2003 BMW 318i 192000km. Took the dip stick out and its that milky color (You know the one). took it too a maniac and he said it looks fine to me and the problem is moisture in the motor, and he went on to say this is caused by the car been driven cold and not having a chance to heat up. he also said this a common problem and would not be the first time he has seen this. And i said ok so what about the white smoke and he said well the ks are up there you know and he reckons that the auto insurance don't want a bar of it because they have taken his word that he reckons that the head gasket is fine. then he said go back to the dealer and find out what oil has been used though out its life, and my reply was laughter followed by saying how the hell are they going to know and he agreed and said that can be a tricky one. Now as for the warranty side it only states that a service must be done every 15000km or 12 months (whatever comes first) well ive only had it 6 months and done about 5000km. What your thoughts! any help would be great and thanks:)
fordkiwi27,
Nov 29, 4:55pm
shouldnt take your car to a maniac!
saxman99,
Nov 29, 5:00pm
Does the car overheat, run poorly etc!
phillip.weston,
Nov 29, 5:03pm
are there traces of oil sludge through the cooling system! Is it using any oil or coolant!
daryl14,
Nov 29, 5:38pm
My thoughts are that you will soon learn your warranty isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
jason18,
Nov 29, 5:40pm
Take it to another mechanic for a second opinion.
jon1111,
Nov 29, 5:53pm
LMFAROF!
fordoverholden,
Nov 29, 5:57pm
i had to take it to this guy it was part of the warranty.
fordoverholden,
Nov 29, 5:58pm
i can't this guy is approved by the warranty side of things
fordoverholden,
Nov 29, 5:58pm
not that i have noticed
fordoverholden,
Nov 29, 5:59pm
nope it runs fine and doesn't overheat
fordoverholden,
Nov 29, 5:59pm
yes i agree
jason18,
Nov 29, 6:44pm
Ok it may just be condensation. Do you just do quick short trips! Maybe get a service then take her for a good long drive. See how the oil looks
supernova2,
Nov 29, 6:45pm
Are you saying that there is only one place you can take the car in the whole country!What brand of warranty you have!Sounds like a rip to me.Obvious thing to be would go to a BMW specialist and get a written opinion then go back to the "maniac" and shove the opinion down his throat and suggest he think again.
a.woodrow,
Nov 29, 6:50pm
You can take it any where you damn well please. It's YOUR car aint it!
msigg,
Nov 29, 7:58pm
Just call in and take it somewhere eles for a check up, if you no not alot about engines then get someone that does,It may turn out to be nothing a decent oil change and a good thrashing wouln't sort out, or could be about to crap out, you need to sort it for piece of mind and warranty if any. Just do it.
neryl1,
Nov 29, 8:37pm
for the oil to be milky it would mean water in it. The only place water would get there from a head gasket blown would be from the cooling system. Is there water missing from the radiator. Check the level and check again after driving.
tillsbury,
Nov 29, 9:27pm
It's possibly ok if the temperatures are absolutely steady and the coolant levels are absolutely steady, but keep your eye on it.Any water loss or overheating and that's a head gasket.
chebry,
Nov 30, 6:25am
Check the use by date, BMWs arent great once the factory warranty expires
mm12345,
Nov 30, 7:22am
Unless someone tipped water in the oil filler by mistake, then 99% it's a head gasket/cracked head.I don't buy in to the argument that it's "condensation from short trips" - that's vaguely possible, but very unlikely BS.Depending on where it's cracked/leaking, it may or may not run fine, it may or may not also get oil contamination in the coolant, it might seem to lose a lot of coolant, but then again it might not be losing much at all. 99% chance it's stuffed, and it's going to cost serious $$$ to fix, which is why they're telling you porkies and hoping you'll go away.
lombax,
Nov 30, 7:42pm
it is true that moisture in the engine will cause a milky looking colour on the dipstick,take the car for a drive and warm it up,re-check the dip stick,and it should be all ok,unless its a solid grey colour ,and your engine is overheating,and water coming out of the exhaust smelling like anti-freeze,if so i would be looking at the headgasket,if the colour of your white smoke is just white and smells like gas,your engine needs a tune up,if its slightly blue then you have worn piston rings,and your warranty will not cover that,proberly why the mechanic asked bout the oil,,(log book)
lombax,
Nov 30, 8:09pm
hahhahahahahahah
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.