New BMW owner

[Award231]

Hi, I am not well knowledged with BMW's. I'm brand new and just learning and won't pretend I know what I'm talking about. I found a really good deal on a 2009 BMW 335xi from a Carmax in Denver. I was driving last night and the computer started to repeatedly tell me my engine was overheating. I believe it needs coolant and I'm too afraid to drive it until I get new coolant in it. I'm hoping there isn't a leak. The Carmax is closed today. Is there anyone in the Denver area that may have BMW coolant? I would pay you obviously for it and your time for driving out to me.

[TonyAngel]

Since you're new to BMW and have recently made a not insubstantial investment in a 335xi, I'd suggest that you also invest in a BMW specific code reader to diagnose future problems. Odds are that there is a code associated with the problem you're having. Since you believe that it needs coolant, I'm going to assume that you checked the coolant level. If you haven't, that's the first thing you should do. If it's low, I'd want to find out why.

That having been said, you should be aware (if you aren't already), your car has an electric water pump. What this means is that when it goes bad, there are usually no signs of it, except that your car starts to overheat. So...if your coolant level checks out and there are no apparent leaks, I'd be looking at the water pump. How many miles does your car have on it? Water pumps are a common repair on BMWs and you should NOT drive your car until you figure this out. BMWs are very sensitive to overheating and it can lead to catastrophic engine failure.

I, too, am new to BMWs. I've bought two in the last month and a half and it seems that revamping (or at least inspecting) the cooling system is this first thing you should do when buying a used BMW with more than 50k miles or so. If you had a BMW reader, you would know if your water pump is operating correctly or not.

If your car is under warranty, I'd suggest that you just have it towed in to be checked out.