Radiator Problems

[nursediz]

This morning I was driving to work and I noticed steam coming out of my steering wheel, bout that time I looked at the temp gauge and it zoomed to red, so, i immediately pulled over.
I called in a co worker to look at it and he said the nipple broke off of my radiator into the tubing. well, another co workers husband came out and he put a screw in the tubing and a screw in the hole where the nipple was.....to block it off.....then i drove home with a co worker following me...the gage was fine wor a little bit...then it started getting closer to the red. so, i pulled over again and called another friend to come look at it. he said that the guy who put the screw in the """overflow""" hose, really put it into the main tubing...and pretty much blocked off any fluid...so, my car about exploded...guess i am gonna have to put it in the shop...i have had nothing but problems with this car since i got it.

i got it about a month and a half ago...had it for a week and the waterpump went out on it, the fan hit the fan shroud and busted all to pieced. had to replace the fan, shroud, pump, and belt...cost 600 bucks. the guy i am buying the car from didn't offer to pay for it...now this is happening...i will have had it 2 months on the 27th and have only got to drive it about 2 and half weeks of that whole time....
HELLLLLP!!!
Do i need to just get a whole new radiator?? how much will that cost? i know i bought it used, and with buying something used you never know what you are going ot run into, but jeez....the car looked great when i got it...the interior, exterior were immaculate and everythign under the hood...that i could see, looked great...i think this dealer may be screwing with me b.c. i am a woman.:dunno:

[Bmwcat]

Ouch. Its hard to say from a distance but the radiator might be shot now. Let's pray the engine wasnt damaged from overheating. Can you find an independent BMW/German mechanic? Avoid the local dealer. Have it checked out ASAP and dont drive it. Good luck..:angel:

[fun2drive]

Nursediz:
First things first. Never drive the car when the engine goes into the red on the temp gage. The engine is aluminum and you may have blown the head gasket. That is the gasket that is between the head gasket and the engine block. Once the engne gets hot the antifreeze superheats and the pressure this causes forces its way through the gasket.

I really hope that this didn't happen to you.

Now about the first problem. When the fan went the mechanic should have replaced the water pump, fan, shroud, and radiator. I know this seems expensive but around 70K up to around 90K these things will fail. They are not that expensive (just look at eBay and type in BMW radiator) which will not be more then about 170 bucks.
Other parts are in that same area. You need a good independent mechanic to help you.

BMWs are very reliable cars but the failure item you just experienced does happen. I can not fault the original owner because you can not tell when they will fail.

The work mates and friends did you more harm then good trying to get the car to limp home. Better to have it towed to a garage that can fix the car for you.

I agree that going to the dealer is not the best way to go as the independent mechanic will be more interested in helping you out. The dealer is working on two generations of cars later then your e36 model.

Also don't be surprised if some time down the road you need brake pads and rotors as well as struts and shocks. After these are done your car is good to go for a long time.

Please do yourself a favor and when you get that mechanic ask him about the health of these other items. The previous owner may have had them replaced but you need to know as you can then plan for replacing them.
I know you are not interested in doing the work yourself but it is not that hard to do so don't let someone feed you a line about that. I would also post a note on this forum and the other forum I frequent (bimmerforums.com) asking for suggestions of a good wrench in your area.
I wish you the best in getting this car back to being fun to drive and not having to deal with the repair issues...

[bibi_mwewe]

Bummer...

I had a similar incident, and the sad truth is that the coolant system just goes on these cars. I'd advise replacing the radiator, hoses, thermostat, and whatever else hasn't been replaced right now. It honestly isn't so bad to do yourself (I did it with the help of a friend last summer, and I'm a chick with little mechanical experience) and should be very straightforward for a good indy mechanic.

Also check on the rear shock mounts (or have someone else do it for you; it requires jacking the car up so you need to have the equipment for that). I didn't see how many miles your car has; mine has recently gone through a flush of bulbs burning out all over the car at 88k. Otherwise, my bimmer is a joy to drive, and I hope yours will become the same soon, too.

[white.220]

the same thing happened to me. a bought a used 328is then a year later steam from the hood. i had to have the radiator replaced. since then i've put about 2k into the car. since i bought the car for 17k and 56k miles im not to dissapointed. it now has 89k miles and since then no problems. my wrench doesn't charge me labor and gives me free oil changes just because a bring a bimmer to his shop!!!!! he is using my car to "learn" on and has done excellent work. i go to a independent bmw shop for my diagnostics and that normally costs around $80. one thing to look at is bimmer mag has some buyer guids such as april 2005 has an e36 buyers guid. so far that guide predicted every downfall my car has experienced since i bought it. their mileage estimates matched my car within 2k miles! very helpful. anyway don't be discouraged from bimmer ownership. once your over the major hump of 100k maintanince the cars ride is well worth it. even after all the repairs i have a car that retailed for 38k for a mere 19k. and the ride was worth the trouble