My '08 X5 4.8 has begun using coolant lately. The low coolant warning is coming on approximately every 3000 miles. There is no evidence of leakage externally, or coolant in the oil. Has anyone else had any similar issues and what did it take to repair it?
BMW Tech buddy of mine suggested that you double check coolant leakage from valley pan which is under intake manifold. Edit: He also added that the valley pans are easily overlooked. He told me that you can normally look down by intake and see dried coolant in center of engine. You can also see coolant leaking down backside of engine by trans. But he warned me it's a fairly big job though
common... Valley pan leakage is common on the V8's as it leakage in the plastic radiators. I did 2 valley pans and 4 radiators on mine in 153k miles of usage. Another spot that might not be obvious is the heater core... Chuck
