Expansion Tank Busted

[JCL]

Originally Posted by JAXX5

About 1 year and a half ago I replaced my ruptured tank with a BMW dealer supplied tank (DIY install). That was at a mere 40 something thousand miles. Just about 10k miles later I'm at it again, but for a slightly different reason. I was checking fluids after changing my oil and noticed the float level was at a wierd angle. Discovered it was broken. Called dealer, "it is still under warranty, so bring it in and we will evaluate and replace if found defective". What I discovered was that the "... bring it in..." meant the vehicle to the service dept. I removed it and brought it in to the parts counter only to be told only the service dept can determine warranty claims. To top it all off, they need to see it in the car? What?

So 2 premature, IMHO, failures of the same OEM item doesnt seem to demonstrate any better quality than aftertermarket. Am I misssing something? Thanks guys.

The first failure wasn't due to mileage, it was due to time. May be a hotter ambient that you were running in, perhaps the vehicle didn't always have the proper coolant (just water), don't know. But yes, these tanks can fail. The second failure wasn't the same, it appears to have been a defective assembly, or rough handling. That is what they wanted to see. The OE part had a two year warranty (usually only if the dealer installs it, not for just a parts sale), the aftermarket part wouldn't typically have that warranty. If you want to claim parts warranty, though, you do have to go through the service department as they administer it.