Feel like a bit of a fool.....

[skeeterm5]

Hi, feel like confessing.......

Last night got back to the car and thought I know I will top the oil up as the level had reached 0.2. So, opened bonnet removed oil filler cap and balanced it on top of the engine.....

While walking to the boot I heard an ominous sound of plastic clanking....

Back to the front of the car and the oil filler cap had gone, fallen somewhere into the depths of the engine. Cue much searching with a torch by me and a friendly mechanic from a close by garage all to no avail.

After about half an hour I gave up and had to ring BMW assist who got out to me in about half an hour. He was a helpful chap and quickly spotted the cap right underneath the engine sitting on the undertray. Couldn't be retreived so a new cap was in order and the old filler cap will need to be rescued when it is next in for a service.

So, thanks to the chap from BMW assist for not be condescending and simply getting me on my way. I learned my lesson and will in future let the professionals do everything on my car!

S

[dan101smith]

Don't let something silly like that put you off tackling things yourself, everyone's done it.

What it will have taught you is to just be a little more careful - no bad thing.

[rampz]

wouldnt worry, i dropped a spark plus in the same area, ended up removing all the front undertray one afternoon to recover it.

[jas xjr]

i topped up the oil then drove hell for leather up the m6.when the car started to cut out i pulled over,i had forgotten to put the cap back on,the car had overheated and melted the ht leads! drove off at the next junction ,topped up the oil and bought some new leads and was ok

[MarkwG]

Friend of mine (not me promise!) thought the oil pressure gauge on his new 205 GTi was a quantity gauge. Kept topping it up, couldn't understand why the needle wouldn't stabilise at full, unless he thrashed the nuts off it! I dipped the stick, didn't really need to, it was oozing out the top - he went as cherry red as the car, got the dealer to drain it & moved it on at speed...

[paoloh]

I remeber with my first car trying to top up the oil thru the dip stick hole. Couldn't work out why the hole was so small.

[carter711]

I heard a story similar to the OP's except the fool had used a sock to block the oil filler hole, causing the engine to eat the sock and wind fabric around all the internals.

No matter how much of a fool you think you have been there is always someone worse!

[968CSReading]

I dropped a screw driver into the engine bay of my Old MG ZTT once, luckily it landed in the undertray bu I never managed to get it back.

[Hedgeman]

Same thing happened to me some time back on my 335. Fortunately my wife's arms were just about thin enough and long enough to reach down to the bottom of the engine and retrieve it!

[oversteerxj12]

I read a tale of a new aston martin being returned to the factory after its owner complained of a strange engine rattle.

It was duly stripped down by the original engine builder, whose name was proudly displayed on a plaque mounted on the engine, only to find his spanner rattling around in the sump!