Marcos,
This is sad; I predict you are in big trouble. It sounds to me like you just bought a used car, although you didn't say that. So what if the engine bay was clean? You seem impressed by the wrong stuff. The engine bay was clean because it was steam cleaned with coolant for some period by the previous owner. Does that help explain things? It also appears you had no coolant in the motor while driving it for over 50 miles!! The temp gauge sensor only works when in direct contact with fluid. I will not function when fluid is replaced with gas, so it will not indicate overheat if the engine has no coolant in it. This is a recipe for catastrophic failure of the sort you experienced. If you suddenly lost coolant you would have likely known it long before the engine quit turning. You would have seen dash lights, heard chimes and saw steam. When coolant is suddenly lost a plume of steam is witnessed, allowing the engine to be shut off by key within a mile and saved from damage. Ignoring the plume will result in run-to-failure and total engine loss, generally within 5 to 10 miles.
Therefore I deduce that you never checked coolant level but the car had a SERIOUS existing defect. It was dangerously low on fluid (virtually empty) from a leak before you drove off. This is why you saw no steam until the end. Again, you can't drive an S62 with low fluid for a significant distance or the engine will catastrophically fail to the point of requiring replacement. We're talking a couple miles, not 30+ minutes for gosh sakes.
I strongly believe the engine is destroyed and it was surely defective before you bought it or it would not be missing 3 gallons of coolant. These engines do not forgive gross neglect like an old cast iron pedestrian V8. This car may be a total loss because the cost to repair will likely exceed the value of the car.
You should immediately tow the car to the original owner and demand your money back. Use any laws (legal protection) in your favor and make the former owner own this existing problem. As-is does not necessarily mean you're screwed or stuck because misrepresentation is possibly a factor here. Get a lawyer TODAY for advice how to reverse an as-is purchase in Texas where the car blows up 45 minutes from pick up. This may be the best $500 you spent in your life.
There's almost no chance the engine survived. I'd put the odds at 1 in 20 or worse. An engine replacement (used with little or no warranty) runs about $15K. You should act accordingly. If you're praying or hoping you're super lucky and wish to confirm the reason for no engine turnover, fluid loss and wish to determine exactly what damage was done from a long drive on low fluid, don't let that diminish your ability to reverse this purchase. Such an investigation could take weeks and cost a lot. The exact scope of such damage can not be reliably predicted until all repairs are performed and proper function is verified. This means dumping lots of coin and time. It's a one way street to big money spent for diagnosis with possibly poor outcome.
Did you inspect systems on this car before buying it? I ALWAYS check coolant and oil level and monitor level closely when driving home. When I arrive home, all fluids get changed because I don't trust any seller's claim and wish to minimize the effects of any neglect. Coolant and engine oil level are #1 and #2 on my list followed by evidence of crash damage, tranny fluid level and about 100 other things. Seat wear, paint condition and engine bay cleanliness are on the very BOTTOM of my list of concerns when buying an M5.
Please don't take my post wrong. I am trying to help by shocking you into quick action by explaining the potential seriousness of this situation (with stark honesty). Towing to your shop could result in accepting fault, losing precious time and total financial loss. My diagnosis is based upon somewhat sketchy information and I could be wrong, but I doubt it. You laid out the scenario and symptoms fairly clearly. If you knew me well you would take my recommendation serious.
This is sad; I predict you are in big trouble. It sounds to me like you just bought a used car, although you didn't say that. So what if the engine bay was clean? You seem impressed by the wrong stuff. The engine bay was clean because it was steam cleaned with coolant for some period by the previous owner. Does that help explain things? It also appears you had no coolant in the motor while driving it for over 50 miles!! The temp gauge sensor only works when in direct contact with fluid. I will not function when fluid is replaced with gas, so it will not indicate overheat if the engine has no coolant in it. This is a recipe for catastrophic failure of the sort you experienced. If you suddenly lost coolant you would have likely known it long before the engine quit turning. You would have seen dash lights, heard chimes and saw steam. When coolant is suddenly lost a plume of steam is witnessed, allowing the engine to be shut off by key within a mile and saved from damage. Ignoring the plume will result in run-to-failure and total engine loss, generally within 5 to 10 miles.
Therefore I deduce that you never checked coolant level but the car had a SERIOUS existing defect. It was dangerously low on fluid (virtually empty) from a leak before you drove off. This is why you saw no steam until the end. Again, you can't drive an S62 with low fluid for a significant distance or the engine will catastrophically fail to the point of requiring replacement. We're talking a couple miles, not 30+ minutes for gosh sakes.
I strongly believe the engine is destroyed and it was surely defective before you bought it or it would not be missing 3 gallons of coolant. These engines do not forgive gross neglect like an old cast iron pedestrian V8. This car may be a total loss because the cost to repair will likely exceed the value of the car.
You should immediately tow the car to the original owner and demand your money back. Use any laws (legal protection) in your favor and make the former owner own this existing problem. As-is does not necessarily mean you're screwed or stuck because misrepresentation is possibly a factor here. Get a lawyer TODAY for advice how to reverse an as-is purchase in Texas where the car blows up 45 minutes from pick up. This may be the best $500 you spent in your life.
There's almost no chance the engine survived. I'd put the odds at 1 in 20 or worse. An engine replacement (used with little or no warranty) runs about $15K. You should act accordingly. If you're praying or hoping you're super lucky and wish to confirm the reason for no engine turnover, fluid loss and wish to determine exactly what damage was done from a long drive on low fluid, don't let that diminish your ability to reverse this purchase. Such an investigation could take weeks and cost a lot. The exact scope of such damage can not be reliably predicted until all repairs are performed and proper function is verified. This means dumping lots of coin and time. It's a one way street to big money spent for diagnosis with possibly poor outcome.
Did you inspect systems on this car before buying it? I ALWAYS check coolant and oil level and monitor level closely when driving home. When I arrive home, all fluids get changed because I don't trust any seller's claim and wish to minimize the effects of any neglect. Coolant and engine oil level are #1 and #2 on my list followed by evidence of crash damage, tranny fluid level and about 100 other things. Seat wear, paint condition and engine bay cleanliness are on the very BOTTOM of my list of concerns when buying an M5.
Please don't take my post wrong. I am trying to help by shocking you into quick action by explaining the potential seriousness of this situation (with stark honesty). Towing to your shop could result in accepting fault, losing precious time and total financial loss. My diagnosis is based upon somewhat sketchy information and I could be wrong, but I doubt it. You laid out the scenario and symptoms fairly clearly. If you knew me well you would take my recommendation serious.
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