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View Poll Results: Does your b58 consume coolant?
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      12-08-2017, 10:35 AM   #111
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I just got this today on my 2016 340ix, lucky me.

SA built 11/15. It now has 11,784 miles.

I looked at the reservoirs, the main one is below Low, the smaller one - the turbo’s? - is also just below the Low tab, but still contacting it.

Will call SA tomorrow.
So I called, the SA said OK to add some water...and as I’m taking it on a 2000+ mile round trip in 10 days I’m also bringing it in Monday. Belt and suspenders.

I added some distilled water to both tanks, the turbo took a little bit and the engine took a bit more, but not as much as I thought it would.
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      12-13-2017, 10:39 AM   #112
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Just to close my circle, the car went in yesterday, they did a pressure test, NTF both systems. They topped it up...I had just added distilled water to get it just over the low mark.
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      12-22-2017, 09:00 AM   #113
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Im at 27k miles, light came on maybe 10k miles ago, I checked the coolant level and it was at max. So I brought it in, they said its not a problem and that it shouldnt come back. Well its back... So I will be taking it in once again.
I took my car in for low coolant again, and my SA just got back to me and said "Pressure tested the coolant system overnight with no signs of leaks. Topped off coolant and left running in shop with no low coolant light coming on."

Which is basically what I was told last time. Very annoying. Doesnt seem normal for a warning to keep coming back like that. If coolant is being lost, somethings wrong.
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      12-28-2017, 10:55 PM   #114
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Was running late for work on a 5 degree day & after I start the B58 I get the low coolant warning. I opened the hood & saw two coolant tanks, looked at it & said fuck it. I was willing to check one but not two. Drove to work & later that day the light went away. Doesn't really makes sense to me. I guess we'll see again tomorrow. I don't even want to think about this for a car that just hit 10k.
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      12-29-2017, 08:14 AM   #115
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Originally Posted by Kennybar112 View Post
Was running late for work on a 5 degree day & after I start the B58 I get the low coolant warning. I opened the hood & saw two coolant tanks, looked at it & said fuck it. I was willing to check one but not two. Drove to work & later that day the light went away. Doesn't really makes sense to me. I guess we'll see again tomorrow. I don't even want to think about this for a car that just hit 10k.
Same situation.

0 degrees, parked outside. Let it run for 10 to warm up. Get back to the car and have coolant message. Have to get to work so I drive the 60 miles to get there, no issues. Shut down car and restart, no warning. Did the drive home later that day and still no warning.
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      12-29-2017, 10:26 AM   #116
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Originally Posted by Climb Mode View Post
Same situation.

0 degrees, parked outside. Let it run for 10 to warm up. Get back to the car and have coolant message. Have to get to work so I drive the 60 miles to get there, no issues. Shut down car and restart, no warning. Did the drive home later that day and still no warning.
The warnings for me come quite sporadically at first, over time they will pop up more and more. I only know this because it takes over a week for a loaner to be available so Im stuck looking at it.
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      12-29-2017, 11:38 AM   #117
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I've been checking for coolant loss regularly recently and topping off as needed, brought the car in to the dealer for something else and told them about the issue which they investigated. Did a pressure test and found nothing. They asked me to let it go down till the CEL lights up so they have data.

I'm I the only one but I do get the distinct burned coolant smell in the cabin once in a while? Even my wife noticed the smell not even knowing I had concerns about coolant levels.

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      12-31-2017, 02:37 PM   #118
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It's about 0 degrees where I'm at and the low coolant light came on. It's New year's Eve lol. Are dealers closed on New year's? Should I be worried or can I wait a couple days? I won't be driving anywhere now
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      12-31-2017, 06:55 PM   #119
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Put in some distilled water available at grocery stores. That’s what I did on the recommendation of the SA, then I brought it in just to have it pressure tested, NTF.

There are two reservoirs, one for the engine and a smaller one for the turbo, check them both.
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      12-31-2017, 09:33 PM   #120
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my only concern is the primary purpose of the antifreeze is to prevent the water from freezing. in the summer distilled water works fine but be careful doing it in winter, especially subzero temps. the more you dilute it with water, the more likely it is to freeze in the radiators or coolant lines.
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      01-01-2018, 07:48 AM   #121
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Quote:
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my only concern is the primary purpose of the antifreeze is to prevent the water from freezing.
Coolant also raises the boiling point compared to water, so it's a necessity in both hot and cold climates.
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      01-01-2018, 12:17 PM   #122
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Coolant also raises the boiling point compared to water, so it's a necessity in both hot and cold climates.
Hmm, i think that the pressure in the system is primarily what raises the boiling temp. but coolant may help with that too?

i haven't personally done it, but i know people that have ran just water in the summer.
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      01-01-2018, 03:49 PM   #123
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There’s another thread in the B58 Turbo Engine section about this, I posted up there but am copying here as I believe it might be of interest:

I had this occur about a month ago, 12k ish miles. SA said to add distilled water, as the antifreeze doesn’t evaporate. I then brought it in, pressure tested, NTF. Both reservoirs were low.

What was funny was that the big tank cap,was a huge PITA to get off, I mean tough to unscrew. When I got it back the cap,was very easy to remove, not sure if it was replaced or what, not listed on the invoice.

I just got back from a 2k miles round trip, and it’s time for an oil change, so before I bring it in I’ll check the reservoirs first.

...ok, I just checked them both, the big one was tough to get off again, but when I finally loosened it, there was a burst of air pressure, so the cap/tank unit had some kind of vacuum. Once it came off it was easy to screw back on and remove again....and it was LOW again, just touching the bottom mark. The little one for the turbo was full.

So I’ll pursue this again, shouldn’t be low after a fresh fill with a 2k miles difference.
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      01-01-2018, 08:25 PM   #124
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paul e View Post
There’s another thread in the B58 Turbo Engine section about this, I posted up there but am copying here as I believe it might be of interest:

I had this occur about a month ago, 12k ish miles. SA said to add distilled water, as the antifreeze doesn’t evaporate. I then brought it in, pressure tested, NTF. Both reservoirs were low.

What was funny was that the big tank cap,was a huge PITA to get off, I mean tough to unscrew. When I got it back the cap,was very easy to remove, not sure if it was replaced or what, not listed on the invoice.

I just got back from a 2k miles round trip, and it’s time for an oil change, so before I bring it in I’ll check the reservoirs first.

...ok, I just checked them both, the big one was tough to get off again, but when I finally loosened it, there was a burst of air pressure, so the cap/tank unit had some kind of vacuum. Once it came off it was easy to screw back on and remove again....and it was LOW again, just touching the bottom mark. The little one for the turbo was full.

So I’ll pursue this again, shouldn’t be low after a fresh fill with a 2k miles difference.
usually oem caps are like that so you can slowly remove the cap and release pressure at the same time (the coolant will be under pressure until it drops to ambient temps). that way you can prevent the cap blowing off if you try to open it while the system is under pressure. it's a safety precaution. you can check the threads to make sure they aren't chewed up and don't have crust on them to be certain.

that being said, wait for the car to cool off before you check the coolant levels. my dealership did the same dance with trying to remove the cap while the engine was still hot, and then ended up overfilling both of my tanks. you won't get an accurate reading until things cool down.
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      01-02-2018, 11:48 AM   #125
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kern417 View Post
usually oem caps are like that so you can slowly remove the cap and release pressure at the same time (the coolant will be under pressure until it drops to ambient temps). that way you can prevent the cap blowing off if you try to open it while the system is under pressure. it's a safety precaution. you can check the threads to make sure they aren't chewed up and don't have crust on them to be certain.

that being said, wait for the car to cool off before you check the coolant levels. my dealership did the same dance with trying to remove the cap while the engine was still hot, and then ended up overfilling both of my tanks. you won't get an accurate reading until things cool down.
My car was dead cold when I checked, it’s under 32 degrees here at night and the car hadn’t been started for over 24 hours.

Also...the pressure relief didn’t come rushing out, the air rushed INTO the tank, like there was a vacuum inside the system. Which is why the cap seemed tough to remove as it was being sucked into the tank by the vacuum within.
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      01-02-2018, 02:52 PM   #126
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Just picked up my BMW today. Its not an "i" but a 330D. The car was loosing coolant. Dealer told me they had to change a cooler (egr cooler). This will definitly cost me around 500-1000 USD.
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      01-02-2018, 04:48 PM   #127
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Has anyone looked at or compiled build date vs. coolant loss info?
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      01-02-2018, 11:04 PM   #128
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I finally got around to topping up my coolant reservoir today in my new B58 with about 3200 miles. The engine was about 700ml low. It took about 1 1/2 Red Solo Cups to top it off. It was below the LOW mark and that was how much it took to reach the FULL mark. There is no evidence of leaks. No staining or residue anywhere to be found.

The smaller tank for the intercooler was about 200ml low. It was right at the LOW mark. And now it's at the FULL mark.

I topped off both with the engine being stone cold here in the fridgid Northeast in 15 degree F weather. I let the engine fun with the cap off to "burp" the system which the heat maxed out at 84 degrees, per the instructions on the BMW coolant container. I did a 60/40 Coolant/Distilled Water mixture.

My opinion is that it's being under filled at the factory. There are too many people here reporting the exact same issue, including the intercooler reservoir being at the MIN mark. And it seems most folks here who've gone to the dealer has reported back that no leak has been found. I plan to keep an eye on my coolant level and see if it goes down.
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      01-03-2018, 07:15 AM   #129
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paul e View Post
My car was dead cold when I checked, it’s under 32 degrees here at night and the car hadn’t been started for over 24 hours.

Also...the pressure relief didn’t come rushing out, the air rushed INTO the tank, like there was a vacuum inside the system. Which is why the cap seemed tough to remove as it was being sucked into the tank by the vacuum within.
Gotcha. I've experienced that when my reservoir cap failed. It wasn't managing the pressure change appropriately. A new cap fixed it for me. But then again, that was on different car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JRocker3 View Post
Has anyone looked at or compiled build date vs. coolant loss info?
personally i don't think it's going to show anything yet. Several people in the thread have 2017s and I have a July build from this year, so it's been over a year of production with the same issue.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dsc888 View Post
I finally got around to topping up my coolant reservoir today in my new B58 with about 3200 miles. The engine was about 700ml low. It took about 1 1/2 Red Solo Cups to top it off. It was below the LOW mark and that was how much it took to reach the FULL mark. There is no evidence of leaks. No staining or residue anywhere to be found.

The smaller tank for the intercooler was about 200ml low. It was right at the LOW mark. And now it's at the FULL mark.

I topped off both with the engine being stone cold here in the fridgid Northeast in 15 degree F weather. I let the engine fun with the cap off to "burp" the system which the heat maxed out at 84 degrees, per the instructions on the BMW coolant container. I did a 60/40 Coolant/Distilled Water mixture.

My opinion is that it's being under filled at the factory. There are too many people here reporting the exact same issue, including the intercooler reservoir being at the MIN mark. And it seems most folks here who've gone to the dealer has reported back that no leak has been found. I plan to keep an eye on my coolant level and see if it goes down.
Keep in mind that 1. several people have reported having to visit the dealer/top off their reservoir more than once, and 2. there is TSB to replace the turbo if coolant keeps running low with no leaks found
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      01-03-2018, 10:31 AM   #130
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kern417 View Post
Gotcha. I've experienced that when my reservoir cap failed. It wasn't managing the pressure change appropriately. A new cap fixed it for me. But then again, that was on different car.



personally i don't think it's going to show anything yet. Several people in the thread have 2017s and I have a July build from this year, so it's been over a year of production with the same issue.



Keep in mind that 1. several people have reported having to visit the dealer/top off their reservoir more than once, and 2. there is TSB to replace the turbo if coolant keeps running low with no leaks found
Any way you can tell me/us the TSB number? My car goes in Friday and I’d like to be prepared. Thanks
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      01-03-2018, 03:28 PM   #131
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What's the prevailing wisdom on her regarding adding just distilled water vs. adding a 60/40 mix of coolant/water (and if the latter, type of coolant)?
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      01-03-2018, 05:26 PM   #132
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Climb Mode View Post
What's the prevailing wisdom on her regarding adding just distilled water vs. adding a 60/40 mix of coolant/water (and if the latter, type of coolant)?
The only sureproof way is to measure the specific gravity of the solution in the car using a hygrometer, and adjust accordingly. Not knowing the freeze point, I would top off the radiator with a 50/50 mix using BMW-certified coolant, available at the dealer, and even on Amazon, and distilled water.

BTW, after 2 years and 21,000 miles, my low coolant light came on this week. I took the car to the dealer and they topped it off at no charge.
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