Hi All, Brand new to the forum and also brand new to BMW! I was just given a 2001 530i with the sport suspension package and 5 speed manual tranny. Very excited to have this car as I have wanted one for a very long time. The car is in over all good condition but does have some issues I need to sort out. Hoping to tap some experience here. Car has been taken care of but does have 175K miles on it. The biggest issue is that the car is losing coolant and overheating. But there is no obvious leak. My first thought was bad water pump letting fluid into block but the oil is clean. Has any body had this issue? Just looking for some info before I go pulling the thing apart for a look see. Thanks!!

 

I would say look on the ground but with mine, the undercarriage cover catches everything.

I simply looked down from the top of the engine and you can easily spot [major] leaks. Shine a flashlight down there and water should reflect back up. I caught a radiator leak, coolant tank leak and a coolant temperature sensor leak in the past. When the water pump went, that was way too obvious and made the car go into limp mode.