[jh_f30]

This is going to be a little bit of a different post, had an interesting day yesterday and thought I'd share. So gather 'round, it's story time!

For reference, my parents drive an '08 E90 335i, on non-RFTs mounted on Apex EC-7s. Last week while checking their brakes for them, I noticed a bend and a small crack in the rear driver's side wheel and some bulging in the tire and told them they should get it taken care of. Also, the TPMS has been wonky.

Fast forward to yesterday at 4pm. I got a call from my dad and he said he blew out a tire and was stranded. My guess is he didn't check the pressures and drove on it with low-no air. I loaded my car up with my toolbox, a small trolley jack, and even my ramps, just in case the jack didn't fit under the car, and headed to where he was. There was a fair amount of traffic, it being just before 5pm on a Friday. At one of the stoplights along the way, I noticed a vapor coming out from under my hood.

Backstory: Several weeks back, my coolant vent line had cracked and emptied my coolant into my engine bay, causing it to steam and billow out. I replaced the line the next day and in the process of filling it back up with coolant, I dropped my bleeder screw and couldn't find it. I ended up going to Oreilly to pick up an aftermarket universal bleeder screw (2-pack), filled the tank, bled the system and all was well. The vapor coming out now looked similar, but instead of coming from the front of the hood, it was more to the passenger side. Now, I've also been dealing with some oil leaks, so I was also slightly concerned that maybe my valve cover gasket and just blown and oil was smoking on the exhaust manifold. Turned on the heater to see if I could smell anything, sure enough, the sweet smell of evaporating coolant.

I was able to get to my dad by 5pm while keeping an eye on my coolant temp. I pulled up and could see immediately there was no repairing the tire; it was destroyed. First I opened my hood and my expansion tank was hissing. Upon closer inspection, the head of the bleeder screw had somehow broken clean off, leaving the screw portion in the tank but obviously not holding pressure. I decided to let my car cool a while and take care of my dad's tire.

I jacked up his car (ramps not needed, thankfully) and pulled the wheel off. A seam had split the entire circumference of the tire at the inside shoulder. Started looking up nearby tire shops and found one less than 2 miles away that had the appropriate size in stock and were open until 6:30. Great! Now, just the issue of getting my car roadworthy, albeit just for a few miles, but I didn't want to risk anything.

Now, as serendipity would have it, because I was on my way to help my dad with my toolbox in my trunk, I also happened to have, not only the 2nd spare bleeder screw I bought, but the original one (that apparently fell out when I was doing my serpentine belt and OFHGs last week and I stashed...in my toolbox!). I was able to finagle the broken screw out with a pick tool, and as luck would have it, my dad had pulled into the parking of a supermarket; whence I bought a gallon of distilled water. So I refilled my coolant system, ran the bleed cycle, and was on my merry way the the tire shop. Tire got mounted, they told me the rim was cracked, I said I knew, I paid the kind man, and went back to the E90. mounted the wheel, torqued to spec, packed up my tools, and we departed relatively unscathed. $200 for the new tire, a buck and change for the water.

I just wanted to share because this was one of those stories that could've been way worse. Dad could've blown the tire later at night after shops had closed. If I didn't have my toolbox with me and on my way to help my dad, and the bleeder screw broke of on some other random drive, I could've been stranded, or at the very least, limping my ass home on a compromised cooling system. If we were somewhere else, without close access to both a tire shop AND a supermarket with distilled water, it would've made for a much more challenging night. However, it was about as smooth and easy as it could've been given the situations we were dealing with. All said and done, we were both back on the road by about 6:20.

Last note, Dorman universal coolant bleeder screws can suck it.

[bavarianride]

Thanks for sharing. Similar bad experience on various non-OE parts has led to my strategy to always stick to OE(BMW/Audi/MB/Honda/whichever) part# and shop for best prices.

[AlteBMW]

"Universal" replacement parts are not always so universal. Lucky you had the old bleeder screw.

[Pdxway]

Glad everything worked out!

[cfm56d7b]

Thanks for sharing. Great story. When I read your comment, " torque to spec", that told me you are one of those rare drivers with a commitment to do things right. Some professional shops choose to use an impact wrench to save 10 minutes instead of doing things right. Pressing Appreciate button with holiday wishes.

[Livetodrive]

Good job! You kept your cool 😎 and it paid off!

[IK6SPEED]

And that’s why I pay $4.95 every 6 months on my Geico policy for towing.

[JDTX]

You also get free towing with a Platinum AMEX (other cards too I believe). The AMEX has been great as my daughter's previous CR-V needed 2 jump starts and 1 tow to the dealer due to battery issues.

[IraHayes]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

Thanks for sharing. Similar bad experience on various non-OE parts has led to my strategy to always stick to OE(BMW/Audi/MB/Honda/whichever) part# and shop for best prices.

Originally Posted by AlteBMW

"Universal" replacement parts are not always so universal. Lucky you had the old bleeder screw.

What they said.

[metallicpea]

Glad it all worked out. Sorry you had trouble with an aftermarket part. It has happened to me too.

Also too bad you Father delayed action on your warning about the tire. Can't procrastinate on certain items on your car.

But glad you were resourceful and got it sorted without too much time or expense.

I don't want anyone towing my car unless absolutely necessary. Haven't had a tow since my E46 stranded my wife (dropped an idler pulley/serpentine belt) while I was travelling for work in China. I think over 10 years ago.

[LRW70]

Great story and I am glad everything worked out for you!