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COOLANT LEVEL TO LOW

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Old 11-16-2008, 02:05 PM
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Hey guys, has anybody had to refill their coolant more than once? I filled up my coolant a little bit over a month ago, and today the I-Drive promped me saying that th enegin coolant was low.


Thanks,

jay
Old 11-16-2008, 02:12 PM
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My coolant levels always seem to drop, and i refill every month almost! Dont see any leaks, dont get any idrive msgs...

I think maybe its not a big concern with bmws, they all suck on coolant, oil n so forth lol
Old 11-16-2008, 02:21 PM
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Yah mine was over too lol.. I guess need to call BMW Service for fill up now
Old 11-16-2008, 02:46 PM
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It is very rare becuase I've had the care for about 6 months know and i first had to put more coolant in last month and i figured it was a common thing becuase the car is a 2006 model and i figure okay maybe after 2 years and about 40k miles later you need more coolant. But to have to fill it again a little more than a month later seemed very odd to me. I guess im going to have to give my BMW dealership a call tomorrow. I do not see any leaks or anything but just found it every odd for the coolant to run out like that.

Jay
Old 11-16-2008, 03:04 PM
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That coolant loss needs to be inspected and cause determined. The plastic radiator and reserve tanks of previous model BMWs are notorious for failing at 50K miles ... it starts with hairline cracks that are hardly noticeable.
Old 11-17-2008, 01:00 PM
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Replaced expansion tank and cap this weekend.
Was getting low coolant warning over the summer, then got it again during the fall (no hot weather).

Parts located on realoem.com, ordered thru pelican. tank $79, cap $18.
15 minutes DIY. Minimal mess if you think thru the process.

BTW, really nice hose clamps, makes the job super quick.

-mike
Old 11-17-2008, 01:10 PM
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had the idrive messages a few times but it only happend when I was parked on an incline..checked it and the level was fine...maybe the sensor reads from one side of the tank and when the car is tilted it thinks it's low..
Old 11-17-2008, 01:36 PM
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Just started getting this message on Saturday. Only comes on at first start up of the day, then goes away at every other start up. I am planning on stopping by the dealership today to get it topped off. (I am @ 6700 miles, 10+ months)
Old 11-22-2008, 04:22 AM
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Originally Posted by JayP1984' post='722702' date='Nov 16 2008, 06:05 PM
Hey guys, has anybody had to refill their coolant more than once? I filled up my coolant a little bit over a month ago, and today the I-Drive promped me saying that th enegin coolant was low.


Thanks,

jay

I had a similar problem for many months until heat exchange failed completely.
Old 11-22-2008, 04:53 AM
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I guess BMW has not figured out the engineering for cooling systems. I can't fathom why components that have been part of the automotive scene for almost 100 years (Radiators !?!?!?!?) aren't bullet-proof and designed to withstand more that 50K of driving!

Cheap thin plastics must save no more than 1-2 lbs .. .. will that adversely impact the performance of a BMW to the extent that it's better to gain .1 sec of acceleration time but replace cooling systems every 50K miles?

[But then again, when asked about "life-time fluids" I was advised that the time of life = life of warranty. After that you're on your own.]


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