[NoSoupForU]

My 'low coolant level' just came on. Is this covered under the 4 yr/50k warranty? Will they top it off? My car only has 19k miles so I'm wondering if there is something wrong with the car?

[ManyMoonsAgo]

Yes, it is covered. You can take your car to the dealership and they will top it off.

As for there being a problem, that is tougher to answer. Personally, I have had to 'top-off' the coolant twice in 44 months of ownership, each time requiring no more than ~300mL of coolant/distilled water.

I have had my car on the rack with the belly pan dropped looking for any leak and if there is one, my mechanic and I could not find any evidence of it.

Without knowing your specific situation, I would say if the top-off requires a minimal amount of fluid and level remains nominal in the weeks/months following the top-off, then you should be good.

Oh and just in case - only check the coolant level when your engine is COLD, don't even think about checking the level when the engine is HOT.

[Glim]

Originally Posted by NoSoupForU

My 'low coolant level' just came on. Is this covered under the 4 yr/50k warranty? Will they top it off? My car only has 19k miles so I'm wondering if there is something wrong with the car?

Coolant loss is not normal


The Manual States:

Checking coolant level

1. The engine must be at ambient temperature.

2. Turn the cap of the expansion tank counterclockwise to allow any accumulated pressure to escape, then continue turning to open.

3. The coolant level is correct if it is between the maximum and minimum marks in the filler neck, refer also to the diagram next to the filler neck.

4. If the coolant is low, slowly add coolant up to the specified level; do not overfill.

5. Turn the cap until there is an audible click.

6. Have the reason for the coolant loss eliminated as soon as possible.

[ceb]

Originally Posted by Glim

Coolant loss is not normal


The Manual States:

Checking coolant level

1. The engine must be at ambient temperature.

2. Turn the cap of the expansion tank counterclockwise to allow any accumulated pressure to escape, then continue turning to open.

3. The coolant level is correct if it is between the maximum and minimum marks in the filler neck, refer also to the diagram next to the filler neck.

4. If the coolant is low, slowly add coolant up to the specified level; do not overfill.

5. Turn the cap until there is an audible click.

6. Have the reason for the coolant loss eliminated as soon as possible.

Not quite correct.

First, you must be assuming that the coolant level was OK to begin with. Coolant expands/contracts with temperature so seasonal changes are OK. In addition, coolant will evaporate so a bit of loss is normal.

My suggestion is to see how low it is. If it isn't more than a third of a liter or so, then topping off with distilled water is fine. If there more coolant loss before the weather gets cold then there may be a leak.

[hipnotic]

just take it to the dealer and they will refill it without any hassel. I had mine filled up and i believe this is normal but if it continues to happen then there is probably a leak some where

[iflyjetzzz]

My wife's 2005 Acura TL (bought new) has 79K miles on it. I just drained/refilled the antifreeze from the radiator - not full flush/replacement, as the timing belt/water pump is supposed to be replaced at 100K miles so I didn't feel like jumping through the extra hoops when it's all going to be flushed in the next 24 months. Long story short, the antifreeze level was still at 'full' and it has never had a drop (as far as I know) added to it in 6 years.

But step back for a few paces. When the car was assembled, if every part wasn't perfectly sealed, there are going to be some leaks. Most leaks are so small you won't even notice and they're generally not worth trying to track down.
Compared to cars that I worked on 35 years ago, needing some coolant after 19K miles is fantastic. You can give it a try to track down a minor leak but if it were me, I'd simply have the dealer refill it and check it again myself manually in another year. If it's still within tolerences, I wouldn't worry about it.
Those micro leaks tend to end up getting sealed by leaking contaminents over time. If you look at my pool's filter system, you'll see calcium buildups where a little bit of water used to leak.

Bottom line: Get it refilled by the dealer and don't lose sleep over it.

[mrakr]

Same situation just happened to me. I have a 335i M-Sport with 19K miles. Driving to work today the car reported low coolant. I let it cool down and confirmed I am low. Is this normal? Where did it go?

[ManyMoonsAgo]

Originally Posted by mrakr

Same situation just happened to me. I have a 335i M-Sport with 19K miles. Driving to work today the car reported low coolant. I let it cool down and confirmed I am low. Is this normal? Where did it go?

A slight loss of coolant is normal in my opinion. If you are adding hundreds of mLs every month or every other month or even every four months, then I would say that is not normal under normal operating conditions.

I would top off your coolant (50/50 coolant/distilled water or 100% distilled water if you are in a warm climate) and monitor the level every so often. If the level stays nominal, then you should be good to go.

As for where it goes - perhaps evaporation, perhaps a small leak(s), it is difficult to say definitively.