[S4to335]

The car just did the following:

1) low water warning light went on...(amber)
2) within 6 seconds..low water warning light went on (RED)
3) car went into MAJOR limp mode
4) car seems to be significantly OUT of water...with no visible leaking

I am thinking the head gasket just went...I immediately pulled over and shut the car down..but my question is...WHY DIDNT THE WARNING LIGHT DISPLAY UNTIL JUST NOW...if the car was low in water..it should have said so...a long long time ago. And this was after I had an inspection of the car prior to a driving event. So, did the shop not check the water level? Maybe...hard to tell.

So, I decided not to tow it to a dealership tonight..I am too tired..I already had a very shitty day...didnt want to compound it by towing down to the dealership some 16 miles away..and then getting home about 10:30 or 11pm.

I will have roadside assist tow it to the dealership on Saturday morning...what a TOTAL pain in the ass this car has turned out to be. Decided tonight..I will not be getting another 335 when my lease is up next February. Sorry guys..going back to the Audi camp.

Steve-out.

[Bimmer Nerd]

yea, i don't blame you on going back to audi, almost EVERY HPFP went out on every 335i out there, AUDI's are still amazing cars, but until i experiance BMW's i will not buy an audi or drive one at least, if bmw's reliability turns out to be as big of a pain as you guys describe it then i guess i have to find the NEW car company to get addicted to

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by godora

yea, i don't blame you on going back to audi, almost EVERY HPFP went out on every 335i out there, AUDI's are still amazing cars, but until i experiance BMW's i will not buy an audi or drive one at least, if bmw's reliability turns out to be as big of a pain as you guys describe it then i guess i have to find the NEW car company to get addicted to

I am on my FIFTH HPFP...the starter and fuel filter were replaced...brake pad sensor replaced TWICE...the throw out bearing replaced...wastegate actuators replaced...all six coilpacks..all six spark plugs...all six fuel injectors. And a few others...I am DONE.

[GregL]

Audi's new supercharged 3.0L V6 looks pretty tempting, it would be nice if they offered it in the A4 by the coming model year in lieu of the present NA 3.2L engine.

For me though this is my first and last BMW, I'm going back to Benz after my lease is up at the end of the year. My 31 year old weekend car doesn't even squeak, creak or rattle as much as my 2 1/2 year old bimmer.

[O-cha]

Umm, did you not try filling it up first before towing it to the dealer? That would tell you at least if it was the head gasket.

Wouldn't be surprised if it's in your oil though. Where you romping on it at the time?

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by O-cha

Umm, did you not try filling it up first before towing it to the dealer? That would tell you at least if it was the head gasket.

Wouldn't be surprised if it's in your oil though. Where you romping on it at the time?

I will try filling it now...I couldnt when the engine was hot. I was driving normally when it happened.

[racer01]

I'd take your oil cap off and see if you oil looks milky gray. On a normal car I'd take out the oil dipstick and smell the oil, and check the sparkplugs to see if one is alot cleaner than the others (coolant basically steam cleans the plug).

I would also expect a headgasket problem bad enough to use that much coolant would cause an overheating issue but without a real water temp gauge, I guess we just rely on the ECU to throw a warning light...I don't even know how hot the coolant has to get to throw the light. Anyone know?

On a less positive note, chronic high water temps (e.g. lots of spirited driving with 230+ water temps) can surely lead to headgasket problems (at least in my experience with E36 M3 track cars)

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by racer01

I'd take your oil cap off and see if you oil looks milky gray. On a normal car I'd take out the oil dipstick and smell the oil, and check the sparkplugs to see if one is alot cleaner than the others (coolant basically steam cleans the plug).

I would also expect a headgasket problem bad enough to use that much coolant would cause an overheating issue but without a real water temp gauge, I guess we just rely on the ECU to throw a warning light...I don't even know how hot the coolant has to get to throw the light. Anyone know?

On a less positive note, chronic high water temps (e.g. lots of spirited driving with 230+ water temps) can surely lead to headgasket problems (at least in my experience with E36 M3 track cars)

I have thrown a head gasket on my old 325i race car too..but this was definitely different. The issue is that my low coolant light NEVER came on..not once..EVAR. I was just driving along..and the "your car is overheating" warning lamp came on..Yellow version..then followed immediately (within 6 seconds) by the RED version of that overheating warning. It went into limp mode..it had NOT displayed any check engine lights...it just gradually died.

After towing it home..and letting it rest for 1.5 hours..I opened up the coolant reservoir..added about 48 oz of water..and then started it up. It needed all 48 oz. I just let it idle for about 2-3 minutes..shut it down...checked water/coolant level again...no movement. Then I started up the car again...moved it backward...looked for any coolant/water on the ground..and there was NONE. I then turned off the car, checked water level again..it was at the top still. If something is leaking..I sure dont know where it is leaking. BTW, when I first opened the hood after it went limp..I saw excess water around the black coolant reservoir...not a ton...just some. I dont know how that got there. I didnt spill it there.

[racer01]

Ok....now I understand. First post mentions "low water warning" so I was assuming you got a low coolant light rather than high water temp.

Here is a link to a thread where two other folks had similar issues that turned out to be a crack in the coolant reservoir

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176860

Good luck.

[Mr. 5]

I feel for you man!
It really sucks that you've had so many issues.

[satakal]

I hope your car gets better asap.

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by Nick Nazareno

sorry to hear you are having so many issues. how long has your car been modified for? do you think that could have contributed?

STi/EVO next time?

Lets be really clear here...the vast majority of my modifications would have nothing to do with a coolant reservoir cracking and removing 48 oz of coolant super quickly.

[Mr. 5]

Originally Posted by S4to335

Lets be really clear here...the vast majority of my modifications would have nothing to do with a coolant reservoir cracking and removing 48 oz of coolant super quickly.

I would agree with you but you know that BMW is going to do whatever they can to prove otherwise.
Hopefully you have a friend on the inside.
It sounds like you do since I've seen the work that they've done for you.

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by Nick Nazareno

My naive train of thought is... more power = more heat = higher avg fluid temperatures = higher chance of cooling related component failure... and along similar line of thinking, i've found in past turbo cars with mods added a lot additional heat into the engine bay (which necessitated heat wraps for downpipes etc).. and again, speculating whether this additional heat contributed to the failure

Not trying to assign 'blame' and definitely don't want to create an 'i told you so' environment. just speculating on potential root causes and trying to extrapolate whether others who take their vehicles out for extended lapping sessions are at risk for this type of failure as well

Seeing as BMW "may" review any of my posts here..I want to make sure that what I put the car through is what the car should be able to handle. I am NOT racing the car..doing time trials..or really tracking how fast my laps are. I have looked once or twice at my times compared to when I use to race Miatas...just as a comparison. But, I do not have a hotlap timer or equivalent in my car..and dont really keep track of such things. I try to improve my driving skills by teaching and driving at high performance/driver safety courses put on by the BMW and Audi clubs. I dont over-rev the car and whenever I see the temps rising..I do cool down laps to prevent any issues from occurring.

[jbass524]

Steve, I hope it all works out. I wanna talk to you about this, maybe at the HPDE at Infineon? My lease is up in October and need to start thinking about my next car.

Mine hasn't given me problems like a lot of people have experienced.
Half shaft broke becasue BMW Dealer refitted it incorrectly, Waste gate rattle was fixed and hasn't come back. Wheel bearing replaced twice. HPFP replaced under campaign not because it failed.

Anyway, I was thinking of keeping it if BMW would let me negotiate the buyout way down. I just don't see any alternatives that embody such a perfect combination of attributes: comfort, style, speed, handling, luxury, value. What else has as much of those qualities?

The other option is to buy a "track car" and get a DD.

Anyway, I hope it works out for you.

PS. NA cars seem like my next purchase. Say hello M3 (as long as I get one ebfore BMW inserts a an FI motor).

[uberschnell]

Originally Posted by S4to335

Lets be really clear here...the vast majority of my modifications would have nothing to do with a coolant reservoir cracking and removing 48 oz of coolant super quickly.

BMW's have history with cracked coolant reservoirs. I just replaced one on the X5, common problem.

[nicknaz]

Sorry S4to335. I incorrectly assumed your vehicle had aftermarket equipment installed. I have removed my prior posts since they had incorrect information

[Dascamel]

Goodluck on the repair, hopefully its a simple fix.

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by Nick Nazareno

Sorry S4to335. I incorrectly assumed your vehicle had aftermarket equipment installed. I have removed my prior posts since they had incorrect information

I dont have downpipes, gutted cats, cold air intakes, piggyback ECUs or the like, I just have catback exhaust..and a Dinan tune..that has only been on the car a few months. I would not call my car significantly modified engine-wise.

[doba_s]

That sucks Steve ... I took my car for inspection not too long ago too and guess what ... they didnt check my coolant level too ... kind of lame I think ...

I hope your car will be alright ...

are you going to inf. on march 7/8 ?

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by doba_s

That sucks Steve ... I took my car for inspection not too long ago too and guess what ... they didnt check my coolant level too ... kind of lame I think ...

I hope your car will be alright ...

are you going to inf. on march 7/8 ?

I didnt sign up for that one...I am signed up for March 9th at Laguna...but will only go if my car gets fixed by then.

[nicknaz]

Perhaps take it to BMWSF? other posters (jbass) have mentioned they are friendly to cars that have been tracked/modified