Coolant Leak

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

Originally Posted by ///F80M3

Ask them for proof and which radiator is it? I believe our cars have 7 radiators

Inner center (17-11-2-284-607)

[///F80M3]

Originally Posted by AlpineWhite_SJ

Inner center (17-11-2-284-607)

That's weird because in front of that is the heat exchanger. Make sure to get a photo

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

Originally Posted by ///F80M3

That's weird because in front of that is the heat exchanger. Make sure to get a photo

Finally got a photo, but the point of view it's taken from doesn't indicate where on the radiator the impact occurred. Getting the piece of debris (looks to be fragment of box cutter razor blade) and damaged unit so I can examine myself.

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

Car is back and I have the radiator/debris. Nearest I can tell from the service notes, they pressure tested the system and traced the leak back to the inner central unit. When they pulled it, they found the razor blade fragment in the area with the diagonal impact on the lower left. It did embed itself in the fins and dent the lines, but I don't see a puncture in them. Once they saw the debris, they assumed it to be the cause and went no further.

I'm going to see if I can pressure test it to confirm and see if there's any other compromised areas. They did manage to scratch the shit out of it when they removed it.

[f80er]

Man my rad got punctured by a screw and it lost all coolant immediately. If I filled it up it drained right out. Sucks but nothing you or anyone else could have done to prevent it. Cost me 1800 to have it replaced on my 2015. I know it's happened to others here as well.

Can't you just plug and hook up a garden hose to to your old rad and see if it leaks? Seems like you want to fault the dealer though???

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

Originally Posted by f80er

Can't you just plug and hook up a garden hose to to your old rad and see if it leaks? Seems like you want to fault the dealer though???

According to BMW USA they won’t accept pressure test to determine if it’s under warranty unless done by a service center so it won’t really help to test it myself. I can either take it to another dealer (which I may do depending on cost) or eat the cost.

I fault the dealer for being untrustworthy, trying to rip me off repeatedly (quoting 2-3x cost of the part, for example), demonstrating a lack of care for the car when in their possession, a failure on their part to diagnose another documented issue with the car, and being generally evasive about answering questions. Based on those factors, I don’t trust their explanation for what caused the leak and whether it occurred when they were driving it.

[coldfish]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

OEM is fine. There's still no supporting data that 3rd party coolers offer any additional benefit, especially on a street car.

How is the quality of CSF intercooler ? Will it leak as well ?

I heard that it is made overseas intstead of the U.S.

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by coldfish

How is the quality of CSF intercooler ? Will it leak as well ?

I heard that it is made overseas intstead of the U.S.

CSF is manufactured in both India and Indonesia.

[jimmyf82]

So I’m dealing with the same problem, except only my small coolant expansion tank is empty after a couple drives.

I went to the dealer and they told me usually “Top mounted intercoolers” (TMI) go bad all the time on s55. The “top mounted intercoolers” will usually start internally leaking.

In my case my TMI is internally leaking and going into my J charge pipe. I have stopped using my car and now I’m waiting on new TMI to get here

Here are pictures of inside of my top mounted intercooler, if you’re wondering how I was able to capture these images. I bought a “borescope camera” and stuck into sensor hole located behind the intercooler and was able to see inside.

Hope this can help