BMW Antifreeze/Coolant

Hi all,

I need to top up the coolant on the M135i and have the correct BMW Febi Bilstein blue stuff, however I don't know if its a ready mixed coolant or I need to add distilled water too it :roll: It doesn't say on the bottle and cars handbook is useless as it just says consult your service centre which will be closed now being a Sat :)

I've used Halfords own branded antifreeze in the past for minor top ups which is a red fluid that requires diluting but thought it was about time to use the correct stuff :oops:

Cheers,

Tim.
 
More to the point there shouldn't be any need to top up the coolant? Its a closed system isn't it so it would point towards a failing component. Perhaps the expansion tank cap is losing pressure?
 
Thanks for the replies, I've topped up using 75/25 Coolant/Water mix. Its the correct BMW coolant (Febi, Bilstein) but just doesn't give any mixture pointers on the bottle. Itsd actually green not blue :oops: I only ask as when I had a Toyota it had the for life (red) antifreeze which didn't need water adding to it, I wasn't sure with BMWs. On the Z3 I've used Halfords own for topping up :o

As for it being a sealed cooling system, theroretically yes it shouldn't need topping up but I found the same when i had the E89, that I had to top up the expansion tank, only once in 2 years to maintain the mid level, so some coolant must evaporate off somewhere in the system, even if just small amount over a period of time them the level would drop slightly I expect.

Tim.
 
It may well be the expansion tank cap doing its job. They are designed to release pressure if it builds too high to prevent something else going pop. Suppose if ever you are sat in traffic on a hit day it could easily get plenty warm. I know the older BMW's were known for weak coolant systems, hopefully the newer ones are a little more robust!
 
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