[NeoItaly1]

So my 2011 335i A/C started not to cool as good. Took it in to the BMW Dealer to get checked on Monday. They checked the system and found a leak in the evaporator. So it has to be replaced. Remind you my ride only has 18,000 miles on it. So I asked how long to take care of fixing the issue. Response was we need your car for 2 days. I asked why, they said the evaporator is behind the dash. SO the entire dash and center console has to come out of the car to get to it. Why in the hell they would put that there. I asked if this is normal. They said that they have replaced a ton of this in the 2011....Crazy. Hope it all goes back together. I should be picking it up today....

[Speedwagon]

Originally Posted by NeoItaly1

So my 2011 335i A/C started not to cool as good. Took it in to the BMW Dealer to get checked on Monday. They checked the system and found a leak in the evaporator. So it has to be replaced. Remind you my ride only has 18,000 miles on it. So I asked how long to take care of fixing the issue. Response was we need your car for 2 days. I asked why, they said the evaporator is behind the dash. SO the entire dash and center console has to come out of the car to get to it. Why in the hell they would put that there. I asked if this is normal. They said that they have replaced a ton of this in the 2011....Crazy. Hope it all goes back together. I should be picking it up today....

Maybe you can let us know when they finish the job today where on the evaporator was the leak?

[David1]

The evaporator and heater core is behind the dash on almost all cars.

[NeoItaly1]

Well everything went well. You cant even tell the dash was ever out. They did mess up the shift cable in the center console that controls the gear shift and allowing it to move over to sport shift. But they ordered a new one and will replace it on Monday. The leak was at the weld. They said this is where they always leak, very thin material.

[401FlaGATOR]

Right before my car's extended warranty expired I took it to the dealership about some strange issues, interior glass fogging up I thought if was the interior demister module as my indy mechanic found the sensor was shorted to ground and my OBD Bavarian Technic kit was giving me demister module error..
The SA was incredulous of my story and later called to tell me that my car doesn't have this feature, but that they discovered an evaporater leak! A $3,000 repair!

I hadn't even noticed that my car was smelling bad inside..old man dirty sweaty socks smell or that AC wasn't as cold as it used to be.It was such a small leak.

That is why I recommend extended warranties to anybody that will listen..This repair brought my total dealership warranty repair and replacements to about $12,000. Not a bad return on a $2,220 investment for an extended warranty..

I even extended my warranty past 100k because I'm worried about this evap issue..

I have very low profile tires, I wonder if potholes and bumps in the road caused some torsion or force on the evap crackin it open.

[401FlaGATOR]

Since the leak can be very small people might not notice this until its past warranty..Living in Florida I use the air all the time.. If I was living in a cold place like New York City I might have never noticed probably until it was too late

[David1]

Pot holes have nothing to do with it.

[NeoItaly1]

Yes. I would tell anyone with a BMW to have the dealer do a check on their evaporator before warranty runs out. SO glad it was under warranty...

[David1]

Nothing to check unless it's a detectible leak. Even a pin hole will empty the system in a few days. This is a problem with all manufacturers since the refrigerant eats away at the seems.