[swom5]

See my exchange with BMW below. Seems like the next step is for us all to document the problem with NHTSA.



Hey Lindsey,
The response appears to be written by a lawyer. The service centers do not have engineers that can design a proper remedy. Therefore, the communication does not meet the test of what a reasonable customer should expect. The service teams simply continue to install tanks that fail.
Have made a formal report to the NHTSA.
Vince Sadd


On Nov 15, 2023, at 12:17, BMW Customer Relations <customerrelations@bmwusa.com> wrote:
Hi Vincent,

Thanks for writing to BMW of North America, LLC regarding your 2019 BMW M5 Sedan US. I'm very sorry to read of your concerns and the issues you're experiencing with the Coolant Tank on your vehicle.

Please know that while we do understand the importance of your concerns, BMW Customer Relations is unable to offer technical information/assistance or advise on repairs your vehicle may need, as we rely solely on the service teams at our authorized BMW centers to assist our customers with maintaining, diagnosing, and repairing our vehicles.

Our service teams go through extensive product training and courses to be able to provide our valued customers with the technical assistance that BMW Customer Relations cannot. As a result, we recommend contacting your local authorized BMW Service Center for further assistance.

If you do not have a preferred BMW Service Center, a list of authorized dealers can be found on our website at: www.bmwusa.com.

I sincerely apologize that we're unable to provide any additional information or assistance in this case, but I hope you're able to obtain the information you're looking for very soon.

Should you need to contact Customer Relations and Services again, you can reach us at 1-800-831-1117 Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET.

Thanks again, Vincent.

Kind regards,

Lindsey
Customer Relations and Services
Representative

BUILD YOUR OWN ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE.
Design the BMW of your dreams at www.bmwusa.com.

--------------- Original Message ---------------
From: [vsadd1@outlook.com]
Sent: 11/14/2023 2:46 PM
To: customerrelations@bmwusa.com
Subject: WBSJF0C51KB447317 Coolant tank




My name is Vince Sadd, I just registered my 2019 M5 Competition with extended warranty for which you graciously waived the transfer fee.
I am very concerned about the coolant expansion tank. I actively participate in online F90 forums, and it seems like the coolant expansion tank seems to fail for almost all owners (both pre-LCI and LCI). In many cases, it also damages critical engine components underneath the tank and results in expensive repairs.
Indeed, because BMW has failed to address this problem, the aftermarket already offers an aluminum billet coolant expansion tank, as well as a coolant expansion catch can that reroutes escaping coolant so as not to damage components located beneath the tank.

While interacting with other owners, I learned that these failures continue to fail (including the recently revised part number) and there are several owners that needed the tank replaced multiple times (an owner I interacted with on bimmerpost today is on tank #8).
Can you please advise as to BMW’s intent to properly and permanently fix this issue? It's a major design flaw impacting all F90 M5s (ticking time bomb), and I am very surprised to see no official recall and replacement part that properly fixes this critical issue.

This issue is not about an individual vehicle, but a manufacturing defect that impacts all F90 M5s. Please share this message with the team responsible for supporting the M5 product and request that they respond on how they are planning to permanently fix this issue.

Please understand that this is a serious concern shared by dozens of M5 owners I am in communication with. Waiting for the failure to happen on a given F90 M5 and going to a service center is NOT a viable option since it may already be too late and the damage already done.

My car has documentation that proves the coolant expansion tank has failed previously at around 12K miles and affected other parts such as injectors. After less than two weeks of owning the car, the coolant tank has failed again as evidenced by coolant escaping at the tank seam. The car now has slightly over 14K miles.

For BMW to continue to ignore the issue is unacceptable.

Regards,

Vince Sadd

[pbonsalb]

Generic letter from BMW….

[Igor_M5]

With all this effort to yield some compensation or mediocre solution….I’m starting to wonder why no one tried relocating the tank to the empty secondary battery compartment (right side firewall compartment)

[pbonsalb]

I have suggested that before. One person does have a relocation kit to use a different BMW tank on the forward side of the strut tower but it is not compatible with stock air boxes. I did some heat reduction work and am hoping that preserves my tank, which I replaced as preventative maintenance. It’s been about 18 months since I did that and no leaking yet.

[808F90]

According to some sources, the new tanks are failing from BMW still. So annoying.

[808F90]

Great email! Any response from BMW yet?

[808F90]

I would check it periodically. So annoying BMW is doing nothing about this.

[trev230]

Had it replaced on my 2019 twice. Just hit 16K miles on my 2022 and so far so good until yep now this one is leaking. Unreal. What a pain lol.

[vanos84]

They need to do a full blown recall on this and stop messing around...

[AHall]

Originally Posted by vanos84

They need to do a full blown recall on this and stop messing around...

Yes, just recall all and replace with the aluminum now available.

[swom5]

Hey Lindsey,
The response appears to be written by a lawyer. The service centers do not have engineers that can design a proper remedy. Therefore, the communication does not meet the test of what a reasonable customer should expect. The service teams simply continue to install tanks that fail.
Have made a formal report to the NHTSA.
Vince Sadd


On Nov 15, 2023, at 12:17, BMW Customer Relations <customerrelations@bmwusa.com> wrote:
Hi Vincent,

Thanks for writing to BMW of North America, LLC regarding your 2019 BMW M5 Sedan US. I'm very sorry to read of your concerns and the issues you're experiencing with the Coolant Tank on your vehicle.

Please know that while we do understand the importance of your concerns, BMW Customer Relations is unable to offer technical information/assistance or advise on repairs your vehicle may need, as we rely solely on the service teams at our authorized BMW centers to assist our customers with maintaining, diagnosing, and repairing our vehicles.

Our service teams go through extensive product training and courses to be able to provide our valued customers with the technical assistance that BMW Customer Relations cannot. As a result, we recommend contacting your local authorized BMW Service Center for further assistance.

If you do not have a preferred BMW Service Center, a list of authorized dealers can be found on our website at: www.bmwusa.com.

I sincerely apologize that we're unable to provide any additional information or assistance in this case, but I hope you're able to obtain the information you're looking for very soon.

Should you need to contact Customer Relations and Services again, you can reach us at 1-800-831-1117 Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET.

Thanks again, Vincent.

Kind regards,

Lindsey
Customer Relations and Services
Representative

BUILD YOUR OWN ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE.
Design the BMW of your dreams at www.bmwusa.com.

--------------- Original Message ---------------
From: [vsadd1@outlook.com]
Sent: 11/14/2023 2:46 PM
To: customerrelations@bmwusa.com
Subject: WBSJF0C51KB447317 Coolant tank




My name is Vince Sadd, I just registered my 2019 M5 Competition with extended warranty for which you graciously waived the transfer fee.
I am very concerned about the coolant expansion tank. I actively participate in online F90 forums, and it seems like the coolant expansion tank seems to fail for almost all owners (both pre-LCI and LCI). In many cases, it also damages critical engine components underneath the tank and results in expensive repairs.
Indeed, because BMW has failed to address this problem, the afternmarket already offers an aluminum billet coolant expansion tank, as well as a coolant expansion catch can that reroutes escaping coolant so as not to damage components located beneath the tank.

While interacting with other owners, I learned that these failures continue to fail (including the recently revised part number) and there are several owners that needed the tank replaced multiple times (an owner I interacted with on bimmerpost today is on tank #8).
Can you please advise as to BMW’s intent to properly and permanently fix this issue? It's a major design flaw impacting all F90 M5s (ticking time bomb), and I am very surprised to see no official recall and replacement part that properly fixes this critical issue.

This issue is not about an individual vehicle, but a manufacturing defect that impacts all F90 M5s. Please share this message with the team responsible for supporting the M5 product and request that they respond on how they are planning to permanently fix this issue.

Please understand that this is a serious concern shared by dozens of M5 owners I am in communication with. Waiting for the failure to happen on a given F90 M5 and going to a service center is NOT a viable option since it may already be too late and the damage already done.

My car has documentation that proves the coolant expansion tank has failed previously at around 12K miles and affected other parts such as injectors. After less than two weeks of owning the car, the coolant tank has failed again as evidenced by coolant escaping at the tank seam. The car now has slightly over 14K miles.

For BMW to continue to ignore the issue is unacceptable.

Regards,

Vince Sadd

[pbonsalb]

You guys are just getting generic emails that do not even note the complaint. BMW is not going to acknowledge a problem. They never did with S65/S85 rod bearings.

[Steve-Oh]

For anyone interested, I've directed my concern directly with the BMW BoD. I received a response but it was relocated to BMW North America which stated the defect was my fault and had nothing to do with their defective POS part. I'm doing a formal complaint to NHSA. I just had to replace the expansion tank with the revised part, all my coil packs, spark plugs and 1 fuel injector so far after my engine went into limp mode. I've bearly had the new expansion tank for a month and the revised part is already leaking. This is frustrating to say the least. Also where can I find the aluminum tank replacement?

Board of directors emails:
gerhard.kurz@bmw.com
martin.kimmich@bmw.com
milan.nedeljkovic@bmw.com
pieter.nota@bmw.com
joachim.post@bmw.com
frank.weber@bmw.com
oliver.zipse@bmw.com
walter.mertl@bmw.com
gerhard.kurz@bmw.de
martin.kimmich@bmw.de
milan.nedeljkovic@bmw.de
pieter.nota@bmw.de
joachim.post@bmw.de
frank.weber@bmw.de
oliver.zipse@bmw.de
walter.mertl@bmw.de

[pbonsalb]

Did they explain why it was your fault? How you did not use the car properly or maintain it properly?

[Steve-Oh]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Did they explain why it was your fault? How you did not use the car properly or maintain it properly?

No explanation, the BMW NA rep was an asshole to say the least and abruptly hung up on me when I mentioned I'd be reaching out to NHTSA and never returned my call after two subsequent voice mails.

[Steve-Oh]

Quick update: I'm going to make my formal complaint to NHTSA, however, I bit the billet and bought the RK Autowerks billet replacement expansion tank to cure this issue as I know it will be a long while before BMW does anything about this, if they even do something. Given their track record, they'll try to move on to the next model 5 series and try to sweep this under the rug.

I'm not going to let them off the hook so easily, so I'd advise every person on this form to make a formal complaint. Once I have a template with steps I will post it to make it easy for anyone on this form to do the same. I spent about $3-4k on various expenses: replacing the expansion tank twice, getting coolant replaced, replacing two fuel injectors, and replacing all spark plugs and ignition coils. All of this was due to the leaking expansion tank. It took a lot of time to sort everything out. Take preventative measures because your expansion tank WILL leak over time and even having the revised part won't help (my revised expansion tank lasted about 100 miles before it started to leak again). I'm thinking it depends on how hard you drive your car.

[AHall]

Originally Posted by Steve-Oh

Quick update: I'm going to make my formal complaint to NHTSA, however, I bit the billet and bought the RK Autowerks billet replacement expansion tank to cure this issue as I know it will be a long while before BMW does anything about this, if they even do something. Given their track record, they'll try to move on to the next model 5 series and try to sweep this under the rug.

I'm not going to let them off the hook so easily, so I'd advise every person on this form to make a formal complaint. Once I have a template with steps I will post it to make it easy for anyone on this form to do the same. I spent about $3-4k on various expenses: replacing the expansion tank twice, getting coolant replaced, replacing two fuel injectors, and replacing all spark plugs and ignition coils. All of this was due to the leaking expansion tank. It took a lot of time to sort everything out. Take preventative measures because your expansion tank WILL leak over time and even having the revised part won't help (my revised expansion tank lasted about 100 miles before it started to leak again). I'm thinking it depends on how hard you drive your car.

I wonder if the OEM tank lasting you only 100 miles was any good from the start. I mean how hard could you drive a car in 100 miles? Was that time on a track? Did you change the cap after installing the second tank? Did you confirm the tank was leaking as opposed to the cap? It is bad luck to get two tanks that are what I consider defective.

[Steve-Oh]

Originally Posted by AHall

I wonder if the OEM tank lasting you only 100 miles was any good from the start. I mean how hard could you drive a car in 100 miles? Was that time on a track? Did you change the cap after installing the second tank? Did you confirm the tank was leaking as opposed to the cap? It is bad luck to get two tanks that are what I consider defective.

Yes to all of the above. The leak is clearly coming through the seams of the tank. The cap has been replaced once but there is no leakage coming from the cap, it's all from the seams of the plastics. I don't believe in luck, especially in this situation where many people are reporting the same exact issue. My case is not unique and if you read throughout this forum and other F90 forums this is happening to others where they have to replace a replacement tank shortly after installing, including the revised part.

[logicators]

Originally Posted by Steve-Oh

Quick update: I'm going to make my formal complaint to NHTSA, however, I bit the billet and bought the RK Autowerks billet replacement expansion tank to cure this issue as I know it will be a long while before BMW does anything about this, if they even do something. Given their track record, they'll try to move on to the next model 5 series and try to sweep this under the rug.

I'm not going to let them off the hook so easily, so I'd advise every person on this form to make a formal complaint. Once I have a template with steps I will post it to make it easy for anyone on this form to do the same. I spent about $3-4k on various expenses: replacing the expansion tank twice, getting coolant replaced, replacing two fuel injectors, and replacing all spark plugs and ignition coils. All of this was due to the leaking expansion tank. It took a lot of time to sort everything out. Take preventative measures because your expansion tank WILL leak over time and even having the revised part won't help (my revised expansion tank lasted about 100 miles before it started to leak again). I'm thinking it depends on how hard you drive your car.

It will be great if you can post a template and steps. I will definitely file, many others will do the same.

We may need to file a class action lawsuit to get this addressed but a complaint is a good start.

[trev230]

Originally Posted by Steve-Oh

Yes to all of the above. The leak is clearly coming through the seams of the tank. The cap has been replaced once but there is no leakage coming from the cap, it's all from the seams of the plastics. I don't believe in luck, especially in this situation where many people are reporting the same exact issue. My case is not unique and if you read throughout this forum and other F90 forums this is happening to others where they have to replace a replacement tank shortly after installing, including the revised part.

I had this issue on my 2019 and now it's surfaced on my 2022. Leaking at the seams and on BOTH reservoir tanks now.

[Jett]

Yea just reading thru this thread. I also drive a 2019 and is now onto 2nd tank replacement at 29k miles. This time I caught it before it leak too badly. It's at the dealership now and hopefully they don't need to replace any injectors, coils or spark plugs. Fingers crossed. BMW really does need to find a permanent solution. 😩 😪

[Frupal]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

The aftermarket billet $750-1000 tank won’t leak though the cap could still release coolant if pressure is too high. Keeping the coolant a little cooler might reduce pressure. Heat causes expansion.

RK Autowerks tank is $1250.00. Ridiculous.