[brandoX1]

Hi all, my first time posting here!
So, 6 days ago my girlfriend took her 2017 X1 (90k miles) in to the dealership for new front brake pads. They recommended changing the pads, rotors, and replacing an engine mount that had apparently collapsed. We went ahead with all of their suggestions, racking up a bill of around $3000 (Note, in their full diagnostics they never mentioned anything about low or leaking coolant.) This week we drove the car 3 times within town, a total of 74 miles since the service, and everything seemed to be okay and running smooth.
Last night, my girlfriend and I were packing up her 2017 X1 in preparation for a road trip. The car had been idling for about 30 minutes and my girlfriend pointed out that the heat wasn't working in the car, putting out cold air. I got out to look under the hood and immediately realized a large puddle of coolant coming from under the car. I opened the hood and, sure enough, the coolant reservoir was completely empty. The engine smelled hot, but no smoke or steam. It sounded like a relatively smooth idle apart from a faint metallic rattling noise. There were no warning messages in the console/interface, but we shut the car off and scheduled for a tow back to the dealership in the morning. After turning the car back on (but not the engine), there now was a check-engine light with the console indicating "service required". This morning, the tow truck driver started the car to put it on the truck-bed and the engine sputtered and stalled shortly after starting, giving no warning messages. This was very alarming to me, because in the 4 years I've known this car it has never stalled, sputtered, or anything even remotely alarming like that. To be clear, this vehicle has never had issues with low or leaking coolant before this. All maintenance has always been done through the dealership, and has generally been typical routine maintenance (oil changes, tires, alignments, wipers, etc.). In general, I've been amazed at how reliable and smooth-running this car has been. My girlfriend bought it new in 2017 and has always kept up with the maintenance. She's also a careful and conservative driver.

This morning it was towed, and we met with the same dealership employee whom we met with previously. He was very friendly and cordial, but greeted us with a definite air of remorse/worry. This indicated to me that we were at least on the same page about the possibility/likelihood of this being their error. He said they wouldn't be able to even look at it until Monday, which is understandable because its Saturday and they were very busy. When my girlfriend asked if/what the service would cost us, he told us they wouldn't know the cost/extent of damages till Monday... I understand that without looking at the car, he can't guarantee the fault of the dealership or that they'd cover anything- but maybe I just didn't like the wording of it... So, I reemphasized that we had only driven 70 miles since their servicing, they never mentioned anything about coolant leaking at the time of the service, and the car has never had coolant leakage before. His response was "If the damages were caused by their work, of course they will cover it. But some things are unforeseen, like a burst hose, etc. And it depends if its in the same area of the engine compartment"... Again, I completely understand the logic behind that response, but wouldn't a front motor mount replacement be pretty invasive? Obviously I'm not a technician, but given the technology of BMWs I imagine there'd be a lot of disconnecting of hoses and sensors, possibly some involving the heater core and coolant systems? Regardless, I took plenty of pictures and video of every inch of the engine compartment and outside of the car that I could see.
Generally, I trust this dealership. They've always been pretty upfront about maintenance and costs, even providing videos of the car and under the hood while its in service. Its a certified BMW dealership and generally seems pretty reputable. Depending on the outcome of this situation, I could even see continuing our business with them. However, neither of us have thousands of dollars on hand to be throwing around- and especially not for someone else's mistakes. We won't hear anything till Monday, but I just want to get ahead of the ball on this.

Am I right to assume this damage is the fault of the dealership?

Based on the lack of coolant, hot smell, faint metallic noise, and later stalling, is it likely the engine suffered significant damages due to heat?

What should I expect from the dealership, and how should I handle things moving forward?

I'd greatly appreciate anyone's insight on this. My girlfriend and I are students in our early 20s and have never dealt with a situation like this. Her father, who passed a few months ago, usually would've handled a situation like this. I drive a 14 year old Chevy, and have had my fair share of maintenance issues, but obviously this is a different beast. Again, any help/insight is appreciated. I'm all ears to learn more about the technical side of these vehicles too, so that I can be better prepared and understanding.

Thanks all, and sorry for the long post!!

[Homersbud]

100% blame is dealership since it was only 70 miles driven since it was serviced by them.

If they try and say it wasn't their fault, keep complaining especially since you're a loyal customer. Sh!t happens and we all make mistakes - lets just hope they own up to it and make it right for you.

good luck

[AWJDThumper]

Coolant hoses can become brittle over time and its possible that, if one was disturbed when the engine mount was replaced, it could have been weakened and fractured some miles later. That in itself is not a big deal and is something that sometimes happens. Provided you didn't drive many miles with coolant leaking out of the engine, it's unlikely to have resulted in any damage to the engine. In this scenario, it would probably be a bit unfair to blame the dealer in any way.