Stlr Visit: Good Results, Finally!
 

I waddled over to Asheville area this am for a visit to my one "local" BeamEr Stlr:
Fletcher Motors. Had appt. to get some stuff looked at/fixed before the Extended Maint expries in mid Sept, as does the orig Fac Warr.

-They fixed the final stage resistor which had just glitched last week for the first time; the fan, (and A/C cold air), had mysteriously come back on, glitched off and come on again in the week since I made the appt.). It was replaced and now the cold air is Really cold!
-I complained of ongoing brake situ and they finally admitted front pads were thin, (46K), and R&R front pads and new rotors. Rears are well within spec, they say.
-Had a 2nd press. test done on cooling sys. but they say no leak of any kind, could be found. I'll jes'keep adding a few ounces of mix on a reg. basis, though that coolant is going "somewhere". They gave me the "all BMWs use coolant" line again for the umpteenth time.
-Annual oil change
-Replaced right upper tail gate light for 3rd time; I had it taped in place. Maybe this one will stick in there longer.
-They said control arms are "fine"...hmmm

NEway, my points are: the 1 yr Ext Warr I got last August was a good deal, as the front brakes woulda eaten up most of that 400 bucks I think, at Stlr rip pricing. And, with a new Ser Mgr at Fletcher, it was a much more professional and zero acrimonious visit compared to previous visits. This SA never asked for or begged for "5s", either. A welcome change in that Service Dept.

They had No new '06 X3s or X5s and only 2 new '06 330is. No new '06 X3 or X5 brochures yet, either. Lotsa '05 and even '04 new leftover stuff and jammed full of "cpo" used beamErs. Sales dept is still pretty aloof.

Glad to get this stuff done...still have a couple niggling issues so I may motor back before the mid Sept end of Maint and end of Warr period. I am also shopping hard for a 3rd party ext warr. I have it narrowed down to One Source or Warr Direct and leaning toward WarrDirect. The ultimate question is, "Is it worth the 2gs for another 30+K miles of coverage?" which equates to about 2 1/2 more years, at my rate.
BR,md

motodavid, good to have you back with that new Dell

Thanks for the excellent report from the 'stealer'.

I too have the coolant drinking syndrome. Its going somewhere, but no one knows where !!

At last top up, X had drank 250ml in 6 months/6k miles. Hmmmm.

MD - Nice to have you back and glad to hear you had a good visit to the stlr.
Kevin

We got WarrantyDirect in spring. So far, we have had to replace the exhaust cam position sensor= $350. Everything has been smooth so far. I noticed that WarrantyDirect is quite a bit more comprehensive. The customer service is great. Warranty claim was smooth, dealer called them, everything done. So far :thumbup: for WarrantyDirect. Also, you can go to any mechanice. I just found a good Bimmer specialist. I think well probably start going there.

Warranty Direct
 

Careful with those guys....If you do a seach on the web you will see that a few years ago they went belly up and did not notify people until they submitted a claim that was when they found out they were sol. I am not sure how they reopened under the same name but they are back. I found that info out when I did a google seach and read some stuff on Edmunds. Continental is another company you might want to look into. GE would be best but I am not sure they are still in the biz.

Think of it this way....$2k today....or $8k if you blow a head gasket?

Spend the $2k...ya never know...you shell out the $8K for a new motor and the tranny drops.... :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Re: coolant loss - another thread mentioned about losing coolant hoses and possibly the head gasket - the hoses are between the engine and the firewall - they are about 30mm in dia and get very little relief from engine compartment heat - my dealer noticed they were very soft during my Dinan S2 upgrade and replaced them before I had a chance to mention it to him - preventative maintenance might be to replace every 4 yrs or 45k miles - coolant loss MAY be from these hoses - look for stains on your firewall - just a guess on my part - anyone know more?

Regarding coolant loss - As the engine comes up to operating temperature coolant expands from the pressurized engine/radiator system into the over-flow tank. This will cause coolant vapor (not liquid) to be vented overboard from the overflow tank as the liquid expands into it. At engine shut down the coolant in the pressurized engine/radiator system contracts as it cools down and creates a vacuum which draws coolant from the over-flow tank. Outside air replaces the coolant volume drawn from the tank.

As this cycle is continually repeated coolant is lost through the vapor vented overboard and must occasionally be replenished. You may sometimes notice a "sweet" smell, kind of like maple syrup in the area of the expansion tank just after engine shut down when coolant system pressures reach maximum. This is the smell of hot coolant vapors.

Additionally, there could also be some seepage of coolant from the water pump seal which would be normal.

I hear what your saying, but these guys are sounding like the loss is more than evaporation. :confused: But I'll be the first to say "I don't know" :dunno: I'm reading multiple threads that seem to have a link. Maybe I read too many Hardy Boys mysteries when I was young. :D

I've got 71,000 miles on my 2001 4.4i and I've had to make-up "about" one pint of 50/50 coolant/H2O to the expansion tank "about" every 5K to 6K miles (purely a guestimate as I haven't kept any record on it).

Withidl, et al,...
I was adding a half pint of 50/50 mix about every 2-3k miles, for the first 3+ years...
that rate of addition has slowed quite a bit in the past year to a half pint every 4-5k miles. Maybe the "leak" has almost plugged up, lol!

I still think it's remarkable that they cannot discover a pin hole leak in a properly done press test, and I also think it's odd that the Conventional Wisdom that BeamErs Use coolant is accepted. My laundry list of cars over the years, including a dozen "company cars" that were rode hard and put away wet, and 2 water cooled m'cycles, didn't use a freaking drop of coolant.

NEway, I'll get off the coolant topic; I'm glad I got a new set of pads/rotors and some other stuff "done" on their nickel before my Warr and Maint goes by-bye in mid Sept.
BR,md