Welcome to Tech Talk, where our resident BMW tech Nick Owen answers all your pressing BMW technical questions, frustrations, and issues. Have a question for Nick? Email him at techtalk@roundel.org. Let’s get into it.
Upper Radiator Hose
Have you given some thought to addressing solutions or alternatives for No Longer Available parts? I have a 2006 Z4M Roadster, which I have owned since 2007. I bought it with 1300 miles on the odometer; the odometer now reads 147,000. The upper radiator hose is soft and will need to be replaced sometime in the future.
Unfortunately, it is no longer available from BMW or other aftermarket suppliers. The good news s that I was able to get a lower radiator hose from BMW, as I intend to replace both the upper and lower. Supposedly there are only six of those left in stock after I purchased mine.
I have read on various forums that the E46 M3 upper radiator hose is a compatible replacement. Can you confirm this or do you know of any other solutions that might work? Way back when we used to have auto radiator repair shops and they would make hoses to fit the need.
Gene Warren
Shepherdstown, WV
It appears like the E46 M3 upper radiator hose is a sufficient replacement. I can confirm the hose for the Z4 is NLA.
Keeping My 2024 X1 M35i
I am leasing a 2024 X1 M35i and am seriously considering buying it at lease end (in about 11 months). I’ve been taking advantage of BMWs 3-year free maintenance program, but since my first oil change at about 9000 miles I’ve been changing it every 5000 miles. I’ve been leasing our cars for the past 20 years or so, but now that I’m 75 and retired I figure it’s time to bite the bullet and buy this one at about $30,000 and pay it off in 5 years.
I’d like your opinion on the projected reliability of this vehicle. I know that it shares a lot of parts with the Mini, and that Mini’s reliability ratings have been pretty low. However, my research so far has found very good marks for the B48 engine and the 7-speed transmission. On the other hand, I have had a number of problems with iDrive 9—especially inconsistent connection to our iPhone through Apple CarPlay and loss of connection to BMW’s personal assistant and Alexa.
My question to you: are there any red flags that I should be aware of before I finalize my decision? Areas that could be costly to repair, especially when I am out of warranty?
Also, with longevity in mind, can you please send me Mike Miller’s maintenance guide?
Any info/guidance you can provide would be appreciated.
Bruce Dworman
Bloomfield, CT
I think that when it comes to long-term ownership of a modern BMW, the first thing to consider is an extended warranty. While the B48 engine has been pretty stout, parts of it are prone to failure down the road. One example: the plastic coolant parts that reside on the side of the engine. If you intend on keeping the car and want peace of mind, do your research on which warranty coverage (powertrain at min) you would prefer, but generally an extended warranty can pay for itself by the second or third failed item. I wish I had a crystal ball to tell you which items to expect to fail but unfortunately, I do not possess such power.
In regards to iDrive issues, I hate to say it but there is literally nothing we can do. Since my days at the dealership and the atrocious amounts of time I spent diagnosing iDrive/CarPlay/Connection issues, the only consistent explanation as to why there are issues is simply because BMW did not build the phone and the phone did not build the BMW. There are just too many differences in hardware/software for it to work perfectly every time. Why some manufacturers got it better than others, I could not tell you. But I do know that any time a modern BMW came in with your exact complaint, I had to interrogate the customer and their phone just to end up deleting and re-pairing it to the vehicle.
With that said, should you end up having to replace the infotainment parts of your BMW down the road, an extended warranty would be able to cover those as well. Just be sure to read the fine print of the coverage.
I wish I had more to offer on the U11 chassis but it just has not been out long enough to see long term reliability. The best way to protect yourself is to routinely check the car over and do the services on time.
Two New Problems
Car is a 2018 M240i. Let me start by letting you know that I’ve fixed the LF brake squealing issue by removing the pads and thoroughly cleaning the caliper. I put a small amount of CRC brake squeal pink stuff on the back of the pads!
Now I have two new problems:
- Vibration between 60mph and 75mph. It doesn’t matter whether the snows/aftermarket wheels or factory/Michelin PSS are mounted. The Michelin PSS have been Road Force balanced. I took the car to my local indie shop (J & F Motors) for a diagnosis. Greg, the owner, and the chief tech took the car out to test it. Both seem to think it’s the driveshaft. They both said that the guibo and the CSB appear to be ok. The car has ~44,000 miles, some of which are track miles. I feel no vibrations in the shifter. It’s a 6-speed manual, of course.
- I occasionally need to merge from a stop with traffic doing ~50mph. The merge lane is very short, so I put the car in “Sport” mode and accelerate. The car bogs down and then suddenly accelerates to redline. I’ve scanned the car with Bimmerlink and it shows no codes at all. The car runs great otherwise.
Mark Fiumara
Have the driveshaft looked at/replaced. Swapping wheels rules out a balance issue. Driveshaft failing symptoms tend to happen under certain loads, might have to play with it to induce the problem so it can be rectified.
As for the transmission issue:
- Check for a failing diaphragm in the engine crank case valve on top of the valve cover.
- Have the engine and transmission adaptations deleted. Drive the car normally for 50 miles.