[550iflip]

I leased a 2018 550i a year ago and i took it in for service and also mentioned that it's losing coolant pretty fast completely. They called back and said the water pump needs to be replaced, which they cover under lease, but also the coolant hose is eaten due to rodent damage and will cost $1500 (I talked them down to $650 since I mentioned this has been an issue for a while and it was a loaner car they leased me with like ~1k-2k miles, not 100% brand new even though it was latest model)

They said it's very labor intensive to replace, I just have a feeling they are trying to hustle me. I think it's weird that the coolant hose is so hard to get to, but they can see that it's rodent damage using "cameras and mirrors". It seems a bit strange the water pump goes out and has cooling issues at the same time a rat has ate the coolant hose as well. What do you guys think?

[Efthreeoh]

Comprehensive insurance covers rodent damage.

[550iflip]

Would still have to pay the deductible I'm assuming, which is $500-$1,000 depending on the policy coverage

I just had them send me the work order:

REC TO REPLACE THE COOLANT HOSE FROM THE
RADIATOR TO THE AUX COOLER (RODENT DAMAGE
COOLANT HOSE FROM RADIATOR TO THE AUX COOLER)
($1,500)

Is it really that much labor to replace the coolant hose?

[tcphoto]

I would ask an Indy what they think about the rodent theory, if it's likely or BS. Then check your insurance policy to see if rodent damage is covered. If so, offer the Dealer $500 (if that is your deductible) and see what they say. If they are jerks, I'd show up with $500 in quarters and lay them out on the counter.

[550iflip]

Originally Posted by tcphoto

I would ask an Indy what they think about the rodent theory, if it's likely or BS. Then check your insurance policy to see if rodent damage is covered. If so, offer the Dealer $500 (if that is your deductible) and see what they say. If they are jerks, I'd show up with $500 in quarters and lay them out on the counter.

Was thinking the same about asking another opinion, I already asked for photos of the rodent damage, will see what they come up with lol

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by 550iflip

Was thinking the same about asking another opinion, I already asked for photos of the rodent damage, will see what they come up with lol

Why don't you just go over to the shop and have them show you the damage? Tell them your insurance broker wants you to verify the damage.

[550iflip]

These are the pictures they sent me regarding the rodent damage, does that look like rodent damage to you guys?

[nissubaru]

Looks just like a leaky hose to me. The thicker part of the hose looks suspect but it just seems like a protective layer which is pretty common for a coolant hose to have.

[robthewrench]

If you think they are scamming you, ask them the cost to replace the hose if done with the waterpump work or if done separately. If they quote you the exact same cost, they are not being truthful. There should be some savings to the job being done at the same time as the waterpump, even if it is only the coolant drain, fill, and purge.

You can always tell them only to fix the waterpump. You can then get estimates from other dealers or independents to do just the hose.

Just as a note of caution, I believe your 550 has the N63 engine. That engine, at least the ones from ~2008-2014 are known to have tons of problems. Be happy that you have it as a lease and do not own it.

[Unknown_Car]

Looking at your pictures, the hose is cover in coolant that was leaking for a while. Doesn't need to be replaced. I wouldn't pay them a dime.

[Efthreeoh]

So I have a lot of problems with rodents in my cars. It's mostly mice. I've never seen a mouse or rat chew on a coolant hose, especially a large diameter hose. The rodents will chew on wires and wire look coverings. Rodents usually nest somewhere in the engine compartment.

My wife's Z3 has mice, one even fell on her from the sun visor once, but none has ever chewed on a coolant hose. Mice leave teeth marks, which I don't see in those pics. Also, rodents normally don't do a drive by chewing. They chew to sharpen teeth or make nesting materials.

My advice to you is tell the dealership you are making a claim under your insurance policy and an inspector is coming out to evaluate the damage. See what response they give you.

[biz77]

Originally Posted by robthewrench

If you think they are scamming you, ask them the cost to replace the hose if done with the waterpump work or if done separately. If they quote you the exact same cost, they are not being truthful. There should be some savings to the job being done at the same time as the waterpump, even if it is only the coolant drain, fill, and purge.

You can always tell them only to fix the waterpump. You can then get estimates from other dealers or independents to do just the hose.

Just as a note of caution, I believe your 550 has the N63 engine. That engine, at least the ones from ~2008-2014 are known to have tons of problems. Be happy that you have it as a lease and do not own it.

The N63TU which came out for the 2014 model year in the 5-series addressed most of the issues of the original N63 and they are actually quite reliable. This 2018 has at least the TU2 or even the TU3 updated N63 engine. It's likely statistically more reliable than the N55 in your 335i.

I've seen rodents tear into cooling system plumbing before, but only after they had gotten into something like d-Con and become extremely desperate for water.

[dsad1]

How can they possibly prove that was rodent damage? Tell them they have to cover it under the warranty. Why do they care anyways? Doesn't corporate pay for lease warranty repairs?

[550iflip]

Thank you for the comments. I went in person and this gets really weird... I asked them to show me the rodent damage in person, and they show me part of the hose that wasn't in the pictures they sent earlier. The mechanic said: "Surely you must've known you had a rodent issue if you cable tied dryer sheets around all the hoses, which is known to help deter rats." I asked him what the heck is he talking about, and he showed me all the places there is dryer sheets cable tied to the hoses.

I've had the car for a year now and I would of remembered if I ever did something ridiculous like this. Nobody has had it besides me. So they either

A) Leased me a car that had a known rodent problem (it had 2k miles on it as a loaner vehicle they used but leased it out to me which helped with the monthly payments to be lower, in my mind it's still practically a new car

B) Are trying to make it look like I did this and I put the dryer sheets because "I must've known" I had a rodent issue if I would've went to those lengths.

C) Loaned it out as a loaner to someone for a decent amount of time, where they must've known they had a rat problem (perhaps their car was being worked on in the shop for rodent damage) and the inspection when they sold the car to me never caught it.

All 3 examples are just speculation but I can't think of anything else.... I attached some pics of the hose that looks nibbled as well as the dryer sheets. This is pretty ridiculous and I'm waiting to talk to the guy that sold me the car tomorrow. I find it hard to believe it passed it's pre-sales inspection and nobody noticed dryer sheets and would've cut them off, in case I ever find them or it came to this situation.











I'm not really sure what to think at this point...

[Efthreeoh]

Okay, I do have to say the one pic of the hose does look like a rodent chewed on it. Drier sheets are strange (and temporary). I see no evidence of a nest, so I don't think the rodent damage is recent. Usually rodents take up residence in vehicles that don't move for several weeks. Looks like to me the car was sold to you pre-damaged and the PPI did catch the one hose that eventually began to leak.

[Maestro]

What ever the plastic and rubber pieces on cars today are made from seem to be rodent treats. I had mice and rodents take up residence in a stored vehicle, besides shit and piss and pills of seat cushion material as nest I never seen them eat wires or hoses. I did some house remolding and found 110V wires in the walls which were chewed and parts of installation was gone, this is how peoples houses burn down.

All my spark plug coils caps have been mostly eaten away by a mouse. My car hardly sits for more than a day, there has been a few time where we go on long trips and use our other car. Well that seem to be enough to attract a mouse to the value cover and took up residences to eat the coil covers. I even got squirrel eating a PVC fence i had put in about 6 yrs ago. They have eaten the tops of all the main support posts.

In the case of the Squirrels I am told they do this to wear their teeth down since they grown if they do not wear them down. I was told to be happen they just eating the fence since they could go after your house like siding and gutters and such.

Now here is a squirrel story and this is true, happen to a friend of mine.

Their daughter is off to college so her new car was sitting for 3 months in the driveway, daughter comes home for thanksgiving, car would not start, look like dead battery, open hood, family of squirrel took up residence, clear out the squirrel family, try jumping the car, still nothing no power.

Took car to dealer, get call from dealer squirrel eat all the wiring under the hood, $8000 in damage, insurance pays to fix, took 3 month.

The story gets better, Mom drives car to pick up daughter at college, on return trip, start to hit traffic on the highway, hits brakes, noting happens, pumps brakes still nothing, manages to get car into median and car rolls to a stop. Had car towed to dealer. Dealer calls, squirrels were crewing on the brake lines at the master cylinder. $3000 in damage, insurance paid to fix, the car has now been traded in and some poor idiot is driving a 2 yr old car with squirrel shit and damage under the hood.

OP, Those dryer sheets have been under the hood for a while see how much dirt is on them, those were not just put there.

[550iflip]

So talked to the sales team that sold me the car, the guy I deal with in particular, and they agreed everything I say makes sense and there is no way they can prove it was my fault, i.e. active rat nest or fresh droppings etc.

He said there was a time they parked the cars on the dirt lot, he was actually much more honest than I expected about certain details, and I respect that. I expected them to cover it in the end but really act like they are doing me a favor. They handled the situation very well, from the mechanic, to the lead tech, and the sales guy, all handled it much better than I thought, going in with the idea I'm being "screwed".

I wouldn't have noticed the dryer sheets without going in and seeing it in person and the mechanic telling me about it, so I have to commend the honesty.

Currently the water pump and the $1500 hose is being fixed, both being 100% covered. Wasted my time kinda fighting this and driving back and forth, but happy with the end result.

If it wasn't covered I wouldn't deal with them ever again, I guess it's a small price for them to keep a good relationship, I'm okay with things going wrong, as long as it's made right at the end of the day. I'll probably check for dryer sheets on my next car purchase though and be more attentive to a better self visual inspection rather than trusting them fully.

@maestro that's crazy, what was your deductible for that? I'm guessing a $500 deductible for $8k damage goes a much longer way than it would've for the "price cut" they were gonna give me of $650

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by 550iflip

So talked to the sales team that sold me the car, the guy I deal with in particular, and they agreed everything I say makes sense and there is no way they can prove it was my fault, i.e. active rat nest or fresh droppings etc.

He said there was a time they parked the cars on the dirt lot, he was actually much more honest than I expected about certain details, and I respect that. I expected them to cover it in the end but really act like they are doing me a favor. They handled the situation very well, from the mechanic, to the lead tech, and the sales guy, all handled it much better than I thought, going in with the idea I'm being "screwed".

I wouldn't have noticed the dryer sheets without going in and seeing it in person and the mechanic telling me about it, so I have to commend the honesty.

Currently the water pump and the $1500 hose is being fixed, both being 100% covered. Wasted my time kinda fighting this and driving back and forth, but happy with the end result.

If it wasn't covered I wouldn't deal with them ever again, I guess it's a small price for them to keep a good relationship, I'm okay with things going wrong, as long as it's made right at the end of the day. I'll probably check for dryer sheets on my next car purchase though and be more attentive to a better self visual inspection rather than trusting them fully.

@maestro that's crazy, what was your deductible for that? I'm guessing a $500 deductible for $8k damage goes a much longer way than it would've for the "price cut" they were gonna give me of $650

Glad to hear it all worked out. When I saw the dryer sheets, I was going to write a post about how could you have missed them if you looked under the hood, but I then realized they were all under the engine cover, so you'd not see them even with the hood open.

One a side note, with anything costing at least $500 just to get looked at, I carry a $100 deductible on my policy.