[Jambo1]

I picked up the RK Autowerks Billet Coolant Reservoir this morning and installed it in about an hour. This is not a DIY for how to remove your existing reservoir, but rather showcasing the end result with the RK one.

Having had my second reservoir leak after less than a 100 miles after the dealer replaced the original, and after they deemed this second one as “holding pressure” and not replacing it, it was obvious that BMW would continue playing around with this issue for the foreseeable future. The second one was leaking even more in the days following.

The RK version is beautifully built. Not sure why folks on social media are complaining about the price, considering this is machined out of billet aluminum and is very well made. It is also fully serviceable. It is not a welded aluminum piece that would obviously cost less.

The unit is heavy indeed, coming in at 9.2lbs on my scale.

The sensor o-rings are already installed inside by RK, and all you have to do is remove the original sensor for reuse, from the OEM reservoir. This was a beating, and while theoretically you could cut downward on the electrical connector tube and pull out the sensor, this still proved brutal with no results. This ticked me off, so I went to town with cutting tools to hack up the OEM reservoir to extract the sensor.

After installing the new sensor (push it down hard enough with your finger so you can feel and hear a click, signifying contact with the o-rings inside), install everything back, ensuring the three hoses to the reservoir are seated properly and the hose connector retaining clips properly engaged.

Fill back up with coolant (I didn’t have any on hand, so used distilled water for the time being) and start the car.

After a drive to get the car back to operating temperature, I checked for leaks.

Some notes and comments:

1. There is a white mesh coolant filter inside the OEM unit. Anybody know how necessary this is, and overall function in a closed system? I’m sure the RK one, while baffled internally, doesn’t have this.
2. It’s a good idea to take a brush to the aluminum reservoir cap threads to remove any remaining aluminum shards from the manufacturing process.
3. The OEM cap is a little hard to get on, especially to line it up to the arrow on the RK version. It does line up after a couple of removals.
4. The RK unit also has a billet engraved fill indicator - quite cool.
5. The RK unit does not have billet feet to go into the two holes on the existing turbo heat shroud. At first I thought this may be an issue given the weight of the unit, but after bolting it down on its only two available ears, it all appears quite solid. What aids in this is the strength of the heat shroud it bolts into. Should be good.
6. I wish the location of the plug sensor was like the OEM one, so that the two fuel lines would seat properly and not bind on top of the RK sensor / connector location.

[Jambo1]

On my first bullet point above, this is a silicate repository mesh container, to extend the life of the aluminum components of the cooling system, apparently.

When I hacked open the OEM reservoir, I damaged and perforated this mesh bag.

For those of you about to embark on this retrofit, I’d suggest you remove yours from the OEM unit and install in the new one.

[NoMods]

how are the metal top and bottom pieces fused together? electronic welding?

[Jambo1]

It’s actually bolted together. Very serviceable design.

[CrashCade]

Seeing that someone has received theirs already just reminded me to purchase mine before the price jumps up. I wondered about the mounting feet and you covered that here. Hopefully this doesn’t create any issue over time for those of us that keep and abuse the shit out of our cars.

[Jambo1]

Originally Posted by CrashCade

Seeing that someone has received theirs already just reminded me to purchase mine before the price jumps up. I wondered about the mounting feet and you covered that here. Hopefully this doesn’t create any issue over time for those of us that keep and abuse the shit out of our cars.

I may just saw off the legs off the OEM unit, and put these in the receiving holes. The top of the stumps should allow the billet tank to rest on these. Dunno, could be all for nothing, considering the unit doesn’t move at all.

[nick380]

Originally Posted by Jambo1

I picked up the RK Autowerks Billet Coolant Reservoir this morning and installed it in about an hour. This is not a DIY for how to remove your existing reservoir, but rather showcasing the end result with the RK one.

Having had my second reservoir leak after less than a 100 miles after the dealer replaced the original, and after they deemed this second one as “holding pressure” and not replacing it, it was obvious that BMW would continue playing around with this issue for the foreseeable future. The second one was leaking even more in the days following.

The RK version is beautifully built. Not sure why folks on social media are complaining about the price, considering this is machined out of billet aluminum and is very well made. It is also fully serviceable. It is not a welded aluminum piece that would obviously cost less.

The unit is heavy indeed, coming in at 9.2lbs on my scale.

The sensor o-rings are already installed inside by RK, and all you have to do is remove the original sensor for reuse, from the OEM reservoir. This was a beating, and while theoretically you could cut downward on the electrical connector tube and pull out the sensor, this still proved brutal with no results. This ticked me off, so I went to town with cutting tools to hack up the OEM reservoir to extract the sensor.

After installing the new sensor (push it down hard enough with your finger so you can feel and hear a click, signifying contact with the o-rings inside), install everything back, ensuring the three hoses to the reservoir are seated properly and the hose connector retaining clips properly engaged.

Fill back up with coolant (I didn’t have any on hand, so used distilled water for the time being) and start the car.

After a drive to get the car back to operating temperature, I checked for leaks.

Some notes and comments:

1. There is a white mesh coolant filter inside the OEM unit. Anybody know how necessary this is, and overall function in a closed system? I’m sure the RK one, while baffled internally, doesn’t have this.
2. It’s a good idea to take a brush to the aluminum reservoir cap threads to remove any remaining aluminum shards from the manufacturing process.
3. The OEM cap is a little hard to get on, especially to line it up to the arrow on the RK version. It does line up after a couple of removals.
4. The RK unit also has a billet engraved fill indicator - quite cool.
5. The RK unit does not have billet feet to go into the two holes on the existing turbo heat shroud. At first I thought this may be an issue given the weight of the unit, but after bolting it down on its only two available ears, it all appears quite solid. What aids in this is the strength of the heat shroud it bolts into. Should be good.
6. I wish the location of the plug sensor was like the OEM one, so that the two fuel lines would seat properly and not bind on top of the RK sensor / connector location.

Because for the price of one you can get 5-6 OEM reservoirs... having one fail after 100 miles sounds more like a defective part than anything else. I was only skeptical, as the gentleman selling this provided 0 evidence this was even tested. Just scanned, milled, sold. We'll see how these hold up. I'll be waiting to see how they fair after 40-50k miles. My original reservoir doesn't leak after 36k miles and many have just as much if not more mileage. Considering most folks aren't going to be putting 100k on these cars. I doubt you will go through even 4 reservoirs at that time. Just doesn't make sense if the price goes to 1000, it'll make even less sense. Looks nice, I will give it that.

[Jambo1]

I get it Nick380.

I was diligent in always checking and inspecting my original reservoir. Even at the slightest leak that prompted the first dealer visit, the tech had to remove, clean, and replace the coils. It was cruddy down in there.

I too thought about the cost being high, and cycling through a few OEM ones instead, but the thought of “missing” damage caused by leaks even though I always had my eye on it, just got annoying.

Now hopefully it’s just forget and move on, without any issues.

[DarkishM5C]

Nice writeup and it looks great in the engine bay. Hopefully this reservoir is the fix for this, and you don't have to deal with it again. The only issue I see, for the price they charge, you would think Autowerks would include the oem sensor. It is ridiculous that they are having customers go through all that trouble to remove the sensor. A person could potentially damage the sensor in the process.

[pbonsalb]

Can’t buy the oem sensor separately.

[Sales@RKautowerks]

Originally Posted by DarkishM5C

Nice writeup and it looks great in the engine bay. Hopefully this reservoir is the fix for this, and you don't have to deal with it again. The only issue I see, for the price they charge, you would think Autowerks would include the oem sensor. It is ridiculous that they are having customers go through all that trouble to remove the sensor. A person could potentially damage the sensor in the process.

That decision was made because the alternative was to use an aftermarket sensor. That would now require you guys to splice the wiring. I opted that pulling the sensor out of the plastic unit was the lesser of two evils. It was not cost driven, rather ease of installation and to operate like OEM intended.

The OEM sensor is held in with O-rings, it is not secured in any way beyond that. In theory it should just slide out, but it does not simply pull out. Whats required is to put a vertical slit on the front of the sensor port, then break away the slit by using a needle nose. Once the sensor is exposed, it pulls right out.

This procedure anyone with basic hand tools installing in their garage, would be able to do. I know most would rather not tamper with wiring themselves if they do not have to.

I've also sent out several emails to try and source the sensor, but it seems to be a BMW only part and nobody else uses that sensor in any of their vehicle. If someone is able to find it, i'd be more than happy to include it with the reservoir. As of right now the only way for me to do that is to start scrapping brand new reservoirs for a sensor; that's just not a realistic option for a variety of reasons.

Thanks
-R

[Sales@RKautowerks]

Originally Posted by nick380

Because for the price of one you can get 5-6 OEM reservoirs... having one fail after 100 miles sounds more like a defective part than anything else. I was only skeptical, as the gentleman selling this provided 0 evidence this was even tested. Just scanned, milled, sold. We'll see how these hold up. I'll be waiting to see how they fair after 40-50k miles. My original reservoir doesn't leak after 36k miles and many have just as much if not more mileage. Considering most folks aren't going to be putting 100k on these cars. I doubt you will go through even 4 reservoirs at that time. Just doesn't make sense if the price goes to 1000, it'll make even less sense. Looks nice, I will give it that.

Everyone has their opinion on what it's worth. Theres a member now who spent nearly 3-4k because his injectors/coils went bad and BMW would not cover it. To him 1k sounds like a bargain fix for something he will never have to concern himself with again. To you it may not until you realize you have a bad injector and find out an injector is several hundreds.

This was made because the community asked me to do it, we make our own product, so i dictate what i want to charge for it. The majority so far have been more than happy with the price. I'd say the split is 90/10 for happy/unhappy. I know i can't please everyone.

Thanks
-R

PS: When you run through 5 reservoirs, i'll buy the broken reservoirs from you for the sensors.

[DarkishM5C]

Originally Posted by Sales@RKautowerks

That decision was made because the alternative was to use an aftermarket sensor. That would now require you guys to splice the wiring. I opted that pulling the sensor out of the plastic unit was the lesser of two evils. It was not cost driven, rather ease of installation and to operate like OEM intended.

The OEM sensor is held in with O-rings, it is not secured in any way beyond that. In theory it should just slide out, but it does not simply pull out. Whats required is to put a vertical slit on the front of the sensor port, then break away the slit by using a needle nose. Once the sensor is exposed, it pulls right out.

This procedure anyone with basic hand tools installing in their garage, would be able to do. I know most would rather not tamper with wiring themselves if they do not have to.

I've also sent out several emails to try and source the sensor, but it seems to be a BMW only part and nobody else uses that sensor in any of their vehicle. If someone is able to find it, i'd be more than happy to include it with the reservoir. As of right now the only way for me to do that is to start scrapping brand new reservoirs for a sensor; that's just not a realistic option for a variety of reasons.

Thanks
-R

Ah ok, I understand now. Hopefully in the future you do find a manufacture that can replicate the oem sensor and can be included with the billet reservoir. I can see the sensor not being readily available possibly being an issue in the future. Sensors eventually fail and your customers that bought this reservoir looking at you for a fix. In no way I am blaming you guys, this is a BMW/manufacturer problem. I do applaud you guys for designing and manufacturing your own reservoir in-house. It's made in the USA and in Texas of all things And I really do hope this is the permanent fix for this. I will buy one eventually, once my warranty expires.

[warpeacelove]

Originally Posted by DarkishM5C

Nice writeup and it looks great in the engine bay. Hopefully this reservoir is the fix for this, and you don't have to deal with it again. The only issue I see, for the price they charge, you would think Autowerks would include the oem sensor. It is ridiculous that they are having customers go through all that trouble to remove the sensor. A person could potentially damage the sensor in the process.

It is too darn pricey. Money Grab.

[harismne]

Originally Posted by Sales@RKautowerks

Everyone has their opinion on what it's worth. Theres a member now who spent nearly 3-4k because his injectors/coils went bad and BMW would not cover it. To him 1k sounds like a bargain fix for something he will never have to concern himself with again. To you it may not until you realize you have a bad injector and find out an injector is several hundreds.

This was made because the community asked me to do it, we make our own product, so i dictate what i want to charge for it. The majority so far have been more than happy with the price. I'd say the split is 90/10 for happy/unhappy. I know i can't please everyone.

Thanks
-R

PS: When you run through 5 reservoirs, i'll buy the broken reservoirs from you for the sensors.

If you advertise this as an issue fix, if it does fail and the coolant damages the injectors, would you pay for the injectors to be replaced?

[Sales@RKautowerks]

Originally Posted by DarkishM5C

Ah ok, I understand now. Hopefully in the future you do find a manufacture that can replicate the oem sensor and can be included with the billet reservoir. I can see the sensor not being readily available possibly being an issue in the future. Sensors eventually fail and your customers that bought this reservoir looking at you for a fix. In no way I am blaming you guys, this is a BMW/manufacturer problem. I do applaud you guys for designing and manufacturing your own reservoir in-house. It's made in the USA and in Texas of all things And I really do hope this is the permanent fix for this. I will buy one eventually, once my warranty expires.

The sensor really isn't even a sensor. It's just 2 metal probes that current is sent through to monitor resistance. There literally isn't anything inside the sensor to fail which is why i opted to use it. Unlike most traditional sensors which have electronics inside or physical movement of a fill sensor; the stock sensor has neither. It's literally just 2 2" probes with a connection to a plug. It's pretty awesome how it was simplified to never fail.

Originally Posted by harismne

If you advertise this as an issue fix, if it does fail and the coolant damages the injectors, would you pay for the injectors to be replaced?

That will never happen simply because of the lack of honesty with select customers. When i start making promises like that, there are always people who will abuse it. I've done this long enough to know that if i did that, people will abuse it. The few bad apples have ruined it for everyone.

If its genuinely our fault, we will assist with taking care of it.

Thanks
-R

[RockEnterprises]

Just ordered one (from the UK). I do hope a sensor can be installed prior to my fitment (bit scared of breaking the donor sensor). Looking forward to receiving the tank - looks like a quality product.

Would like to add, my car for is very low mileage 2019 car and this is a preventative maintenance mod, as I don't want to risk engine damage.

[Sales@RKautowerks]

Originally Posted by RockEnterprises

Just ordered one (from the UK). I do hope a sensor can be installed prior to my fitment (bit scared of breaking the donor sensor). Looking forward to receiving the tank - looks like a quality product.

Would like to add, my car for is very low mileage 2019 car and this is a preventative maintenance mod, as I don't want to risk engine damage.

We'll put together a small video on how to pull the sensor out for everyone.

Thanks
-R

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by Sales@RKautowerks

We'll put together a small video on how to pull the sensor out for everyone.

Thanks
-R

Any pics of what the black version would look like? Didn’t see anything on the website.

[Sales@RKautowerks]

Originally Posted by Maverik259

Any pics of what the black version would look like? Didn’t see anything on the website.

I'm picking them up in the next week or two and will share pics.

-R

[NoMods]

Keep us updated on the longevity of the tank and feedback after a few hundred miles or 1k miles

[M²]

Not sure if it's just me, but the billet tank looks to have a smaller capacity than the OE tank in that side by side image. Can you confirm?

Awesome product btw. Seriously considering.