[ontor]

Hi there everyone,

I'm new to this so if I make any errors pardon me :eek

A couple of weeks ago I bought a second hand BMW 318I SE 1999 (NEW SHAPE).

A diagnostic was done and it came up as Manifold intake solenoid not good.

The seller also told me that the heater doesnt work but the AC is fine. I drove the car home and realised it was sluggish and slow when moving up a gear, on top of that I stalled atleast 20times! I also noticed the yellow coolant sign displayed.
So I took it to a local garage told him and he changed the brittle?? and also the air flow sensor. Oh and had a full service done. As well as fixing the heater (no parts were needed). However after driving it back home which was no more than 2miles the yellow sigh came back on, all the water had suddenly dissapeared and loads of smoke coming through the exhust!!

I took it back to the garage and they couldn't find any leak at all! The smoke is really bad and its even worse when i put the car in reverse gear!:eek

The heater is fine still a bit too hot at 16degrees...what is going on? Garage cant do anything I cant keep spending ££££'s on parts which aren't faulty and im left heartbroken, I really like this car I would pay however much to fix it IF I KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS...PLS help me out someone I dont know much about cars...Thanks I hope this is clear??

 

[mellybmw]

Blimey not had much luck at all..
Welcome to the forum and I hope someone can help you soon.

 

[328mark]

bm's are notorious for air locks in the cooling system...it may just need a proper bleed.
however,i would be inclined to buy an exhaust gas 'sniff test' from ebay and check your head gasket.
good luck with it mate.

 

[awais318iS]

if water is being lost it has to go somewhere ,by steam or a leak , if u cannot find a leak, its steaming out. so first bleed the cooling system turn interior temp control to hot then Rev engine at 2000rpm then let all air of system top up coolant as required.check heating in car

this should solve it , if not check for cream on the oil cap , and whats the temp needle doing is it always at the red....next get a sniff test done ,but hopefully its just a thermostat needs replacing or a water pump common issues.

dont worry just make sure take it to a decent mechanic or just pay bmw dealership £150 + vat and they will diagnose the problem 100% gauranteed , then just got to a local mechanic and get the work done as required.

gd luck

also have a think a about when you bought the car ... Did the seller seem strange I mean was in a hurry or seem desperate, if yes then the problem could be serious IE head gasket gone

 

[ontor]

if water is being lost it has to go somewhere ,by steam or a leak , if u cannot find a leak, its steaming out. so first bleed the cooling system turn interior temp control to hot then Rev engine at 2000rpm then let all air of system top up coolant as required.check heating in car

this should solve it , if not check for cream on the oil cap , and whats the temp needle doing is it always at the red....next get a sniff test done ,but hopefully its just a thermostat needs replacing or a water pump common issues.

dont worry just make sure take it to a decent mechanic or just pay bmw dealership £150 + vat and they will diagnose the problem 100% gauranteed , then just got to a local mechanic and get the work done as required.

gd luck

also have a think a about when you bought the car ... Did the seller seem strange I mean was in a hurry or seem desperate, if yes then the problem could be serious IE head gasket gone

Got the guy in the garage to bleed the cooling system, there was alot of air pressure (steam) in the dipstick oil and somewhere else, but not anymore coz he changed the intake solenoid brittle (whatever that is), no white cream around any areas however there is still the water loss, gona take the car back on thursday to check out the water pump and thermostat, the smoke in the exhaust is a major issue!
The guy who sold it wasn't in no rush he seemed genuine nothing iffy :thumbsup what to do IF it is the head gasket? Do I need a new engine? Is that the end of my car? :frown
ps- wivout prejudice im a girl I tend to get emotional over these things..

 

[DSK]

A headgasket can be done without hassle, you're lucky as its easier on the 4cylinder cars, but its possible you may have something like a pinhole causing your to loose coolant as steam whilst the car is running under everyday driving.

Has the garage 'pressure' tested the cooling system to foce the system to show any leaks that it may contain naked to the eye?

Have you noticed any dribbles of water/coolant underneath where you park your car overnight?

 

[ontor]

A headgasket can be done without hassle, you're lucky as its easier on the 4cylinder cars, but its possible you may have something like a pinhole causing your to loose coolant as steam whilst the car is running under everyday driving.

Has the garage 'pressure' tested the cooling system to foce the system to show any leaks that it may contain naked to the eye?

Have you noticed any dribbles of water/coolant underneath where you park your car overnight?

To be quite honest with you I leave the car in the garage and they do the rest, i have asked if he's done most the things people have written in several threads and he's said yes. Just took the car out the yellow sign came on after 5mins of driving less than 2 miles, however there's some water in there I would say halfway upto the red dipstick thing (lol)..
I think im going to go to another garage to get it checked out in the morning, btw does anyone think this had something to do with the manifold intake soleroid and the heater not working??:confused

Which garage would you guys recommend in East London? :sarcastic

 

[awais318iS]

here you go try these people they will come to you =

http://www.german-mobile-mechanic.co.uk/

 

[ontor]

here you go try these people they will come to you =

http://www.german-mobile-mechanic.co.uk/

Does it get better than this?? Woke up this morning went for a check on the car coolant level..no surprises there all gone..But wait for it...Cream on the dipstick oil..on the engine lid..so basically Head Gasketit is for me!! :jaw-dropping

Anyways my cars done about 110miles on the clock would it be better to buy an engine or get the head gasket fixed? Head gasket quote £450, used engine £750...:hihi

 

[ontor]

Sorry for the bother guys, but jus a quick important question..i'm having the head gasket fixed soon, does that mean the garage will check for pinholes causing me to lose coolant? Or the thermostat/water pump? So it doesnt happen again.. And do I need to do anything once I get it back from them like adding coolant or changing the oil for example? If so how often?
Thanks

 

[Slacker-ray]

Sorry for the bother guys, but jus a quick important question..i'm having the head gasket fixed soon, does that mean the garage will check for pinholes causing me to lose coolant? Or the thermostat/water pump? So it doesnt happen again.. And do I need to do anything once I get it back from them like adding coolant or changing the oil for example? If so how often?
Thanks

So are you saying that the head gasket IS gone?

I am surprised the garage did not pick this up earlier!!:confused

If the gasket is indeed gone, then that is where you are losing water.

If the garage go ahead with the fix, then they should be changing the oil and coolant anyway.

And if they do actually know what they are doing, then they should replace the Thermostat and waterpump aswell- that is always good practice.

 

[ontor]

So are you saying that the head gasket IS gone?

I am surprised the garage did not pick this up earlier!!:confused

If the gasket is indeed gone, then that is where you are losing water.

If the garage go ahead with the fix, then they should be changing the oil and coolant anyway.

And if they do actually know what they are doing, then they should replace the Thermostat and waterpump aswell- that is always good practice.

Thanks Ray :thumbsup, Im actually taking the car to a different garage this time, the previous garage suspected a head gasket but TOLD ME TO DRIVE IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS to see if it improves!:eek

 

[Slacker-ray]

Thanks Ray :thumbsup, Im actually taking the car to a different garage this time, the previous garage suspected a head gasket but TOLD ME TO DRIVE IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS to see if it improves!:eek

Improves??!!:confused

WTF did they think was gonna happen..........the head gasket fairy would come down while you were sleeping, shake her little ass...............and hey presto!!

Get a 2nd opinion BEFORE you plough any more cash into it.

 

[ontor]

rofl lololol I wish that was the case! dat way i'd have saved hundreds of pounds!! Got a guy who was an ex bmw specialist to look at it, all the symtoms are there defo head Gasket Ray..

 

[maikothegreek]

the head gasket fairy would come down while you were sleeping, shake her little ass...............and hey presto!!

.

pissing my self laughing!

 

[RYM]

Improves??!!:confused

WTF did they think was gonna happen..........the head gasket fairy would come down while you were sleeping, shake her little ass...............and hey presto!!

Get a 2nd opinion BEFORE you plough any more cash into it.

Certainly got a way with words:hihi

A sniff or leak down test will confirm head gasket failure:thumbsup

I would steer clear of that garage in future:rofl

 

[ontor]

The new garage i've taken my car to has told me the previous owner has had a head gasket job done on the car; The reason he's saying this is cos the left side of the head gasket was missing, so they previous owner either did a shit job of it or got it done on the cheap..now my question is how often can a head gasket blow??????

 

[Slacker-ray]

The new garage i've taken my car to has told me the previous owner has had a head gasket job done on the car; The reason he's saying this is cos the left side of the head gasket was missing, so they previous owner either did a shit job of it or got it done on the cheap..now my question is how often can a head gasket blow??????

How long is a peice of string??

.........they can go anytime, beemers are pretty robust though.

Unless you have a peice of shite like a Rover, then those things blow every 30k miles or so.

So, it needs a new head gasket huh??

 

[gildersol]

The left side of the gasket was missing:eek. WTF.
If the guy did it himself then anything could have happened. I always fit new bolts as well as getting the gasket from the dealer after falling foul of trying to do it on the cheap once in the past. Some head gaskets that can be bought from car spares shops are astonishingly piss poor.

 

[ontor]

Yep slacker-ray it needs a damn gasket..these modern cars hey! I fink im gona buy a BMW Motorbike next...lol