Rock pierces radiator on new 2017 440i?

SCCardinal · 06-20-2017, 05:39 PM

We just picked up a 2017 440i coupe in February and on day one, the driver's vent never produced cold air. We left the country for ~4 months and just started driving it again (it has about 2K miles now) and brought it in for service to fix the vent.

The dealer says that, apparently, a piece of debris small enough to not do any damage to the front end of the car (maybe a rock?) has flown through a pierced the small coolant radiator, causing the AC to malfunction. And the dealer wants $2,700.

Has anyone heard of this? The Service Director says that he has seen 3-4 cars with this and is calling BMW to escalate. They said they cannot prove that it was debris but that there is no other way this would happen.

Seems a bit odd for us to have to spend $2,700 on a brand new car with 2K miles (which is not even freeway driven often) that had a driver's vent issue from day 1. Thoughts?

Dan203 · 06-20-2017, 05:47 PM

I had the exact same problem on my 135i. It was a slow leak though so it would only start to fail in the hottest months of summer. For the first 4 years while it was under warranty I took it to the dealer and they always said it was some seal or some such and that they replaced it and recharged it. Then the next year it would be the same story. Finally after the warranty expires they discovered the hole in the radiator and wanted me to pay over $2K to fix it. I tried to appeal to BMW, since it was a reoccurring problem since I got the car, but the best they offered was a slight discount which still put the price at about $1,800.

Since it was a slow leak I just decided to deal with it myself. Once a year I'd buy one of those cans of do it your self coolant and fill it back up. I screwed it up once and over filled it and had to take it to a local shop to have some drained out to get it working again. But every other year it worked fine.

bimmer456 · 06-20-2017, 06:37 PM

Auto insurance should cover if it is due to a road hazard so you pay $500 deductible. Seems more like a defect in manufacturing so it is a warranty issue. They are trying to avoid paying for it.

Wires · 06-20-2017, 09:21 PM

It's possible, and others have had that issue. Sucks though, regardless....

06-20-2017, 05:39 PM	#1
SCCardinal Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: N/A Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: N/A iTrader: (0)	Rock pierces radiator on new 2017 440i? We just picked up a 2017 440i coupe in February and on day one, the driver's vent never produced cold air. We left the country for ~4 months and just started driving it again (it has about 2K miles now) and brought it in for service to fix the vent. The dealer says that, apparently, a piece of debris small enough to not do any damage to the front end of the car (maybe a rock?) has flown through a pierced the small coolant radiator, causing the AC to malfunction. And the dealer wants $2,700. Has anyone heard of this? The Service Director says that he has seen 3-4 cars with this and is calling BMW to escalate. They said they cannot prove that it was debris but that there is no other way this would happen. Seems a bit odd for us to have to spend $2,700 on a brand new car with 2K miles (which is not even freeway driven often) that had a driver's vent issue from day 1. Thoughts?
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06-20-2017, 05:47 PM	#2
Dan203 Lieutenant Colonel 136 Rep 1,592 Posts Drives: 2016 340i xDrive Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Carson City, NV iTrader: (1)	I had the exact same problem on my 135i. It was a slow leak though so it would only start to fail in the hottest months of summer. For the first 4 years while it was under warranty I took it to the dealer and they always said it was some seal or some such and that they replaced it and recharged it. Then the next year it would be the same story. Finally after the warranty expires they discovered the hole in the radiator and wanted me to pay over $2K to fix it. I tried to appeal to BMW, since it was a reoccurring problem since I got the car, but the best they offered was a slight discount which still put the price at about $1,800. Since it was a slow leak I just decided to deal with it myself. Once a year I'd buy one of those cans of do it your self coolant and fill it back up. I screwed it up once and over filled it and had to take it to a local shop to have some drained out to get it working again. But every other year it worked fine.
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06-20-2017, 06:37 PM	#3
bimmer456 Major General 2961 Rep 5,995 Posts Drives: 340i Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Pasadena, CA iTrader: (0)	Auto insurance should cover if it is due to a road hazard so you pay $500 deductible. Seems more like a defect in manufacturing so it is a warranty issue. They are trying to avoid paying for it.
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06-20-2017, 09:21 PM	#4
Wires Brigadier General 1646 Rep 4,876 Posts Drives: 2016 340i xDrive Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Calgary iTrader: (0)	It's possible, and others have had that issue. Sucks though, regardless....
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