COOLANT LEAK E46

[BMW-FAN]

I took my 2002 318i E 46 with 175 000km to the stealership for an inspection two service, and asked them to check out for a coolant leak as the light comes on every three weeks which I top up of course. (i think there is a leak on the side of the radiator as there is a white residue.

they quoted me R8000-00 and wanted to replace the following:

- Radiator
- hoses
- thermostat and housing
- coolant sensor
- Radiator cap

I,m sure they are taking a chance, surely this can't all be wrong, there are no symptoms of a faulty thermostat, anyone with simlar experience?

is there anywhere who could maybe do aftermarket with pirate parts?

 

[moranor@axis]

take the cover above your radiator off and have a look you will be able to see where the leak is... it makes sense if the leak is in the radiator to do the radiator and hoses... im not so sure the rest needs to be done, but the plastics do get brittle at your sort of mileage so it would be good to do as much now as you can...

where are you based?

 

[Yulz9081]

All that will cost you max 3.5k done at a private reputable mech. No need for stealer to do this one.
I had radiator replaced and all the hoses for about R3300 IIRC beginning of last year when I had the E46.

 

[Sankekur]

The dealer will normally do this, just replace bunch of stuff when they don't know what the problem is. Still it is probably not a bad idea to have all these things changed if they have not been changed before, replacing things on the cooling system is never a bad idea, it is very cheap insurance. Just don't have it done at the dealers, they are just ridiculous with their prices.

 

[Gizmo]

Why did they leave the water pump out? Water can leak past the bearing seal on the shaft.

 

[freerider]

LOL @ the price!

I did the following on the 320

Radiator from radiator king R800
Waterpump from masterparts with s/steel impeller R299
Hoses upper and lower OEM BMW R450 each
Thermostat+housing OEM BMW R925
Expansion tank OEM BMW R750
Radiator cap OEM BMW R19 (yes nineteen rand, it was on the system with incorrect part number)
BMW Coolant 4Lt R60/Lt

I did all the work myself, so it cost me R3184 in total.

 

[Karate Kid]

Had a similar problem...

Every 1500 kms had to fill approximately 500 mls.

Had an aftermarket mech do a pressure test and immediately one of the pipes burst. Had it replaced at price of R600 (OEM). Pressure test passed but still took 500 ml but this time after a short distance. Found another teh main outlet pipe from the expansion tank to be leaking. Preesure test passed once again after the replacement (R500 OEM). After driving for 50 kms, light came on again and this tiem it took 1L. Pressure test revealed a crack on the expansion tank. Replaced at R1250 OEM with labour). Starting driving it today and hpefully it is fine. Will monitor if there is any water consumption.

 

[dguest74]

Hi All,

Help please!

I own a 2003 E46 320i and about two weeks ago my coolant light came on. I topped up with about 200ml's of coolant as it showed that this was all that was needed.A couple of days later the coolant light came on again so I topped up again and low and behold a couple of days later coolant light back on again. I ended up using a litre of coolant. Only at this stage did I suspect I may have a leak.

The issue is as I was driving yesterday, I lost power and nursed my car home. It's sounds like a blowing sound coming from my engine( similar to the sound when you have a hole in your exhaust).My question is: does this sound like I have blown a head gasket? I also found coolant leaking on the floor this morning.

Any advice would be appreciated as well as any suggestions of where I can get this fixed at a reasonable price( not working at the moment so cash is tight). I am based in the Tableview area, Cape Town.

Regards
Dave

 

[LordPhoenix]

Hi All,

Help please!

I own a 2003 E46 320i and about two weeks ago my coolant light came on. I topped up with about 200ml's of coolant as it showed that this was all that was needed.A couple of days later the coolant light came on again so I topped up again and low and behold a couple of days later coolant light back on again. I ended up using a litre of coolant. Only at this stage did I suspect I may have a leak.

The issue is as I was driving yesterday, I lost power and nursed my car home. It's sounds like a blowing sound coming from my engine( similar to the sound when you have a hole in your exhaust).My question is: does this sound like I have blown a head gasket? I also found coolant leaking on the floor this morning.

Any advice would be appreciated as well as any suggestions of where I can get this fixed at a reasonable price( not working at the moment so cash is tight). I am based in the Tableview area, Cape Town.

Regards
Dave

Dude, dont hijack the thread, start your own.