[mxa121]

So on one of the coldest days of the winter here in GA (I know not that bad) the 328i was blowing cool/cold air out of the vents. Somewhat warm on the left side, cold on the right side. The woman was NOT happy.

Did some searching - it's the Heater Core.
Checked for a DIY - 16 hrs
Checked the CPO warranty literature and it says all HVAC is covered.

Dropped it off at the Dealer, feeling great that I don't have to fix it.
Wait!
Dealer: "Sir it's the Heater Core, it's clogged. BMW won't cover it, because it is not broken... It's just clogged..."
Me: "how do I fix it then, if it is not broken?"
Dealer: "It still has to be replaced, you cannot fix it by flushing it or anything... The repair cost is $2,499."
-Insert aggressive dialogue here-

So I contact BMW NA the next morning and copied the dealer's service director on the email. I chose my words carefully and presented my case that BMW should fix it under the CPO warranty.

The dealer was very cooperative and contacted me that day letting me know they are working with BMW NA on the issue.
The next day, BMW NA contacted me for some additional info.
The next day, the car was dropped off for repair, covered.

Just wanted to share the story and give a warning for those Heater Cores. The whole dash has to come out to get at it, plus the AC has to be purged. The shop labor time is 14.5 hours. The part is around $150.

A big thanks to BMW for repairing this one under warranty. I think it is the right thing to do. Now I am just hoping that the repair goes smoothly and all those panels go back together without a bunch of creaks and squeaks!

Clogged is broken semantics

[e90'D10]

Thanks for letting us all know, I'll definitely keep this in mind when I return home

[parabola]

This is pretty much pain to replace on most cars as the dash has to come out - labor intensive. Good thing they covered it for you.

[Greyfox]

Somebody was trying to get out of something. The purpose of a heater core is to heat air passing through it. If it's not doing that, it is fracking broke.

On top of that, the pressure build up on the lines to it when the computer activates the valves to cause hot coolant to flow to it would eventually cause a failure somewhere.

[John 070]

Um $2499? That's borderline replace the car or drive in spring summer only. How does a heater core clog unless the coolant was never replaced and the system corroded.

[Greyfox]

And if the heater core is clogged, what the hell does the radiator look like inside?

[drex328]

Who did you contact at BMW? I am having same issue now. Thanks

[mxa121]

Originally Posted by drex328

Who did you contact at BMW? I am having same issue now. Thanks

I contacted BMW customer relations
CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com
The dealer service director helped by sending it to the warranty claims department..

[DJtoad]

Glad it was covered but I'd be asking why the heater core on a relatively new and low-mileage (2009, 58K) car would clog. That's very unusual and indicates something else is amiss or that the previous owner did something stupid like add Stop-Leak to the system for some reason.

[drex328]

Thanks mxa121