.. if I manually check the MMI a few times and it doesn't give any kind of warning for oil level, it's safe? I just checked it a short time ago this afternoon.

[AFR1485]

The MMi oil level indicates 1 quart. I add 7qts of oil and add based on MMi level.


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[thefleshrocket]

The MMi oil level indicates 1 quart. I add 7qts of oil and add based on MMi level.

Sorry, I don't follow.. what do you mean by "the MMI oil level indicates 1 quart". Like, the MMI gauge means you need to add 1 quart when it's all the way at the bottom?

[sacandagaD]

For less than $ 30, grab a dipstick and forget the MMI.

[AFR1485]

Sorry, I don't follow.. what do you mean by "the MMI oil level indicates 1 quart". Like, the MMI gauge means you need to add 1 quart when it's all the way at the bottom?

Correct, if it’s at the bottoms then it needs 1 quart.

My car tends to burn less than a quart between the 5k oil changes I perform. It’s completely normal for the engine to consume at that rate. I have found some oils are consumed less than others (probably another topic).


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[SteveYem]

I don't think the MMI readout is as egregious as it is commonly hyperbolized to be here. I changed my oil a couple days ago and the dipstick was reading just above halfway when I was done, whereas the MMI was reading two tick marks below halfway. Not super precise, but enough to give me a quick idea of where I am. I've also noticed that the MMI tends to err on the low side which I would imagine is to build in margin for when the low oil alarm goes off vs. when the driver can reasonably stop to add more oil.

All in all I 100% agree that the dipstick, as hard is it can be sometimes to read, is the best way to check the oil level, but in my experience the MMI readout is decent enough for a quick convenient reading.

[Loe]

the MMI display (as long as the sensor is in good shape) is pretty comparable to the level on my dipstick if you follow the instructions in the owner manual on how to get a reading. I agree with SteveYem, it's not 100% accurate, however it's pretty close for what it is to where unless you really really really need to place your engine oil levels at a particular spot, the MMI is pretty decent.

[ZGskibum]

I dunno if it’s just me, but I get radically variable dipstick readings and have come to completely mistrust it versus the MMI readout.

First time I observed this was after draining oil from drain plug, pouring in 7 quarts, running car for a few minutes, and having dipstick read way, way past max. Scratched head for a while, re-drained and measured volume (sure enough, just under 7qts came out), re-filled, and same observation vis-a-vis the dipstick.

So I started checking it at every fill up and various odd stops. It measures all over the place. Sometimes way over max, sometimes just right.

At the end of the day, I decided Audi eschewed a dipstick in these cars because something about the oil system prevents accurate dipstick readings.


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[superswiss]

I never understood this obsession with the dipstick. The oil level has a 1 qt tolerance. The range between min/max is 1 qt. On an 8 qt fill, that's a 12.5% tolerance. The oil level doesn't need to be exact in other words. There are bigger fish to fry. As long as it is within 1 qt of full everything is fine. The MMI oil level is plenty accurate for a 12.5% tolerance. My indy shop doesn't even bother with a dipstick. They just fill and as it gets close to full they watch the MMI oil level go up in real time until full. I top off the same way. Turn on ignition, open the hood and start filling 0.5 qt look at the oil level then another 0.25 qt and so on, waiting a little bit in between for the level to catch up until the MMI shows full. Over about 4k my car burns about a qt anyway.

To the OP, don't worry about it. As long as the MMI shows your oil level between Min and Max (again that's 1 qt) and there is no overfill warning or low oil warning you are good. If the sensor is faulty you get a warning, too. Mine crapped out sometime around 40k miles and it got replaced under warranty.

[grovlet]

I would agree there is room for error here with the MMI - which is odd as the overwhelming ideal (for most cars) is oil needs to be watched like a hawk with little room for error.

But the AUDI has indeed been able to work around that ideal - with that in mind I use the MMI to visually check once in a while - and confirm those findings with DipStick - as noted they are typically pretty close - so dipstick is great for quick check concerns and ease of use - MMI is in car visualization.....

Best Answer is to use both and determine which one you find easier to follow to maintain good levels.

[snocat17]

Sorry, I don't follow.. what do you mean by "the MMI oil level indicates 1 quart". Like, the MMI gauge means you need to add 1 quart when it's all the way at the bottom?

If the MMI level is at "Min", add 1 qt oil. It it is about half, add 0.5 qt.

[Senseless]

I've noticed with the dipstick, the car has to be very level. Even a slight backwards incline may read a half quart low when it's not, and vice versa.

[superswiss]

I've noticed with the dipstick, the car has to be very level. Even a slight backwards incline may read a half quart low when it's not, and vice versa.

That's pretty normal. The oil level is only accurate if the car is level. The MMI may measure closer to the center and might be less affected by the car not being level, but in order to be sure you measure the correct level you need to follow the steps in the owner's manual and make sure the car is on level ground.

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[DufraineMK6]

It’s pretty much as accurate as the tpms. Don’t be afraid to open your hood and get your hands dirty.


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