Help, Engine coolant low but intercooler coolant is good.

[Sloo0wf82]

Just purchased 2019 f82 not long ago (still have cpo warranty). Went to check my coolant level today just to see it. intercooler coolant is good but engine coolant looks low. Car is running perfectly fine do not see leak anywhere. No lights or anything. Should I be worried ?

[Track/S]

leave it on maximum and inspect periodic.

[Sloo0wf82]

Originally Posted by Track/S

leave it on maximum and inspect periodic.

Should I top it off with water since it’s low?

[Tdog86]

You can top it off with distilled water.

[jagus]

I would suspect that the possible culprits are either the expansion tank or punctured main engine radiator...

[lmc1978]

Yes, you should be worried. If the coolant loss continues, return the car to the purchase location and have it repaired while still under warranty.

It's important to pinpoint where the coolant is escaping for a number of reasons, one of the primary ones being that it's greatly preferred to have BMW pay the bill for repair rather than yourself. For example, if the coolant loss is internal to the engine with coolant escaping into either the cylinders or the oil, that's a an engine rebuild. Not an expense you want to be paying out of pocket. So I would advise a pretty aggressive investigation into the possible problem. Here is some relevant information.

1. The charge air cooling system and the engine cooling system are mechanically separate and there is no intersection or crossover of coolant between the two systems. So, if your charge air coolant is fine, you can simplify the issue by eliminating all components of that system, they are not involved and not the location of the problem.

2. The components that could be the site of coolant loss include: engine, mechanical coolant pump, electric coolant pump turbochargers, turbochargers, electric coolant pump HVAC, heat exchanger HVAC, coolant temp sensor, coolant expansion tank, expansion tank cap (rubber seals), upstream radiator, main radiator, related hoses and connectors. Note that there are two engine radiators, smaller one drivers side ahead of front wheel, larger one the main radiator center grill area sandwiched with charge air radiator and AC condenser.

3. I agree with adding distilled water to expansion tank to top of full indicator, driving car and monitoring level. However, be aware that there is no "normal" loss or consumption of coolant. The coolant level should remain exactly the same for years of normal use. My 2017 F80 hasn't used a drop of coolant in over six years. My Kubota L3130 tractor hasn't used any coolant in 15 years. Any lowering of coolant in the expansion tank (cold engine) means a coolant leak.

4. Most of the possible coolant loss locations are inaccessible and not visible without disassembly. You can't put eyes on most of these components. So your owner inspection is mostly limited to indirect means, which haven't changed in the last 100 years - visual evidence of coolant, smell of coolant, or circumstantial evidence, for example problem occurs only in winter and not in summer, pointing to passenger compartment heat exchanger.

5. If you see any coolant loss over a period of days, weeks, months, or even years, you DO have a coolant leak. This can be as simple as a rubber O ring on the expansion tank cap, or as complex as a bad turbocharger or a bad engine. Like most automotive malfunctions, ignoring and hoping for the best will not resolve the problem.

[Sloo0wf82]

coolant level has been at that level for 3 months now. Ever since i purchased the vehicle