2003 BMW 325 coolant

2003 BMW 325
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SJCOCHRAN
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2003 BMW 325 120000 miles

Hi there...My coolant light came on two months ago. I took it to the mechanic. They flushed my system and pressure checked it. They said the pressure check was fine. My coolant light just came on again, and I checked the resovoir and it was empty. There was a puddle of coolant on the ground. I checked the oil for that "milkshake" look to the oil, and the oil seemed normal. It's synthetic oil and look like a yellow-brown color. Can you tell me a list of what it most likely could be? As a woman, I would like to know the possibilities before I head back to the mechanic. Also, the coolant seems to be leaking faster than before. Thank you!
Dec 20, 2009 at 11:39 AM
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DOCHAGERTY
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One of the most consistent faults with the cooling systems on BMW cars like yours, is the use of plastic in the cooling system and having that plastic crack due to repeated thermal cycling. As a line technician, I see this failure quite often. If I had to guess, I would guess the expansion tank has a crack. You can see a great exploded view at: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.do?model=ET37&mospid=47720&hg=17&fg=05
Dec 20, 2009 at 2:29 PM
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SJCOCHRAN
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Thank you so much for your help! I appreciate it, and now have a starting point! Any idea about how expensive a job it should be if it is the expansion tank? Thanks again!
Dec 20, 2009 at 5:43 PM