DOCUMENTED CASE TIMELINE
Events are recorded as they are documented. Where a statement was oral, it is labeled owner-reported. Documents publish as redacted derivatives after administrator review.
Passenger side began blowing warm while the driver side cooled. Cooling capacity declined progressively over subsequent weeks.
R-1234yf recharge temporarily restored cooling, but the symptoms returned — a pattern consistent with persistent refrigerant loss. Subsequent diagnostic evaluations were required to identify the reported leak location.
DOCUMENT ON FILE · RECHARGE INVOICEIndependent and dealer evaluations converged on the same finding. Leak detection traced the refrigerant loss to the evaporator core, sealed inside the HVAC box behind the dashboard.
DOCUMENTS ON FILE · DIAGNOSTIC REPORTSThe dealership confirmed evaporator replacement, requiring dashboard removal. Labor dominates the estimate.
DOCUMENT ON FILE · DEALER ESTIMATEThe owner requested reconsideration based on ownership history, mileage, diagnostic expenses and the nature of the component failure.
Executive Customer Care advised the request had been forwarded for Field Team review.
As of August 8, 2026, no further determination had been communicated on the request for additional assistance.
The final repair order documents the full sequence: static pressures of approximately 100 psi high side and 70 psi low side; the system evacuated with 180 g of refrigerant recovered against a 630 g fill specification; recharge with oil and leak-detection dye; electronic leak detection documenting refrigerant traces emerging from the vents; a written recommendation to replace the evaporator; the evaporator replaced per repair instructions; and post-repair verification in which the system held vacuum with no leaks present, was recharged with 630 g of R-1234yf, and was documented by BMW Fresno as working as intended.
The repair order records BMW North America goodwill at 20%, applied to goodwill-level pricing, with the customer paying 80% of that pricing. The resulting customer responsibility of $2,488.34 is approximately 50.4% below the earlier $5,012.54 retail estimate. That larger gap is not a 50.4% goodwill contribution: BMW expressly identifies its contribution as 20%. AutoDefect publishes both figures and does not reconcile them into an inferred gross repair price BMW never stated.
An unrelated BMW starter service campaign (campaign 0012590600, reference B12 13 25 / 25V-644) was also completed during the same dealer visit, at no cost to the owner under warranty campaign coverage. It is recorded here only for chronological completeness. It is not evaporator evidence and contributes nothing to the HVAC repair cost, the goodwill figure or the owner-paid amount. Recall and campaign applicability is vehicle-specific and should be verified by VIN through NHTSA.
THE PATTERN THIS CASE FOLLOWS
HOW RECORDS ARE REVIEWED →
