[Da808dad]

So was gonna take the m850 out to do some errands yesterday and when I got in the car and started her up I got an error message which popped up saying that I had low coolant level and to take it in to nearest dealer and don't drive it or it could cause damage to engine.

I googled low coolant levels for a m850i and found a BMW service bulletin for M5's and m850i's which stated that the filling procedure at the factory could have filled it to below the minimum level and the correction to this was to just top off the coolant.

However, as I had to go run the errands I left the car at home and used my sons car instead. When I got home later on I checked the coolant level and the reservoir was full and topped off. Started the car back up and the error message was gone. Drove the car to work today and everything was fine.

Anyone else had this issue before? My car is a 2019 with only about 3500 miles on it.

[msm2000uk]

I had this on mine (M850i) at around 8,000 miles.

Took it to my local mechanic who wouldn't touch the car as it's Green Coolant, and he suggested taking it to BMW.

He was surprised the car would need coolant, especially at such low miles, but BMW added some extra and off I went.

I never thought to google the issue, but I suppose it's more common than I had presumed.

M

[redhot47fla]

I had the issue after a typically hot North Florida summer. Alert, disappear. Alert, disappear. Working assumption was that it had not been topped off properly at the factory - which I now see likely was the case - and that the level was bubbling around and every now and then hitting critical mass. I topped it off myself and it's been fine ever since. (All of this does raise questions, however, about BMW dealers' pre-delivery "inspections.")

[ctelimad]

Originally Posted by redhot47fla

I had the issue after a typically hot North Florida summer. Working assumption was that it had not been topped off properly at the factory - which I now see likely was the case. I topped it off myself and it's been fine ever since. (All of this does raise questions, however, about BMW dealers' pre-delivery "inspections.")

Funny i had the same issue today , as i woke up with the alert and then disappeared , i did not drive the car and i am buying some bmw coolant to top it off tomorrow (mix 50/50)

[Da808dad]

Originally Posted by ctelimad

Funny i had the same issue today , as i woke up with the alert and then disappeared , i did not drive the car and i am buying some bmw coolant to top it off tomorrow (mix 50/50)

You might want to go check your coolant level before you go and buy more. When I went to check mines thinking that it would be low, I saw that the reservoir was full and couldn't add any more.

[Da808dad]

Originally Posted by redhot47fla

I had the issue after a typically hot North Florida summer. Alert, disappear. Alert, disappear. Working assumption was that it had not been topped off properly at the factory - which I now see likely was the case - and that the level was bubbling around and every now and then hitting critical mass. I topped it off myself and it's been fine ever since. (All of this does raise questions, however, about BMW dealers' pre-delivery "inspections.")

What's weird is that after reading the service bulletin I for sure thought the coolant level in the reservoir was going to be low but when I opened it up and noticed it was full that's what threw me off.

[Da808dad]

Glad that I'm not the only one this has happened to. However, still don't understand why it happened in the first place when the coolant reservoir is completely full.

Might have to call my friend who's one of the mechanics at the dealership to see if he knows why.

[Al Pinã]

Originally Posted by Da808dad

Glad that I'm not the only one this has happened to. However, still don't understand why it happened in the first place when the coolant reservoir is completely full.

Might have to call my friend who's one of the mechanics at the dealership to see if he knows why.

These errors are almost always caused by air pockets somewhere in the cooling system. As an air bubble passes through a sensor it fools the sensor into thinking the level is low.

Nothing to worry about in 99% of cases.

[ctelimad]

Originally Posted by Da808dad

Glad that I'm not the only one this has happened to. However, still don't understand why it happened in the first place when the coolant reservoir is completely full.

Might have to call my friend who's one of the mechanics at the dealership to see if he knows why.

I checked mine and it looks like it needs coolant
I will fill it tomorrow although i never had any overheating the whole summer
If after filling it the level goes down again will take it tp the dealer to check for a leakage somewhere

[sfy2905]

Same issue. My 2020 850i GC was delivered at the end of April and has about 3100 miles. In the past week the weather has turned colder for the first time this fall and each morning the low coolant alert has come on, but later in the day the message went away. I took it by the dealer yesterday and they topped off the coolant and no alert this morning. They didn't seem to put that much in, about 1/4 gallon.

[bloozemanAZ]

I've read various posts on coolant issues including the service bulletin. So far knock on wood that even in the harshest climate (110+ here in Phoenix) I've never seen the alert. That said the entire post is telling me I need to check the coolant reservoir tomorrow morning just to be safe.

[Ozzie8]

Yes I had that issue at about 2,500 km and did a post in this forum. Topped up with diluted BMW coolant as per instructions and no further issues.

[ctelimad]

Originally Posted by Ozzie8

Yes I had that issue at about 2,500 km and did a post in this forum. Topped up with diluted BMW coolant as per instructions and no further issues.

Did you fill both tanks or only the main one with the big cap?

[Ozzie8]

Both tanks. But careful to not overfill, which is not easy given the hard to read level marking.

[ctelimad]

Originally Posted by Ozzie8

Both tanks. But careful to not overfill, which is not easy given the hard to read level marking.

Thank you!

[Beethoven3]

I had the same warning about a month ago with 5k miles. The dealer added coolant to both the engine reservoir and turbos reservoir. No problems since then.

[bloozemanAZ]

Well, I never did end up checking the coolant reservoir (forgot to do so) but have taken the car out on several errands and performance runs since this thread started. However, when I started the car to do a "honey do" errand for the wife this afternoon I saw an alert on the iDrive but just figured it was the anticipated "low tire" message given the weather is changing and we've had much cooler days here in Phoenix. Scratch that thought as when I'm driving away from the house and pay attention to the iDrive screen it is the "low coolant" alert.

Although my errand is roughly a 6 mile round trip the words "engine damage" had me pull a u-turn (have to love the active rear wheel steering) and park the car in the garage. I used the wife's X5 for the errand and now am facing buying some BMW coolant to top it off if it just wasn't a glitch due to an air pocket as per ALPINA_DREAMS.

Considering I've driven the car through the 110+ days here in Phoenix this summer why now? Over the past two decades plus I've never had to top of the coolant in any car I've owned. Perhaps the Lexus dealer did during the standard 5K (or 6 months) maintenance schedule or BMW is doing so with my wife's X5 on every 10K/12month service (we're hitting the 4 year mark for it this December).

Is what we're experiencing a VPC delivery issue to properly prep the 8-series or is there an inherent issue? The BMW bulletin does not apply to my 2020 M850i as it appears to align to the 2019s, i.e., a cutoff date of April 5, 2019 vs my 2020's date of 10/2019.

[bloozemanAZ]

Looks like I need some help in buying the right BMW coolant just in case I need it. The service bulletin lists the part number as 82141467704 yet on https://www.ecstuning.com/ (they had the best price) it states it does not match my 2020 M850i. According to them I need 83192468442 at a $5 upcharge. Just want to make sure I get the right coolant.

[Ozzie8]

Interesting. Since I posted my coolant alert sometime ago, I've had no further issues with a hot summer to come. Perhaps due to the fact we are in the warmer climate zones we are getting these alerts?

When I took delivery of my car, in the boot there was a spare 1 litre bottle of engine oil. Same for my last BMW. Never used it last car or this car, most likely because it oil levels got focused on in the BMW servicing.

Perhaps BMW should add a bottle of coolant instead of engine oil to all new 8 series.

[FBMWWINS]

Originally Posted by bloozemanAZ

Looks like I need some help in buying the right BMW coolant just in case I need it. The service bulletin lists the part number as 82141467704 yet on https://www.ecstuning.com/ (they had the best price) it states it does not match my 2020 M850i. According to them I need 83192468442 at a $5 upcharge. Just want to make sure I get the right coolant.

Part number 82141467704 is definitely NOT suited. According to both ETK and REALOEM this was released in 1993 and is for the following BMW models:

E31
E32, E34, E36, E38, E39
E46
E60, E63, E64, E65, E66
E83, E85
E90

Some confuse the G15 with the E31 model and throw any 8 series into one and the same box...
83192468442 is HT12 coolant type and is suited according to TIS documentation. TIS lists both antifreeze and corrosion inhibitors types for the M850i, the HT12 and the G48 (see attached printscreens) depending on production (until / from dates).

Thus, the following part numbers would be the correct ones:

83192211191 (mentioned in BMW TIS)
83512355290 (mentioned in BMW TIS as Part number worldwide)
83192218347 (suited too according to BMW ETK)
83192466484 (mentioned in BMW TIS as new standard)

As for the one you ultimately choose, consider this note: "In principle, a vehicle has to be filled with the coolant that it was delivered with ex-works."

Thus check the color and if your coolant is BLUE then go for the G48 type. If it is green, then stick with the HT12 one. Only then you will know if the one provided by ECS tuning is the correct one for your model.If it is, then part number 83192468442 is fine. Ultimately it's wise to check with an SA too - one you can trust at least!

[Ozzie8]

Fascinating. Great post.

Even more reason for BMW to include a bottle of the CORRECT coolant with a new car.

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by FBMWWINS

Part number 82141467704 is definitely NOT suited. According to both ETK and REALOEM this was released in 1993 and is for the following BMW models:

E31
E32, E34, E36, E38, E39
E46
E60, E63, E64, E65, E66
E83, E85
E90

Some confuse the G15 with the E31 model and throw any 8 series into one and the same box...
83192468442 is HT12 coolant type and is suited according to TIS documentation. TIS lists both antifreeze and corrosion inhibitors types for the M850i, the HT12 and the G48 (see attached printscreens) depending on production (until / from dates).

Thus, the following part numbers would be the correct ones:

83192211191 (mentioned in BMW TIS)
83512355290 (mentioned in BMW TIS as Part number worldwide)
83192218347 (suited too according to BMW ETK)
83192466484 (mentioned in BMW TIS as new standard)

As for the one you ultimately choose, consider this note: "In principle, a vehicle has to be filled with the coolant that it was delivered with ex-works."

Thus check the color and if your coolant is BLUE then go for the G48 type. If it is green, then stick with the HT12 one. Only then you will know if the one provided by ECS tuning is the correct one for your model.If it is, then part number 83192468442 is fine. Ultimately it's wise to check with an SA too - one you can trust at least!

Thanks for the great info! One would think that the TIS service bulletin would have the right part number but I'm guessing there was a switchover from coolant quoted in it (since the cutoff was April 2019) to the HT-12 for my 2020's 10/2019 build date. I did check the reservoirs this afternoon and in the main tank I couldn't see anything whatsoever and tried rocking the car just to see if I could get anything to slosh over the Min line. In the turbo tank I could see the coolant slightly above the Min line and it is definitely green. So the mystery is solved and I definitely need the 83192468442 to match what is in the tank now.

So the question now is whether I place an online order (found the part at AutohouseAZ which has cheaper shipping than ECS) but it will not likely arrive until early next week according the their estimate. Thus, do I keep the car in the garage until it lands or make an appointment with my dealer and drive the roughly 7 miles to them taking it extremely easy and just have them top off the tank(s)? It's surface streets and I can keep to 40 MPH (will be the first time ever since owning the M850i) but is that a risk? Just looking for advice but assuming that the warning notice is supposed to give you enough leeway to take the car in for service vs the idiot switch engine oil lights of the past in which by the time they came on you could be literally toast.