Guys,
I need your help / advice / support here please .....
I posted earlier this week about taking my car (97 Euro 840Ci Auto) into the local dealer to get a bad misfire fixed. The dealer had the car for 7 days before they diagnosed the problem. It turned out to be that a cat (drivers side) needed to be replaced - which was done under my BMW Extended warranty. OK so far.
On Wednesday this week I drove the car 15 miles along the motorway back to my house. When I got out of the car , there was a small amount of sweet smelling steam coming from under the car (level with front of driver side door.)
I immediately rang the dealer and they said to take the car back in for a checkover. I was away on business (without my car) on Thurs/Friday so I arranged to take it in this morning (Saturday)
The first 14 miles of the journey were fine - on the motorway and the temperature outside of +2 degrees C.
I then came off motorway into town and I noticed that the temperature gauge started to rise above normal.
At a set of traffic lights clouds of white steam started to come out of the back of the car as I pulled away - and the car stopped running altogether.
I got the car towed the last 1/2 mile to the dealership where they put it up on the ramp.
They told me the radiator was empty and that they couldn't do any more test on the car until Monday - when it had cooled down (they close at lunchtime on Saturday for the weekend)
I said that I considered it almost 100% certain that the work they did on the car - and this issue of leaking coolant were related. i.e. they must have done something to the car to make this happen.
Their answer was that the cat and the radiator/cooling system are different components and that the loss of coolant must have come from a co-incidentally perished hose that occurred during my initial 15 mile home from the dealership.
One bogus explanation the mechanic offered was this
"After we worked on the car we will have probably topped the coolant level up. There could have already been a cracked or leaking hose which hadn't shown the problem due to a previously low coolant level."
THIS IS COMPLETE RUBBISH - as how come I have driven the car hundreds of miles previously without it stalling / overheating or similar - and yet 15 miles after they finished working on it - leaking steam appeared - and then a further 15 miles and the whole radiator was empty with steam coming out of all exhaust pipes.
Can anyone help with the following:-
1) Is it conceivable that during the replacement of the cat - that the exhaust system needed to be removed (or moved) in such a way that it could have hit/damaged a coolant pipe or similar ? (or are the two physically so far apart that it is unlikely ?)
2) Supposing the worst HAS happened and the cylinder head gasket has gone - will the remedial work be covered under my BMW Extended Warranty or will I have to claim against the dealership as it was "potentially" their fault ?
3) If the Cylinder head gasket has gone - what should I insist on being replaced to restore the engine ? Is there anything I need to make sure they do ?
I feeling pretty low right now - as I have only owned the car for 8 weeks and now have a 316i compact as a loaner.
As ever, sincere thanks for any help / advice or support you are able to offer.
Ian.
