[logicators]

Just got the low coolant warning for the first time on my 2023 M5 (about 12k miles).

Checked the expansion tank but don’t see any signs of a leak / residue around cap or tank. Is it normal for the car to just use the coolant?

I am currently out of state on a road trip. It’s Sunday and nearby dealer isn’t open, so will stop by at auto zone or AAP to get some aftermarket coolant added.

Here is the expansion tank picture:

[AHall]

Originally Posted by logicators

Just got the low coolant warning for the first time on my 2023 M5 (about 12k miles).

Checked the expansion tank but don’t see any signs of a leak / residue around cap or tank. Is it normal for the car to just use the coolant?

I am currently out of state on a road trip. It’s Sunday and nearby dealer isn’t open, so will stop by at auto zone or AAP to get some aftermarket coolant added.

Here is the expansion tank picture:

Did you look in the tank to see just how low is the level? Have you checked the level before? If so how long ago? If possible I would swing by a BMW dealership in the morning and purchase coolant or have them top it off if that is an option.

[logicators]

Originally Posted by AHall

Did you look in the tank to see just how low is the level? Have you checked the level before? If so how long ago? If possible I would swing by a BMW dealership in the morning and purchase coolant or have them top it off if that is an option.

Nope never opened it before. I did buy some BMW spec coolant from AAP and topped it off since I still have 3 hours of driving to do tonight and didn’t want to take a risk. Will get it checked as well.

Here is what I used:

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...m_content=ITEM

[GTTC]

Originally Posted by logicators

Nope never opened it before. I did buy some BMW spec coolant from AAP and topped it off since I still have 3 hours of driving to do tonight and didn’t want to take a risk. Will get it checked as well.

Here is what I used:

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...m_content=ITEM

Careful topping off. You might add too much and it will leak off the cap. Look at the High/low tab and keep it in the middle (closer to low level to account for expansion). I would not use anything other than BMW HT-12 antifreeze/coolant

[logicators]

Originally Posted by GTTC

Careful topping off. You might add too much and it will leak off the cap. Look at the High/low tab and keep it in the middle (closer to low level to account for expansion). I would not use anything other than BMW HT-12 antifreeze/coolant

Sorry topping off was the wrong terminology. I added a bit to bring it above min. Just returned from the local BMW dealership. They looked into it, and added more blue coolant to get it to max. They also looked at the bottle I had and said it’s fine for this car.

Expansion tank still seems ok. Will need to keep an eye.

[johnny5ive]

FYI this seems to pop up every once in a while when there's a drastic temperature change. I get the warning and then it goes away in a few miles usually. Had it checked and the coolant is never low.

[drutyper]

I've been getting this warning recently after having the dealership change the oil last week. Its happened twice now but haven't checked the levels. Does the dealership top off the coolant while changing the oil? There has been a drastic change in weather since its winter time so I'm hoping its because of the drop in temp.

[logicators]

Originally Posted by drutyper

I've been getting this warning recently after having the dealership change the oil last week. Its happened twice now but haven't checked the levels. Does the dealership top off the coolant while changing the oil? There has been a drastic change in weather since its winter time so I'm hoping its because of the drop in temp.

Same here. If I leave my car outside in near or below freezing temperatures overnight, I almost always get that message when I start the car, and it disappears once the engine warms up a bit. Following advice on this forum I asked the dealership to keep the coolant near min level when they changed the tank.

[AHall]

Originally Posted by drutyper

I've been getting this warning recently after having the dealership change the oil last week. Its happened twice now but haven't checked the levels. Does the dealership top off the coolant while changing the oil? There has been a drastic change in weather since its winter time so I'm hoping its because of the drop in temp.

It would be a good idea to take a look under the hood on a regular basis depending on how often you drive the car. Definitely open the two tanks and check the level. Has the tank been changed?

[Rob411]

Adding a data point that I continue to have low coolant caution even after replacement of the tank. Tank replaced in May 2024 and low coolant caution message reappeared in November 2024 as soon as temps dropped into the 50 deg F range. (note that my cap was never replaced as part of the tank replacement). The low coolant message goes away after vehicle is warm and vehicle has been powered down and restarted while still warm. I just had the vehicle serviced (see attached image).

Due to the expense associated with a coolant leak and injector replacement I will always be worried when I get the message.

A low coolant message should never be "normal" or ignored. Engineers design systems to display a caution or warning when a system parameter is not within limits. Unless the engineers 'got it wrong' then drivers should not have to be adding and removing coolant with outside temperature change. (engineers could have got it wrong since clearly there became a tank issue).

This older thread also has some info about issues others have run into with the cap and another mentions a plug:
https://f90.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1881140

[logicators]

Originally Posted by Rob411

Adding a data point that I continue to have low coolant caution even after replacement of the tank. Tank replaced in May 2024 and low coolant caution message reappeared in November 2024 as soon as temps dropped into the 50 deg F range. (note that my cap was never replaced as part of the tank replacement). The low coolant message goes away after vehicle is warm and vehicle has been powered down and restarted while still warm. I just had the vehicle serviced (see attached image).

Due to the expense associated with a coolant leak and injector replacement I will always be worried when I get the message.

A low coolant message should never be "normal" or ignored. Engineers design systems to display a caution or warning when a system parameter is not within limits. Unless the engineers 'got it wrong' then drivers should not have to be adding and removing coolant with outside temperature change. (engineers could have got it wrong since clearly there became a tank issue).

This older thread also has some info about issues others have run into with the cap and another mentions a plug:
https://f90.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1881140

My car was doing exactly that and I was also getting a bit worried, even though the warning disappeared as soon as the car warmed up. I went on a roadtrip over the holidays. Before leaving I decided to add a small quantity of coolant so it goes slightly above min. The warning didn’t come back since then even though the car was parked outside in hotel parking lots during the trip.

[pbonsalb]

Seems like the start of cold weather is often when a low coolant message first appears.