2005 x3 3.0

I've been told by a dealer that my vehicle should have coolant flushes every 3 years, needless to say, I've never had a coolant flush.

Another shop not BMW said that they would not recommend simply a coolant flush due to the fact that I have 134K plus miles on my vehicle. They suggest due to the mileage to replace the water pump and thermostat possibly the belts for approx. 500.00.

They say possibly in 6-9 months or so, they may need replacing so not to spend money on just a flush.

What are the thoughts of the mass on bimmerfest? Never had water pump nor thermostat replaced. MY vehicle is still riding like a baby

thanks for all imput.

My Warranty and Service Guide 2004 says: Important: Renew coolant every 4 years from production date

At some time BMW may have changed the no. of years depending on whether the coolant was rated long-life, extended life or lifetime.

But however good the coolant is meant to be, at 134K miles or 7 years, I would think a lot of the anti-corrosion properties are severely depleted.

I would get it changed right now as I don't see this as a case where combining several maintenance and repair jobs into one is relevant.

No real disassembly involved in a drain and fill, so not sure at all about the non-BMW shop's advice. Do things as and when they are needed, and new coolant was needed a few years back.

Thanks supercourse. I will heed your advice.

Well, see what others have to say. Some feel that a pre-emptive complete cooling system overhaul after 6 or so years is the way to go based on 3-series experience.

But the X3 seems to me to be a bit more robust in that area.

Whether to wait for something to go wrong or catch it beforehand will always be debated.

How dependent you are on your daily ride and risk of breaking down in the boonies comes into it.

Here's my take:

Your coolant needs to be changed. I believe in changing every 2-3 years. It's a super easy job...you can do it yourself in an hour for less than $30.

Now with the above said I get the Indy mechanics point too. I do not fully buy into the same preemptive cooling system replacement on the e83 that the e39/e46 owners follow, but I have owned enough high milage cars that it is like clockwork that between 130k and 160k something in the cooling system will break. With that in mind, if you don't do the flush yourself, you have to be ok with paying $150 now to do it and then another $500 to do it again in the near future. My view is that it is a better value now just to pay the extra $350 for the water pump, thermostat and expansion tank as to Supers point the labor to drain is part of the overall repair.

So simple recap...by all means do it but don't discount doing everything now based on your milage to potentially save a few $s.

Good advice from all. I probably would do the whole thing (including the expansion tank) now and have peace of mind -- were I going to keep the car. If I was thinking of moving on, then no -- I would just do the coolant change.