So this is a recurring issue with my 2019 lately. The same “top off coolant” message keeps appearing on idrive with low coolant . Hose was replaced about a month ago , radiator was replaced as well a couple weeks later after that . Now I gotta bring it back to my mechanic for him to look at for the THIRD time regarding the coolant leak. Idk why this issue keeps recurring

Banafu wrote

So this is a recurring issue with my 2019 lately. The same “top off coolant” message keeps appearing on idrive with low coolant . Hose was replaced about a month ago , radiator was replaced as well a couple weeks later after that . Now I gotta bring it back to my mechanic for him to look at for the THIRD time regarding the coolant leak. Idk why this issue keeps recurring

Might be a cracked oil filter housing, What a big piece of SHI* You know what.. Its completely inexcusable to have to repair something like this in a car as new as 2019...

Ive been driving German cars for a long time so I know they are far less reliable then their Japanese counterparts but this is rediculous...

Design a proper part.. $3000 for me to replace my oil filter housing + any coolant hoses in the area while the intake manifold is out of the way.

Curious, this T-fitting being cracked seems to be major problem which I experienced already and BMW dealer said leak was water pump, replaced, and a day later same low coolant level warning, then said T-fitting was leaking, so replaced it, now three months later same low coolant level light, so do these T-fittings go that often as I see the residual again under the T-fitting? I despise the local idiots at BMW stealer who is a total rip off with nothing but idiots as mechanics.

I read somewhere there was a service bulletin on this weak T-fitting, do does anyone know about this yet?

Would also like to know .... and if not, how to get one to cover these repairs. This is a defect that, in my view, affects my confidence in relying on this car if I need to take a long trip....

I hear theres yet another part we have to worry about, The Heat management valve which also cracks.. Jesus!!! -

So now outside of the random fittings we have :

1 - Oil Filter Housing
2 - Coolant Hose Flange
3 - Heat Management Valve

I get why they use the plastic parts to an extent, They cost less and as long as their internal analysis shows the part will last as long as
the warranty or the lease they dont GIVE A SH!@# but are those few dollars worth your reputation on a motor thats rather stout outside of this crap..

None of these posts / videos / complaints would even be a thing if you just made a better parts choice from the beginning, So much for "German Engineering".

Hey Everyone,

Appreciate how active this sub-chat is and how helpful it’s been with this particular issue with the radiator. Annoying we’re all in the same boat over cheap part issues on foreign luxury cars but alas, here we are.

I bought a used 2019 BMW X3 M40i with 27k miles on it in May 2023, and as of this week it only has 38k total miles in my 17 months of ownership. Same as most of you, my coolant was leaking so I went to my dealer to investigate. They came back with saying it was a $600 for the upper radiator hose replacement and cooler flush + $2k in labor due to this not being covered under my extended warranty.

Additionally, it was discovered that my front control arm bushings were torn and leaking + the transfer case mount was torn. Luckily my warranty covered these two fixes so I had dealership handle these (still cost me $500 in warranty deductible).

Definitely feel burned by BMW on all these issues so early into my car’s lifecycle and considering offloading it some point next year if any more issues arise to lease something domestic. For the time being, I planned to knock out the upper radiator hose replacement on my own using the guidance all you mentioned above. I’ll keep the group posted on the outcome once the part is delivered.

Ed

Same issue on my X3. Gonna try a euro shop first and see what the quote is. Thank all of you for your diligence on this. Very much appreciated!

Edwardt27 wrote

front control arm bushings were torn and leaking

These fail all the time. I'm on my second set in 34k miles. If you have to take a lot of speed bumps they will fail early and often.

Welp, looks like I have the same issue as everyone else. I've got a 2019 G01 with 37k miles. I was also getting the low coolant message and while topping off the coolant I noticed the leak shown in the pic. My original post is here - before I knew what the source of the issue was (thanks la02max !).....https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2157088

I'm fairly handy, but I've seen the videos on replacing that return line & I'll feel better taking it to a local euro mechanic.

I'll echo everyone else in saying that there's no way this type of issue should be happening with a 5 year old car with 37k miles. It's poor design & BMW needs to step up to address this.

LarryThomas12 wrote

Welp, looks like I have the same issue as everyone else. I've got a 2019 G01 with 37k miles. I was also getting the low coolant message and while topping off the coolant I noticed the leak shown in the pic. My original post is here - before I knew what the source of the issue was (thanks la02max !).....https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2157088

I'm fairly handy, but I've seen the videos on replacing that return line & I'll feel better taking it to a local euro mechanic.

I'll echo everyone else in saying that there's no way this type of issue should be happening with a 5 year old car with 37k miles. It's poor design & BMW needs to step up to address this.

I had to replace that part way before my latest repairs, I did that on my own before all the other failures..
Thats just a failed connection between the return lines hose clamp and the plastic quick disconnect fitting..

The plastic fitting falls apart causing that..



The Fix -
1 - Disconnect the hose ( pull circlip over a drain pain )
2 - Buy a cheap replace hose from ebay here - https://www.ebay.com/itm/355751929771
3 - Remove the plastic fitting from the cheap ebay hose and use it with your OEM turbo line with a new clamp.

They dont sell the plastic fitting separately but there's no need to replace the whole line all the way to the turbo.. It will just cause you more money and labor thats not needed.

The problem is BMWs crappy use of plastics because you know a standard hose / hose clamp on a metal fitting thats worked for over 100 years isnt good enough... Lets
introduce some more failure points by adding an o-ringed plastic part with 2 hose clamps instead of one.

IM DONE! I cannot take it anymore!!! 3 months ago @ 75k miles I had to replace a plastic fitting on my turbo coolant line here -
https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2130448

This was the beginning of a coolant system disaster and huge dent to my wallet and time.

2 months later @ 78k miles my oil filter housing is leaking coolant all over!

Well had to replace that + some other hoses that would be dumb not to replace while your in there which cost me $2500+ at a well respected independent BMW shop.

1 month and 2000 miles later and low coolant light again, Now it needs a new radiator and 2 coolant hose to the tune of $2200 +/-

Thats $4500+ in coolant system repairs on a car that has under 82k miles and 4.5 years old..

Not only that, when this happens my family has to stop what there doing, Have someone follow me to drop the car off and then give me
a ride to pick it up etc.

Ive been a die hard BMW fan for over 15 years and have owned an E30/E36/E90/F30 and this car might be getting sold after this repair.

BMW has left an extremely poor taste in my mouth, My next car in addition to this x3 was going to be an 230i or M240i and at this point I debating a lease or just walking away from BMW entirely.

Its completely UN-acceptable to have to make these types of repairs on a car that is relatively new, garage kept and maintained to a T..

This car has already costed me more in maint than my previous 5 cars combined :

• 2005 Accord ( owned 30k to 160k )
• 2012 Passat ( owned from 50k to 150k )
• 2013 328i ( owned from 54k to 118k )
• 2008 328i ( owned from 40k to 90k )
• 2006 G35 ( owned from 18k to 100K )

$4500 in coolant system repairs is crazy, They cant even make a coolant system that lasts 100k miles...

This is not maintenance work, this is strictly poor choice of materials and poor engineering.

Thanks for the good info. I've decided based on your info that I'll give it a try myself.

One other question - what about the needing to use a vacuum pump or having to bleed the fluid after & closing the coolant system. Is this not necessary for the change you describe? I thought another step needed to be done anytime you 'open up' the coolant system.

QUiKSR20 wrote

I had to replace that part way before my latest repairs, I did that on my own before all the other failures..
Thats just a failed connection between the return lines hose clamp and the plastic quick disconnect fitting..

The plastic fitting falls apart causing that..



The Fix -
1 - Disconnect the hose ( pull circlip over a drain pain )
2 - Buy a cheap replace hose from ebay here - https://www.ebay.com/itm/355751929771
3 - Remove the plastic fitting from the cheap ebay hose and use it with your OEM turbo line with a new clamp.

They dont sell the plastic fitting separately but there's no need to replace the whole line all the way to the turbo.. It will just cause you more money and labor thats not needed.

The problem is BMWs crappy use of plastics because you know a standard hose / hose clamp on a metal fitting thats worked for over 100 years isnt good enough... Lets
introduce some more failure points by adding an o-ringed plastic part with 2 hose clamps instead of one.

LarryThomas12 wrote

Thanks for the good info. I've decided based on your info that I'll give it a try myself.

One other question - what about the needing to use a vacuum pump or having to bleed the fluid after & closing the coolant system. Is this not necessary for the change you describe? I thought another step needed to be done anytime you 'open up' the coolant system.

As long as you hold the hose uprite when doing theres minimal lose and it will be fine. You are correct though in that you usually always have to bleed the system but this small change wont affect it.

Glad to save you a few bucks!

On a b58 you can not bleed the sistem properly without ista and following some complex procedure

QUiKSR20 Thanks again for the reply & pointer. I ended up getting a replacement part for about 15 bucks then decided to take it to my (non-dealer) mechanic to do the work. I was a little concerned about not bleeding the coolant system after replacing the part.

First of all, it turned out that the exact part in your pic was in fact the only issue. The main hose was left in place and only the connector was changed. Why that part is made of a cheap plastic should be answered by BMW.

Second, according to my mechanic (who I have trusted & used for 10+years), bleeding the coolant system after opening it up is a must. In his words, even a small amount of air bubbles in the system can cause overheating & problems with the coolant circulating properly - which could affect & damage other components of the coolant system. Take it w a grain of salt, but just passing this on.

Fingers crossed w my fix going forward. Good luck w your situation & thx again!

QUiKSR20 wrote

I had to replace that part way before my latest repairs, I did that on my own before all the other failures..
Thats just a failed connection between the return lines hose clamp and the plastic quick disconnect fitting..

The plastic fitting falls apart causing that..



The Fix -
1 - Disconnect the hose ( pull circlip over a drain pain )
2 - Buy a cheap replace hose from ebay here - https://www.ebay.com/itm/355751929771
3 - Remove the plastic fitting from the cheap ebay hose and use it with your OEM turbo line with a new clamp.

They dont sell the plastic fitting separately but there's no need to replace the whole line all the way to the turbo.. It will just cause you more money and labor thats not needed.

The problem is BMWs crappy use of plastics because you know a standard hose / hose clamp on a metal fitting thats worked for over 100 years isnt good enough... Lets
introduce some more failure points by adding an o-ringed plastic part with 2 hose clamps instead of one.

LarryThomas12 wrote

QUiKSR20 Thanks again for the reply & pointer. I ended up getting a replacement part for about 15 bucks then decided to take it to my (non-dealer) mechanic to do the work. I was a little concerned about not bleeding the coolant system after replacing the part.

First of all, it turned out that the exact part in your pic was in fact the only issue. The main hose was left in place and only the connector was changed. Why that part is made of a cheap plastic should be answered by BMW.

Second, according to my mechanic (who I have trusted & used for 10+years), bleeding the coolant system after opening it up is a must. In his words, even a small amount of air bubbles in the system can cause overheating & problems with the coolant circulating properly - which could affect & damage other components of the coolant system. Take it w a grain of salt, but just passing this on.

Fingers crossed w my fix going forward. Good luck w your situation & thx again!

For the most part your mechanic is right, that is the right way to do it! Regardless im glad I was able to save you a few bucks ( just passing on what I found from others )..

Its ridiculous how BMW has over complicated the coolant systems..

The previous way and most cars - - 1 point of failure ( the hose )

Metal connection on two ends thats connected with two simple hose clamps which is pretty bullet proof.

The BMW way for the same connection - 4 points of failure per hose

1 Hose + 2 plastic Fittings + 2 O-rings + 2 clamps

With this setup the following can fail :

• The hose clamped to the fitting
• The o-ring
• The hose itself
• The Plastic fitting.

What a crappy way to over complicate something that worked fine forever.

mct128i I am preparing to do this exact same thing. Did you use the vacuum fill method to replace any lost coolant when you were done? Is that important for a job like this?

NLSmith wrote

mct128i I am preparing to do this exact same thing. Did you use the vacuum fill method to replace any lost coolant when you were done? Is that important for a job like this?

I did not use the vacuum fill method. With the hoses reconnected I simply added coolant to the main reservoir/tank and then followed the high temp coolant bleed procedure. After following this I suggest checking the coolant level after a short drive while keeping a close eye on the temp gauge just in case the bleed process didn't remove all the air - this wasn't a problem in my case but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. Going forward I may invest in a vacuum filling device - with all the failure points in the B46 cooling system I'm sure it will get plenty of use!

After completing this job I questioned the need to replace the plastic connector pipe (that enables the upper radiator hose to connect to the engine block) but since then I have seen another post on here where this item cracked and caused a leak - so now I'm glad I replaced this part. I used an OEM plastic replacement part but I understand there is an aftermarket aluminum piece that I would use next time.

Good luck and do let us know how you get on.

Anyone knows the part number for upper coolant hose?

gongeldongas wrote

Anyone knows the part number for upper coolant hose?

See post #22 above - but this is for a 2019 4 cylinder G01. I suggest you enter your VIN and check on Real OEM...

Are newer vehicles 2021 specifically prone to this issue? Does this impact the b58?

bbb83 wrote

Are newer vehicles 2021 specifically prone to this issue? Does this impact the b58?

This most likely will impact every X3 at some point. Just par for the course with BMWs, honestly. They just don’t seem to be able to build a fool-proof cooling system.