M550i low coolant

jimk · 11-25-2022, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HerkHealer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam_M550i

Update: warranty company, route66 is covering the coolant leaks with turbo lines. About $8500. They will not cover the oil sweat from the oil pan because the inspector went there and saw no failure. No actual leak or anything that has failed. He said idrive isn't even saying you need oil. He said if it gets to that point and becomes a leak then they would also cover that. I'm more than happy with that arrangement. My cost will be diagnostic fee and coolant. So far this has been a good experience, little slow but it's ok. It's a 7 year 120k mile warranty through my credit union that I paid $2700 for and it's already paid off.

They're making you pay for the coolant ? That doesnt make sense to me. If the repair is covered under warranty, and is the reason you lost coolant, why shouldnt the coolant be covered? I know its probably $15, but still I dont get that.

Fluids are not covered by Route 66. It's just another way of keeping their prices low and still offer a quality warranty.

Sam_M550i · 11-25-2022, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimk

Fluids are not covered by Route 66. It's just another way of keeping their prices low and still offer a quality warranty.

I am okay with this. I'm not complaining to be honest. It's a very costly repair so my out of pocket is peanuts. Again I paid $2700 for this warranty package through my credit union and it's a 7 year 120k miles warranty. I'll pay for fluids all day.

hayko_M340 · 11-28-2022, 02:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam_M550i

On my 2018 M550i I got a low coolant light. Car only has 26k miles. Dealer saying car needs 6 coolant lines cause some are leaking. They also stated upper and lower oil pan gaskets are sweating and needs to be changed. Video sent to me shows this also. They are saying it is about $13k in repairs as it is very labor extensive. Lucky I have extended warranty with Route 66 so they will send someone to the dealership to inspect. This to me is insane that a car with low miles needs that much repair. Costly as hell.

22' M550I with N63TU3 (One revision after your motor) needing its second coolant top up within 5K miles. Sitting at 13k miles. These motors drink coolant hit or miss, might start looking into lemoning the vehicle. Not normal by any means? Anyone have any experience with lemons regarding coolant loss? Thanks!

m340b58 · 11-28-2022, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hayko_M340

22' M550I with N63TU3 (One revision after your motor) needing its second coolant top up within 5K miles. Sitting at 13k miles. These motors drink coolant hit or miss, might start looking into lemoning the vehicle. Not normal by any means? Anyone have any experience with lemons regarding coolant loss? Thanks!

Wouldn't be that concerned, if a third time occurs I'd suggest telling SA to start testing for leaks. Although my car is an M340 I've topped off oil so many times when the car still had under 15k miles to the point where they got suspicious and ran a test for leaks and found nothing. These cars love oil and coolant so don't sweat it too much.

Sam_M550i · 11-28-2022, 08:44 AM

In my opinion any coolant loss is a concern. Coolant is a closed loop system and should not fall below the level to trigger the warning. I would ask the dealer to investigate to find the leak.

TacticalGunnarM550 · 11-28-2022, 03:58 PM

My car went into the shop this morning for low coolant, they quoted me this-

BMW Turbocharger Coolant Feed Line
Part
$122.29
1 item
Part #: 11539896890
$122.29
BMW Turbocharger Coolant Feed Line
Part
$158.53
1 item
Part #: 11538485156
$158.53
BMW Turbocharger Coolant Return Line
Part
$158.53
1 item
Part #: 11538485578
$158.53
BMW Turbocharger Coolant Return Line
Part
$122.29
1 item
Part #: 11539896893
$122.29
BMW Turbocharger Coolant Line O Ring
Part
$25.75
4 items
Part #: 11539896372
$103.00
BMW Turbocharger Coolant Line Crush Washer
Part
$1.45
8 items
Part #: 07119963201
$11.60
BMW Turbocharger Coolant Return Line
Part
$89.82
1 item
Part #: 11539896892
$89.82
BMW Turbocharger Coolant Feed Line
Part
$116.43
1 item
Part #: 11539896894
$116.43
BMW ASA Bolt - Genuine BMW
Part
$4.75
4 items
Part #: 07129905830
$19.00
BMW Hex Bolt With Washer - Genuine BMW
Part
$1.91
2 items
Part #: 07119903001
$3.82
BMW Decoupling Element - Genuine BMW
Part
$12.49
2 items
Part #: 17518636364
$24.98
BMW Spacer - Genuine BMW
Part
$3.81
2 items
Part #: 07147132785
$7.62
BMW Bracket - Genuine BMW
Part
$77.45
1 item
Part #: 17138482530
$77.45
BMW Bracket - Genuine BMW
Part
$59.24
1 item
Part #: 17138482531
$59.24
BMW Fillister Head Screw - Genuine BMW
Part
$1.44
2 items
Part #: 07129905386
$2.88
BMW Fillister Head Screw - Genuine BMW
Part
$1.11
3 items
Part #: 07129905536
$3.33
1 Gallon of BMW Coolant Concentrate
Part
$27.69
1 item
Part #: 82141467704
$27.69
Replacing Turbo Coolant Lines
Labor
$1,547.00
Taxes $185.89
Grand Total- $2,980.44

I have a Roadvantage Warranty that my friend at a Porsche dealer sold me, its the VSC Preferred Elite. Cost me $3500. So it was worth it with this alone. I'm covered until 2029 or 135000 miles.

choppedliver · 11-28-2022, 04:38 PM

I think it's worth pointing out that there are 2 coolant tanks. One is engine coolant and one is for the turbo/turbo intercoolers.

My 2020 had a low engine coolant once 10 months ago and needed about a litre. Dealer said it's normal as others have stated. Car has 21,000kms now and it's not re-occured.

TacticalGunnarM550 · 11-28-2022, 04:49 PM

Typically the tanks arent the issue. Even with the "Upgraded lines", people are having issues with them becoming brittle and causing coolant loss.

TreyWaters · 11-29-2022, 07:00 AM

To add on to another possible expensive coolant leak issue - your thermostat.

Apparently my thermostat started leaking, and the coolant traveled up the wiring harness to the DME and shorted it out. Had to replace the DME, Integrated Supply Module, thermostat, wiring harness, and an O2 sensor (the O2 Sensor code was the first symptom before car disabled itself with "Drivetrain Malfunction"). Total cost - $10k. Add another $4500 for the evaporator coil crapping out at exactly the same time...So, yay!

Last year I had the turbo coolant line issue and had that replaced under factory warranty. When I looked up the cost of that repair, it scared me enough to get an extended warranty. I ended up paying $3.5k for the "Silver" coverage, and fortunately it's covered both the thermostat repairs and the evaporator coil.

My dealership is a Hendrick dealership, and they sold me Hendrick Autoguard. So far, I've been very happy with AutoGuard - seamless process and they've covered everything outlined in the contract with no hassle. Unfortunately, not happy with the dealership, as the car went in on Sept 13 and I still don't have the car back because they keep "forgetting" to work on it.

Sam_M550i · 11-29-2022, 08:02 PM

Car is all fixed and super happy with Route 66. Bill is about $4k and I only paid $600 out of pocket and I'm ok with that. This repair alone has made this warranty purchase worth it. The best part, they send an inspector to avoid being dicked by BS dealer claims that the car needs extra things.

dhodory · 11-30-2022, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hayko_M340

22' M550I with N63TU3 (One revision after your motor) needing its second coolant top up within 5K miles. Sitting at 13k miles. These motors drink coolant hit or miss, might start looking into lemoning the vehicle. Not normal by any means? Anyone have any experience with lemons regarding coolant loss? Thanks!

Agree with you.
I'm at just under 7k miles on a 2022 M550i and just brought it to the dealer for low coolant warning.
They pressure tested the system and "no leaks". Topped off the coolant. We'll see how long before I get another low coolant warning.

I had planned on tuning the vehicle, but until I can be sure that this issue is resolved, I don't feel like I want to open that can of worms.

If I continue to have issues, I have a friend at BMW NA that might be able to help me. Worst case, I lemon the car and trade on a new M3? We'll see what happens. Definitely a black eye for BMW in my view. A $90k high performance vehicle should not be burning coolant inside of 7k miles. What kind of engineering is that?

Sam_M550i · 11-30-2022, 01:54 PM

My issue is this a well know issue with many model of BMW. All sorts of coolant issues and no recall. They use garbage plastic lines in a hot V set-up where the part is under a lot of extreme temperatures.

Joe-BMW33 · 12-01-2022, 09:20 AM

These cars do not drink coolant or consume coolant. If anyone is having to add coolant, the issue will eventually rear it's ugly head. Unless there is coolant on the ground or a putrid eye watering nose burning smell coming from the interior vents, the dealer will tell you everything is fine and it is normal.

If you have to add coolant, you have a leak in the system. If it is slow, the coolant usually burns off on the valley pan. When it becomes a bigger leak, you will be able to smell the burnoff.

For me, it was my turbo coolant lines leaking. Before they actually got bad enough to diagnose, I was adding coolant every other month. Since repaired, zero "consumption".

Tell the dealer your eyes and nose are burning even if they are not. This will force them to look around and replace.

hayko_M340 · 12-01-2022, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhodory

Agree with you.
I'm at just under 7k miles on a 2022 M550i and just brought it to the dealer for low coolant warning.
They pressure tested the system and "no leaks". Topped off the coolant. We'll see how long before I get another low coolant warning.

I had planned on tuning the vehicle, but until I can be sure that this issue is resolved, I don't feel like I want to open that can of worms.

If I continue to have issues, I have a friend at BMW NA that might be able to help me. Worst case, I lemon the car and trade on a new M3? We'll see what happens. Definitely a black eye for BMW in my view. A $90k high performance vehicle should not be burning coolant inside of 7k miles. What kind of engineering is that?

In the same boat here, a brand new car should not be consuming this amount of coolant between oil changes, probably going to end up speaking with lemon attorneys and get the case going from this point on as lemoning previous BMW's the case goes on for a year plus if not more.

m340b58 · 12-02-2022, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hayko_M340

In the same boat here, a brand new car should not be consuming this amount of coolant between oil changes, probably going to end up speaking with lemon attorneys and get the case going from this point on as lemoning previous BMW's the case goes on for a year plus if not more.

Keep us updated on how it goes!

Joe Shmoe · 12-05-2022, 02:27 PM

Hi all. New member but I have been lurking.

Im going through this right now. Car is at the dealer. I was sent a video by the tech but still waiting for SA to call.

Does anyone have the info on the recall or TSB? I searched online but couldn't find anything definitive. I'm still under CPO.

Thanks

mffarrell · 01-06-2023, 07:10 PM

Update: I had my car in for service today and a leak was discovered at the large expansion tank. Hopefully this fixes my coolant loss and smell!

Manley00 · 01-06-2023, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mffarrell

Update: I had my car in for service today and a leak was discovered at the large expansion tank. Hopefully this fixes my coolant loss and smell!

Literally just got mine back for the exact same thing. The entire new tank looks differently. Was a quick fix after they got the part!

Good luck!

mffarrell · 01-08-2023, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manley00

Literally just got mine back for the exact same thing. The entire new tank looks differently. Was a quick fix after they got the part!

Good luck!

It took two days to get the tank. Yes, my tank looks different too!

sam555 · 06-29-2023, 04:42 PM

Hi all:

Have a 2020 M550 with about 35 k miles. I had the low coolant warning come up and went through this thread. I checked the car. It seems to be in the chamber in the back, and not the front. Surprising because I just got an oil service done at a local dealer two weeks back and assumed they checked all fluid levels. May be not. At that time though, they did an inspection and sent a video of the underneath when it was raised, and everything looked good. Hence a little surprised that this has happened, and also worried.

In any event, was wondering what coolant the car needs so I can order it. Is it the HT 12, green? Will the Valvoline HT-12 work as some here have suggested?

Also should I go back to the dealer and ask them to do a complete check? I am guessing they are going to make excuses and avoid. CPO expires in a few months.

Thanks for the help!!

choppedliver · 06-29-2023, 09:00 PM

Happened to me again when the car was parked on a slope. Sure enough the level in the back tank is marginal. 18 months since it happened the first time.

Drifttime85 · 06-29-2023, 09:07 PM

I wonder if they will make this a recall ?

11-28-2022, 08:44 AM	#27
Sam_M550i Lieutenant 260 Rep 472 Posts Drives: BMW M550i Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Framingham iTrader: (0)	In my opinion any coolant loss is a concern. Coolant is a closed loop system and should not fall below the level to trigger the warning. I would ask the dealer to investigate to find the leak.
	Appreciate 1 Joe-BMW337337.50 Quote

11-28-2022, 03:58 PM	#28
TacticalGunnarM550 Second Lieutenant 99 Rep 217 Posts Drives: 2018 M550i; 2017 430i Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: Upstate NY iTrader: (0)	My car went into the shop this morning for low coolant, they quoted me this- BMW Turbocharger Coolant Feed Line Part $122.29 1 item Part #: 11539896890 $122.29 BMW Turbocharger Coolant Feed Line Part $158.53 1 item Part #: 11538485156 $158.53 BMW Turbocharger Coolant Return Line Part $158.53 1 item Part #: 11538485578 $158.53 BMW Turbocharger Coolant Return Line Part $122.29 1 item Part #: 11539896893 $122.29 BMW Turbocharger Coolant Line O Ring Part $25.75 4 items Part #: 11539896372 $103.00 BMW Turbocharger Coolant Line Crush Washer Part $1.45 8 items Part #: 07119963201 $11.60 BMW Turbocharger Coolant Return Line Part $89.82 1 item Part #: 11539896892 $89.82 BMW Turbocharger Coolant Feed Line Part $116.43 1 item Part #: 11539896894 $116.43 BMW ASA Bolt - Genuine BMW Part $4.75 4 items Part #: 07129905830 $19.00 BMW Hex Bolt With Washer - Genuine BMW Part $1.91 2 items Part #: 07119903001 $3.82 BMW Decoupling Element - Genuine BMW Part $12.49 2 items Part #: 17518636364 $24.98 BMW Spacer - Genuine BMW Part $3.81 2 items Part #: 07147132785 $7.62 BMW Bracket - Genuine BMW Part $77.45 1 item Part #: 17138482530 $77.45 BMW Bracket - Genuine BMW Part $59.24 1 item Part #: 17138482531 $59.24 BMW Fillister Head Screw - Genuine BMW Part $1.44 2 items Part #: 07129905386 $2.88 BMW Fillister Head Screw - Genuine BMW Part $1.11 3 items Part #: 07129905536 $3.33 1 Gallon of BMW Coolant Concentrate Part $27.69 1 item Part #: 82141467704 $27.69 Replacing Turbo Coolant Lines Labor $1,547.00 Taxes $185.89 Grand Total- $2,980.44 I have a Roadvantage Warranty that my friend at a Porsche dealer sold me, its the VSC Preferred Elite. Cost me $3500. So it was worth it with this alone. I'm covered until 2029 or 135000 miles.
	Appreciate 1 Sam_M550i260.00 Quote

11-28-2022, 04:38 PM	#29
choppedliver Captain 160 Rep 758 Posts Drives: 2020 M550ix Pure Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Australia iTrader: (1)	I think it's worth pointing out that there are 2 coolant tanks. One is engine coolant and one is for the turbo/turbo intercoolers. My 2020 had a low engine coolant once 10 months ago and needed about a litre. Dealer said it's normal as others have stated. Car has 21,000kms now and it's not re-occured.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-28-2022, 04:49 PM	#30
TacticalGunnarM550 Second Lieutenant 99 Rep 217 Posts Drives: 2018 M550i; 2017 430i Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: Upstate NY iTrader: (0)	Typically the tanks arent the issue. Even with the "Upgraded lines", people are having issues with them becoming brittle and causing coolant loss.
	Appreciate 1 Sam_M550i260.00 Quote

11-29-2022, 07:00 AM	#31
TreyWaters Private First Class 82 Rep 136 Posts Drives: 2018 BMW M550i Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Morrisville, NC iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 Acura MDX Tech [0.00]	To add on to another possible expensive coolant leak issue - your thermostat. Apparently my thermostat started leaking, and the coolant traveled up the wiring harness to the DME and shorted it out. Had to replace the DME, Integrated Supply Module, thermostat, wiring harness, and an O2 sensor (the O2 Sensor code was the first symptom before car disabled itself with "Drivetrain Malfunction"). Total cost - $10k. Add another $4500 for the evaporator coil crapping out at exactly the same time...So, yay! Last year I had the turbo coolant line issue and had that replaced under factory warranty. When I looked up the cost of that repair, it scared me enough to get an extended warranty. I ended up paying $3.5k for the "Silver" coverage, and fortunately it's covered both the thermostat repairs and the evaporator coil. My dealership is a Hendrick dealership, and they sold me Hendrick Autoguard. So far, I've been very happy with AutoGuard - seamless process and they've covered everything outlined in the contract with no hassle. Unfortunately, not happy with the dealership, as the car went in on Sept 13 and I still don't have the car back because they keep "forgetting" to work on it. __________________ ________________________________________ 2018 BMW M550i - Med Blue / Black / 668M wheels [ZCW, ZDA, ZDB, ZDH, ZEC, ZLS, ZPK, 416, 5DV, 6WB] (ED 9/18/2017; PCD 11/30/2018) 2009 Acura MDX Tech - Silver / Grey (2009-2017) 2003 BMW Z4 3.0i - Silver / Red (2006-2009)
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11-29-2022, 08:02 PM	#32
Sam_M550i Lieutenant 260 Rep 472 Posts Drives: BMW M550i Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Framingham iTrader: (0)	Car is all fixed and super happy with Route 66. Bill is about $4k and I only paid $600 out of pocket and I'm ok with that. This repair alone has made this warranty purchase worth it. The best part, they send an inspector to avoid being dicked by BS dealer claims that the car needs extra things. __________________ 2018 BMW M550i \| BM3 stg 1 \| Resonator Delete (X-pipe) \| Dark Graphite Metallic
	Appreciate 1 Joe-BMW337337.50 Quote

11-30-2022, 01:54 PM	#34
Sam_M550i Lieutenant 260 Rep 472 Posts Drives: BMW M550i Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Framingham iTrader: (0)	My issue is this a well know issue with many model of BMW. All sorts of coolant issues and no recall. They use garbage plastic lines in a hot V set-up where the part is under a lot of extreme temperatures. __________________ 2018 BMW M550i \| BM3 stg 1 \| Resonator Delete (X-pipe) \| Dark Graphite Metallic
	Appreciate 1 dhodory47.00 Quote

12-01-2022, 09:20 AM	#35
Joe-BMW33 Major General 7338 Rep 6,749 Posts Drives: '18 M550i\|'21 X5\|'03 540i Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Boston iTrader: (1) Garage List 2013 VW Tiguan [0.00] 2015 Infiniti QX60 [0.00] 2021 BMW X5 [0.00] 2003 BMW 540i [0.00] 2018 BMW M550 [10.00]	These cars do not drink coolant or consume coolant. If anyone is having to add coolant, the issue will eventually rear it's ugly head. Unless there is coolant on the ground or a putrid eye watering nose burning smell coming from the interior vents, the dealer will tell you everything is fine and it is normal. If you have to add coolant, you have a leak in the system. If it is slow, the coolant usually burns off on the valley pan. When it becomes a bigger leak, you will be able to smell the burnoff. For me, it was my turbo coolant lines leaking. Before they actually got bad enough to diagnose, I was adding coolant every other month. Since repaired, zero "consumption". Tell the dealer your eyes and nose are burning even if they are not. This will force them to look around and replace. __________________ 2018 M550ix\|Carbon Black\|Dinan Modifications\|2003 540i\|Jet Black\|M-Sport\|2021 X5 Mineral White Prior BMW's: 1987 325e\|1993 740i\|1998 740il\|2001 530i\|2002 745li\|2007 750li\|2006 750li\|2001 530i\|2012 535xi\|
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12-05-2022, 02:27 PM	#38
Joe Shmoe New Member 14 Rep 12 Posts Drives: 2018 M550i Join Date: Dec 2022 Location: Long Island, NY iTrader: (0)	Hi all. New member but I have been lurking. Im going through this right now. Car is at the dealer. I was sent a video by the tech but still waiting for SA to call. Does anyone have the info on the recall or TSB? I searched online but couldn't find anything definitive. I'm still under CPO. Thanks
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-06-2023, 07:10 PM	#39
mffarrell Captain 617 Rep 929 Posts Drives: 2020 M550i Porsche 911 turbo Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Vancouver, WA iTrader: (0)	Update: I had my car in for service today and a leak was discovered at the large expansion tank. Hopefully this fixes my coolant loss and smell!
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06-29-2023, 04:42 PM	#42
sam555 New Member 7 Rep 13 Posts Drives: BMW E46 Join Date: May 2022 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	Hi all: Have a 2020 M550 with about 35 k miles. I had the low coolant warning come up and went through this thread. I checked the car. It seems to be in the chamber in the back, and not the front. Surprising because I just got an oil service done at a local dealer two weeks back and assumed they checked all fluid levels. May be not. At that time though, they did an inspection and sent a video of the underneath when it was raised, and everything looked good. Hence a little surprised that this has happened, and also worried. In any event, was wondering what coolant the car needs so I can order it. Is it the HT 12, green? Will the Valvoline HT-12 work as some here have suggested? Also should I go back to the dealer and ask them to do a complete check? I am guessing they are going to make excuses and avoid. CPO expires in a few months. Thanks for the help!! Last edited by sam555; 06-29-2023 at 05:14 PM..
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06-29-2023, 09:00 PM	#43
choppedliver Captain 160 Rep 758 Posts Drives: 2020 M550ix Pure Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Australia iTrader: (1)	Happened to me again when the car was parked on a slope. Sure enough the level in the back tank is marginal. 18 months since it happened the first time.
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06-29-2023, 09:07 PM	#44
Drifttime85 Private First Class 101 Rep 141 Posts Drives: BMW M550i Join Date: Jun 2023 Location: Atlanta iTrader: (0)	I wonder if they will make this a recall ?
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