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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum Low coolant level message came on!
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      11-12-2015, 12:06 AM   #1
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Low coolant level message came on!

Fellow 5ers! Is this something I can add guys or does BMW have to do this? If I can do it any recommendations as far as what coolant our BMW's use? appreciate your input!
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      11-12-2015, 01:37 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lsturbointeg View Post
Fellow 5ers! Is this something I can add guys or does BMW have to do this? If I can do it any recommendations as far as what coolant our BMW's use? appreciate your input!
YES, you can add the coolant your self, the coolant resivior is under the hood but you have a 535 and I have a 550 so I only know where it is on my car. It says coolant on it, Here is a link to the coolant...

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-14...allon-jug.aspx

Or you can prolly get it at the local auto parts store, they had it for my girls e60 I just filled her up last night
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      11-12-2015, 01:40 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Teddylongtooth View Post

Or you can prolly get it at the local auto parts store, they had it for my girls e60 I just filled her up last night
this just sounded funny lol!
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      11-12-2015, 06:49 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lsturbointeg View Post
Fellow 5ers! Is this something I can add guys or does BMW have to do this? If I can do it any recommendations as far as what coolant our BMW's use? appreciate your input!
You'll see in another thread on this forum that the low coolant warning, depending on the age of your car or when it would have last been topped off, may be an indication of a problem, either with a leak or a loose sensor (the latter was the case for my '15 550i).
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      11-22-2015, 12:11 PM   #5
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My dealer just topped it off for me on my 2014 550 at no charge.
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      11-22-2015, 12:25 PM   #6
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If your car is older, and you have a low coolant warning, there is an underlying problem. The coolant system on BMW's is a closed system so coolant shouldn't be going anywhere.
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      11-22-2015, 11:59 PM   #7
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i will just top it off for now and see what happens next. car will be hibernating for the next 3-4 months and by than will be taking to the dealer for a brake flush and oil change anyways so thank for the input guys!
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      08-11-2019, 06:18 PM   #8
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I have a 528i 2014 model and have the same issue. Is the white bottle under the hood located lower left coolant reservoir?
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      08-12-2019, 06:22 PM   #9
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Yes you can top it up yourself, the owner's manual will show all the details. You can use just plain water as the coolant mix won't be too much diluted for warmer weather months. At least with the F10 BMW has designed the coolant sensor system to not fail-unsafe like in the earlier E39 M52 engined design. If the low coolant alarm keeps coming on then you definitely have a leak in the system which will need to be located and fixed.
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      08-13-2019, 05:10 PM   #10
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All my water-cooled German cars need a mild coolant top-up after running in hot weather for a while - it does evaporate a little probably through the "escape valve" with time. I just add distilled water since it probably still has the coolant chemicals with just water loss.
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      08-14-2019, 12:30 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pierre Louis View Post
All my water-cooled German cars need a mild coolant top-up after running in hot weather for a while - it does evaporate a little probably through the "escape valve" with time. I just add distilled water since it probably still has the coolant chemicals with just water loss.
Thanks for the info! I thought I had a leak somewhere as I had to top it off few times this summer after especially hot days. Looks like its the same issue as yours.
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      08-14-2019, 06:38 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by OrcaPod View Post
Thanks for the info! I thought I had a leak somewhere as I had to top it off few times this summer after especially hot days. Looks like its the same issue as yours.
You're welcome. I've only had to top up every 6-8 months at the most. Otherwise, BMW is known for its leaky gaskets
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      08-27-2019, 02:42 AM   #13
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These cars have a very high EGR Cooler failure rate. I just had mine replaced a month ago with goodwill recall policy. You shouldn't have to top up the coolant on these cars.
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      08-27-2019, 07:55 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jws392 View Post
I have a 528i 2014 model and have the same issue. Is the white bottle under the hood located lower left coolant reservoir?
Click this link for a video DIY on how to add coolant to a BMW 528i: https://www.carcarekiosk.com/video/2...ze/add_coolant
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      08-27-2019, 09:34 AM   #15
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The first time my 535xi told me it needed coolant was last winter after a significant hill climb to the ski hill near by. After that, I had to top up the coolant every other tankful of fuel, give or take. I finally took it in last week to see if the shop could find the leak, and they did. It is something that others have also noted that tends to fail with age: the plastic thermostat housing. I had already had my water pump replaced two years ago when it started to fail. My 535xi has 130k kms (approx 80k miles). My F10 did not vent coolant at all until this leak popped up. If you are topping up your car regularly, I would suspect a problem somewhere.
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      08-27-2019, 03:56 PM   #16
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I had my retired 2012 F10 (535) for 6 years. During that time I topped it up about three times. I bought a jug of coolant from the BMW parts dept. and mixed it with water in a small cup. Its really easy to do; undo cap from cold engine, pour in enough mix to cover the small indicator in the tank; put cap back on. Use a flashlight to see inside reservoir properly. My car had very low mileage (57,000km=35,000mi).
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      08-28-2019, 07:20 AM   #17
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I just topped up my 2015 535i this weekend. The a/c was not cooling down the car like I thought it had in the past --- it's been 93-94 F for a while now so even with tinted windows the car has to work to keep it cool. Checked and it was below minimum. Topped up and the a/c cools the car now like it is supposed to. Did not receive any message saying it was below minimum though.
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      08-28-2019, 08:29 AM   #18
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Quote:
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I just topped up my 2015 535i this weekend. The a/c was not cooling down the car like I thought it had in the past --- it's been 93-94 F for a while now so even with tinted windows the car has to work to keep it cool. Checked and it was below minimum. Topped up and the a/c cools the car now like it is supposed to. Did not receive any message saying it was below minimum though.
So message never popped on again. Dealer probably took care of it when they did the oil last month. Totally forgot I made.this thread. So there is a coolant reservoir for the 535i?
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      08-28-2019, 09:53 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lsturbointeg View Post
So message never popped on again. Dealer probably took care of it when they did the oil last month. Totally forgot I made.this thread. So there is a coolant reservoir for the 535i?
Yep, right hand side under the hood (when you are standing in front looking into the engine bay) near the front, under a black twist cap (for the 535xi).
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Last edited by cdmulders; 08-28-2019 at 08:17 PM..
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