“BMW removed the spare tire for the more realistic emergency you’d have.”
Car enthusiasts love discovering thoughtful design features that show engineers actually considered real-world driving scenarios. Sometimes it’s a perfectly placed cup holder or a hidden storage compartment.
At other times, it’s a trunk feature designed to solve a very specific problem that BMW owners are all too familiar with.
In a viral Facebook Reel, BMW owner @ghosted_f32 showcased a plastic indent in their trunk that perfectly fits a motor oil container.
“POV: BMW designers being mindful,” the on-screen caption reads.
The video demonstrates how the compartment securely holds a quart of motor oil in place, preventing it from rolling around during driving.
“Always gotta be prepared,” they add in the post’s caption.
To understand just how much oil BMW engines go through, it helps to know what’s normal for most cars. According to Cars.com, more than 98% of cars didn’t need to have oil added between changes. In other words, the vast majority of vehicles use so little oil that owners never think about topping it off.
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However, some BMWs need one quart every 750 miles or potentially more than 13 quarts between a typical 10,000-mile oil change interval. That’s a massive difference from what most drivers experience with their vehicles.
There’s no federal regulation for what counts as excessive oil consumption, which leaves it up to manufacturers to define. Some claim that adding a quart every 2,000 miles is acceptable, though that still means adding three or more quarts between changes.
Excessive oil consumption typically points to worn engine parts like piston rings, valve guides, or seals. And it’s not just an inconvenience; oil burning through the exhaust can clog or damage the catalytic converter, leading to expensive repairs down the line.
Top Class Actions reported in 2019 on a class action lawsuit claiming certain BMW engines with N63 variants are plagued by an oil-burning defect.
The lawsuit alleged that BMW has known about excessive oil consumption for years and “attempted to mask the oil consumption defect until the expiration of the new vehicle limited warranty by characterizing the excessive oil consumption as ‘normal.'” The lawsuit covered 2012 and newer BMW models, including the 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series, X5, and X6.
Oceanside Motorsports notes that oil consumption issues aren’t uncommon in some BMW models. Common causes include worn piston rings, faulty valve stem seals, turbocharger issues, and problems with the oil separator (crankcase ventilation valve) that can break down over time.
Some BMW engines are inherently more likely to use oil because of design elements, with M-series engines shown to consume more oil under certain circumstances.
BMW even sells official accessories to address this need. The company offers a BMW Genuine Oil Travel Bag designed to be stored in the trunk with Velcro backing to keep it secure.
For owners of certain BMW models like the E36 and E46, aftermarket companies have created custom 3D-printed oil bottle holders that fit precisely into existing trunk storage compartments. These solutions reflect how common it is for BMW drivers to keep spare oil on hand.
“BMW removed the spare tire for the more realistic emergency you’d have,” a top comment speculated.
“I keep oil, coolant and my obd cable,” a person said.
“The ultimate oil/ coolant consuming machine . Bmw,” another wrote.
Motor1 reached out to @ghosted_f32 for comment via Instagram comment. We’ll be sure to update this if they respond.
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