Coolant smell through Vents

[littlejlh93]

Hello, I have a 2017 750i.

After my car warms up and I'm stopping at a redlight i can smell coolant through my Vents. If i turn on recirculation mode the smell goes away. I have replaced the turbo coolant hoses with new rubber hoses as those were leaking before the smell had been gone for about 4-5 months. Now i am wondering if i'm having a heater core issue or water pump issue.
Any suggestions? And does anyone know of any indy shops in Atlanta.

[Raimo5]

Are you actually losing coolant or just smelling it? It can sometimes also be mistaken for screen wash fluid if there is a leaky nozzle.

Heater core failures are very rare and if they do happen, then its usually when car is really old, or neglected.

[littlejlh93]

I am not seeing a loss in coolant. The engine bay is pretty clean I just drove 2600 miles trip and it only happens when I come to a stop. The engine bay is pretty up kept so i could see any top leaks which i'm not. I have yet to get it on a lift and drop the rack to look underneath.

i purchased the car a little over a year ago with 50k miles and it is at 90k now. A lot of highway driving.

[Raimo5]

Sometimes the coolant smells can linger around quite a lot of time as they are burnt off the surfaces with operating heat. But seeing as you have gone 4-5 months already with quite a bit of miles in between then it is less likely to be the cause. Then again, if you are not losing any coolant then I dont see any other obvious theories.

Guess it is best to get it on the lift as you mentioned and have it inspected all the way around. Coolant loop and expansion tank cap pressure test wouldn't hurt either.

[raychsh]

I got the same smell start from late 2023, it begin with losing coolant and refiled every other week and got worse and worse. it`s too hard to get a loaner car appointment, I waited for 2 week until the scheduled time. BMW quoted $3,800 for the repairs. on my car it is the oil filter housing leaked. few other hose was required to replaced at the same time. I have replaced 5 coolant hoses in 2023, now the filter and could be more. none of the hoses are covered under extended warranty. It`s really disappointing. BMW reliability are destroyed again by these shitty cool components.