I have a policy at my shop that comes from the policy and experience of several other shops I've worked for over the years that we simply don't touch BMW cooling systems unless the customer is ready and willing to replace the entire cooling system minus the heater core. Once you fix the first leak and the cooling system is able to get back up to its maximum pressures it will blow out the next plastic junk, then the next, then the next. So many BMW's over roughly 7 or 8 years old just start falling apart, frequently starting with all the plastic cooling system parts. It's actually because of these issues that I completely turn down nearly every BMW owner that calls my shop.
I do not disagree with you, our shop also tends to not touch bmw cooling systems, especially the older they get. Yet we do for certain customers but we make it very clear to them the problems with bmw cooling systems and we absolutely want to replace at least anything we have to touch during the repair
If you can’t handle maintaining a luxury car then you have nobody to blame but yourself. 99% of car issues are from poor owner maintenance. But this is RUclips where a cesspool of shitty irresponsible vehicle owners can circle jerk each other and pretend it’s everyone else’s fault, not YOURS. yes you’re very special
That's the way, mate! Let them deal with the BMW DEALER directly, pay through their noses, and become unsatisfied with the brand in general. Idiot customers. Thinking of buying a "great" used product for a "good price", and then taking it out on people who genuinely try to get them back on the road. Disgusting.
Owning 100% to a failure that is not 100% on you deserves a thumbs up and a subscription. A big percentage of the failure is on the car and the engineers who designed them. Kudos bro!!
there is no failure here , it’s called maintenance, as cars get older , they need to be taken care of , any car that is … one little leak doesn’t mean the end of the world , it leaked , it got fixed right away , end of story , not a big deal
Plastic components are making cars unreliable but you pay a lot more to buy the car in the first place you have a great attitude to look after your customers
Plastic components - cooling system components in particular - do not make the car unreliable but they sure add to maintenance costs. I have preemptively replaced my plastic cooling system components on one of my cars after a catastrophic failure on my other car.
@@ghostwrench2292 When you buy a used car, what are you going to do? Replace the coolant system pre-emptively right away. If it were made out of metal there'd be no such problems.
Yep, I work at an indy shop and see a lot of 10+ year old bmw/mini products, touching anything in the cooling system is a roll of the dice. They are the worst as far as cheap plastics by far.
Sherwood you guys are awesome. I don't think you did anything wrong here. I own a European specialty shop can we see a lot of these. Not just on BMWs either. Just today we had a Mercedes S550 come in that we just did a radiator and a couple of hoses on and the customer says that it was leaking again we're looking and looking and looking and find that one of the rubber hoses that fitted to an aluminum coupler going into the radiator had too much movement in it and under pressure it was pushing out of its aluminum housing and causing a small leak. No we didn't really do anything wrong but because we touched that hose we should have told the customer hey we're in here let's replace these hoses because it's a high failure point on a 12 year old Mercedes. Regardless I ordered the hose and we're going to be taking care of it. Hopefully I get to update you with some good news on how he takes it once the part arrives.
You rock. I tell all my clients, when plastic parts and sensors start going out, the rest are right behind them. Noone can be 100%.. 100% of the time. This is a refreshing.. refresher that im sure we all needed so BIG THANK YOU!!!
I left working on German cars in the late 90’s, BWM for 23 years. Audi/VW, later BMW & Mercedes started with molded ‘zytel’ components including intake manifolds. Once an initial failure shows up at those miles/kilometers, assume cascading failure on remaining components. If the customer squawks, there’s the door!
I know a few shops that just won't work on these German cars anymore because the broken plastic parts tend to snowball. One of them was a BMW dealer tech for years.
I started at a Mercedes shop in the 80's. They were GREAT cars. I know they can do great things now. But there horrible cars, Over 100K get rid of. I'm so glad my shop decided to stop working on them. Every once in a while we do an oil change on one. Even that is a nightmare, NO DIPSTICK- 15mins to reset the frigging maint light. GOD I hate those cars
It’s not the mistake that matters, it’s how it’s taken care of. And I’m giving your shop a gold star for how you took care of this customer. In general it’s cheaper to keep an existing client than to find a new one.
I love your channel. I am a DIYer and really appreciate seeing how an honest shop deals with these situations. You are a great asset to your profession. Thanks for your videos and your honesty.
You can look at a BMW plastic connector and it will fail. I hated working on them, and recommended any connecting lines at the same time. Sometimes they didn't want to do it. But that's up to them. I had a top of the radiator where the hose connected fall apart when I took the hose off. Had to put a new radiator in at the same time, with the plastic coolant box that is also connected to it. Kind of like the old Cadillac engines with the hundred vacuum lines and tees on top of the engine. You could just touch them and they would fall apart.
Same, I hate anything 2000 and up for BMWs at least due to this. Pro tip anyone reading, if you touch one plastic connector, whatever it goes into will also need replaced on an "older" BMW.
I really like how you guys will 100 percent admit when you caused something and not hide it. You absolutely will gain customers for life that way. Well done.
I've owned a few BMW's and at 60K Miles, the whole cooling system should be replaced. The cooling system is a weak spot on BMW's. They use way too much plastic, and those click fittings are junk. If you get one off, it will never reseal properly, even with a new o-ring. BMW, Mercedes, Audi (older models excepted), should just be leased and turned back in once the warrantee is up. Otherwise, they become a money pit. You guys did everything right. Good video.
If those particular Germans need a coolant system rebuild and maybe something else, too, only at the age of 10, it means the leases will be expensive. Are those cars like peacock tails: a handicap broadcasting "I can afford wasting money on this piece of shit" to everyone in sight? I'd rather have a car that's really nice and luxurious for a long time. I prefer broadcasting brains in addition to money as well.
@@markkujantunen8298 they never used to be, the older models were quite robust. But then things changed and they wanted to save money on parts (cheap plastic) and then make it so you had to bring it back to the dealer for fixing. In other words - double-dipping. However, many car manufacturers have followed suit, Ford, GM, and especially Chrysler (Stellantis) products are no more reliable. In fact, Some of those models won't last 5 years or 60,000 miles before major problems, including drive train issues. Most people buy the German brands because they drive very well (and they do!), and they want people to notice the badge on the hood. Personally, when I want luxury and reliability, I will chose a Lexus. I had a Lexus SC430 for a couple of years and it was awesome. The 4.3 V8 engine was one of the best and most reliable ever built. I t wasn't the fastest, or the best handling, but boy the miles would pass by quickly and effortlessly. I've owned Porsches too, but they also are going the way of dealer maintenance. I had a 1986 944 Turbo that I rebuilt myself and man, what a nice car. Fast on the track, and looked good doing it. I've owned 49 cars in my lifetime, some I wish I never sold (Pontiac Trans Am 455, 4-speed), some I'm glad I got rid of. However, today I stay with Toyota and Honda. I guess I either got smarter, or I'm just getting older.
That "quick" disconnect on those german hoses, that even audi/vw uses are absolutely terrible, because the orings are the most common failure point. After time the orings just wear out and once you disconnect them, thats it, gotta replace those orings.
Yes you are correct but on some model the replacement o ring are not sold separately and if you use cheap replacement parts they might leak also I know I have been there before.😢
I believe all these leaks are from already compromised plastic components from age. Maybe once the first leak was sealed, it began blowing out from the next weak area. These plastic cooling system components have always been an extremely weak area on bmws since i can remember. The important thing is you learned from it and made things right 👍🏼
I love those cars , and it looks like the owner is right on it with service and maintenance… and you guys do great job .. nobody to blame here , it’s a used car , and like any other used car , needs to be taken care of .. good job
I love this channel. Not many shops on RUclips will say they make mistakes even though they for sure make way more mistakes. You're guy's honesty is admirable. Great video!
Great Video Sherwood, been watching you guys for a month or so. Glad you popped up on my feed. Finding a mechanic shop that cares as much as you gets harder to find every year. Glad to see you guys doing it the right way. Keep it up, hopefully you will inspire a new generation cause we need them!
It was nice of you to take the hit for that one but BMW their parts are crap + you can foresee a lot of that in the future when you car gets older. But I respect you for what you and your company did. You were Straight shooter. That is very seldom seen. Good work
Maybe the first leak was acting as a relief in a way. It’s like a rusty fuel or brake hose. You replace a section and then you get a leak somewhere else
Exactly what I had happen on my girl’s Honda last year. Every time I fixed one hose, it would pass a leak test but 300 miles later the next oldest hose would pop. If one hose is seemingly bad for no reason, they all will be soon. Unless I can see an isolated contaminant or damage source I’m gonna be concerned.
I have a '94 325i with 330,000 miles and a '06 X3 with 200,000 miles. I've done all the work on them, they have 1 trip to a dealer between them (warranty) and have both been GREAT cars. I retired from a 40 year industrial maintenance career and have seen "mission creep" MANY times. Just part of the game. Great channel and I truly appreciate your integrity.
Remember the GM ported vaccum switch. Some had 3, 4, or 5 vaccum lines on it. You lean over the car and touch it, and they snap off. Plastic and heat don't mix well. Are all of them using plastic today.
We have learned our lesson. Our shop does not touch any Euro cars. It just not worth it. Just putting a battery in a Mini is a nightmare. It has to registered to the system with Mini scan tool... We do a ton of diag and internal repairs, not a lack of knowledge issue. Again Euro equals loose your ass.
My 2012 Mini Cooper S, being a BMW product, contains many cheap plastic components in its cooling system. Replacing these parts, especially if you go OEM, will be costly. It's inevitable that more will fail over time, which is not your fault. I hope you can educate your client on this to avoid unrealistic expectations for free parts and services stemming from BMW's engineering choices-issues that are not your shop's responsibility.
I appreciate your honesty. Easy to only report the fantastic repairs, but I have a lot of respect when you own the failure and show your willingness to be honest and make it right. Well done. Nice to see ethics are still around.
You recently did a video on vacuum filling the cooling system. If you did that on this vehicle when you replaced that first coolant line, that may have caused the upper radiator leak to happen and then it went downhill from there. Good video.
I’m a BMW dealer tech. We see this all day. B48/46 have tons of cooling issues. Everything is made of plastic and fails. Oil filter housing will leak under the intake and also that coolant pump is part of the alternator/a/c bracket. It has a coolant pass through and will also leak, we normally replace that bracket with the pump. Don’t be surprised if it’s back for more, usually happens just like described one part after the next.
We work only on Volvo's at my shop and they have a similar but different cooling hose set up. If you have to touch another hose, even if it's not leaking at that time, it gets replaced because of what you just showed us. Love the video and your honesty. If I'm ever in Georgia I'd like to stop in and see your shop.
This is a good example of the need for a shop to have integrity. And this video is a good example of the need for customers to find a good shop and stick with them. That way, when you get multiple calls like this owner did, you can be confident that the shop is being honest with you.
We work on a lot of BMW’s at my shop and I have never replaced this flange before but it good to know that it a prone for leaks but the one flange that I tend to replace when I’m doing oil filter housing gaskets is the one just below it I always replace it with a aluminum aftermarket part our shop is in Canada it’s not has hot as were your cars are maybe the plastic coolant part will last longer in a colder climate but I can tell you when I get a older Z4 I have a tendency to replace most hoses and expansions tank and cap.
This serves as good education for the car owner. Cars today have plastic parts that break when disturbed. Give service guys some slack and appreciation.
During an oil change on my VW, I noticed pink crusties on the water pump assy. I changed it and then noticed the coolant kept dropping a little bit. I found that one of the plastic connectors from one of the hoses was leaking that attaches to the pump. I was careful with them when handling them and made sure to lube all connections up when reinstalling. But, still, i had to replace the hose assembly. In retrospect, given the mileage on the car and age, i should have replaced them at the same time. Good on you guys for taking care of your customers.
Crummy timing.. I work in the copier industry and this drivers me nuts...But you are so right about knowing something that is going to fail. My 33 years of experience is hard to teach to new guys because I can just see a problem down the road. Love your videos guys. You are not only teaching how to repair something but also how to handle a customer service issue the correct way. Honesty always is the way to go.
Very nice and professional of you to give the client a freeupgrade; one thing we do is get rid of those "factory/easy spring clips" that lose their grip and have the hose blow off(worm clamps for the "save")
Respect for his honesty/fairness and customer service. I would have done the same as I do also like to be fair, have pride in my expertise and strive to know more always.
It’s a lose lose situation, people unfamiliar with your shop will be like these guys are trying to upsell me all of this for a simple problem here. What they don’t understand is the years of failures your company deals with. They don’t understand when you move or touch one part then other parts fail or get weak. Just like you said it’s common with that car - all you can do is document. Great explanation, it’s very important to explain. Thanks for taking the time to show us.
Congratulations for your honesty. I am not in the repair business but I do fix my own older cars, German and for my sins, British cars. Any time a hose goes which is under pressure, I have learnt the tough way to replace the whole lot. The leak allowed the psi further down the line to drop , hence no leak. Fix the leak, psi goes up and the hose further down the line suddenly leaks. Fix that and further down the line goes. Hence best replace the lot. Hydraulic systems esp are very sensitive to that. Believe me, I have learnt this the hard way, esp when it comes to British cars that start with a B. And no, not Big Ben. All the best for the holidays.
I think ya'll did the right thing way above and beyond. I do all of the maintenance on my vehicles and understand parts fail sometimes if you just touch them. But good on you for stepping up. Few shops do this.
When I was younger and doing my own maintenance on my '72 BMW 2002 tii and regular 2002, I would periodically replace every cooling system hose for the very reason this shop had the problems it did. I could afford to do it since the labor was mine and didn't add to the expense. The early BMW models may not have had the same levels of plastic but the cooling systems were over stressed in hot climates.
The Pentastar V6 has a plastic housing that contains the cooling system thermostat which can leak as the vehicle ages. The biggest problem is the darn plastic oil filter housing that can leak oil or coolant. I solved that possibility by replacing the housing with the Dorman OE Solutions aluminum housing. At least domestic vehicles have constant tension clamps instead of that plastic quick connect stuff.
If you would have told the customer that they needed to replace parts that are not broken, they would have just said you are trying to up sale them! The customers more than most, will never understand that you as a mechanic know the parts that fail and need to replace before they fail. You guys did right the first time. It’s not the shops fault bmw makes plastic parts for thing that need to be metal or aluminum.
Respect for great customer service! By the way, it's terrible that car manufacturers won't make these hoses and connections stronger. That must be because competition is tough and every dollar matters when car buyers are as price conscious as they are, which means that the fault lies with car buyers, too, because they don't pay enough attention to maintenance costs. Even those people who buy these cars new and sell them before warranty ends should give reliability more thought because the better the long-term reliability the higher the resale value. Everyone benefits from higher quality.
It’ll be back next week with a cracked oil filter housing gasket area. The cooling system is the Achilles heel of these engines. Those water pumps leak all the time. That snout that you swapped over to aluminum tend to leak often as well. We price them out whenever we do an oil filter housing. The oil filter housing is plastic, and they’ll crack where the gasket mates to the block…then it DUMPS coolant. The small plastic hose on the expansion tank had a recall, because they would shear off at the head. You get to snake that hose above that upper hose under the intake, and work some magic to secure it under the intake manifold…easy once you figure out how to do it. But I’m not joking about it possibly coming back before too long for the oil filter housing assembly. Also, with the newer BMWs, we typically use the vacuum filler/bleeder, and it works pretty well for us.
I don’t usually work on many BMW’s and I’ve replaced THREE oil filter housing gaskets on BMW’s the last few weeks. Two of them on 2.0l turbos and one on a 3.0l. I didn’t realize how big of an issue that gasket was until seeing multiple ones back to back
@ I’ve been working at the local BMW dealer for about 17 years now…man, I’m old. BMWs have always had issues with the oil filter housing gaskets leaking…just like any other gasket. However, when they decided to go to the plastic oil filter housing- it’s gotten worse. On the 4 cylinder engine before the one in this video (N20), they had a short production range where the filter housings were plastic, and they came out with a recall to swap them over to aluminum. The new B series engines (new 3/4/6 turbos) all have plastic oil filter housings. We see them quite regulatory where the plastic cracks right where the gasket area boosts to the block. This also allows cross contamination between oil and coolant. Pretty crappy design, and it’s also a ticking time bomb. You don’t really have any warning, but when they go bad, they go bad in a big way and you’ll be stuck.
Rein is typically not worth putting on a BMW in my experience. You will chase your tail around a BMW coolant system with parts that are not 100% BMW. The system is so temperamental the only thing I put on plastic BMW coolant systems is OE. Don’t even think OEM. Even with OE you will be swapping it out every couple years.
People have no idea how hard these modern cars are to work on ... Great Lessons Learned. It's like every repair becomes an individual Bid-Spec, with Scope Of Work and Contingency ... Good Service Providers and Good Customers, make for best possible outcome.
Good job making things right as always. I just did one of those turbo lines with a oil filter housing on an x3 yesterday. I've done it on a different model and it took maybe 15 minutes so I didn't add any labor. Big mistake because on that particular car it's a 7 hour job (my mistake so I took the loss). We always replace that outlet when we do anything else in that area. By the way you can usually access that little hose by removing the throttle body bracket and then you're not disturbing any of the other hoses under the intake
Quick connects.. use dielectric grease to coat the inside, before sliding them together.. way easier. Doing my rear bearings this week, before my road trip 🤞🤞🤞
Maan we had this same problem last week! We replaced the outlet with the same outlet. And yes BMW hoses are one time use unless you can get the own O-Rings. But we always just replace the entire hose. Once you remove it the O-ring is compromised
BMW are awesome , they have their own quirks and bugs , but what car doesn’t … there is too much plastic and electronics in todays cars , but it is what it is , people who love and own BMW just deal with it, and fix it when it breaks … I have 2015 Mercedes S550 and it has its own quirks, but I absolutely love the car , and don’t mind dealing with issues when needed… it’s a part of the deal
As a shop owner I try to prepare my customers for the worst case scenario before we attempt any repairs on a car. Sometimes I lose out on jobs because of this, but I find the jobs we do get the customers are very appreciative, often times we save them money compared to the original estimate and we dont end up face palming ourselves half way through a job trying to explain whats going on to the customer. Communication and honesty our two key factors for a repair shop. I will add to this that a shop sometimes you can check everything thoroughly, you can be very familiar with common issues on a certain make and model and still have unforeseen problems after repairs especially from a cooling system. We had a car come in for isnpection with a leaky radiator. it had physical damage causing the leak. After replacing the radiator, and the system having a tight seal, the waterpump started leaking. Luckily we caught it on the test drive before it went back to the customer. I had no reason to recommend that water pump prior to the radiator replacement and I do not feel obligated to repair it for free because it started leaking after our initial repair. Luckily our customers trust us, we had great communication with them and everything worked out fine. I guess my whole point is youll go broke if you fix everything for free, but I agree if you directly broke something or obviously shouldve warned the customer, it is your job to make it right! Thanks for your videos and insight Sherwood!
Sherwood you have something that I rarely see and that’s Integrity sir and I respect you for it. Wish every mechanic would have this. But as someone said it’s not your fault it’s BMW Fault for poor factory quality of materials that are used on the cars.
Sherwood, I had a 2010 328i come in two weeks ago, customer fried a few modules bc of bad battery and then hasn’t left our shop sense, customer is very unhappy at prices of modules and process, blames me for the problems, I just can’t win with these bmws
It is refreshing to see how you took ownership of your oversight. Kudos to you sir make me wish you were my mechanic but I live in Miami. Though luck for me.
The o rings are sold separately on those quick connects , They are fine if you don’t touch them. Once you remove a hose that’s been there for many years it’s a good idea to replace the o rings, also put some syl glide on the o ring and connection it’s going on so it goes on smooth and doesn’t roll on u.
You took the high road and made it right! As a retired GM tech who worked on suspension and brakes, I ran into the snowball effect many times. When the traction control and/or ABS is shut down it can be a problem. Sometimes the 'customer' fails to tell you they have driven the car for several years with it broken? The tech makes an estimate to repair for the codes showing. Then finds when repairs are made, and systems are powered up there is additional problems? As a mechanic we understand you have to turn it on before you can check its operation! I could not explain this to my service advisor. If there is no light bulb in the lamp, how will you know it's working? Good job, those hoses with 'O' rings are bad about being disturbed and leaking.
Thank you for sharing your struggles and helping others learn! I would say you did great. Fixing the first thing you found just made the system work correctly and show its other weak points. BMW coolant gets expansive so I try to change as much as I can once it’s drained. Surprised by the issues at only 68k, could be due to it being original coolant in a 2015? Hard to tell what model that is 230i? BMW will change your coolant for free within the new car service contract. Funny how a lot of people just drive their cars till they break.
I have a 2019 BMW X3 Sdrive30i and at 65k miles after a roadtrip, the same turbo coolant return line had crust build up but not leaking on the ground. Fixed it myself in about 2 hours, fast forward to 70k miles and there is crust build up on the plastic component of the water pump. Got a new one ordered replaced that and 2 balance shaft end caps because they were leaking oil and one of them sits directly below the water pump. I’m just waiting for the next leak to appear on my car. The b46/b48 are very solid engines but the cooling system is a very weak part of the engine. Oil filter housing is the only leak that gives me nightmares due to it being tucked under the intake. As someone who doesn’t work on cars much, I will say this engine is one of the easiest I’ve worked on, plenty of room and very straight forward.
I worked as a mechanic on many German cars, although any car can be an issue after a fluid change. I’ve seen leaks show up after flushing, coolant, brakes, powers steering, transmission systems. The clean fresh fluid will dislodge dirt that may be keeping things sealed up
Modern cooling system weaknesses aside……..when I was an apprentice tech 30 years ago, my boss always told me that new coolant always finds weak points in cooling systems that haven’t leaked until the coolant has been changed. And it was true to an extent, more so with rusty old systems but I think it could also apply to modern stuff too.
I just worked on a 17 530I xdrive- last December we did the oil cooler housing on the side of the engine. Last week we did the turbo coolant lines that we told him that were leaking in December. Heat management unit, electrical thermostat, wouldn’t work. Made sure the mechanical water pump was working, and not leaking, tested the vacuum actuator on it,working. Found crusty residue on the actuator. Came back this week, leaking from the water outlet, the plastic one underneath the intake manifold you replaced with the aluminum one. Upper hose started to leak afterwards. New BMW heat management unit defective. And these things run hot- between 226-233* Fahrenheit. Oh, we also did a radiator in this vehicle last summer. Some of this could have been prevented. This is still a very disappointing experience, to say the least, especially with a so called “premium brand “. We had a 17 530I grand coupe do something similar- did the turbo lines, which the dealer wanted $2,400 to replace and the following week, that same coolant branch, as bmw calls it,coolant outlet leaked.
Cool customer to have.very understanding.and good for you for taking absolute care of the customer.touching a cooling system on any car is a risk of the snowballing effect but European cars seem to be notorious with their plastics.
My 2013 Mini Coope S had a water pump failure. Mini advises that when the pump is replaced the cross over pipe should be replaced at the same time. I knew this before taking the Mini into the shop for repair. The owner of the repair facility said the same thing.
Like watching your videos. You and the shop you run seem very up standing on repairs. Very nice of you to own up on some of the problem and not charge either. I like that you get the customer involved too. Call them, shiw them the problem. Many shops don't do that. I'm in Milton, fl area. If I'm ever in your area I'd love to stop by and say hi, especially if I'm driving my 2002 Saturn Vue with over 195,000 miles on it.
Replacing metal parts with plastic parts is not something new but it is good to see you explaining the life expectancy of the rest of the plastic and the fact that the part suppliers have added ounces to the cars weight in order to minimize the brake downs in the future.
I've wondered if BMW uses different kind of plastic in their cooling systems compared to other manufacturers because they seem to give out prematurely. Our E46 had: 1.Blown headgasket. Did not overpressurize the system or overheat the engine, but gave air bubbles to the system, resulting in no heat to the cabin. 2.Blown expansion tank 3.Blown plastic coolant adapter at back of the head. 4.Blown plastic coolant pipe under the intake manifold. These all gave out one by one, resulting in a catastrophic coolant leak: must be towed back home-condition. What a crappy car. Edit: If you own an E46: Replace everything coolant related made of plastic at once when something gives out. You'll result in only one need to be towed-conditon instead of multiple.
It's not just BMW anymore. I've heard about the newer Jeeps having too much plastic under the hood also. Maybe you could talk about plastic parts in general, with the good and bad associated with it.
So called "planned obsolescence". Google it. BTW: Edison already knew of it. They held a secret conference between business people, limiting the life expectancy of light bulbs. 150 years later, 4th gen light bulbs, you're replacing the most modern, planet saving, low energy consuming globes...every couple of years. How much more do you need to know? Wake up, Neo. Wake up
This is a very real problem with vehicles in this day and age. It is not the vehicle manufacturer's fault either as some people in the comments are claiming. The EPA is up their rear ends about reducing weight of vehicles to help meet strict fuel mileage standards. That's right, laugh if you want but it is true. Plastic parts do not last when put through that many heat cycles.
After I replaced my first plastic intake on a Ford 4.6L V8, I knew plastic coolant parts would be trouble. If the coolant level got even a little low, they would crack.
I think you did well on this Sherwood royalty. It happens so much with the euro cars. I guess the operative word is whack-a-mole the problems will whack-a-mole. I have seen it so many times best to you man.
Yep, plastic euro cars seem to have plastic fitting failures in the cooling systems, and they often fail one after another. As you say, these outlets are a known problem on many different BMW models. Unfortunately, not all BMW engine types have the option of an aluminium upgrade for these items.
When my coolant bottle started leaking in my bmw, I just went ahead and replaced the upper hose at the same time as the bottle, mainly because the car is 13 yrs old and disconnecting and reconnecting old plastic parts is bound to destroy them. No leaks at all after that
Can you believe I have a 2000 Ford Expedition with the 4.6 L V-8 which has all the original hoses & water pump on it at 144,000 miles. As soon as I get home I open the hood and release the pressure in the cooling system. Even in the summer using the AC in Louisiana it doesn't build up much pressure in the system. Of course, it does have a huge fan and radiator. I think they have a transmission cooler under there too. Those German cars are notorious for poor quality rubber and plastic parts. You would think that with the world's largest chemical industry they could make synthetic rubber and plastic that would go at least 15 years. I read somewhere that around the year 2000 they invented a new synthetic rubber that lasts for decades. Who knows. Hitting that cooling system with 170 psi shop air would have made an interesting video.
I have a policy at my shop that comes from the policy and experience of several other shops I've worked for over the years that we simply don't touch BMW cooling systems unless the customer is ready and willing to replace the entire cooling system minus the heater core. Once you fix the first leak and the cooling system is able to get back up to its maximum pressures it will blow out the next plastic junk, then the next, then the next. So many BMW's over roughly 7 or 8 years old just start falling apart, frequently starting with all the plastic cooling system parts.
It's actually because of these issues that I completely turn down nearly every BMW owner that calls my shop.
I guess after reading this Scotty K was right BMW's become endless money-pits
I do not disagree with you, our shop also tends to not touch bmw cooling systems, especially the older they get. Yet we do for certain customers but we make it very clear to them the problems with bmw cooling systems and we absolutely want to replace at least anything we have to touch during the repair
You can add Nissan to that list as well. The plastic they use/d turns to brittle mush & everything breaks.
If you can’t handle maintaining a luxury car then you have nobody to blame but yourself. 99% of car issues are from poor owner maintenance.
But this is RUclips where a cesspool of shitty irresponsible vehicle owners can circle jerk each other and pretend it’s everyone else’s fault, not YOURS. yes you’re very special
That's the way, mate! Let them deal with the BMW DEALER directly, pay through their noses, and become unsatisfied with the brand in general. Idiot customers. Thinking of buying a "great" used product for a "good price", and then taking it out on people who genuinely try to get them back on the road. Disgusting.
Owning 100% to a failure that is not 100% on you deserves a thumbs up and a subscription. A big percentage of the failure is on the car and the engineers who designed them. Kudos bro!!
there is no failure here , it’s called maintenance, as cars get older , they need to be taken care of , any car that is … one little leak doesn’t mean the end of the world , it leaked , it got fixed right away , end of story , not a big deal
@damirzanne shouldn't happen at 68,000 miles. 100,000 miles is understandable, less than that is most likely design and component failure.
@@kroatoaneight-fourexactly right, I thought the same thing when he said 68k
IF a mechanic told me what you told me and be that streight forward...THAT is a mechanic to keep for life :D
Plastic components are making cars unreliable but you pay a lot more to buy the car in the first place you have a great attitude to look after your customers
The Germans adopted plastic early, and it is almost guaranteed to put the car in the scrapyard after 10 years
@@ADUSN😂😂😂 the ignorance. 😂😂😂
Plastic components - cooling system components in particular - do not make the car unreliable but they sure add to maintenance costs. I have preemptively replaced my plastic cooling system components on one of my cars after a catastrophic failure on my other car.
@@ghostwrench2292 When you buy a used car, what are you going to do? Replace the coolant system pre-emptively right away. If it were made out of metal there'd be no such problems.
@@Mrstevejackson100 I agree, your ignorance is really showing.
No one failed here except BMW
Damn right! Bloody plastic heaven…. Or nightmare
💯 all manufactures these days!!
The first mistake was keeping a BMW past its warranty period.
Yep, I work at an indy shop and see a lot of 10+ year old bmw/mini products, touching anything in the cooling system is a roll of the dice. They are the worst as far as cheap plastics by far.
Sherwood you guys are awesome. I don't think you did anything wrong here. I own a European specialty shop can we see a lot of these. Not just on BMWs either. Just today we had a Mercedes S550 come in that we just did a radiator and a couple of hoses on and the customer says that it was leaking again we're looking and looking and looking and find that one of the rubber hoses that fitted to an aluminum coupler going into the radiator had too much movement in it and under pressure it was pushing out of its aluminum housing and causing a small leak. No we didn't really do anything wrong but because we touched that hose we should have told the customer hey we're in here let's replace these hoses because it's a high failure point on a 12 year old Mercedes. Regardless I ordered the hose and we're going to be taking care of it. Hopefully I get to update you with some good news on how he takes it once the part arrives.
You rock. I tell all my clients, when plastic parts and sensors start going out, the rest are right behind them. Noone can be 100%.. 100% of the time. This is a refreshing.. refresher that im sure we all needed so BIG THANK YOU!!!
It's a BMW that's how they work . But honestly if it's leaking in one spot the rest isn't far off 😅
I’m glad to hear that no other cars leak but BMW lol
@@damirzanne The plastic engine components can break on any car, but I hear more complaints about the plastics on BMWs than almost any other car.
Yup, replace the whole cooling system at 50-60K miles.
I left working on German cars in the late 90’s, BWM for 23 years. Audi/VW, later BMW & Mercedes started with molded ‘zytel’ components including intake manifolds. Once an initial failure shows up at those miles/kilometers, assume cascading failure on remaining components. If the customer squawks, there’s the door!
I know a few shops that just won't work on these German cars anymore because the broken plastic parts tend to snowball. One of them was a BMW dealer tech for years.
I started at a Mercedes shop in the 80's. They were GREAT cars. I know they can do great things now. But there horrible cars, Over 100K get rid of. I'm so glad my shop decided to stop working on them. Every once in a while we do an oil change on one. Even that is a nightmare, NO DIPSTICK- 15mins to reset the frigging maint light. GOD I hate those cars
💯
It’s not the mistake that matters, it’s how it’s taken care of. And I’m giving your shop a gold star for how you took care of this customer. In general it’s cheaper to keep an existing client than to find a new one.
I love your channel. I am a DIYer and really appreciate seeing how an honest shop deals with these situations.
You are a great asset to your profession.
Thanks for your videos and your honesty.
I wish I can find a shop near me like this.
Thanks for the content! I’m a 20+ year HVAC technician and I really enjoy watching your diagnostic process. It helps me go about my job better
You can look at a BMW plastic connector and it will fail. I hated working on them, and recommended any connecting lines at the same time. Sometimes they didn't want to do it. But that's up to them. I had a top of the radiator where the hose connected fall apart when I took the hose off. Had to put a new radiator in at the same time, with the plastic coolant box that is also connected to it. Kind of like the old Cadillac engines with the hundred vacuum lines and tees on top of the engine. You could just touch them and they would fall apart.
Same, I hate anything 2000 and up for BMWs at least due to this. Pro tip anyone reading, if you touch one plastic connector, whatever it goes into will also need replaced on an "older" BMW.
I really like how you guys will 100 percent admit when you caused something and not hide it. You absolutely will gain customers for life that way. Well done.
I've owned a few BMW's and at 60K Miles, the whole cooling system should be replaced. The cooling system is a weak spot on BMW's. They use way too much plastic, and those click fittings are junk. If you get one off, it will never reseal properly, even with a new o-ring. BMW, Mercedes, Audi (older models excepted), should just be leased and turned back in once the warrantee is up. Otherwise, they become a money pit. You guys did everything right. Good video.
If those particular Germans need a coolant system rebuild and maybe something else, too, only at the age of 10, it means the leases will be expensive. Are those cars like peacock tails: a handicap broadcasting "I can afford wasting money on this piece of shit" to everyone in sight? I'd rather have a car that's really nice and luxurious for a long time. I prefer broadcasting brains in addition to money as well.
@@markkujantunen8298 they never used to be, the older models were quite robust. But then things changed and they wanted to save money on parts (cheap plastic) and then make it so you had to bring it back to the dealer for fixing. In other words - double-dipping. However, many car manufacturers have followed suit, Ford, GM, and especially Chrysler (Stellantis) products are no more reliable. In fact, Some of those models won't last 5 years or 60,000 miles before major problems, including drive train issues. Most people buy the German brands because they drive very well (and they do!), and they want people to notice the badge on the hood. Personally, when I want luxury and reliability, I will chose a Lexus. I had a Lexus SC430 for a couple of years and it was awesome. The 4.3 V8 engine was one of the best and most reliable ever built. I t wasn't the fastest, or the best handling, but boy the miles would pass by quickly and effortlessly. I've owned Porsches too, but they also are going the way of dealer maintenance. I had a 1986 944 Turbo that I rebuilt myself and man, what a nice car. Fast on the track, and looked good doing it. I've owned 49 cars in my lifetime, some I wish I never sold (Pontiac Trans Am 455, 4-speed), some I'm glad I got rid of. However, today I stay with Toyota and Honda. I guess I either got smarter, or I'm just getting older.
I love your videos. Your high standards of honesty/ethics are commendable, and I hope some will learn from them.
That "quick" disconnect on those german hoses, that even audi/vw uses are absolutely terrible, because the orings are the most common failure point. After time the orings just wear out and once you disconnect them, thats it, gotta replace those orings.
Yes you are correct but on some model the replacement o ring are not sold separately and if you use cheap replacement parts they might leak also I know I have been there before.😢
5.0 litre V8 Ford F150 uses the exact quick connector.
I believe all these leaks are from already compromised plastic components from age. Maybe once the first leak was sealed, it began blowing out from the next weak area. These plastic cooling system components have always been an extremely weak area on bmws since i can remember. The important thing is you learned from it and made things right 👍🏼
I love those cars , and it looks like the owner is right on it with service and maintenance… and you guys do great job .. nobody to blame here , it’s a used car , and like any other used car , needs to be taken care of .. good job
I love this channel. Not many shops on RUclips will say they make mistakes even though they for sure make way more mistakes. You're guy's honesty is admirable. Great video!
Great Video Sherwood, been watching you guys for a month or so. Glad you popped up on my feed. Finding a mechanic shop that cares as much as you gets harder to find every year. Glad to see you guys doing it the right way. Keep it up, hopefully you will inspire a new generation cause we need them!
It was nice of you to take the hit for that one but BMW their parts are crap + you can foresee a lot of that in the future when you car gets older. But I respect you for what you and your company did. You were Straight shooter. That is very seldom seen. Good work
Maybe the first leak was acting as a relief in a way. It’s like a rusty fuel or brake hose. You replace a section and then you get a leak somewhere else
Exactly what I had happen on my girl’s Honda last year. Every time I fixed one hose, it would pass a leak test but 300 miles later the next oldest hose would pop. If one hose is seemingly bad for no reason, they all will be soon. Unless I can see an isolated contaminant or damage source I’m gonna be concerned.
Yes, the next weakest point will always go next
I have a '94 325i with 330,000 miles and a '06 X3 with 200,000 miles. I've done all the work on them, they have 1 trip to a dealer between them (warranty) and have both been GREAT cars. I retired from a 40 year industrial maintenance career and have seen "mission creep" MANY times. Just part of the game. Great channel and I truly appreciate your integrity.
Remember the GM ported vaccum switch. Some had 3, 4, or 5 vaccum lines on it. You lean over the car and touch it, and they snap off. Plastic and heat don't mix well. Are all of them using plastic today.
We have learned our lesson. Our shop does not touch any Euro cars. It just not worth it. Just putting a battery in a Mini is a nightmare. It has to registered to the system with Mini scan tool... We do a ton of diag and internal repairs, not a lack of knowledge issue. Again Euro equals loose your ass.
Preach it brother.
But they do spell lose correctly, they got that going.
Do research before wasting money on piece of shit cars
@@jfhall2011😂😂😂 can't even spell .that was his problem the whole time...😂😂😂
Love your rare honesty and how you took care of your customer! This is wisdom for you and your team! Awesome job!
My 2012 Mini Cooper S, being a BMW product, contains many cheap plastic components in its cooling system. Replacing these parts, especially if you go OEM, will be costly. It's inevitable that more will fail over time, which is not your fault. I hope you can educate your client on this to avoid unrealistic expectations for free parts and services stemming from BMW's engineering choices-issues that are not your shop's responsibility.
That's not BMW. That's Peugeot .
Takes a good man and business owner to be this transparent. Its refreshing 👌
I appreciate your honesty. Easy to only report the fantastic repairs, but I have a lot of respect when you own the failure and show your willingness to be honest and make it right. Well done. Nice to see ethics are still around.
You recently did a video on vacuum filling the cooling system. If you did that on this vehicle when you replaced that first coolant line, that may have caused the upper radiator leak to happen and then it went downhill from there. Good video.
I’m a BMW dealer tech. We see this all day. B48/46 have tons of cooling issues. Everything is made of plastic and fails. Oil filter housing will leak under the intake and also that coolant pump is part of the alternator/a/c bracket. It has a coolant pass through and will also leak, we normally replace that bracket with the pump. Don’t be surprised if it’s back for more, usually happens just like described one part after the next.
We work only on Volvo's at my shop and they have a similar but different cooling hose set up. If you have to touch another hose, even if it's not leaking at that time, it gets replaced because of what you just showed us. Love the video and your honesty. If I'm ever in Georgia I'd like to stop in and see your shop.
This is a good example of the need for a shop to have integrity. And this video is a good example of the need for customers to find a good shop and stick with them. That way, when you get multiple calls like this owner did, you can be confident that the shop is being honest with you.
We work on a lot of BMW’s at my shop and I have never replaced this flange before but it good to know that it a prone for leaks but the one flange that I tend to replace when I’m doing oil filter housing gaskets is the one just below it I always replace it with a aluminum aftermarket part our shop is in Canada it’s not has hot as were your cars are maybe the plastic coolant part will last longer in a colder climate but I can tell you when I get a older Z4 I have a tendency to replace most hoses and expansions tank and cap.
This serves as good education for the car owner. Cars today have plastic parts that break when disturbed. Give service guys some slack and appreciation.
During an oil change on my VW, I noticed pink crusties on the water pump assy. I changed it and then noticed the coolant kept dropping a little bit. I found that one of the plastic connectors from one of the hoses was leaking that attaches to the pump. I was careful with them when handling them and made sure to lube all connections up when reinstalling. But, still, i had to replace the hose assembly. In retrospect, given the mileage on the car and age, i should have replaced them at the same time.
Good on you guys for taking care of your customers.
Crummy timing.. I work in the copier industry and this drivers me nuts...But you are so right about knowing something that is going to fail. My 33 years of experience is hard to teach to new guys because I can just see a problem down the road. Love your videos guys. You are not only teaching how to repair something but also how to handle a customer service issue the correct way. Honesty always is the way to go.
Very nice and professional of you to give the client a freeupgrade; one thing we do is get rid of those "factory/easy spring clips" that lose their grip and have the hose blow off(worm clamps for the "save")
Respect for his honesty/fairness and customer service.
I would have done the same as I do also like to be fair, have pride in my expertise and strive to know more always.
It’s a lose lose situation, people unfamiliar with your shop will be like these guys are trying to upsell me all of this for a simple problem here. What they don’t understand is the years of failures your company deals with. They don’t understand when you move or touch one part then other parts fail or get weak. Just like you said it’s common with that car - all you can do is document. Great explanation, it’s very important to explain. Thanks for taking the time to show us.
Good video! I like that you show the good and the bad.
Congratulations for your honesty. I am not in the repair business but I do fix my own older cars, German and for my sins, British cars. Any time a hose goes which is under pressure, I have learnt the tough way to replace the whole lot. The leak allowed the psi further down the line to drop , hence no leak. Fix the leak, psi goes up and the hose further down the line suddenly leaks. Fix that and further down the line goes. Hence best replace the lot. Hydraulic systems esp are very sensitive to that. Believe me, I have learnt this the hard way, esp when it comes to British cars that start with a B. And no, not Big Ben.
All the best for the holidays.
Dorman has an excellent selection for updating these plastic heater hose garbage pieces.
I think ya'll did the right thing way above and beyond. I do all of the maintenance on my vehicles and understand parts fail sometimes if you just touch them. But good on you for stepping up. Few shops do this.
When I was younger and doing my own maintenance on my '72 BMW 2002 tii and regular 2002, I would periodically replace every cooling system hose for the very reason this shop had the problems it did. I could afford to do it since the labor was mine and didn't add to the expense. The early BMW models may not have had the same levels of plastic but the cooling systems were over stressed in hot climates.
Way to go, we always eat our mistakes too, that is how you do it.
You are exactly correct. I have been in the business for over 50 years, and I preach the exact thing to my techs.
The Pentastar V6 has a plastic housing that contains the cooling system thermostat which can leak as the vehicle ages. The biggest problem is the darn plastic oil filter housing that can leak oil or coolant. I solved that possibility by replacing the housing with the Dorman OE Solutions aluminum housing. At least domestic vehicles have constant tension clamps instead of that plastic quick connect stuff.
If you would have told the customer that they needed to replace parts that are not broken, they would have just said you are trying to up sale them! The customers more than most, will never understand that you as a mechanic know the parts that fail and need to replace before they fail. You guys did right the first time. It’s not the shops fault bmw makes plastic parts for thing that need to be metal or aluminum.
Respect for great customer service!
By the way, it's terrible that car manufacturers won't make these hoses and connections stronger. That must be because competition is tough and every dollar matters when car buyers are as price conscious as they are, which means that the fault lies with car buyers, too, because they don't pay enough attention to maintenance costs. Even those people who buy these cars new and sell them before warranty ends should give reliability more thought because the better the long-term reliability the higher the resale value. Everyone benefits from higher quality.
It’ll be back next week with a cracked oil filter housing gasket area. The cooling system is the Achilles heel of these engines. Those water pumps leak all the time. That snout that you swapped over to aluminum tend to leak often as well. We price them out whenever we do an oil filter housing. The oil filter housing is plastic, and they’ll crack where the gasket mates to the block…then it DUMPS coolant. The small plastic hose on the expansion tank had a recall, because they would shear off at the head. You get to snake that hose above that upper hose under the intake, and work some magic to secure it under the intake manifold…easy once you figure out how to do it. But I’m not joking about it possibly coming back before too long for the oil filter housing assembly. Also, with the newer BMWs, we typically use the vacuum filler/bleeder, and it works pretty well for us.
I don’t usually work on many BMW’s and I’ve replaced THREE oil filter housing gaskets on BMW’s the last few weeks. Two of them on 2.0l turbos and one on a 3.0l. I didn’t realize how big of an issue that gasket was until seeing multiple ones back to back
@ I’ve been working at the local BMW dealer for about 17 years now…man, I’m old. BMWs have always had issues with the oil filter housing gaskets leaking…just like any other gasket. However, when they decided to go to the plastic oil filter housing- it’s gotten worse. On the 4 cylinder engine before the one in this video (N20), they had a short production range where the filter housings were plastic, and they came out with a recall to swap them over to aluminum. The new B series engines (new 3/4/6 turbos) all have plastic oil filter housings. We see them quite regulatory where the plastic cracks right where the gasket area boosts to the block. This also allows cross contamination between oil and coolant. Pretty crappy design, and it’s also a ticking time bomb. You don’t really have any warning, but when they go bad, they go bad in a big way and you’ll be stuck.
@@dknollRX7 I'm guessing they all go bad out of warranty, too. Right?
@ I’ve done quite a few under warranty, or covered by CPO. Customer pay, they’re about 8 or so hours of labor, depending on the chassis setup.
Great way to take care of your customer. Good job.
Ouch, You went above and beyond. Good on you. Sometimes that is good. They will likely brag about your service. How well you delt with this mess.
Rein is typically not worth putting on a BMW in my experience. You will chase your tail around a BMW coolant system with parts that are not 100% BMW. The system is so temperamental the only thing I put on plastic BMW coolant systems is OE. Don’t even think OEM. Even with OE you will be swapping it out every couple years.
People have no idea how hard these modern cars are to work on ... Great Lessons Learned. It's like every repair becomes an individual Bid-Spec, with Scope Of Work and Contingency ...
Good Service Providers and Good Customers, make for best possible outcome.
Been there done that. I always tell the service advisor that on BMW coolant leaks that they can be a gift that keeps giving.
Such a great repair shop! Love the vids!
Good job making things right as always. I just did one of those turbo lines with a oil filter housing on an x3 yesterday. I've done it on a different model and it took maybe 15 minutes so I didn't add any labor. Big mistake because on that particular car it's a 7 hour job (my mistake so I took the loss). We always replace that outlet when we do anything else in that area. By the way you can usually access that little hose by removing the throttle body bracket and then you're not disturbing any of the other hoses under the intake
Welcome to the world of BMW!
Quick connects.. use dielectric grease to coat the inside, before sliding them together.. way easier.
Doing my rear bearings this week, before my road trip 🤞🤞🤞
Maan we had this same problem last week! We replaced the outlet with the same outlet. And yes BMW hoses are one time use unless you can get the own O-Rings. But we always just replace the entire hose. Once you remove it the O-ring is compromised
BMW are awesome , they have their own quirks and bugs , but what car doesn’t … there is too much plastic and electronics in todays cars , but it is what it is , people who love and own BMW just deal with it, and fix it when it breaks … I have 2015 Mercedes S550 and it has its own quirks, but I absolutely love the car , and don’t mind dealing with issues when needed… it’s a part of the deal
As a shop owner I try to prepare my customers for the worst case scenario before we attempt any repairs on a car. Sometimes I lose out on jobs because of this, but I find the jobs we do get the customers are very appreciative, often times we save them money compared to the original estimate and we dont end up face palming ourselves half way through a job trying to explain whats going on to the customer. Communication and honesty our two key factors for a repair shop. I will add to this that a shop sometimes you can check everything thoroughly, you can be very familiar with common issues on a certain make and model and still have unforeseen problems after repairs especially from a cooling system. We had a car come in for isnpection with a leaky radiator. it had physical damage causing the leak. After replacing the radiator, and the system having a tight seal, the waterpump started leaking. Luckily we caught it on the test drive before it went back to the customer. I had no reason to recommend that water pump prior to the radiator replacement and I do not feel obligated to repair it for free because it started leaking after our initial repair. Luckily our customers trust us, we had great communication with them and everything worked out fine. I guess my whole point is youll go broke if you fix everything for free, but I agree if you directly broke something or obviously shouldve warned the customer, it is your job to make it right! Thanks for your videos and insight Sherwood!
Thanks for the heads up! Same with Mercedes too, so much plastic for the cooling system.
Sherwood you have something that I rarely see and that’s Integrity sir and I respect you for it. Wish every mechanic would have this. But as someone said it’s not your fault it’s BMW Fault for poor factory quality of materials that are used on the cars.
What a fantastic video, you couldn’t have broken down this situation any better, hopefully people learned some things
Sherwood, I had a 2010 328i come in two weeks ago, customer fried a few modules bc of bad battery and then hasn’t left our shop sense, customer is very unhappy at prices of modules and process, blames me for the problems, I just can’t win with these bmws
great video! i think in the end you took care of the customer and hopefully he understood and you got to keep him as a customer!
Great work and great learning experiences more then all that a great customer he knows yall are pros glad he stuck it out with yall
It is refreshing to see how you took ownership of your oversight. Kudos to you sir make me wish you were my mechanic but I live in Miami. Though luck for me.
The o rings are sold separately on those quick connects , They are fine if you don’t touch them. Once you remove a hose that’s been there for many years it’s a good idea to replace the o rings, also put some syl glide on the o ring and connection it’s going on so it goes on smooth and doesn’t roll on u.
You took the high road and made it right! As a retired GM tech who worked on suspension and brakes, I ran into the snowball effect many times. When the traction control and/or ABS is shut down it can be a problem. Sometimes the 'customer' fails to tell you they have driven the car for several years with it broken? The tech makes an estimate to repair for the codes showing. Then finds when repairs are made, and systems are powered up there is additional problems? As a mechanic we understand you have to turn it on before you can check its operation! I could not explain this to my service advisor. If there is no light bulb in the lamp, how will you know it's working? Good job, those hoses with 'O' rings are bad about being disturbed and leaking.
Thank you for sharing your struggles and helping others learn!
I would say you did great.
Fixing the first thing you found just made the system work correctly and show its other weak points.
BMW coolant gets expansive so I try to change as much as I can once it’s drained. Surprised by the issues at only 68k, could be due to it being original coolant in a 2015? Hard to tell what model that is 230i?
BMW will change your coolant for free within the new car service contract.
Funny how a lot of people just drive their cars till they break.
Moral of this story - you’re a good amd honest businessman!
I have a 2019 BMW X3 Sdrive30i and at 65k miles after a roadtrip, the same turbo coolant return line had crust build up but not leaking on the ground. Fixed it myself in about 2 hours, fast forward to 70k miles and there is crust build up on the plastic component of the water pump. Got a new one ordered replaced that and 2 balance shaft end caps because they were leaking oil and one of them sits directly below the water pump. I’m just waiting for the next leak to appear on my car. The b46/b48 are very solid engines but the cooling system is a very weak part of the engine. Oil filter housing is the only leak that gives me nightmares due to it being tucked under the intake. As someone who doesn’t work on cars much, I will say this engine is one of the easiest I’ve worked on, plenty of room and very straight forward.
I worked as a mechanic on many German cars, although any car can be an issue after a fluid change. I’ve seen leaks show up after flushing, coolant, brakes, powers steering, transmission systems. The clean fresh fluid will dislodge dirt that may be keeping things sealed up
Thanks again for sharing your mistakes. By that u gain respect.
Honest people hard to find. But wait we just found one! Good job Sherwood
The ultimate leaking machine.
Modern cooling system weaknesses aside……..when I was an apprentice tech 30 years ago, my boss always told me that new coolant always finds weak points in cooling systems that haven’t leaked until the coolant has been changed. And it was true to an extent, more so with rusty old systems but I think it could also apply to modern stuff too.
When one hose starts leaking, recommend changing all hoses if the vehicle is over 5 years old!
I just worked on a 17 530I xdrive- last December we did the oil cooler housing on the side of the engine. Last week we did the turbo coolant lines that we told him that were leaking in December. Heat management unit, electrical thermostat, wouldn’t work. Made sure the mechanical water pump was working, and not leaking, tested the vacuum actuator on it,working. Found crusty residue on the actuator. Came back this week, leaking from the water outlet, the plastic one underneath the intake manifold you replaced with the aluminum one. Upper hose started to leak afterwards. New BMW heat management unit defective. And these things run hot- between 226-233* Fahrenheit. Oh, we also did a radiator in this vehicle last summer. Some of this could have been prevented. This is still a very disappointing experience, to say the least, especially with a so called “premium brand “. We had a 17 530I grand coupe do something similar- did the turbo lines, which the dealer wanted $2,400 to replace and the following week, that same coolant branch, as bmw calls it,coolant outlet leaked.
Cool customer to have.very understanding.and good for you for taking absolute care of the customer.touching a cooling system on any car is a risk of the snowballing effect but European cars seem to be notorious with their plastics.
It's hard not to have respect for people who have the strength of character to admit when they make mistakes, a rare quality nowadays.
My 2013 Mini Coope S had a water pump failure. Mini advises that when the pump is replaced the cross over pipe should be replaced at the same time. I knew this before taking the Mini into the shop for repair. The owner of the repair facility said the same thing.
Like watching your videos. You and the shop you run seem very up standing on repairs. Very nice of you to own up on some of the problem and not charge either. I like that you get the customer involved too. Call them, shiw them the problem. Many shops don't do that. I'm in Milton, fl area. If I'm ever in your area I'd love to stop by and say hi, especially if I'm driving my 2002 Saturn Vue with over 195,000 miles on it.
Subscribed; awesome channel. Keep up the great work.
I’m adding you to my watch list along with Dave’s Car Care and The Car Nut
Replacing metal parts with plastic parts is not something new but it is good to see you explaining the life expectancy of the rest of the plastic and the fact that the part suppliers have added ounces to the cars weight in order to minimize the brake downs in the future.
I've wondered if BMW uses different kind of plastic in their cooling systems compared to other manufacturers because they seem to give out prematurely.
Our E46 had:
1.Blown headgasket. Did not overpressurize the system or overheat the engine, but gave air bubbles to the system, resulting in no heat to the cabin.
2.Blown expansion tank
3.Blown plastic coolant adapter at back of the head.
4.Blown plastic coolant pipe under the intake manifold.
These all gave out one by one, resulting in a catastrophic coolant leak: must be towed back home-condition.
What a crappy car.
Edit: If you own an E46: Replace everything coolant related made of plastic at once when something gives out. You'll result in only one need to be towed-conditon instead of multiple.
It's not just BMW anymore. I've heard about the newer Jeeps having too much plastic under the hood also. Maybe you could talk about plastic parts in general, with the good and bad associated with it.
Good man.. i had fixed water pump and thermo by good mechanic sure next month leaks else where. Lesson, Once one hoses goes, replace em all
Top notch company!! It is hard to find great repair shops anymore. Keep up the great job!! (I wish you or south main auto where closer😂)
Why are these parts made of plastic to begin with. Its ridiculous.
Cost. Greedy manufacturers.
Plastic composites are cheaper than metal.
So called "planned obsolescence". Google it. BTW: Edison already knew of it. They held a secret conference between business people, limiting the life expectancy of light bulbs. 150 years later, 4th gen light bulbs, you're replacing the most modern, planet saving, low energy consuming globes...every couple of years. How much more do you need to know?
Wake up, Neo. Wake up
This is a very real problem with vehicles in this day and age. It is not the vehicle manufacturer's fault either as some people in the comments are claiming. The EPA is up their rear ends about reducing weight of vehicles to help meet strict fuel mileage standards. That's right, laugh if you want but it is true. Plastic parts do not last when put through that many heat cycles.
After I replaced my first plastic intake on a Ford 4.6L V8, I knew plastic coolant parts would be trouble. If the coolant level got even a little low, they would crack.
The best way of removing those quick coupling BMW hoses I’ve found is using a heat gun . Especially lower radiator and thermostat hoses,
I think you did well on this Sherwood royalty. It happens so much with the euro cars. I guess the operative word is whack-a-mole the problems will whack-a-mole. I have seen it so many times best to you man.
Yep, plastic euro cars seem to have plastic fitting failures in the cooling systems, and they often fail one after another. As you say, these outlets are a known problem on many different BMW models. Unfortunately, not all BMW engine types have the option of an aluminium upgrade for these items.
I once heard decades ago that bmw cooling systems need a complete refresh around 60k. Looks like it still holds true today
When my coolant bottle started leaking in my bmw, I just went ahead and replaced the upper hose at the same time as the bottle, mainly because the car is 13 yrs old and disconnecting and reconnecting old plastic parts is bound to destroy them. No leaks at all after that
Can you believe I have a 2000 Ford Expedition with the 4.6 L V-8 which has all the original hoses & water pump on it at 144,000 miles. As soon as I get home I open the hood and release the pressure in the cooling system. Even in the summer using the AC in Louisiana it doesn't build up much pressure in the system. Of course, it does have a huge fan and radiator. I think they have a transmission cooler under there too. Those German cars are notorious for poor quality rubber and plastic parts. You would think that with the world's largest chemical industry they could make synthetic rubber and plastic that would go at least 15 years. I read somewhere that around the year 2000 they invented a new synthetic rubber that lasts for decades. Who knows.
Hitting that cooling system with 170 psi shop air would have made an interesting video.