What to Do When Your BMW’s Coolant Light Comes On
It’s a scenario that no one looks forward to. You’re driving your BMW down the road, enjoying a smooth and powerful ride, when suddenly your coolant light pops on. What should you do? Is it safe to keep driving? While this won’t be a popular answer, it’s the one that you need to hear.
No, it’s not safe to drive your BMW when the coolant light is on.
Warning lights are important, especially in a high-performance beast like your BMW. So, what might happen if you keep driving? Today we’re going to answer this question and also give you some signs of what to look for that might pop up on the off chance that the coolant light does now.
What Can Happen if I Keep Driving my BMW With the Coolant Light On?
While that coolant light looks calm, cool, and collected on your dashboard, don’t let the continued and quiet operation of your vehicle fool you – That light is on for a reason and you’d best pay attention. Even though your BMW is packed with a modern and efficient cooling system, the heat under the hood has a standard operating range of 195 to 220 degrees.
Note that we said ‘range’. Just starting off, your engine fires up and quickly hits 195 degrees, and by the time you’ve been driving for a few minutes then 220 is about the norm, or 230 if you’re having a little fun with it.
During that time, your coolant system is circulating fluid that is absorbing excess heat and then making a trip to the radiator, where that heat is dissipated and newly-cooled fluid makes the trip through your engine once again.
In normal circumstances, this is going to be quite efficient, but when you start leaking oil or coolant then the temperature begins to rise and so does the potential of damaging your BMW.
You might make it home, but then end up with damage from a superheated engine cooling down, or you might break down just a few minutes down the line. There’s even a small chance it will be okay – for now – but you really shouldn’t risk it.
If your coolant light is on, the best course of action is to pull your BMW over right away and get it towed to an expert.
Signs of Coolant Issues You Can Look For
When your coolant light is on or even a little before it makes an appearance, there are some symptoms that may show. Here are a few examples of what you can look for that indicate a coolant issue is at play:
- Colorful puddles underneath your BMW – BMW coolant comes in different colors – orange, purple, red, and yellow – and if you see puddles of any of these then you’ve got a problem that needs to be addressed.
- The heater is acting up – When coolant isn’t circulating properly, the heater in your BMW will often reflect this. You’ll turn it on and it might seem only a little warmer inside the car or perhaps not even that. Whether or not the coolant light is on, this warrants a checkup.
- Higher operating temperatures – If your BMW’s temperature is constantly higher than 220 for prolonged periods of time, then take it as a warning and get your vehicle checked out. It should run between 195 and 220 degrees most of the time and 230 is okay when you’re punching it, but beyond these examples something is likely to be amiss.
Regular Coolant Checks and Expert Preventative Maintenance Can Help
Much like a race car making frequent 
pit stops during a race, your BMW needs regular checks and fine-tuning. This should be done every 5000 miles, which is more frequent than most other vehicles, but it’s part and parcel of owning a high-performance ride like a BMW.
Getting the right preventative maintenance is important, but you also want to make sure that you’re going with a shop that KNOWS these vehicles – like Solo Motorsports.
For over 2 decades now, Solo Motorsports has been specializing in quality European vehicles such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Audi, and Porsche and we’ve built enough of a reputation that we now serve the following Georgia locations:
Call sometime or simply bring your BMW or other quality European brand vehicle in for a checkup and give our ASE-certified mechanics a chance to impress you with what we can do. Not only will we know your brand, but we’ll have worked with your exact model and this makes a huge difference in the money and time you’ll save.
