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Low engine coolant warning after 15k miles

34K views 44 replies 21 participants last post by  SpaceManGray 
#1 ·
2011

anyone has this happen?
 
#5 ·
I have a 2009 and had this call with my wife in early 2010...

"Brian...why do I have this coolant light on??? I just want to get to work and car is new...why didn't you check it?"

I felt like an ass, bought a gallon of BMW coolant and distilled water on my way home with tail between legs. Mixed 50:50 when I got home and filled 3 qts in expansion tank...

2 years later never lost coolant since. It is what it is and don't worry it is normal.
 
#6 ·
Had the same thing happen to me at 19,000 miles. No leaks evident. Added coolant and no problem since in 800 miles.

Note that when adding coolant, there are min/max marks on the inside of the reservoir.
 
#8 ·
py, keep an eye on the coolant and if the light goes on again -- be sure to get it back to the dealer. There is a reason that liquid is disappearing somewhere. An air block in the heater core can only account for so much -- then the core is filled and no more coolant should be "lost".:eek:
 
#10 ·
Happened a couple of times on my 2009 right after I picked it up. I just topped it off with distilled water (took maybe a cup total) and never had another issue. I'm getting ready to roll 93,000 miles so there was definitely no leak.

I'm pretty sure it's just from working all of the air out of the system from assembly.
 
#12 ·
After another 10k at 25k, low coolant light came on again after parking on the snow for a week. This time I am hundreds of miles away from home. I added a bottle of spring water (17 oz) to fill up around the min line.
I backed the car out I can see some greenish liquid on the snow. I assume that's BMW coolant?
 
#13 ·
Probably.
 
#14 ·
My low coolant light came on at 8500 miles. Drove to the dealer and they topped me off no charge. Dealer said that this is a common issue due to the temp these engines run at and given the coolant is 50% water. Evaporation was their explanation. I accepted that. Seems logical.
 
#17 ·
Interesting my car had a antifreeze odour that came through the ventilation system periodically... My car also got a low coolant warning too.

Perhaps this is a design fault causing the antifreeze to "boil" over on hot days leaving insufficient volumes on cold days. My car got the low coolant warning late fall.
 
#18 ·
Hmmm,... I guess I might be picking up some coolant when I pick up the new vehicle :(.
 
#20 ·
Noka,

My warning came up after 20K miles, on a few cold mornings, and went away as soon as my X3 warmed up. I would have dropped by the dealer on the (long) way to work, but I had an oil change scheduled soon. Instead, I splashed a few ounces of bottled water into the reservoir, no more than 2-3 ounces, and added "top up the coolant" to my service list.

Don't waste money on coolant, which the dealer will top up for free. Instead, spend the money on brake dust cleaner for your wheels. You'll need two.
 
#21 ·
Noka,

My warning came up after 20K miles, on a few cold mornings, and went away as soon as my X3 warmed up. I would have dropped by the dealer on the (long) way to work, but I had an oil change scheduled soon. Instead, I splashed a few ounces of bottled water into the reservoir, no more than 2-3 ounces, and added "top up the coolant" to my service list.

Don't waste money on coolant, which the dealer will top up for free. Instead, spend the money on brake dust cleaner for your wheels. You'll need two.
OK, I might have over-reacted, especially if it was only a couple of ounces (and assuming you could easily see the reservoir to be able to determine that it wasn't down that much). I'd be more concerned if it needed more than that and possibly diluting the mixture too much. I wonder if there is a sensor design problem (e.g. bad placement, over-sensitive, etc). One thing for certain, in a well-designed system you should not need to add coolant.
 
#22 ·
Update: Dealer said they did 4 hour pressurize test and found no coolant leak. They said BMW coolant is blue (the leak I found on the snow is greenish like this color http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1815445 ) although I did not check the actual coolant color that's in my 2011 X3 28i.
I will manually check coolant level after another 5k miles to see if it's draining or evaporating since I added 17 oz of bottled water to it.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1698895
 
#23 ·
#24 ·
Just so everyone knows, I have read a few articles (see Motor Trend long term test) where the capacity increases due to expansion in the hoses, etc. Seems completely normal (but unique to BMW).

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/suvs/1205_2011_bmw_x3_idrive28i_update_9/

http://www.edmunds.com/bmw/x3/2012/long-term-road-test/2012-bmw-x3-20000-miles-behind-us.html

So in summary, watch your coolant level and expect to add 1 litre between 15,000 and 20,000 miles.
It's difficult to believe that hoses could expand enough to accomodate about 15% more coolant. I'm curious, when people had the low coolant message, was there any coolant visible in the reservoir? If some was visible, I wouldn't have a problem driving it to the dealer for a top-up. If not visible, then you really have no clue how low it is and I would be hesitant to risk driving it.
 
#25 ·
Light came on around 8500

We to got the low coolant light on our 2013 with the 4cyl. Dealer pressured tested, no problems. They said it is inherent in the 4 cyl twin turbo. Makes no sense to me in a sealed system but we'll see I guess.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Now that I took delivery of my X3, I see the coolant reservoir is opaque (of course). I've owned vehicles with translucent reservoir but all my BMW's were opaque (or close to it).
 
#28 ·
Wait. Why buy something that BMW will provide for free during the warranty period?
I don't want to be in 'East Timbuktu' with a low coolant warning, no easy way to check how low it is and possibly needing some significant amount.
 
#29 ·
Had the low coolant message once. I don't recall how many miles were on the odometer, but it was some time ago. I now have 46K on the X3 and haven't seen the low coolant warning again. BTW.....my two previous BMW's (325i and an M3) both lost small amounts of coolant on a regular basis. Never found a leak and had the system pressure checked. I simply added a cup or two as needed and didn't worry about it.
 
#30 ·
Interesting that there is no coolant "temp" gauge or any way to read it in iDrive that I found. Maybe with coding, not sure. This is the first BMW I've owned without a gauge. Although some BMW coolant temp gauges pointed to the middle and didn't move until something was really wrong, it make me feel better having a gauge. I guess it wasn't really much more useful than a display indicator is today.
 
#31 ·
At the dealer picking up some accessories and mentioned low coolant to service manager. He said not to worry and it happens and gave me a one liter bottle (like an oil bottle) of BMW antifreeze. Easier than carrying a gallon. He said mixture is 50:50 with water and when I mentioned picking up some distilled water at the market, he said it's not necessary and 'nobody uses distilled water anymore'. Really? Well, I'll pick some up anyway :).
 
#33 ·
Same here. My 2012 X3 28i has 7400 miles on it and yesterday I got the low coolant message after starting up in the parking garage at work. It was a very cold day and I was quite surprised that a cold engine would give that check message. Today the check message did not appear, but I guess I should take it to the dealer for a top up. Seems really odd for this to occur on such a new vehicle and with no evidence of any leaking.
 
#35 ·
...It was a very cold day and I was quite surprised that a cold engine would give that check message...
I suspect you're most likely to see such a message when the engine and ambient temp are cold, since the coolant level rises after warmup.
 
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