Recently noticed blue leaky spots on the garage floor, checked the coolant (antifreeze) levels, they've gone down, I've been adding a bit of BMW coolant / distilled water 50/50 mix for last couple of weeks. Very small leak. Before I take it to the mechanic and spends tons of $$$, what could it be? what should I check for? Could be an easy DIY.


Anyone had this problem and how did you solve it? Thanx a lot in advance!

 

i currently have a leak as well. lift the hood and look at the front of the vehicle where the radiator is. you should see some hoses going into and out of the radiator. check to see which hose the leak is coming out from... it might need to be replaced. i currently need to replace mine at the moment.

 

pressure test it...

 

I had this happen to me however all my leaking coolant was burning off before hitting the ground so I didn't notice until the low coolant light came on. Turns out mine was a cracked hose.

 

my leak occured at a temp sensor located at the bottom of the radiator, before the thermostat. according to my dealer, this is a pretty common area for a leak. all it is is a failed $0.05 cent o-ring on the temp sensor, which ofcourse is impossible to find so you end up buying the whole temp sensor at about $40. btw, this was an easy fix. good luck

 

Funny I had my coolant light come on yesterday. I added some coolant/water which was down about a quart or so. I came out of work today and noticed a leak on the pavement under the engine area. I looked at the underside and it was from my car. Since it's cold as crap in Eastern PA I decided to drop it off at the dealer.

I know I'll pay for this but it's too cold to crawl under the car in my non-heated garage. I'm hoping its as simple as the o-ring!

 

check your coolant reservoir. mine had a small crack, forgot which part. I ended up buying a new one and replacing it myself. so you might wanna check there to see if you were in my situation.

 

+1 my coolant tank had a crack in it too. you should check around the area to see if you can find any cracks, if not pressure test it

 

Find a local indy shop and have them look at it. Chances are pretty good its nothing major and won't cost too much (under 1K).

 

Well I picked up my car yesterday. As stated above, the temperature sensor was replaced ($40) as well as the return hose ($64). They also replaced the vent pipe ($54). Total cost for parts and labor $700.

Since the car is an '04 I told them to flush & replace the coolant which was the original. Add another $200.

I knew the cost would be a bit crazy but the parts total was only $183. The dealer charges $122.50/hr for labor. Does that sound high compared to other dealers?