Had to add 500ml of coolant
 

Yesterday got the light of low coolant, added 500ml to top it off.. no signs of leaks anywhere. everything is dry and clean, any thought on this?

I replaced the expension tank and couple lines about 3 years go but did add top it off already within the 1st year.

What year is your car?

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How long had it been since you checked it? That’s about a half a quart, which isn’t much if you hadn’t check it in many months, especially if your coolant system, hoses, etc. are OE. Make a note of the date you added, then check it weekly.

On the other hand, if it had only been a week between your last check of the coolant level, then you are likely loosing it somewhere. Not many places it can go….on the ground, into the motor via a bad head gasket/out the exhaust via the heads, or you could have a heater core/plumbing leak. There is a small chance too that your transmission heat exchanger has failed (if you have one), but I don’t think this is too common.

Do you smell coolant under the hood/wheel wells, etc. when the car is warm? If so then it could just be leaking into something hot and evaporating.

car is 2010 n52. I haven't checked in a long time, probably about a year now or so (maybe I checked 6 months ago and it still was in the normal range). cant smell anything and when I changed the oil about a month ago, it looked normal and no signs of water. no smells and like i mentioned, can't see any wet marks or white dried up areas...
Ill keep an eye on this closely now for next couple months.

how will I know if the water pump is done? will it be spewing water? should I keep one as a spear just to be safe? Ive never owned a bmw with electric pump before. Ive had the car for about 35k miles, bought it at 100k from BMW trade in from a single owner.

The water pump doesn't leak like a mechanical one would because there is no protruding shaft to seal, it will just quit working and the engine will overheat. The original pumps don't seem to last so it would be good to find out if it has been replaced before.

Half a quart in one year (or even 6 mos) I think is what you are saying? Business as usual, in my experience. Others may have a different experience, but I add that much every 4 to 6 mos, in total. My coolant system is 90% refreshed with almost new everything. When I had the old motor in the car and nothing had been refreshed I would go through 500ml or a half quart monthly.

I would just make a note of when you added coolant, and try to check it every few months, at least. Along with the engine oil. Youll get a sense of what is normal usage for your car, and be alert to when something goes off the rails.

THanks for this info! greatly appreciate it

I have a few cars at home: 1 M52 engine and a few M54 engines...

Even with cooling overhaul and no external coolant leak, every 2000 miles or so, the engine consumes 1/2 cup through evaporation.

OTOH, the Volvo P2 cars (2.5T engine) hardly ever drinks a drop.
Go figure...

BMWs are commonly built to run hot...

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