[nimonery]

Was driving to work the other day when I got a "Drivetrain Malfunction" warning popup and reduced power mode. Limped myself to the dealer and dropped it off. They scanned the codes and came back with a failed heat module which I guess is what they call the thermostat in these cars? Said it needed to be replaced. Thankful for my CPO warranty as this was covered, they said it would have been $3,500 otherwise! Anyone experience something like this?

Here were the codes: FAULT CODES 20A704 ENGINE COOLANT SYSTEM EMERGENCY OPERATION DUE TO COMPONENT ERROR. FAULT CODE 20F221 SHUTOFF VALVE CRANK CASE CONTROLLER POSITION NOT REACHED.

[Roki49]

3500? omg, the part cost around 300-400 itself, so I dont get it. You have really expensive service cost in US.

By what mileage did it happen?

[nimonery]

Originally Posted by Roki49

3500? omg, the part cost around 300-400 itself, so I dont get it. You have really expensive service cost in US.

By what mileage did it happen?

I’m at 45,000 miles. And yea most of the cost is for labor. I also live in one of the most expensive areas of the whole country though.

[Schantin]

I was wondering why a dealer could justify $3500, mostly in labor.

A 2-minute Google search found this video:

After watching this vid, I still wonder how a dealer can justify $3500 unless they're charging $700 an hour for their shop rate.

[Vilus]

I had a coolant leak which was diagnosed as the Heat Management Module in February 2023. Car is 2019 330i and at the time had only 19K miles on it. Luckily it was in the last month of my first extended warranty year and replaced at no cost to me. The dealer did tell me I would have been looking at a £2k+ bill to replace without the warranty which prompted me to renew it.
Was told it was 7 hrs labor according to the workshop manual needing to remove the inlet manifold. UK BMW Main Dealer rates are £200 sterling per hour including tax! Costing thousands to replace a plastic electro-mechanical valve on a 2 liter petrol engine is a bit steep.

[Wire-Mark]

I've had the same issue appear on my 2020 with 40k miles. Had a low coolant warning, followed by a Drive Train issue a week or two later. God knows where you guys are getting your quotes from, i've taken mine to an Indy BMW Specialist using OEM parts and its £602.

Apparently a common problem and my local BMW dealership do 30 of these a week......

[G20Don]

Yea l had same problem but i had to pay out of pocket unfortunately 4k later

[Asgaard]

This happened to me as well last week. I’ve got a 2020 330xi. At 34,000 miles while driving on the highway for about 45 minutes, I got a “Drivetrain Malfunction” warning message on the entertainment cluster and the vehicle went into limp mode (may 25% power with full throttle). Checked for error codes with an OBD scan tool and found 20F220 (split cooling valve) and 20A704 (engine cooling system) as outliers. Key cycle returned the vehicle to normal, but decided to take it in anyway. Dealership replaced the heat module under warranty but explained the replacement part doesn’t get its own warranty. Pretty bummed about it because this is my first BMW and seems like really low mileage to start running into problems.

[GOTOFMS]

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2035153

[Unknown_G20]

Yup I was driving down the road and I got a drivetrain malfunction, took it to the shop next morning and they told me it’s the heating module hopefully my warranty covers it. Happened at 43k miles

[jonlimawan]

The Heat Management Module (and other parts) is covered under the California Emissions Warranty if you live in CA, WA, OR, NY, Massachusetts, Vermont… (lots of the blue states) btw for 7 years or 70,000 miles. I had mine failed JUST after my standard factory warranty ended and it was covered under that warranty. Check your booklet esp. if you live in those states

[ElderlyTsunami]

Just received the same message the other day casually driving 40mph. It went away after getting home and starting the car later in the day. Brought it to the dealership, they just reached back out saying it's the heat management system and some gaskets. Funny enough a few months earlier, my coolant was low

[Jerolec]

Looks like my 2019 330i is slowly drinking coolant from the high temp system. Can't find any apparent leak and car doesn't smoke, this really puzzle me.

Coolant tank was filled up in November and is now empty after 3,500 miles. No fault, no overheating problem, hearing bubbles in the car from the heating system after long ride but nothing crazy.

What could it be? Car is still under extended warranty but feel like the dealer is not going to find anything and charge me 400$ to have run their computer for code and put the car on a lift.

[meharris]

I am right in the middle of this fix right now. It has been and "experience" -- a BIG learning experience. FCP Euro has a thorough video regarding this DIY. I have gleaned a lot from the video mentioned above and the one from FCP Euro. I plan to replace my oil filter housing as a preventative measure. This is a job that I don't ever want to do again.

[khbmw]

I too was getting a Drive Train Malfunction warning.

Thank you jonlimawan.

You saved me thousands of dollars. I had to convince the BMW that my heat management module was covered under the California emissions warranty 7 years 70k miles and they finally agreed.

I would never know if not for this post.

[spb]

HMM leak noticed on my car at about 115k miles: video

Dealer quoted $3,750 for both HMM and oil filter housing.
Shopped at indy shops and got a range of $2,500-3,300
Estimated time needed is about is 7-10hrs.

Wonder if there are any other small components worth replacing during this operation.

[svoinea]

This model has a safety recall in Canada.

Issue: “On certain vehicles, water could leak into the starter relay and cause it to corrode. If this happens, the relay could short circuit and the starter could overheat.

Safety Risk: A short circuit or an overheating starter can create a fire risk, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off.

Corrective Actions: To reduce the safety risk, BMW advises parking the vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs have been completed. BMW will notify owners by mail and advise them to bring the vehicle to a dealership to replace the engine starter.”

I believe this is what’s causing the drivetrain and coolant errors related to the heat management module and coolant system. The coolant shut-off valve is attached to the heat management module, by the way.

What do you guys think?