Friends Coolant Level is Low. No Warranty!

Turbo>NA · 07-16-2009, 12:53 PM

Hey guys,
Im helping my friend out. . .

My friend has an 07 March built e90 355i. He has no warranty.

He got a signal this morning on his Idrive screen saying "Coolant Level is Low"

I told him to go to Pep Boys to get it taken care of? Is he going to be okay?
What liquid would he have to buy for the coolant?

200Duece · 07-16-2009, 01:42 PM

water works to top off.

And no BMW does not warranty! topping off of fluids. have your buddy RTFM

Turbo>NA · 07-16-2009, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 200Duece

water works to top off.

And no BMW does not warranty! topping off of fluids. have your buddy RTFM

Im sorry, I didnt understand what you said? Water?

what's RTFM?

200Duece · 07-16-2009, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbo>NA

Hey guys,
Im helping my friend out. . .

My friend has an 07 March built e90 355i. He has no warranty.

He got a signal this morning on his Idrive screen saying "Coolant Level is Low"

I told him to go to Pep Boys to get it taken care of? Is he going to be okay?
What liquid would he have to buy for the coolant?

First, "he has no warranty", that's okay b/c topping off fluids, (ie, oil, washer fluid, coolant) isn't covered under warranty.

Second, "what liquid would he have to buy for the coolant", WATER is OK to top off

Third,

Thats' the best I can do...

JDLM · 07-16-2009, 01:50 PM

wow...seriously some people...

doobie · 07-16-2009, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbo>NA

Hey guys,
Im helping my friend out. . .

My friend has an 07 March built e90 355i. He has no warranty.

He got a signal this morning on his Idrive screen saying "Coolant Level is Low"

I told him to go to Pep Boys to get it taken care of? Is he going to be okay?
What liquid would he have to buy for the coolant?

it happens, just buy some bmw coolant from the parts dealer...

davgoust · 07-16-2009, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbo>NA

what's RTFM?

it's an acronym that stands for : Read The F'ng Manual. It's what people respond when you ask a question that you could have easily found in the manual.

raceyBMW · 07-16-2009, 02:59 PM

If you are going to get antifreeze that is not BMW brand, then get Zerex G-05. Supposedly its the closest thing to the original BMW stuff.

200Duece · 07-16-2009, 04:50 PM

he doesn't need antifreeze. he needs coolant

j/k

raceyBMW · 07-16-2009, 10:03 PM

LOL.....uh....yeah, what he said.

742 · 07-17-2009, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbo>NA

Hey guys,
Im helping my friend out. . .

My friend has an 07 March built e90 355i. He has no warranty.

He got a signal this morning on his Idrive screen saying "Coolant Level is Low"

I told him to go to Pep Boys to get it taken care of? Is he going to be okay?
What liquid would he have to buy for the coolant?

Here is a rule of thumb. IF YOU CAN BUY IT AT PEP BOYS IT DOES NOT GO INTO A GERMAN CAR.

Ok, there are some exceptions. But if you don't understand how to figure them out -- go to the dealer.

As for his problem, a bit of distilled water might be all that he needs. Otherwise, BMW coolant with 50% distilled water.

MWcoupe · 07-17-2009, 12:29 AM

i had the coolant level low message pop up on my idrive also. after bringing my car in for service today. my sa told me they topped it off and replaced my coolant sensor. said theres something wrong with my sensor. so if you refill it and the message comes up again. you should definitely bring it in to get it checked out.

raceyBMW · 07-17-2009, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 742

Here is a rule of thumb. IF YOU CAN BUY IT AT PEP BOYS IT DOES NOT GO INTO A GERMAN CAR.

Ok, there are some exceptions. But if you don't understand how to figure them out -- go to the dealer.

As for his problem, a bit of distilled water might be all that he needs. Otherwise, BMW coolant with 50% distilled water.

You need 50/50 in SoCal?

742 · 07-17-2009, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raceyBMW

You need 50/50 in SoCal?

50/50 has a higher boiling point than 100% water. So yes, if he has to add more than a small amount of water he ought to add the traditional 50/50 mixture. Of course in that case there is something seriously wrong and he needs to go to the dealer anyway.

raceyBMW · 07-18-2009, 01:50 AM

Um, just because 50/50 has a higher boiling point than water, doesn't mean that it transfers heat better. Water will always transfer heat better than the 50/50 mix. Under the pressures present in your cooling system, you don't have to worry about boiling at the temps that will be present.

In SoCal, where you don't really have to worry about freezing, it would be better to go with a 20/80 (coolant/h2o) mix so at least you still get the corrosion protection and some freeze protection offered by the coolant. If it were me, I would just go with 100% distilled water and water wetter, which does give some corrosion protection too.

ChrisTKHarris · 07-18-2009, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raceyBMW

If you are going to get antifreeze that is not BMW brand, then get Zerex G-05. Supposedly its the closest thing to the original BMW stuff.

Agreed.

If you want you could try to add about 1 cup of DISTILLED water to see if it's just barely low enough to trip the sensor. If it's REALLY low then you need to get either some OEM BMW fluid or some Zerex. Universal fluid is not recommended.

txusa03 · 07-20-2009, 11:38 AM

My car is 70K miles and I needed coolant top off. I drive to the nearest dealer after work and the attendant just top it off for me and I drive off (cha-ching).

wj4 · 07-20-2009, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by txusa03

My car is 70K miles and I needed coolant top off. I drive to the nearest dealer after work and the attendant just top it off for me and I drive off (cha-ching).

Same with my dealership. When you need a fluid topped off, you just roll in, tell the attendant what you need, they top it off, and you leave.

07-16-2009, 12:53 PM	#1
Turbo>NA xbox gamertag: HuGeBluEmOnKeY 257 Rep 3,758 Posts Drives: M-Sport LCI Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: SoCal (626) iTrader: (2)	Friends Coolant Level is Low. No Warranty! Hey guys, Im helping my friend out. . . My friend has an 07 March built e90 355i. He has no warranty. He got a signal this morning on his Idrive screen saying "Coolant Level is Low" I told him to go to Pep Boys to get it taken care of? Is he going to be okay? What liquid would he have to buy for the coolant? __________________ E92 335i alpine white \| black dokota \| auto \| zpp \| zsp \| heated \| iPod - ltbmw : vorsteiner : linea corsa : h&r : k&n : e92-lighting : expectalot-vinyl - --GONE--
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07-16-2009, 01:42 PM	#2
200Duece Colonel 45 Rep 2,575 Posts Drives: '73 2002,'18 X5 35d,'17 328d T Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: A Whale's Vagina, Ca iTrader: (5)	water works to top off. And no BMW does not warranty! topping off of fluids. have your buddy RTFM __________________ 1988 E28 535is Euro Conversion --- sold 2009 E90 335 6MT --- sold 2003 E39 540iT Msport --- sold
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07-16-2009, 01:50 PM	#5
JDLM Banned 73 Rep 3,277 Posts Drives: 2009 335i Sedan Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Kansas iTrader: (4)	wow...seriously some people...
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07-16-2009, 02:59 PM	#8
raceyBMW king of the hills 92 Rep 2,915 Posts Drives: 2011 M3 w/ESS55, 2001 540i/6 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Arvada, CO iTrader: (1) Garage List 2001 BMW 540i/6 [8.17] 1994 530i [9.00] 2007 335i Coupe [8.37]	If you are going to get antifreeze that is not BMW brand, then get Zerex G-05. Supposedly its the closest thing to the original BMW stuff.
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07-16-2009, 04:50 PM	#9
200Duece Colonel 45 Rep 2,575 Posts Drives: '73 2002,'18 X5 35d,'17 328d T Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: A Whale's Vagina, Ca iTrader: (5)	he doesn't need antifreeze. he needs coolant j/k __________________ 1988 E28 535is Euro Conversion --- sold 2009 E90 335 6MT --- sold 2003 E39 540iT Msport --- sold
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07-16-2009, 10:03 PM	#10
raceyBMW king of the hills 92 Rep 2,915 Posts Drives: 2011 M3 w/ESS55, 2001 540i/6 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Arvada, CO iTrader: (1) Garage List 2001 BMW 540i/6 [8.17] 1994 530i [9.00] 2007 335i Coupe [8.37]	LOL.....uh....yeah, what he said.
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07-17-2009, 12:29 AM	#12
MWcoupe 24k GOLD 148 Rep 1,453 Posts Drives: Mineral White M4 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: BROOKLYN NY iTrader: (0)	i had the coolant level low message pop up on my idrive also. after bringing my car in for service today. my sa told me they topped it off and replaced my coolant sensor. said theres something wrong with my sensor. so if you refill it and the message comes up again. you should definitely bring it in to get it checked out.
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07-18-2009, 01:50 AM	#15
raceyBMW king of the hills 92 Rep 2,915 Posts Drives: 2011 M3 w/ESS55, 2001 540i/6 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Arvada, CO iTrader: (1) Garage List 2001 BMW 540i/6 [8.17] 1994 530i [9.00] 2007 335i Coupe [8.37]	Um, just because 50/50 has a higher boiling point than water, doesn't mean that it transfers heat better. Water will always transfer heat better than the 50/50 mix. Under the pressures present in your cooling system, you don't have to worry about boiling at the temps that will be present. In SoCal, where you don't really have to worry about freezing, it would be better to go with a 20/80 (coolant/h2o) mix so at least you still get the corrosion protection and some freeze protection offered by the coolant. If it were me, I would just go with 100% distilled water and water wetter, which does give some corrosion protection too.
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07-20-2009, 11:38 AM	#17
txusa03 Major General 548 Rep 6,563 Posts Drives: TS330iPPSP6MT Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Planet Earth iTrader: (3)	My car is 70K miles and I needed coolant top off. I drive to the nearest dealer after work and the attendant just top it off for me and I drive off (cha-ching). __________________ under construction!
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