[ExplorerBaba]

I recently took delivery of my new BMW 310R. By recently, I mean early Jan this year (2025).

This is my first bike and I wasn't as aware about all the pre delivery inspections I should be doing. I was about to take a more knowledgeable friend along who had something come up at the last minute.

I checked the bike visually. I also checked the lights, horn, indicator etc. Overall it seemed fine and I rode off. After about a couple of KMs I had to stop to take a call and after that the bike would just not start. I called the dealership and they said maybe the battery ran out and offered to replace it. I felt this as a red flag as I expected the battery to be fully charged before delivery. However, being a beginner and this being my first bike, I had limited knowledge and hence give it the benefit of doubt.

I continued to ride it home (about 35-40km) and then have practiced a bit (it's at about 100km on the odo). I had some travel in between hence the low KM on the odo. Also, I'm a beginner so most of this was on the 1st 3 gears with an RPM of about 4000-5000 or less. Basically, mostly practice.

Parallelly i went through the user manual and realized that the engine oil is almost non existent. Below is an image of the oil level indicator.


As you can see, there's no oil visible at all. However, I can see some residual oil (few drops) on the sump guard / bash plate below. So there's some oil, but clearly lesser than the "min recommended" and probably negligible.

I started the engine and let it warm up a bit, even rode for about 15 mins, but no oil was visible. I haven't started the bike yet and called the service center. I asked how to proceed as I'm not sure if it's safe to ride it with low oil. I also considered topping up and then riding it for service. However, the dealership said get it as is, shouldn't be a problem. Sounds contradictory to the user manual which recommends top up.

Considering the battery issue earlier and now this, I have lost trust with the dealership. I want to ensure, damaged (if any) already caused due to this negligence is addressed. As there are less KMs on the Odo, I'm more concerned about issues arising later on because of this but having no way to prove it.

Not sure what's the best way to proceed.

1. Should I just top up more oil, ride it some more and then take it for servicing (once i top up, I won't have proof that they did not add enough oil to start with though)
2. Should I directly write to BMW and ask them to intervene
3. Should I trust the dealer and discuss with them first. If I do this, what should I really ask for? What tactics do I look out for?

As the part in question is the engine, I'm more concerned. I read online about customers getting an engine replaced / being offered a buy back due to issues like this. But that was abroad and for a car that was driven for a longer distance. Not sure if 100kms on the odo is reasonable enough for a ask like this. Or would it be better to ask for extended warranty at least on the engine.

A few more things to note

1. The day of delivery, there was a BMW auditor at the showroom, and the manager told me "we can't get the bike up for revealing ceremony" as the gatepass and invoice dates are different. He downplayed the whole thing but clearly they weren't following BMW procedures. I probably should have raised an issue there itself.
2. The invoice I've received does not have the BMW logo / letter head on it. I asked the dealership about this and haven't received a reply yet.

I probably should have been more proactive earlier on, but I trusted the dealer. Something I regret now.

Would like to hear if anyone had similar disputes, and how they navigated it.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by ExplorerBaba

As you can see, there's no oil visible at all. However, I can see some residual oil (few drops) on the sump guard / bash plate below. So there's some oil, but clearly lesser than the "min recommended" and probably negligible.

Are you sure?

To me it looks like it may just be way OVER-filled.

This is what LOW oil would look like:



Also, how are you checking the oil level?

You need to follow the right oil-level checking procedure:
1) Are you running the engine before checking - to reduce oil viscosity? For long enough (eg. 5min)?
2) Are you waiting after switching off - so the oil drains? For long enough (eg. 5min)?
3) Are you keeping the bike perfectly upright when checking - to avoid lean angle affecting the reading level?


2 links with some more info:
https://www.reddit.com/r/bmwmotorrad...igh/?rdt=33102
https://www.g310rforum.com/threads/o...-concern.9236/


PS - Random thing I'm not understanding is the green toque witness marks existing on the flange, but not on the bolts! Anyone know why this might be the case on a new bike?

[Rahulkool]

The picture you have posted looks like they have overfilled the oil or bike is not parked in a level surface. Do the following to get an accurate oil level.

1. Park the bike on center stand on a level ground.
2. Start and idle the bike for 10 mins.
3. Shut off the engine.
4. Wait for 5 mins before checking the oil level.

I wont be too worried about the battery, its normal in bike, specially if its not a big seller. They should have checked the charge level before delivering the bike, thats a QC miss, but nothing alarming.

[Ratan Prabhu]

If the pic is taken correctly with the bike standing straight, then there is excess engine oil filled.

While not good and it will put strees on the oil pump and gaskets in long run, it is a lot better than having too little or no engine oil.

You have ridden just 100 kms in over 2 months and maybe the bike was stood still in showroom before. So the battery would have discharged.

Don't worry about it.
Take it to the service center and tell them to check the oil level and the leakage source and battery health. They should take care of it for free.

If the leakage is due to gasket, ensure they replace the gasket (very cheap part) and not use gasket sealant to repair it instead.

[boxwrench]

As many have pointed out already, the oil level looks overfilled which is not a huge deal comparing to low oil. The view gauge will look silver if there is no oil rather than golden.

[vaibhavyagnik]

Can't you just open the filler cap and shine a flashlight inside to check if there is oil? Is there a dipstick?