F8X S55 owners BEWARE!!!!

[SpaceCowboy]

I'm surprised there isn't a level sensor for the coolant in the intercooler. It would be easy enough to have a float sensor. If the level got low it could throw a code for it

[chrisl91]

Originally Posted by SpaceCowboy

I'm surprised there isn't a level sensor for the coolant in the intercooler. It would be easy enough to have a float sensor. If the level got low it could throw a code for it

There is a sensor and it throws a code, it just doesn't trigger any warning lights on the dash. So you'll never know unless you push the car hard or check your codes frequently.

[Rhedrick17]

Just picked up a used 2018 ZCP m3 with 12k miles on it, literally got it today but have owned a 2017 m3 ZCP previously. never heard of this issue with my last car but clearly alarmed at how many people are having this issue. I plan on keeping this car for a while and think its worth my while to not run into this problem so ill go ahead and have this replaced. with a quick google search I've come across several companies who make these intercoolers, obviously all brands are not created equal and just wanted to get some opinions before I spend $2k on the CFS one that the VRSF is not equally as good for 1/3 the cost.

anyone care to weigh in on this or have an argument on what intercooler is better/ more reliable?

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by Rhedrick17

Just picked up a used 2018 ZCP m3 with 12k miles on it, literally got it today but have owned a 2017 m3 ZCP previously. never heard of this issue with my last car but clearly alarmed at how many people are having this issue. I plan on keeping this car for a while and think its worth my while to not run into this problem so ill go ahead and have this replaced. with a quick google search I've come across several companies who make these intercoolers, obviously all brands are not created equal and just wanted to get some opinions before I spend $2k on the CFS one that the VRSF is not equally as good for 1/3 the cost.

anyone care to weigh in on this or have an argument on what intercooler is better/ more reliable?

Unless you really want an aftermarket charge cooler, I would recommend you wait to see if your charge cooler actually fails. And even then, if it is under warranty, get a new stock one under the warranty. While this issue is more common than it clearly should be, it is not rampant either. For me, as a direct result of this thread, I just monitor my charge cooler expansion tank more frequently, approximately once a month or so, which is easy to do. A leaking charge cooler will not leave you stranded on the side of the road barring an over the top catastrophic charge cooler failure - which does not appear to have happened to anyone and does not seem too probable.

[Ropes]

I'm replacing with stock because one it is covered under warranty, two the aftermarket doesn't show any data except for Wagner Tuning and three the stock unit has performed just fine till this point. Averaging 12-15°F over ambient when cruising and 25-30 over when driving spiritedly.

[clown101]

Hey guys I think I'm having the same issue with my 2017 m3 competition the car got 25k km on it. last week it threw the drivetrain on the dash i turned it off and on it went away I called the dealership and booked an appointment and took it in they said you have a misfire in the cylinders plus the auxiliary pump is not functioning well so they advised me it would be the spark plugs only and they don't have them in stock I ordered it myself and and handed them they called me yesterday and told me your car preformed well and the pump message didn't show up and it's ready to be picked up today I called in the morning and they said the drivetrain came up again and the misfire didn't go away and advised that it could be the coils or the injectors before half an hour they called and said it's not the the coils it may be the injectors

Note: the ic tank is losing water and I told them that when I took it the first time and they said when the auxiliary pump fails it evaporates the water which I highly doubt

Other than that the car had a left side impact and when it was towed to the dealer they said they don't have the parts and they need about 2 months to fix and it would cost over 70 k in repairs and advised me to fix it outside yes they did !!!!! It took me 1 month to fix and payed only 15k and now they are telling me that the car warranty is void because I fixed it outside

The accident didn't reach nearly the engine bay it only effected the left fender and the rear panel

Guys I really need your help !!!
What can I do do I have to email the headquarters
I'm out of options :

Thanks a lot

[Couna777]

exact issue happened to me,
drive train malfunction, then pulled the code,
intake temp too high.. opened the coolant tank, DRY!
so i filled it up, few weeks later, same warning.
took it to the dealer, changed intercooler under warranty.
no more issue!

[damageprone]

Originally Posted by clown101

Guys I really need your help !!!
What can I do do I have to email the headquarters
I'm out of options :

Thanks a lot

Just go back and tell them that this is a typical issue happening with these cars and press the issue.

The first time the dealer just refilled the reservoir, when I took it in the second time, they were like, ok something isn't right.

[clown101]

Originally Posted by damageprone

Just go back and tell them that this is a typical issue happening with these cars and press the issue.

The first time the dealer just refilled the reservoir, when I took it in the second time, they were like, ok something isn't right.

Will do I'll let you guys know what happens 🙏

[papasmurf_m3]

Originally Posted by clown101

Hey guys I think I'm having the same issue with my 2017 m3 competition the car got 25k km on it. last week it threw the drivetrain on the dash i turned it off and on it went away I called the dealership and booked an appointment and took it in they said you have a misfire in the cylinders plus the auxiliary pump is not functioning well so they advised me it would be the spark plugs only and they don't have them in stock I ordered it myself and and handed them they called me yesterday and told me your car preformed well and the pump message didn't show up and it's ready to be picked up today I called in the morning and they said the drivetrain came up again and the misfire didn't go away and advised that it could be the coils or the injectors before half an hour they called and said it's not the the coils it may be the injectors

Note: the ic tank is losing water and I told them that when I took it the first time and they said when the auxiliary pump fails it evaporates the water which I highly doubt


Other than that the car had a left side impact and when it was towed to the dealer they said they don't have the parts and they need about 2 months to fix and it would cost over 70 k in repairs and advised me to fix it outside yes they did !!!!! It took me 1 month to fix and payed only 15k and now they are telling me that the car warranty is void because I fixed it outside

The accident didn't reach nearly the engine bay it only effected the left fender and the rear panel

Guys I really need your help !!!
What can I do do I have to email the headquarters
I'm out of options :

Thanks a lot

Take it to a new different dealer and contact BMW NA to assist you. I had to do the same thing because of a poor experience at the dealer regarding the same issue. You should get it replaced asap.

[clown101]

Originally Posted by papasmurf_m3

Take it to a new different dealer and contact BMW NA to assist you. I had to do the same thing because of a poor experience at the dealer regarding the same issue. You should get it replaced asap.

Oh bro Jordan is a small country and we only have one dealer unfortunately and btw I didn't mention that mine is a 30 jahre version so only 500 pieces were made :

[Curare86]

Originally Posted by clown101

Oh bro Jordan is a small country and we only have one dealer unfortunately and btw I didn't mention that mine is a 30 jahre version so only 500 pieces were made :

Luckily that only affects your paint colour and dash trims, the engine components are the same as everyone elses 😊

[clown101]

Originally Posted by Curare86

Luckily that only affects your paint colour and dash trims, the engine components are the same as everyone elses 😊

Oh yea I'm aware of that I'm just sad they ended my warranty because I repaired it outside

[clown101]

Update: the dealer did a full bleeding for the ic and topped it and monitored it and told me that there's no leaking on the other hand there's misfiring in cylinder 1 and 2 changed the injectors and coils with the same thing happening they have no clue what's going on so they sent an email to bmw in Germany with all the diagnosing they did and told me to wait the car has been there for almost a week

Do you guys have any suggestions

:

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by clown101

Update: the dealer did a full bleeding for the ic and topped it and monitored it and told me that there's no leaking on the other hand there's misfiring in cylinder 1 and 2 changed the injectors and coils with the same thing happening they have no clue what's going on so they sent an email to bmw in Germany with all the diagnosing they did and told me to wait the car has been there for almost a week

Do you guys have any suggestions

:

Typically this type of leak is so small that a bleed procedure or even a charge cooling system pressure test would not catch the leak - so their results are not surprising. While I am not a fan of having your typical dealer tech drive my car any more than necessary, one option would be for them to drive the car over a period of time, simulating your typical drive cycles. If your charge cooler is leaking, then they will see a coolant level drop in the charge cooler expansion tank after some time. The catch of course is depending on how bad your charge cooler is leaking will determine how much driving it will take to see a drop in the expansion tank level.

Of course, you could run the same data gathering experiment by driving the car yourself, taking before/after pictures of your charge cooler expansion tank level (or just show up at the dealer when your expansion tank level is low). But that would require a certain amount of "trust" between you and your SA - which will vary from dealer to dealer depending on your relationship with your SA.

[clown101]

Originally Posted by jmciver

Typically this type of leak is so small that a bleed procedure or even a charge cooling system pressure test would not catch the leak - so their results are not surprising. While I am not a fan of having your typical dealer tech drive my car any more than necessary, one option would be for them to drive the car over a period of time, simulating your typical drive cycles. If your charge cooler is leaking, then they will see a coolant level drop in the charge cooler expansion tank after some time. The catch of course is depending on how bad your charge cooler is leaking will determine how much driving it will take to see a drop in the expansion tank level.

Of course, you could run the same data gathering experiment by driving the car yourself, taking before/after pictures of your charge cooler expansion tank level (or just show up at the dealer when your expansion tank level is low). But that would require a certain amount of "trust" between you and your SA - which will vary from dealer to dealer depending on your relationship with your SA.

I will go tomorrow and let them know that which I already did but what with the misfiring is it has to do with the leak ??

[BzsBimmer]

Did they replace the plugs? Just saw coils and injectors. Could be fouled plugs but I would hope they properly ascertained that.

[Jbonly21]

I had my car on the dyno two weeks ago, during my section I was told my top mount fluid was low, so it was top off. I thought it was wired because I always check my fluid and it's always ok. Didn't think much of it. Over the weekend I want up to Angeles crest Hwy, when I got home the fluid was an inch lower. I stuck a cam in the intake side of the cooler and it's leaking. So I guess the car has to be driven hard to notice if it's leaking or not. If you baby your car, the cooler might be leaking and you will never tell.

[Kilabyte]

Well today I join this clan, so glad I'm 3k miles outside of warranty

A few days ago I noticed the car was pulling some power at WOT, thought it was a new tune so I re-flashed it, fast forward to yesterday I did a pull on the highway and got the drivetrain malfunction message, hoping it wasn't the CH I scanned for codes and found none. Started a thread and someone mentioned that the same thing happened to them when their top mount failed, sure enough the tank is dry.

Originally Posted by chrisl91

There is a sensor and it throws a code, it just doesn't trigger any warning lights on the dash. So you'll never know unless you push the car hard or check your codes frequently.

I have zero codes.

[Jbonly21]

Originally Posted by Kilabyte

Well today I join this clan, so glad I'm 3k miles outside of warranty

A few days ago I noticed the car was pulling some power at WOT, thought it was a new tune so I re-flashed it, fast forward to yesterday I did a pull on the highway and got the drivetrain malfunction message, hoping it wasn't the CH I scanned for codes and found none. Started a thread and someone mentioned that the same thing happened to them when their top mount failed, sure enough the tank is dry.

I have zero codes.

This might help.

[Kilabyte]

I had a cam like that for my old phone, haven't found anything USB C last time I checked. The adapter makes my phone think it has water in the port every time

[Jbonly21]

Originally Posted by Kilabyte

I had a cam like that for my old phone, haven't found anything USB C last time I checked. The adapter makes my phone think it has water in the port every time

I used this, it works great.