thanks guys, I never actually had the temperature gauge go up above halfway and no OBD warnings whatsoever. Also I didnt notice any leaks on the ground and the oil color has always been tarry black. I was told that even with the red float rod at min, there is still a lot of coolant liquid in the engine, is this true? It would seem strange that with only 17,000km on the odometer I have a leak! When you top the coolant level how long is it expected to remain at that level? Sorry for all the questions but the owner's handbook provides very little info on this!

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August 2011 X5 3.0d