plastic flange/ overheating
 

hi all, I'm extremely new to this site, so please excuse me if I'm starting a new thread here about an old subject...

okay- so, four months ago, I bought my '98 318ti. it had 78,500 miles on it when I got it, and since then I've put about 6,000 miles on it. the guy I bought the car from had just replaced the radiator and the thermostat right before he sold it to me.

so you can imagine my disappointment the other day when my car overheated while exiting the freeway. I immediately pulled over and had the car towed to my mechanic, ($60) who said it was a plastic coolant flange that had cracked, ($375 including labor) which made sense since there was coolant everywhere. he fixed that, then he also replaced the thermostat because is was fried, ($50 plus labor) but it is still overheating. he said he thinks there is a chance of some engine damage, so he is going to check that out. ($1700 estimate) :frown: :mad:

my questions are these: one, if the radiator and thermostat were already replaced, why the heck weren't these stupid plastic pieces replaced at that time, especially if they are as notorious for breaking as I've been reading about on here?!

and two, if these f'ing plastic pieces are so notorious for breaking, shouldn't they maybe be recalled or something?

First of all you are being ripped off. Second did you replace the water pump? That's one of the biggest reasons why e36 BMW's overheat.

I took the car to a reputable shop in my area that someone from this site referred me to. I really have no idea about what repairs cost, as this is my first ever BMW...

no, I've not had the water pump replaced. and to the best of my knowledge it wasn't replaced before I bought the car. this is all really frustrating since I've barely even driven it!

yep. nice guys too!

Did you see that Ti i was telling you about?

yeah, with the M3 engine? it's sooooo nice!

yea ive been in it. But i havent been in it with the supercharger :eek:

These plastic flanges are behind the engine inbewtween the firewall and the engine. This is not a simple fix since you have to take apart some of the engine to get at the pieces. I had mine replaced when mine crapped out about a year ago and that price sounds about right. BMW should've made these pieces metal instead of plastic maybee the would've held up better.

One member says you got ripped off,not sure if he was meaning the car or what you just had fixed. If he new any better he would realize you did not get ripped off on the price of these repairs. Maybee he/she will understand that once this happens to them.. He should look up the part and read up on what has to be done top get at this part...

The m42/m44 don't have water pump problems like the rest of the e36 family.

BMWs in general are known for the plastic coolant parts failing somewhere around 60-100k miles. Maybe even faster if you live in a warm climate. It is the nature of plastic and it is a service item.

You don't expect BMW to cover all of your radiator hoses and belts do you? Those wear out just the same. After 8 or so years plastic that is constantly getting hot and then cold, hot and then cold will get brittle.

As to why it was not replaced when the other work was done.. Not sure. People usually want the cheapest way to get in and out of the repair shop. Most people seem to wait for these parts to break before fixing them.

well, it looks like a case of bad timing for me.... I just spoke with the shop and asked them about the water pump, the fan being plugged in, the temp sensor, and burping the coolant, all of which is fine... he said he is almost %100 sure it's a warped or cracked cylinder. :frown: so I'm looking at about $2000 total, when all is said and done.

damn those plastic coolant tubes, I wish BMW had made them in metal!!

question: shouldn't there be a beep that goes off when the temp goes in the red? I think that would've been an extremely helpful feature in these kinds of cases, since it's nearly impossible to keep your eye on the temp gauge at all times, (especially in LA traffic!) the bummer of the situation is that I had JUST looked at the temp gauge about three/ four minutes before this whole thing happened and it was fine.... crazy that so much damage can happen in such a short period of time!

Tyler it did happen to me and I didn't pay half that for repairs maybe it was a hook up or my lucky day I don't know. The service was done by a BMW master tech. at East Coast Exoctics here in Virginia smart @$$.

I know, but I'd JUST checked it 3 or 4 minutes prior!!! it should beep! :mad: pardon my frustration, I'm just pissed this is happening right now... I can think of alot better ways to spend 2 grand that I don't have.