[shayne704]

I took my car into the shop today after the A/C stopped working. I was told the radiator was leaking due to a rock creating a hole. The repair will NOT be covered under warranty due to an "external cause."
I have read many posts on many sites about people having the issues of rocks puncturing the radiator and resulting in a hefty repair bill.
I am wondering if anyone has any information or proof that this is a design flaw. I heard that 2018 cars are suppose to have a pre-retrofitted mesh protector to prevent this issues. I have also heard that if you re-order the part it is suppose to come with the mesh protector.

Does anyone have any help to get this covered by BMW.

Thank you very much.

[insanecoder]

Originally Posted by shayne704

I took my car into the shop today after the A/C stopped working. I was told the radiator was leaking due to a rock creating a hole. The repair will NOT be covered under warranty due to an "external cause."
I have read many posts on many sites about people having the issues of rocks puncturing the radiator and resulting in a hefty repair bill.
I am wondering if anyone has any information or proof that this is a design flaw. I heard that 2018 cars are suppose to have a pre-retrofitted mesh protector to prevent this issues. I have also heard that if you re-order the part it is suppose to come with the mesh protector.

Does anyone have any help to get this covered by BMW.

Thank you very much.

Yea, get a petition going and threaten a class-action
whats the radiator bill like over a thousand?
its ridiculous they didn't have this installed for earlier versions and we have to pay almost a grand to install protection
or fix damage?
sounds like a win

[shayne704]

The repair is 1600

[bavarianride]

Can this be filed as comprehensive claim? This is similar to a cracked windshield.

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

Can this be filed as comprehensive claim? This is similar to a cracked windshield.

Yeah should be covered by insurance. You only pay deductible. Send the bill to your insurance they should reimburse you. You might not get the full amount less deductible after the fact and they could deny you since you didn't go through them in the first place but still worth trying. Shouldn't affect your rates as you're not at fault.

[F32Fleet]

Shit happens.

[JimKden]

Do a search on here. There is another thread on the same subject.
The grill bars are nearly 1 inch apart. A good sized stone will fly thru and hit the A/C condenser. Post 11/2017 cars have a stone guard factory installed. Retrofitting isn't cheap. Put a stone screen behind the grill. My repairs cost $1200+

[shayne704]

Originally Posted by JimKden

Do a search on here. There is another thread on the same subject.
The grill bars are nearly 1 inch apart. A good sized stone will fly thru and hit the A/C condenser. Post 11/2017 cars have a stone guard factory installed. Retrofitting isn't cheap. Put a stone screen behind the grill. My repairs cost $1200+

So this is the damage that the stone caused. My car is also a 2018 so people say there is suppose to be a mesh guard installed but I can't find any proof of that or if my car had one.

Also it seems to me that this could also be a rupture from the inside?

[Billfitz]

That is external damage. A radiator shop may be able to patch it. It's worth a phone call.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

That is external damage. A radiator shop may be able to patch it. It's worth a phone call.

Haven't heard of a radiator patch, so how reliable is such a fix?

[JimKden]

Hey fellas, this isn't a radiator! It's an air conditioning condenser not repairable. Operates at upwards of 90psig.

[Billfitz]

Do you run a radiator repair shop? I've seen dozens of home AC condenser leaks repaired by HVAC technicians. Maybe it can be fixed, maybe not, but I wouldn't assume it can't be, I'd find out for sure.

[JimKden]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

Do you run a radiator repair shop? I've seen dozens of home AC condenser leaks repaired by HVAC technicians. Maybe it can be fixed, maybe not, but I wouldn't assume it can't be, I'd find out for sure.

You may be right, but of those dozens, how many were thin metal BMW condensers and how well did the repair hold up under the jarring from on the road use.
Additionally, the cost of getting the condenser out of the car and put back isn't so easy on these cars.
On a separate note, the factory rock guard is not just a drop in piece. The side supports for the radiator/condense are also different so the rock guard can be attached.

[XX - M5 - XX]

Just experienced the same thing. 2018 model year. No rock guard installed. It was 3k to repair and install rock guard at the stealership.

Not fun.

[cfm56d7b]

shayne704 Thanks for sharing. This is a known issue. BMW made a production change in some models where radiator guards were added. Use RealOEM to determine the newer radiator part number and related part numbers to get an idea of the the parts costs.

Labor: that's another dilemma. BMW dealer will charge you more of course.

It's highly unlikely that BMW will cover the radiator replacement as a good will gesture.

There are two - costly choices: replace with OEM radiator or a newer one with guards.