I own a 2011 BMW 550i. In July 2020 when it had just 72,300 miles on it, I had to have the water pump replaced. The repair shop got really frustrated when after replacing the water pump they found a hose leaking under the turbos. They didn't want to get involved with removing the turbos so they said just give them $700 and take it somewhere else. The water pump alone cost $615. They added antifreeze and lost money on their labor. August 2020 I took it to another BMW shop and they removed the turbos and replaced the alternator & some coolant hoses. They said the battery was going bad so I had to pay for a new battery & installation. Total bill this time was $975.67. That is $1,676 repair bill for what started out as a bad water pump.
We were scheduled to go on vacation during this time so I had to get a rental car ($500) because my BMW was in the shop. Ref. recall #18V248000 engine cooling. Says auxiliary water pump may fail and cause the circuit board to overheat. Risk of fire. Said dealers would replace the water pump free of charge but I filed past the cutoff date so I doubt they will pay anything. The turbos rest directly on the engine thus its very difficult for the heat to dissipate. That's why the battery had to be replaced so early. The hoses break because the engine sprays oil on the hoses and weakens the plastic. I think BMW should reimburse me for these charges because I should not have this much trouble with only 72,000 miles on the car.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I own a 2011 BMW 550i. In July 2020 when it had just 72,300 miles on it, I had to have the water pump replaced. The repair shop got really frustrated when after replacing the water pump they found a hose leaking under the turbos. They didn't want to get involved with removing the turbos so they said just give them $700 and take it somewhere else. The water pump alone cost $615. They added antifreeze and lost money on their labor. August 2020 I took it to another BMW shop and they removed the turbos and replaced the alternator & some coolant hoses. They said the battery was going bad so I had to pay for a new battery & installation. Total bill this time was $975.67. That is $1,676 repair bill for what started out as a bad water pump.
We were scheduled to go on vacation during this time so I had to get a rental car ($500) because my BMW was in the shop. Ref. recall #18V248000 engine cooling. Says auxiliary water pump may fail and cause the circuit board to overheat. Risk of fire. Said dealers would replace the water pump free of charge but I filed past the cutoff date so I doubt they will pay anything. The turbos rest directly on the engine thus its very difficult for the heat to dissipate. That's why the battery had to be replaced so early. The hoses break because the engine sprays oil on the hoses and weakens the plastic. I think BMW should reimburse me for these charges because I should not have this much trouble with only 72,000 miles on the car.
- Marcia S., Simpsonville, US