What Antifreeze for 2001 E46?

I've never checked the coolant level since I got the car so I don't have a level to compare to :( (yes I fail) and maybe all the expansion/contraction when it was under snow caused a slight leak? I don't know :confused: least there's no oil in the coolant :) I do always keep an eye on the temp gauge as I read you guys mention before of horror stories with this and the aluminium block

Service this Friday so will get the BMW indie to check it out

Edit: it does produce a lot of steam in this cold weather, could that be coolant? (it's not blue steam tho)
 
Obviously though you checked the coolant level on the car before you bought it, right?

I mean nobody would buy a car as complex as a 330i, thats known to be notorious for cooling system issues, without taking the cap of the coolant level and checking it?

You should be checking it as part of your frequent checks anyway, especially on a car like this where its a massive weak spot? You check the oil, right?
 
I did check when I bought the car and it was fine but I haven't checked it since. I check the oil and top up with a litre of Castrol edge 0w30 every 2 months or so. I'm clearly not very good at cars :(
 
Oxide™ said:
I did check when I bought the car and it was fine but I haven't checked it since. I check the oil and top up with a litre of Castrol edge 0w30 every 2 months or so. I'm clearly not very good at cars :(
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It wont have naturally used that much coolant in 6 months. I think there is a problem with the cars cooling system and I'd be very careful until you found out what that problem is. The first clue was the temp guage not being dead centre.
 
UPDATE:

Dropped the car off yesterday at Barkers Motors in Haslemere (closest most recommended BMW indie near me) for an MOT and Inspection I.

I explained to Richard (the owner) that I am noob with cars and in addition had a list of things for him to look at:

Cooling System
Pulsing fan
VANOS seals
Tramlining

He said they were all master technicians and put me to ease saying they are honest and won't scare me into anything that doesn't need doing and will let me know if anything unexpected is revealed.

I got a call later in the day with the news I was nervously waiting for.

Verdict:
Car failed it's MOT due to a perishing front brake hose and a clogged wiper jet, all of which they fixed. (replaced both front brake lines and bled the system)

The Inspection I was completed and everything was found to be ok.

They only had to replace the final stage resistor which resolved the pulsing fan issue and also assured me that my VANOS, tramlining and cooling system are all as expected and performing well.

He had an advisory for me that there is a very slow oil leak. I said that I need to top up with a litre oil every 2 months and he said it's just something to monitor for now. When I picked the car up he said it was on the ramp all night and no oil had spilt so it's very slow otherwise he would have said to get this resolved (involves removing gearbox, something I'll do at a later stage when funds allow)

All in all I am very relieved there is nothing major wrong with the car and I can now relax :)

Damage was £492

Richard seems a top bloke and they have a very smart premises :D
 
500 quid for that!?

How did he check the vanos seals, you can't without opening it up which means its zero labour to replace them anyway!

Sounds like you have been had.
 
It doesn't have any symptoms of having a vanos seal issue - don't think he opened it up to check but he took it for a test drive and seeing that he deals with BMW's all day I guess his experience said nothing was wrong with it.

I only asked him to check because I when I first got the car I was like :eek: with acceleration but now I guess I have got used to it and it's more like :) now.
I created a thread about this and should I get it mapped and you advised VANOS seals instead and he reckons there's nothing wrong with them or the performance.

Anyway please don't try burst my state of zen right now :p
 
Final stage resistor is a 10 minute job and a 40 quid part.

Inspection 1 is £199 at a BMW main dealer.

Brake fluid change is £59 at a BMW main dealer.

So you've paid £200+ish to change the brake pipes and do an MOT.

How did he test your coolant system? Did he pressure test it? Did he explain why it was completely empty at the header tank?
 
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