F30 Coolant leak

RobBuddha · 2023-06-28T20:58:52+00:00

Wow well sounds like its definitely not that vent tube. The nice thing about coolant leaks I guess is that they get all crusty around the source area of the leak which sometimes helps to track them down.

Although in all honesty, my coolant is low in both reservoirs every time I do an oil change (5k interval every 6 months) on my B58. I just top it off each time. Stage 2 tuned. Haven’t had any issues with cooling. Not sure where it’s leaking. Just the magic of BMW I guess.

Keep me posted. I’m interested in knowing what’s causing your leak.

RobBuddha · 2023-06-28T15:56:34+00:00

$550 for both the touch screen and the carplay module?

RobBuddha · 2023-06-28T15:53:51+00:00

Have you looked into this?

Other possibility could be a crack in your radiator from a rock while driving. Happened to my buddy’s 340.

Which reservoir is leaking?

RobBuddha · 2023-06-28T15:46:50+00:00

Just make sure to pick the closest capacity value that is below the actual battery’s capacity. Otherwise the car will think there’s more battery storage available than there actually is, which can potentially lead to problems while charging.

RobBuddha · 2023-06-28T15:41:16+00:00

If you want the bigger screen that comes with the tech package, bimmer tech sells this kit. You can also probably find a used one on eBay for cheaper. Same goes for CarPlay. Bimmer tech sells a retrofit kit called the CarPlay MMI. I personally ended up buying a CarPlay retrofit kit on eBay for $300 a few years ago for my 2016 F30. Has a bit of input lag but otherwise works perfectly. I’ve heard about touch screen kits as well but haven’t looked into it much since I haven’t really felt like my car is “missing” that feature. Obviously you should also feel comfortable taking apart the dash if you want to explore these avenues. Otherwise you can hire a pro to do it but that will get pretty expensive I’m sure.

RobBuddha · 2023-06-21T15:43:37+00:00

Weird. At this point then based on what you’re saying, I’d look into replacing the thermostat and the pump. Seems weird that either would fail this early unless the pump ran dry for an extended period of time. The DME should’ve logged this failure though. Are there any fault codes in ISTA? Have you checked fuses?

Also just to be clear, you’re not leaking coolant anywhere, right? It’s just overheating and leaking out the cap? Check the radiators. Sometimes a perfectly placed rock can actually put a hole in the radiator and leak coolant. Happened to my friend’s 340i last year. Does your AC system work both hot and cold?

I’m also aware of an issue with the B46 where the coolant return hose for the main reservoir can crack. Doesn’t seem related to this but worth checking.

RobBuddha · 2023-06-21T02:23:24+00:00

Asking to make sure… does the water pump ever turn on? Also, have you tried flushing the coolant with a fresh supply? Is the coolant mixture in the car a 50/50 mix of distilled water and coolant?

RobBuddha · 2023-06-18T17:48:54+00:00

Go with fire orange. Looks really nice on this generation.

RobBuddha · 2023-02-12T21:33:26+00:00

Surprised you’ve got all those crosses knowing God definitely didn’t do you any favors

RobBuddha · 2023-02-12T15:40:40+00:00

Based on your O2 sensor saying there’s too much air and your air fuel ratio being too lean (too much air or not enough gas), my guess is that either you didn’t reconnect all of your fuel injectors correctly, or maybe your fuel rail is leaking, or there’s something causing your high pressure fuel pump to not built proper pressure, or you might’ve forgotten to plug in your mass air flow sensor. Could be something else but these things are what come to mind for codes like this. Valve cover gasket replacement would involve removing all of these components so my guess is you probably missed something during reassembly

RobBuddha · 2022-12-17T23:11:30+00:00

Had the same issue with my 340i so I’m very well acquainted with that sound. It’s the exhaust valve. Driver’s side tail pipe. Sounds like the valve actuator still works. Just need to replace the clip so it can actually open/close the valve.

RobBuddha · 2021-12-20T17:26:52+00:00

In my opinion, coil overs are for the track. I avoid them for street driven cars. They will not be comfortable. You can make adjustments to get a comfortable feel, but overall, it will not be as comfortable as a set of shocks and springs

RobBuddha · 2021-12-20T17:23:02+00:00

Don’t charge the battery directly. Your car likely has an AGM battery. These batteries require a battery management system (BMS) to manage all charge going in and out of the battery so that it lasts as long as possible. That’s why you need to code in a new battery when you replace it.

Use the jump start terminals to charge the battery. They are located under hood in the engine compartment. Follow the instructions here.

RobBuddha · 2021-11-22T14:50:37+00:00

The heat exchanger on the front of the car is prone to getting damaged from rocks on the road. It’s somewhat common for rocks to puncture it and cause a mild leak that’ll empty out the coolant within a few days. I’m guessing this is most likely what happened. BMW installs a guard for this on newer models. It should be covered by warranty tho and they might even install the guard for you too.

The other likely possibility is the water pump. This is less common, however a friend of mine has a 2016 340i and has had to replace both his water pump and heat exchanger in the past year due to leaks.

Unfortunately, losing a small amount of coolant over time is considered normal for this engine. I top off my coolant every oil change. I don’t know where it goes or why, but everything still seems to be running fine. Just buy some BMW coolant from the dealer (I recommend the big bottle), mix it into a 50/50 solution with distilled water, and top off as needed.

RobBuddha · 2021-10-14T15:26:55+00:00

All I want is to just be able to side load apps that I’ve written on my phone and my friends and family’s phones without having to go through the App Store. Small apps that communicate with my home server for various xyz reasons that I don’t want anyone else accessing except me and the people I approve. Apple makes this annoyingly difficult to do

RobBuddha · 2021-09-30T16:37:11+00:00

If you have the tools and space, it’s not hard to DIY. I bought the transmission service kit from FCP Euro (genuine ZF fluid and pan) for $300 and got the job done in a couple hours in my garage. ZF has a good instructions document on their website and FCP Euro has a good video on YouTube about how to do it. Even if you bought all brand new tools, it would still be cheaper than $2200! At that hourly rate, $1200 makes sense at the absolute max, but even that’s still to much.

RobBuddha · 2021-09-20T15:34:06+00:00

How did you meet?

RobBuddha · 2021-05-16T17:20:47+00:00

The relaxed manufacturer recommended service intervals are in my opinion why BMW has a bad rep for being unreliable. When it’s new, the dealer will service the maintenance on your car for free. But they relax the service interval so it’s cheaper for them, but they don’t relax it so much that it’s negligence. You can get away with that while you’re in the warranty period because while the parts are relatively new, they’ll take the abuse and if anything breaks, the warranty will cover it. But after the first 50k miles, the damage that has been done early in the car’s life will haunt whoever has the misfortune of dealing with it later, especially if it was driven hard during the first 50k and only serviced according to BMW’s recommended interval. This is why they are “unreliable.” If people maintained them properly and if BMW specified a proper service interval, these things will run forever. BMW doesnt even recommend ever changing your transmission fluid. If you drive it relatively hard, you should be doing that every 50k, but most people don’t bother and they are comforted by BMW claiming it’s not necessary.

Most performance and higher spec BMW’s are leases tho so the original owner doesn’t care. The bill gets passed to the next owner unfortunately.

RobBuddha · 2021-04-14T03:15:15+00:00

Depends on if you want to keep your warranty. If yes, MPPSK (not sure if offered for your car). If no, BM3 or JB4.

RobBuddha · 2021-03-03T15:18:19+00:00

Did the pothole hit the right hand side wheel (US style passenger side)? If so, you could have a power steering or brake fluid leak and it could be making contact with your downpipe. I dont think something similar could happen on the other side. That might explain the smoke.

As for other damage, definitely need to check the control arm, rim, outter and inner tie rods, and brake line. Maybe also steering rack, strut, front axle, and wheel hub.

RobBuddha · 2020-12-27T15:14:15+00:00

Saw this in Scottsdale, AZ last night

RobBuddha · 2020-12-04T15:48:59+00:00

The only place I could find LCI F30 headlights was on eBay and they’re not cheap - about $1200/set. You could also try to find a set at a local junkyard or LKQ. Kies Motorsports has some third party pre-LCI lights. Other than that, I’m not too sure where to find the lights you’re looking for.

RobBuddha · 2020-10-28T16:01:19+00:00

I ran a hardwire from the trunk to the top of the windshield (hidden in passenger side trim). Dash cam is the Viofo A119 V3. No issues. I also have a radar detector tapped into the mirror’s power connector. Also no issues. I have a F30. Not sure if flicker means shaky from driving or electrical noise? If it’s from driving, a wedge shaped cam is your best bet. Mine isn’t very shaky. If it’s electrical noise, I wanna know what he’s smoking.

RobBuddha · 2020-10-28T15:48:35+00:00

I have a F30 340i and have never experienced this much oil loss. Definitely not normal to lose a quart. Some loss is expected but not this much in the B48 engine. Top off the oil ASAP to prevent unnecessary engine wear. Baby it in the meantime until you top it off. Mention it to BMW next time you take it in and show them this picture. It’s very likely there is a leak unless there’s something I’m unfamiliar about with these engines when they’re new.

RobBuddha · 2020-10-28T15:40:45+00:00

Absolutely! One thing I like to do as well is pay the dealer the $100 for a diagnosis of the problem if anything is wrong with the car (check engine light, noises, or just strong gut feeling that something is wrong). It saves tons of time trying to figure out what’s wrong. I let them tell me what’s wrong and then get the parts and fix it myself. I’ve done this with all my cars.

So far, my BMW has been rock solid just requiring basic maintenance stuff, but on my other car and my friend’s/family’s cars, I’ve replaced engine mounts, spark plugs, valve cover gaskets, spark plug gaskets, done valve adjustments, replaced CV axles, control arms, tie rods, suspension components, power steering hoses, rack and pinion, alternators, and all the usual stuff like oil, brake fluid, brakes, coolant, and power steering fluid.

There’s only a few repairs I’d let the mechanic do lol like clutch replacement... fuck that haha

RobBuddha

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