1. do you make alot of short trips?

2. does the temp in your area go below freezing?

I think the goo (condensation) and low coolant level are not related.


if your coolant level keeps dropping check for external leaks especially the valley pan.

You cannot say that for sure until he has ruled out a possible head gasket failure. A blown head gasket would make the oil look mossy and would also create a lot of pressure in the cooling circuit which can quickly result in a leak somewhere. So these symptoms could indeed be the result of a blown head gasket. I hope for cruiser132 that this is not the case but it is definitely a possibility.

Just heard from the SA at the dealership, the technician didn't find any suspect indicators of a valve leak, etc. In their opinion, the condensation on the oil cap and dipstick were "ok." The engine oil didn't contain water or coolant particles. As far as the coolant being low, they did say that the recent flush may have been the reason it was so low. They'll top it off. I know for a fact that I filled the system completely after the flush, but I'm not going to call anyone a liar. So we'll see what happens. Thanks for the advice/thoughts.

he found goo only on the cap.

if the HGs are blown you'll get milkshake

He said '... noticed similar yellow paste on the bottom of the dipstick' so that is not only on the cap and that is why I was not ruling out a head gasket failure. Anyway it sounds like he got it checked at the dealership so all is good.

Since Cruisers X5 is only CPO'd until the end of this month - does it seem to anyone else that the dealer is just blowing him off until the warranty expires? "Goo" is not a good thing in a BMW engine, I'd recommend he take it in for a second opinion at another dealership...

Yes this is an excellent point indeed although I would suggest a second opinion from an independent and not another dealership.

Point taken regarding the 'second opinion'. I talked to my local tech about each of your points. He seemed to concur with dealership, no visible leaks in HG. Condensation is 'not uncommon'. In any case, the case is documented with the dealership if the problem comes up again. By the way the X is an 02 with 79k miles. Thanks again for the support.

Does the mayonnaise look anything like this?

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/4967/nastycrapuc6.jpg

I noticed that stuff when I was topping off the oil in my dad's X5, and have no idea what it could be. Engine still seems to run fine tho, no strange noises, and no apparent loss of power.

The condensation on my X looked very similar to your picture, although the buildup appears to be a little more than what I saw. Thanks for the visual.:thumbup: