Car Owners Hub UK - Built by Drivers, for Drivers

An update on my 35,000 updated MCS was going to be sent a few days ago. Runs smoothly, no issues at all.

You won't believe what happened: when I was driving the MCS and thinking about publishing my report, I started to smell coolant. I had just gone grocery shopping and had a tonne of vegetables in the trunk, so I convinced myself that maybe that was the source of the stench.


Dropped off errands and then parked for 20 minutes. Once again, a faint coolant odour is detectable upon startup. Snow on the ground made the short trip home more arduous, and by the time the heated seats reached a comfortable temperature, I could tell the fan wasn't doing its job. The sun came out of nowhere as I climbed the hill. Once I reached the peak, the heat had gone. Apologies, but this is terrible.
Drove all the way to our house.

if I turned off the engine, I noticed that there was very little coolant in the tank. To make a long tale short, I recently removed the inlet manifold and saw that the link pipe was leaking along the top seam in the center of the pipe.

I feel bad for not using an oem link pipe; now I'm eating humble pie.The El Ring pipe bursting at the seam was completely unexpected. It seems to me that the water pump end might be the culprit. BMW will send me a replacement link pipe tomorrow.

The engine still starts when I press the button, but I still don't think everything is OK. To check the engine's health, I must install a new pipe. The oil is completely devoid of water. Might have gotten away with it, then. Observe this.

Just use BMW link pipes, that's the lesson.

I know most people on this topic recommend using the OEM crossover pipe, but I installed a stainless steel one I got on eBay about four months ago (though I did use BMW OEM orings), and I haven't had any problems with it since. It was a few millimetres longer than the cut-off section, but it fit perfectly.

As a heads up, I appreciate you posting this and hope your engine is fine.

Ours has been running well for the past three years thanks to the authentic BMW one I got from the dealer.

I deeply regret not utilising the original BMW for the update. Rather than worrying that the engine is overheating and having to replace the pipe in the freezing weather, it would be worth an extra hundred or so pounds right now. Hopefully, the engine is not overheated, but I am prepared for it. I intend to continue my search for a stainless pipe because I enjoy the concept. It would have been more efficient to use a plain hose.
Aside from that, the reconditioned engine was fun to operate. Thus, the 35,000 in 17 months.

On the majority of my installations, I utilise O-ring sealant.

I appreciate you providing me with the data. Stainless seems like a measure of safety. A UK one, but no DE/A one. Otherwise, it will be a BMW, so I will keep searching.