[mythek]

So I got the low coolant warning on for a couple of days. today finally decided to open up the coolant resevoir to check the level. I was shocked to see the resevoir is completely empty. I poured in about 1/3 gallon of distilled water to fill it to max level.

Given the fact that I haven't looked at the coolant since I bought it July 2013, and quite possible that the previous owner didn't even touch it since the car was at about 22k miles when I bought it, car has 33k miles on it now. Should I be worried about having a leakage somewhere and water pump issues? Or is it normal to lose that much coolant in a span of a couple or a few years?

I don't see any fluid leaking anywhere in the engine bay, nor under the car.

thanks for your input.

[Efthreeoh]

On all cars, some coolant loss is normal. Getting a low coolant light after 16 months and with 33K on the engine is not unusual. Relax, it's a car not a real baby.

[E90Martin]

Should probably refill the reservoir with 50/50 mix of distilled water and coolant from BMW and see if the coolant level drops. If you refill it with only water, chances are that it'll evaporate at a higher rate. It shouldn't be a problem, I had to add coolant into my car after 7k miles or so and my dealer checked there wasn't any leak going on.

[mythek]

Cool guys thanks for the responses, I got a little concerned cuz when I searched for low coolant, the search engine found many threads talking about water pump problems lol its like a BMW nightmare

[shadow191]

It's pretty common and not always water pump related. Unless your water pump is leaking, it won't result in loss of coolant. May have o-ring issue with cap or small leak in expansion tank. Really not a big deal. And topping off with water is fine. It may evaporate faster than water, but remember as soon as you turn the car on, it's getting cycled into the rest of the coolant, it doesn't just sit at the top in your expansion tank.

See if there is any white residue around the cap on your expansion tank. It could mean there is a leak right there.

[mythek]

Originally Posted by shadow191

It's pretty common and not always water pump related. Unless your water pump is leaking, it won't result in loss of coolant. May have o-ring issue with cap or small leak in expansion tank. Really not a big deal. And topping off with water is fine. It may evaporate faster than water, but remember as soon as you turn the car on, it's getting cycled into the rest of the coolant, it doesn't just sit at the top in your expansion tank.

See if there is any white residue around the cap on your expansion tank. It could mean there is a leak right there.

I do see very little white residue built up, but very very little.... You have to look close to really see it. My guess is maybe the dealership or the previous owner mixed the coolant with unfiltered or tap water.

[Efthreeoh]

I apologize in advance for this....


But is this all you really have to worry about in life is a bit of coolant loss and "white residue" on the lip of the coolant reservoir? Dude, IT'S NORMAL. Add some pre-mixed coolant to get the system topped off and call it a day.

[mythek]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I apologize in advance for this....


But is this all you really have to worry about in life is a bit of coolant loss and "white residue" on the lip of the coolant reservoir? Dude, IT'S NORMAL. Add some pre-mixed coolant to get the system topped off and call it a day.

take it easy champ I'm just a newbie trying to get a confirmation from the experienced. Only reason why I was a little concerned is because upon doing a research on the topic of "low coolant", quite a few people say vehicle shouldn't lose coolant, and then some say that is a sign for something more serious. Am I wrong for being cautious and preventive?

With that being said, to answer your question, NO However, I do wish that this is "all I really have to worry about in life"

regardless, thanks for your inputs

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by mythek

take it easy champ I'm just a newbie trying to get a confirmation from the experienced. Only reason why I was a little concerned is because upon doing a research on the topic of "low coolant", quite a few people say vehicle shouldn't lose coolant, and then some say that is a sign for something more serious. Am I wrong for being cautious and preventive?

With that being said, to answer your question, NO However, I do wish that this is "all I really have to worry about in life"

regardless, thanks for your inputs

The people who say a vehicle shouldn't lose coolant have no idea what they are talking about. I suggest that you buy a repair manual for the E90, and research that resource, rather than knuckleheads on the internet (beside me of course ). I'm an old dude (to you probably) and didn't have the internet to learn from, but rather, bought the repair manual for every car I've owned. IMO, that's the best source of accurate information.

Good luck with your car.

[mythek]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The people who say a vehicle shouldn't lose coolant have no idea what they are talking about. I suggest that you buy a repair manual for the E90, and research that resource, rather than knuckleheads on the internet (beside me of course ). I'm an old dude (to you probably) and didn't have the internet to learn from, but rather, bought the repair manual for every car I've owned. IMO, that's the best source of accurate information.

Good luck with your car.

i do have the bentley repair manual...but man that manual is intimidating to open...shit's huge like a dictionary ahah