F8X S55 owners BEWARE!!!!

[behindthen0thing]

thanks for the heads up on this. I checked mine out and it seemed ok. I'll definitely keep an eye on it from now on. wonderful knowledge on this forum

[ntg44]

17 m3 base, 8000 miles. Not my daily so driven hard when taken out. No track days though.

Here’s a shot of mine. The level looks to be in the middle but the color is way more transparent than most I’m seeing here...kinda weird, almost looks diluted.

[WeekendWarriorz]

Originally Posted by ntgarage44

17 m3 base, 8000 miles. Not my daily so driven hard when taken out. No track days though.

Here's a shot of mine. The level looks to be in the middle but the color is way more transparent than most I'm seeing here...kinda weird, almost looks diluted.

Dip a paper towel in and you'll see the color of the fluid. Don't soak it just maybe 1 cm. It's okay to add a small amount of distilled water to fill it up and monitor fluid.

[ntg44]

Originally Posted by WeekendWarriorz

Dip a paper towel in and you'll see the color of the fluid. Don't soak it just maybe 1 cm. It's okay to add a small amount of distilled water to fill it up and monitor fluid.

Thanks. It’s 2 ticks below full, so can’t confirm if leaking yet. I’ll drive it hard until next gas tank or two and check again.

This kinda stuff makes me so paranoid. I doubt a real recall/fix will be implemented, and an expensive aftermarket replacement part shouldn’t be the only solution. Seeing the internals from original post, that looks awful. Doesn’t make me want to consider keeping the car after warranty expires. Guess I’ll stick with air-to-air intercooled engines from now on.

[THEROK]

Originally Posted by ntgarage44

17 m3 base, 8000 miles. Not my daily so driven hard when taken out. No track days though.

Here’s a shot of mine. The level looks to be in the middle but the color is way more transparent than most I’m seeing here...kinda weird, almost looks diluted.

That's how clear mine looks even after recently topping off w/ BMW OEM coolant. First time cracking open the charge cooler prompted only by a random click on this thread with the elementary school title.

Mine was on the bottom one or two notches. It's at BMW service now. If this becomes a repeat issue, either I'm dumping the car for a 991 GT3 or taking a $2500 gamble with an aftermarket unit.

[mfurse]

The new S58 engine video that BMW posted shows an intercooler that looks subtley different but the connections look roughly in the right places (from the video so it's hard to really tell).

Would be good if the OEM part was stronger / better and was a direct replacement! (Probably not).

[WeekendWarriorz]

Originally Posted by THEROK

First time cracking open the charge cooler prompted only by a random click on this thread with the elementary school title.

The title got your attention so I'd say it's successful

[jmciver]

Guys, while it is a good idea to more periodically monitor the charge cooler expansion tank level as a result of the info provided in this thread (I do now), there is no need to "panic" if your level fluctuates a few "ticks" in the band, as read on the yellow indicator in the expansion tank. Keep in mind that the water capacity in this system is relatively small at 3.9 liters (compared to the engine coolant system which is a whopping 13.9 liters).

What this means is that small temperature changes can cause the level in the expansion tank to rise or lower a few "ticks" within the normal operating band as read on the yellow indicator (which is not designed to be very accurate in the first place). For example, my charge cooler is not leaking (knock on wood) and I had my expansion tank filled to just below the high level mark. When it got really cold these past few weeks (even in my garage - my engine coolant and oil temp got down to the mid 40's deg F after my car sat for a few days), the level in my charge cooler expansion tank was noticeably a few ticks lower, but still within band.

In other words, if you check your tank level when your engine is hot vs warm vs cold, you will see slight level changes in your expansion tank - but if your tank is not leaking, they should all still be in the normal operating band. In fact, it is a good idea to keep your expansion tank level at the low end of the band when the car is cold so that there is plenty of room for the coolant to expand when the car is at normal operating temperature and not overflow (which it can do). So unless you see a significant level drop over a short period of time (i.e. the expansion tank is dry or close to dry) then you should be fine.

[ntg44]

^^I didn't even think of that. Thank you for basically eliminating my anxiety about this thing haha. Being in Chicago, car hasn't even left the garage in these -20 to +20 temps. Would make a lot of sense. Best thing to do is just check periodically to make sure this isn't becoming a problem.

[Wolverine M3 CS]

I took my car to the dealer Yesterday and they did find that it was leaking, they are replacing the unit, I asked for the old part but the dealer said there is a note from BMW to hold the part for inspection. Maybe they are finally realizing that there should be a recall.

[THEROK]

Originally Posted by WeekendWarriorz

The title got your attention so I'd say it's successful

Title should be revised, but many of us appreciate you for bringing this to our attn no doubt. More people should be keeping an eye out.

Originally Posted by jmciver

What this means is that small temperature changes can cause the level in the expansion tank to rise or lower a few "ticks" within the normal operating band as read on the yellow indicator (which is not designed to be very accurate in the first place).

That's why any brain cell(s) endowed owner should be checking levels while minimizing variables. I checked mine after the car's been sitting overnight in the garage. 24 hours later, checked again. Level was topped off as the day before. Drove around at higher than normal revs at freeway speeds and aggressive off the line bursts covering ~10 miles. Let it sit again overnight. Coolant level was down ~3 notches.

BMW service tech just verified that mine was indeed leaking. New charge cooler ordered. As a precaution, I asked them to perform an oil service 3K miles early. My intervals are off anyways since I swap out engine oil ~5K miles.

[Wolverine M3 CS]

I just got my car back from the dealer, they replaced the unit and did find coolant inside of it, I asked to replaced the spark plugs as well, no oxidation found on them, Wow what a difference it makes to have new spark plugs. I am replacing them more often. Hopefully, for all of us, the new intercoolers have the problem fixed. But, if any of us that have already change them notice something wrong please let us know if the problem comes back again. I am probably going to get the other intercoolers mentioned on this thread and have the OEM as a replacement. Good luck everyone and thank you all again.

[parabmw]

If this is a common problem shouldn't bmw have fixed it a later models?
Is it happening in 2018s?

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by parabmw

If this is a common problem shouldn't bmw have fixed it a later models?
Is it happening in 2018s?

Not necessarily. It depends on how "big" the problem is according to BMW's problem "criteria" - and I don't know what that criteria is. Without access to the true failure data, we will never know. That said, if BMW did do something, an indicator could be a part number change for the charge cooler and/or an SIB documenting the issue and the approved factory fix which could be as simple as ordering the "new and improved" part.

[shay2nak]

Originally Posted by wolverine M4

I just got my car back from the dealer, they replaced the unit and did find coolant inside of it, I asked to replaced the spark plugs as well, no oxidation found on them, Wow what a difference it makes to have new spark plugs. I am replacing them more often. Hopefully, for all of us, the new intercoolers have the problem fixed. But, if any of us that have already change them notice something wrong please let us know if the problem comes back again. I am probably going to get the other intercoolers mentioned on this thread and have the OEM as a replacement. Good luck everyone and thank you all again.

That's great! How many miles on your car?

[Wolverine M3 CS]

Originally Posted by shay2nak

That's great! How many miles on your car?

28453 with 14 track days. I love it so far...

[WeekendWarriorz]

Originally Posted by parabmw

If this is a common problem shouldn't bmw have fixed it a later models?
Is it happening in 2018s?

Yes it's happening in 2018s, that's what started this thread was my buddies 2018 F80 M3. I hope everyone knows that the replacement that BMW is putting in is the exact one that has failed previously. Part numbers are the same, hopefully they will revise them but time will tell.

[KevM2]

Is an aftermarket one like the CSF 100% fail proof? My guess probably not but at least it's much more robust than the BMW one... only problem is that it would void warranty... then again, if it's much better then there should be no need for the warranty

[WeekendWarriorz]

Originally Posted by KevM2

Is an aftermarket one like the CSF 100% fail proof? My guess probably not but at least it's much more robust than the BMW one... only problem is that it would void warranty... then again, if it's much better then there should be no need for the warranty

I'd assume so, it has a stronger core and better fins. Better material. I believe we have yet so see one fail.

[milk242]

Originally Posted by KevM2

Is an aftermarket one like the CSF 100% fail proof? My guess probably not but at least it's much more robust than the BMW one... only problem is that it would void warranty... then again, if it's much better then there should be no need for the warranty

Bar and plate radiator cores are supposed to be stronger and more efficient from what I've read (not a engineer so I can't say for sure) compared to the tube and fin design of the OEM radiator core found in the intercooler.

[KevM2]

Originally Posted by avex8

If you got the money and going to keep the car for awhile, go with csf or eos, they are lifetime warranty. I have the factory warranty but decided to upgrade my intercooler because my SA told me it's pretty common issue, so no point to put a defect design oem intercooler unless you are leasing the car

Which would you recommend, CSF or EOS? Or both are equally good so go with the cheapest?

[overlook637]

nothing is fail proof.