BMW Screenwash
Discussion
As utterly stupid as it sounds I only put the genuine BMW screen-wash in because of the plethora of tales of woe over the internet about gunging up washer systems and BMW refusing warranty fixes if you've not used the genuine stuff.
But it's like liquid gold price wise - 9 quid for 2 litres with a minimum dilution of 1:3 meaning it basically costs almost 10 quid a go to top the washer fluid up from empty!
Surely there must be a more cost effective way - what does everyone else do?
But it's like liquid gold price wise - 9 quid for 2 litres with a minimum dilution of 1:3 meaning it basically costs almost 10 quid a go to top the washer fluid up from empty!
Surely there must be a more cost effective way - what does everyone else do?
My old buses are well beyond warranty issues but...I always use the ready mixed stuff these days, from the motor factors. I think the key thing is to limit the amount of water, such that algae etc can't develop &, for the 5 series, so that any temperature drop doesn't freeze the pipes off the nozzles.
The system has filters in it to stop crap being pulled through..
Buy a decent screen wash from Holts or Prestone and run it quite strong so have no issues with freezing and popping headlight washers.
I'm 99.9% certain BMW will not manufacture their own screen wash, it's likely that it's made by one of the above brands.
I can't belive people fall for it tbh!
Buy a decent screen wash from Holts or Prestone and run it quite strong so have no issues with freezing and popping headlight washers.
I'm 99.9% certain BMW will not manufacture their own screen wash, it's likely that it's made by one of the above brands.
I can't belive people fall for it tbh!
There are complaints of rejected warranty claims for blocked systems all over the net with BMW blaming screenwash - I quite agree with you, I've chucked only the cheapest possible Tesco crap in my E39 for 8 years without a single problem but it just seems like a risk not worth bothering with on the F10.
This is a tricky one. I was sceptical at first, but came across plenty of posts from owners who had completely screwed-up their screenwash system using non-BMW liquid. For a current 3 Series, the cost of rectifying this is either many hours of DIY or a £400+ garage bill. I'm sure that it's possible to use a subsitute, but the cost of a mistake seems non-trivial.
You can moderate the cost by ordering 5L concentrate (as I've just done), rather than the 500ml or 1L that BMW Spare Parts tend to have in stock. I know some people will say you can buy cheaper and that it's a waste of money not to do so. The decision is up to you but it seems a bit of a contradiction to buy a premium/luxury car and then balk at the cost of screenwash.
You can moderate the cost by ordering 5L concentrate (as I've just done), rather than the 500ml or 1L that BMW Spare Parts tend to have in stock. I know some people will say you can buy cheaper and that it's a waste of money not to do so. The decision is up to you but it seems a bit of a contradiction to buy a premium/luxury car and then balk at the cost of screenwash.
Years ago we had a Mondeo which had a screenwash blockage problem - I traced it back to the tank under the RH wing, and once I'd got the wheelarch liner off I found the outlet from the tank to the pump had a 'skin' of blue (felt like polythene) over it. I broke this 'skin', refilled the bottle and all was well. Clearly the screenwash additive had solidified to create this. My MOT tester said he'd seen it happen before, and he advised to put a lot LESS additive than directed on the bottle, saying that 'they're in the the business of selling their product, and it doesn't need to be so strong a mixture'. It sounded reasonable advice. I suspect mixing different makes of screenwash could also create a problem, so once it's run low a flush with clean water and (lower?)strength of a less expensive (but known brand?) additive may be the way to go.
msej449 said:
You can moderate the cost by ordering 5L concentrate (as I've just done), rather than the 500ml or 1L that BMW Spare Parts tend to have in stock.
Don't know if still available but they used to do 20L "boxes" for about £50 - you had to buy a tap as one off too. I use the Lidl stuff in all our cars. Don't have a BMW but it gets used in a Merc and VW with fan washers. I've seen it suggested it's made by the same company although the Lidl stuff is a darker blue.
Sheepshanks said:
Don't know if still available but they used to do 20L "boxes" for about £50 - you had to buy a tap as one off too. .
Yep you can still get them and they cost about £42 last time I got one, so about £2 per litre. You don't really need 3:1 unless it is getting down to about -12 from memory. Neat is -63 I think! They changed the format from a box to a 20 litre bottle, which takes a different tap to the winebox. I must be on my 4th of these 20l boxes, having used them for about 8 years. If you have trouble finding the part code, let me know and I will take a look in the garage. There is also a 50 litre drum, but even I thought that was overkill...
It's not so much as the other products themselves, but the combination of BMW and some cheaper ones that forms a soap like residue that blocks up the filter. I have made the mistake once and used BMW stuff since
Edited by 335d on Sunday 11th January 23:03
Fox- said:
There are complaints of rejected warranty claims for blocked systems all over the net with BMW blaming screenwash - I quite agree with you, I've chucked only the cheapest possible Tesco crap in my E39 for 8 years without a single problem but it just seems like a risk not worth bothering with on the F10.
I'd agree it's potentially not worth the risk..But I fail to see how it can become blocked without some serious owner-error
Maybe the blockages are down to people using water from a water butt with no wash at all!!? That I could belive.
philmots said:
I'd agree it's potentially not worth the risk..
But I fail to see how it can become blocked without some serious owner-error
Maybe the blockages are down to people using water from a water butt with no wash at all!!? That I could belive.
It is the mixture of BMW with Holts / Halfords or similar that can cause the residue to block the filter. I discovered this about a decade ago on a 330i and have stuck with BMW stuff since.But I fail to see how it can become blocked without some serious owner-error
Maybe the blockages are down to people using water from a water butt with no wash at all!!? That I could belive.
If I was a cynic, I could imagine that BMW designed this to happen to keep people loyal to their accessories...
Osinjak said:
I haven't used BMW stuff in the nearly five years I've had mine and not had a single problem. I don't stick to any particular brand, just use whatever is in the garage at time.
As stated, the mixture of BMW with other stuff can be the problem. The BMW screenwash is quite different to all of the supermarket / garage / Halfords stuff in my experience, all of which seems to be designed to cope with -10 at best. It must be chemically very different for BMW stuff to cope with -63. If you have stuck to garage screenwash, you have probably avoided this particular reaction which results in a residue. My 330i was only about 6 months old when it became blocked. Luckily the dealer just cleaned the filter inside the washer bottle, which solved it.335d said:
As stated, the mixture of BMW with other stuff can be the problem. The BMW screenwash is quite different to all of the supermarket / garage / Halfords stuff in my experience, all of which seems to be designed to cope with -10 at best. It must be chemically very different for BMW stuff to cope with -63.
It must be a German thing - the Lidl stuff is -60CThey only sell it winter so you need to stock up - I bought 15L last winter and I've still got half of it left.
Sheepshanks said:
It must be a German thing - the Lidl stuff is -60C
They only sell it winter so you need to stock up - I bought 15L last winter and I've still got half of it left.
How much is the Lidl stuff per litre and how does it smell?They only sell it winter so you need to stock up - I bought 15L last winter and I've still got half of it left.
The BMW one smells like peach schnapps, which is quite pleasant and you can smell it inside the car when washing the screen. When giving someone a lift, and washing the screen, I do wonder whether people unfamiliar with it think that I have might been drinking.
Edited by 335d on Monday 12th January 10:19
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