E46 330i losing coolant/water

[///M Individual]

Hi guys, a friend of mine asked me to check on the forum regarding the topic. He has a 2004 330i auto with about 105000kms. The coolant expansion tank was replaced not too long ago by BMW while under motorplan. But recently he's noticed that the car is losing water as he has to top up often. What else can he check? Any common pipes or parts that would normally give a problem? Motorplan expired in April so he's on his own here. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Sankekur]

Any sign where the coolant is leaking from? It should leave a white residue where is leaks.

But I would say a cooling system overhaul in general would not be a bad idea.

 

[moranor@axis]

tell him to look for white residue it would also be a good idea to replace all the pipes and the water pump before they become a problem...

 

[v1p3r]

The problem sounds like something I had on mine. The problem was a burst pipe next to the expansion tank that leaked the water/coolant. I had the light on almost every week and had to buy a lot of antifreeze during that time

 

[farjose]

on my E46 it started leaking on the radiator , right by the end tanks . Ive heard that its a common problem on the E46. Radiator needed to be replaced

 

[tyu333]

The white residue will be your first clue, on mine it was the thermostat housing.

 

[sclass]

Cooling system overhaul is in order for peace of mind later...

 

[///M Individual]

Thanks a lot guys. We gonna look out for the white residue to try and spot the leak. Any ideas on what bmw will charge for an overhaul of the cooling system?

 

[///M Individual]

Ok guys, so booked the car into the dealer today and after a diagnosis and pressure test they say its the radiator that's stuffed. They gave a price of R3900 for a new one. Anywhere else in Durban we can get it sorted out? Was thinking of trying places like Silverton etc.