[m240nj]

So I have an ongoing saga that began over a year ago. I leased my 2017 m240 in November of 2017. 9 months into owning the car, the coolant light came on. No big deal, figured it was low from the factory. Went to my local dealership and they topped it off. About 4 months later, it comes on again. I go back to the dealership and they tell me nothing to worry about, it's a known thing that the B58 needs to be topped off once or twice towards the beginning of ownership. In September of this year, it came on again. This time, I told the dealership I was concerned and they took the car in to inspect. They checked everything and said it was fine. Once again topped off the coolant. About 2 weeks ago, the low coolant warning came on again. This time, I told them something HAS to be wrong and they stated it was likely just because it was winter time. They kept the car for 2 days and preformed pressure tests. Once again, they return the car to me stating it's perfectly fine. As soon as I leave the dealership, I hear some kind of electric motor sound coming from the engine bay area and it comes on every 30 to 60 seconds. I drove the car for 2 days and continued to hear the sound which I had NEVER heard before. I drop the car back off again yesterday and tell them about the sound. Today I get a call saying the radiator was damaged by a rock, is spraying coolant out and needs to be replaced for $1,600. The CSA says he has no idea why it wasn't found previously since it passed pressure testing 1 week earlier. I expressed to them for a long time that coolant shouldn't be disappearing. I went to the dealership tonight to see the vehicle. I'm not an expert by any means but the radiator appears to have normal wear on it with no significant damage at all. Before I brought the car to them a week ago, it was never spraying coolant and was not making the sound. They said the sound was due to air getting into the system from the leak. They also told me the car is now undriveable. The coolant light wasn't even on when I brought it back in so no way it was losing coolant that fast. Furthermore, they're telling me if they replace the radiator, I MUST pay for a new mesh part (which didn't come with the car) that protects the radiator. They said they won't perform the work without installing it. The CSA told me to file a complaint with BMW corporate about the mesh not coming with the car to try to get it covered by warranty, which I did this evening. Looking to get some opinions on this. Does the damage look significant enough to cause this? Should this be under warranty since the car didn't come with the protective mesh insert that they now force you to buy? Thanks everyone.

[m240nj]

Update after doing some research: On another forum, I found a thread with 31 pages on this issue. From December 2017 on, all cars came from the factory with the mesh guard installed. A large number of people have gotten this fully covered under warranty since it was clearly a design flaw that was acknowledged and corrected. My CSA seemed very adamant about the dealership not covering this but I will definitely be showing him the thread I found and I will be going to battle with them over this.

[overcoil]

My radiator doesn't have those kind of impact points and I drive like an idiot, But I keep my distance from cars in front afraid of pebbles shooting up.

I don't know much about weld point and heat expansion in radiators... so maybe someone else can answer why pressure testing didn't find anything. I know when I had a few issues under warranty with my Mercedes the tech never inspected as he stated on the receipt, because when I inspected myself I found the defect.

[m240nj]

Same. I drive aggressively but always stay far behind other vehicles to avoid paint chips. There are pictures all over these forums with radiators that look much much worse.

[AndDown]

I'm not sure, but the area you circled as well as another similar area looks more like smashed bugs to me, also on the radiator fins in a few other areas. A rock damage would look more involved than what I'm seeing in your picture.

[xantdieselx]

Originally Posted by sec5197

Same. I drive aggressively but always stay far behind other vehicles to avoid paint chips. There are pictures all over these forums with radiators that look much much worse.

I would have never known there was a mesh protector over the radiator unless you posted this. My M240i is a 19' and has it and there are multiple rocks just stuck in between.

It's obviously a design flaw and your dealer seems like they care more about selling cars than taking care of their customers. Get on the phone with BMWNA, politely explain the situation and reiterate how this a widely known issue. Don't take no for an answer and just keep going up the chain if you don't get it resolved.

Pic included for reference.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by sec5197

Update after doing some research: On another forum, I found a thread with 31 pages on this issue

Is that the babybmw.net thread; if so, can you post a link to it for us?

[m240nj]

Originally Posted by dradernh

Is that the babybmw.net thread; if so, can you post a link to it for us?

Yup! Wasn't sure if I was allowed to post links to other forums. Seems to be mostly in the UK but the fact that a lot of people have gotten this covered under warranty has to give me a solid leg to stand on.


https://babybmw.net/forum/viewtopic....0573&start=120

[m240nj]

Good news to report. I called BMWNA last night to open a case. Got a call back this morning from a very nice lady who asked for an explanation of what transpired. I calmy explained exactly what happened and how it seemed unreasonable that I would be forced to pay for this along with a new part that protects the radiator when it wasn't on the car from the factory. Also told her that I have been a diehard BMW enthusiast since I was a kid. She told me it would be 3-5 days before i had a response. About 3 hours later she called me to tell me that BMWNA would be covering 100% of the repair. I know i'm very fortunate here based on what I have read on other forums and I'm very appreciative. When my lease is up in about a year I will absolutely be buying another BMW.

On a side note, I have a 2020 330 as my loaner and I'm actually very impressed with it. The interior is dramatically improved and is a very comfortable place to spend some time. Not the most fun to drive but I'm sure the m340i is a blast based on reviews. Strongly considering an m340 as my next car if i don't go with an M2 Comp.

[m240nj]

Originally Posted by xantdieselx

I would have never known there was a mesh protector over the radiator unless you posted this. My M240i is a 19' and has it and there are multiple rocks just stuck in between.

It's obviously a design flaw and your dealer seems like they care more about selling cars than taking care of their customers. Get on the phone with BMWNA, politely explain the situation and reiterate how this a widely known issue. Don't take no for an answer and just keep going up the chain if you don't get it resolved.

Pic included for reference.

Took your advice and approached this in a very calm and polite manner. Best outcome I could have expected. Thank you!

[Dylan86]

Nice to see the outcome, here. I always find reaching out to people's "noble" side plays fair with negotiations and problem solving. Blasting your CS reps usually doesn't end in anything aside from a red flag being put in your file lol

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

Nice to see the outcome, here. I always find reaching out to people's "noble" side plays fair with negotiations and problem solving. Blasting your CS reps usually doesn't end in anything aside from a red flag being put in your file lol

Yes, indeed.

The piece in this link is travel-specific, but I believe it encapsulates what you're suggesting as it offes specific techniques for giving the people on the other side of the counter an incentive to help you: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/01/t...or-travel.html.

[xantdieselx]

Originally Posted by sec5197

Took your advice and approached this in a very calm and polite manner. Best outcome I could have expected. Thank you!

Awesome news!! I'm so glad everything worked out for you. I think BMW realized it was the right thing to do. As others have stated, that's how I try to handle any situation like that. Props to BMWNA for stepping up.

[Fasteddy1]

Originally Posted by sec5197

Good news to report. I called BMWNA last night to open a case. Got a call back this morning from a very nice lady who asked for an explanation of what transpired. I calmy explained exactly what happened and how it seemed unreasonable that I would be forced to pay for this along with a new part that protects the radiator when it wasn't on the car from the factory. Also told her that I have been a diehard BMW enthusiast since I was a kid. She told me it would be 3-5 days before i had a response. About 3 hours later she called me to tell me that BMWNA would be covering 100% of the repair. I know i'm very fortunate here based on what I have read on other forums and I'm very appreciative. When my lease is up in about a year I will absolutely be buying another BMW.

On a side note, I have a 2020 330 as my loaner and I'm actually very impressed with it. The interior is dramatically improved and is a very comfortable place to spend some time. Not the most fun to drive but I'm sure the m340i is a blast based on reviews. Strongly considering an m340 as my next car if i don't go with an M2 Comp.

Glad it worked out for you! How many miles on your car?

Pat

[m240nj]

Got the car back today with everything fixed. Looks like they did clean work, however, the sound that appeared after they pressure tested the system last week was still present. The best way I can describe the sound is that it's very similar to the electric motor type sound you hear when you spray the windshield washers. It was happening every 30-60 seconds and lasted 5 seconds each time coming from the front of the car. I had the CSA come right out and get in the car so he could hear it too. He heard it right away but seemed to think it was normal, which it definitely wasn't. Good news is, after driving 30 miles or so the sound has stopped. Maybe air in the coolant system was causing the coolant pump to continuously run?

[m240nj]

Originally Posted by sec5197

Got the car back today with everything fixed. Looks like they did clean work, however, the sound that appeared after they pressure tested the system last week was still present. The best way I can describe the sound is that it's very similar to the electric motor type sound you hear when you spray the windshield washers. It was happening every 30-60 seconds and lasted 5 seconds each time coming from the front of the car. I had the CSA come right out and get in the car so he could hear it too. He heard it right away but seemed to think it was normal, which it definitely wasn't. Good news is, after driving 30 miles or so the sound has stopped. Maybe air in the coolant system was causing the coolant pump to continuously run?

Nevermind. The electric motor sound is still very present. Anyone have any ideas on what it could be? Dealership is saying it's most likely related to the DME update that I declined which is BS. It started after they did "testing" on the coolant system 2 weeks ago. I don't want to do the DME update and lose exhaust sound but I might just let them do it to prove they're wrong.

[John in VA]

A friend with a 4-series had the same situation. His dealer did the right thing & approved the repair & added the screen.

[FitzMLife]

I just picked up a 2018 that was built 9/17 and doesn't have the rock guard. Anyone had luck with BMW picking up the tab to install one?

[2018M240]

Hi, I am in similar situation where I have a low pressure radiator leak on my 2018 m240 which is still under warranty. They say it's due to rock chip.Any piece of advice or update on this issue on how I can get bmw to cover this fix?. They are quoting me around 2000$.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by 2018M240

Hi, I am in similar situation where I have a low pressure radiator leak on my 2018 m240 which is still under warranty. They say it's due to rock chip.Any piece of advice or update on this issue on how I can get bmw to cover this fix?. They are quoting me around 2000$.

If it is a leak due to a rock puncturing the radiator, then it would be an insurance claim, not a warranty claim.

[2018M240]

Yeah, before I go down the insurance route, I just want to know if there is any service bulletins from BMW for this fix. As even my car does not inlcude the rock guard, and now my dealership is trying to put one after the radiator damage.

[m240nj]

Originally Posted by aerobod

If it is a leak due to a rock puncturing the radiator, then it would be an insurance claim, not a warranty claim.

Not true. Per previous posts, I was in the same exact situation. My argument with BMWNA was that the repair included a radiator guard which the car did not come with and the dealership would ONLY do the repair with this additional extra part included. If the dealership will only replace the radiator with a rock guard included, it speaks to itself. BMW knows the guard should have been included in the initial build. My advice: Call BMWNA and be as nice as possible. Explain the situation and how you feel this was not due to abuse and that had the rock guard that they now want to install been included initially, this would not have happened. It took a few hours for me to get a call back saying everything would be done under warranty. I know others weren't as lucky but hopefully you will be. Also, the dealership I went absolutely sucks and did nothing to help. They told me BMWNA wouldn't cover anything and they were completely wrong. Good luck!