[homeryen88]

Forum mates,

My 335i just reached 240,000 miles. But over the last two winters, I noticed that the power of the heater was gradually diminishing. However, our last two winters in DC have been fairly mild, so this issue was something that I could live with. This year, with average temps barely in the 30s, it was time to take action.

Before going forward, I want to refer you to these three threads/videos:
335 No Heat Condition
Charles B (Bimmerpost forum member)

No heat issue
coffeeslugg (Bimmerpost forum member)

How to replace heater core//Heater Core Replacement (BMW)
DIY Salvage Guy (YouTube).


So, I did start with a reverse flush. But that didn't improve the situation. My indie mechanic said that it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace the thermostat as that had never been replaced yet. But that didn't resolve the issue (although I now have a nice new thermostat). The vents were fully operational. But still no heat.

I resigned myself to the fact that I needed to replace the heater core. Fast forward, that worked. But, I wanted to give forum members some advice here if you are in the same boat.

First, the replacement of the heater core is a nightmarish project as you'll see in the video. The entire dashboard will need to be removed in order to access the heater core. You'll need the hands of a surgeon, the patience of a Zen Master, and the vision of a Lego Master Builder.

Second, I would highly recommend that you take it to the dealership (unless you are that surgeon/Zen Master/Lego Builder yourself). I would NOT take it to an indie shop. In speaking with a few nearby BMW dealerships, they all quoted about 12-15 hours of labor. So, a one-man / two-man shop is not going to be able to devote time to this project. While a medium-sized shop may accept this assignment, their level of follow-through won't be as strong as what the dealer can offer.

This is the route that I took and that I regret.
1. While this project is projected at 12-15 hours of labor, no tech can just remain focused on this one project from start to finish. So, this medium-sized indie shop took 10 business days before calling me to tell me that that I could come back to pick up the car. IMHO, that seems too long of a repair period. And, even if 10 business days was normal, the dealership would let you have one of their BMW loaners. You don't get that perk from an indie shop.

2. This is a frustrating repair. And if the tech isn't a Zen Master (and mine likely wasn't), there are going to be problems when re-assembling the dashboard. In my case, the tech significantly damaged the center console wood trim (see pic). And there were other minor scratches that one could consider visible to the fastidious BMW owner along some of the connection points where the tech had to slide parts into place. Very annoying!

3. There was little/no follow-through. When reassembling the dashboard and center console, think about all the wiring that needs to be set back into place. Anything could get dislodged. SO, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU SIT IN YOUR CAR AND TURN ON AND OFF EVERYTHING THAT IS CONNECTED TO THE DASHBOARD BEFORE PAYING FOR THE CAR. Check that the lights are working, the radio is working, all the buttons on the HVAC panel is working, the center control knob is working, etc... Check everything! In my case, after turning everything on and off, two things didn't work. The Comfort Access System was inoperative (apparently, the tech dislodged a wire or an antennae). Also, when turning on the lights, there was a weird sound coming from the dashboard that made it sound like something was short-circuiting back there.

So, I brought this to their attention. The were able to somehow repair the center console trim (they wet sanded it, I believe). And they then went back to check and correct and wiring issues. But, this took them 3 more business days.

Happily, I guess, this issue is now behind me.

Third, if you speak to the dealership, ask them for a courtesy discount given the high price tag of this repair. Many dealerships will offer 10%-15% or have a coupon available that they can apply.

Fourth and finally, see the pictures of the receipt for this repair from the indie shop.

As always, my contributions are to provide forum members with helpful insight and I'm not looking for approval or hate. Just remember that when it comes to the Heater Core, weigh very carefully where you want to have the car repaired. And before you pay for the car and drive it off the lot, check everything by turning on/off all the buttons in your interior cabin to make sure that everything was put back together properly.

This way, you'll hopefully minimize the stress to your day and to your time and maybe to your wallet.

[im_an_alien]

Good info, thanks for posting. However, 240k miles is a lot, why not just put that $ into a new(er) car? How many more years/miles do you realistically expect to get out of it? At that mileage many more things will start failing. Not knocking your decision, it's your car and your money, just wondering

[F32Fleet]

Did you cut open the old core?

[Salty B.]

Originally Posted by im_an_alien

Good info, thanks for posting. However, 240k miles is a lot, why not just put that $ into a new(er) car? How many more years/miles do you realistically expect to get out of it? At that mileage many more things will start failing. Not knocking your decision, it's your car and your money, just wondering

Because if the car otherwise is in good shape, why? A decent new 3er is close to $45,000. That's a LOT of service on an aging but otherwise good F30. I've had mine for ten years and it still puts a grin on me.