coolant low again? ne1 else adding coolant

[3xbimmer]

Seems 1 or 2 x /year coolant level drops 1-2" on float indicator. Is this normal to be adding anti freeze? Guess I should document in case of bad head gasket

[Quickid]

Seems like a lot getting lost in a year. I don't need to add any on my car in between flushes. Are you sure there are no leaks elsewhere?

[wjjeeper]

If you look on fanatics it seems a lot of guys need to add a little coolant the first cold snap of the fall. I had to add maybe half a cup of water to prevent the coolant light coming on for about a minute when the motor got up to temp.

[E46]

my coolant light kept going on and off for the past couple weeks. I opened it up and the stick was at the bottom and there was little to no coolant left.

Just take it to the dealership, thats what i did, drove in and they filled it up for free with the bmw mixed coolant

[christyles]

my coolant light kept going on and off for the past couple weeks. I opened it up and the stick was at the bottom and there was little to no coolant left.

Just take it to the dealership, thats what i did, drove in and they filled it up for free with the bmw mixed coolant
Mine did the same thing about 2 months ago. No coolant left. Just went to crappy tire and dumper some coolant in there.

Dealership gave you something free? Which one?

[E46]

Mine did the same thing about 2 months ago. No coolant left. Just went to crappy tire and dumper some coolant in there.

Dealership gave you something free? Which one?

Autohaus.

I have to take car in for service there soon. Im gonna try and get my free oil change which i didnt get and now im due in for inspection 1 too. So i have try and get the following done:

1. 1st "serviced" oil change - FREE
2. Inspection 1 - FREE
3. My washer fluid is empty so usually they top it off - FREE

[Canuck328i]

Mine did the same thing about 2 months ago. No coolant left. Just went to crappy tire and dumper some coolant in there.

Dealership gave you something free? Which one?

Which coolant did you add Chris? There are several types, and the BMW coolant is different than the green (standard) or orange (long life). You may have a compatibility issue there.

Apparently the orange is the closest, but I did a complete flush and fill just in case.

Mark

[christyles]

Which coolant did you add Chris? There are several types, and the BMW coolant is different than the green (standard) or orange (long life). You may have a compatibility issue there.

Apparently the orange is the closest, but I did a complete flush and fill just in case.

Mark
i added the green one where its already pre-mixed. I had to get it before bigger and worse things happened.
I think it's the motomaster brand.

Did i put the wrong shiat in?

[Canuck328i]

Mmmmm....well....

There have been numerous threads at fanatics about this one. The deal is the green stuff contains phosphates that apparently can do damage to the seals and some of the metal alloys in the E46's motor. It seems universally that the green stuff is not the one to use.

But what still seems up for debate is whether the orange stuff is OK. The larger majority say it is OK, but some still say to ONLY use the blueish BMW stuff. That is logical since it isn't too much more expensive that the orange, but for me it means a trip to Toronto just to get a coolant top up so I went with the Prestone orange. But when I changed it, I did a double flush - first did several flushes using the block plug until the water was near clear, then a full fill, then another full flush a week later. It was labour intensive, but at least it is all one type of fluid now.

Problem here is if you talk to Prestone, they say their coolants are safe on all cars. BMW says BMW only, or at least coolant without phosphates.

I'm not sure when your next service is, but it may be a good idea to get a full flush and go with either the BMW stuff or the Prestone Long Life (orange). Don't mean to alarm you, but if it is hurting the motor... :Idunno:

Oh, by the way (back to the thread topic), mine goes short on coolant as well. Just 1/2 litre or so a week ago did the trick.

Mark

[M007]

Mark is right about the BMW coolant. You should use the Bmw coolant because it's phosphate free. My car loose a little coolant after a period of time too. I don't think it's a big deal unless it's leaking alot.

[carbonM3]

Seems 1 or 2 x /year coolant level drops 1-2" on float indicator. Is this normal to be adding anti freeze? Guess I should document in case of bad head gasket

if car is still under warranty...it is worth spending the 100 bucks to have them keep it overnight and run compression test...cuz that way if soemthing is wrong u can deal with it prior to being out of warranty, plus you have documentation for later (ie. out of warranty period, particularly sooner after) to evidence that this could have been a pre-existing issue

my 2 cents!!!

[oyster]

Mark is right about the BMW coolant. You should use the Bmw coolant because it's phosphate free. My car loose a little coolant after a period of time too. I don't think it's a big deal unless it's leaking alot.

thanks M007, now I know that the BMW coolant must be phosphate free.

when you guys top off the coolant on a cold car, does anyone do the following?

1-Car cold in the morning
2-top coolant, leave cap off
3-turn engine on, and maximum heat on maximum fan
4-as coolant liquid lowers, I top it off till it stop going down
5-close coolant lid
6-drive it around the block

[M007]

It is the proper procedure if you are flushing. I guess is a proper way also to top if you are very low on coolant too. :)