Ah, the BMW. The ultimate driving machine, they say.

But let's be honest, maintaining one of these Bavarian beauties can sometimes feel like wrestling a grizzly bear. It's a never-ending saga of grease, wrenches, and expletives. And then there's the serpentine belt. That sneaky little devil is notorious for causing headaches.

But don't fret!

Below, we'll unveil the top 3 reasons why your BMW's serpentine belt might be coming off and how you can protect your BMW.

#1 - The Leaking Oil Filter-housing

Oil and coolant can leak and drip onto the serpentine belt which located right below the oil filter housing.

The coolant BMW uses in the N5x engines will deteriorate the gasket over time. This will cause oil and coolant to mix if left unattended for too long and also create the leak that is most common for the serpentine belt to com off. 

#2 - The Brittle Coolant Flange

Over time and many heat cycles the plastic coolant flange deteriorates and may break off, soaking the belt in coolant.

#3 - Worn Out Engine Mounts

Over time your engine mounts wear out. When this happens there is a high likelihood that the plastic Power-Steering Pulley will hit the subframe and chatter into pieces. Again, the belt will come off and likely work itself thru the crank seal into your oil pan.

Also,

The AC compressor bolts have been reported to come loose. It's always a good idea to check them when working under the hood.

If you own a BMW, maintenance is a must.

As an added safety, if you don't catch any of the above mentioned problems commonly found on the N5x platform in time, MaLo Industries created a guard that is placed right behind the harmonic balancer in front of the crank seal, to ensure if the belt ever comes off, it won't destroy your entire engine.