What's this leak?

Roboyle · 06-05-2020, 05:26 PM

Yesterday I drained and re-filled the differential oil in my 2008 128i with 69k miles (that's why there's a giant mess around the differential drain plug). I left the car jacked up overnight because I ran out of sunlight while also flushing the coolant.

Today, I got the car down and took it for a short test drive. When I got home and went back to inspect the differential, I noticed some seepage/leaking shown in the pictures. Now, it's quite possible that in my struggles with re-filling the differential I got some oil in the areas shown in the picture.

However, I'm not sure that's the case. Can anyone help me narrow down what parts here are leaking? Is this a DIY-able job? This car is very new to me, so I'm pretty paranoid with everything about it. These pictures were taken from the rear passenger side, behind the rear wheel.

Additional question: When jacking the car up, it squeaks/creaks considerably more than my 2001 Ford. Is this normal?

HP Autosport · 06-12-2020, 11:27 AM

It's probably best to clean off the area the best you can, road test the vehicle and inspect for leaks again.

juld0zer · 06-13-2020, 02:59 AM

Someone made a mess changing the diff oil?

06-05-2020, 05:26 PM	#1
Roboyle New Member 0 Rep 6 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 128i Convertible Join Date: May 2020 Location: Austin, Texas iTrader: (0)	What's this leak? Yesterday I drained and re-filled the differential oil in my 2008 128i with 69k miles (that's why there's a giant mess around the differential drain plug). I left the car jacked up overnight because I ran out of sunlight while also flushing the coolant. Today, I got the car down and took it for a short test drive. When I got home and went back to inspect the differential, I noticed some seepage/leaking shown in the pictures. Now, it's quite possible that in my struggles with re-filling the differential I got some oil in the areas shown in the picture. However, I'm not sure that's the case. Can anyone help me narrow down what parts here are leaking? Is this a DIY-able job? This car is very new to me, so I'm pretty paranoid with everything about it. These pictures were taken from the rear passenger side, behind the rear wheel. Additional question: When jacking the car up, it squeaks/creaks considerably more than my 2001 Ford. Is this normal? Attached Images
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06-12-2020, 11:27 AM	#2
HP Autosport Supreme Allied Commander 3815 Rep 54,307 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Santa Barbara, AP, Brembo, GIAC, Koni, Ohlins, Performance Friction, www.hpautosport.com iTrader: (36)	It's probably best to clean off the area the best you can, road test the vehicle and inspect for leaks again.
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06-13-2020, 02:59 AM	#3
juld0zer Lieutenant Colonel 480 Rep 1,600 Posts Drives: Prev 135i 7DCT, Now 130i 6sp Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: 2153 iTrader: (0)	Someone made a mess changing the diff oil?
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