Older BMWs weren’t known for their industrial-strength cooling systems. Unfortunately, it only takes one good bout of overheating to end up with a blown BMW Head Gasket. It’s not as common to find a bad head gasket on newer models, but it does happen. If your car has overheated and hasn’t run right since, your BMW head gasket could be the culprit.

There will be other symptoms that accompany a blown head gasket, too. Things like steam coming from your exhaust—lots of it, not just the usual cold morning condensation. You may also find oil in your coolant, or coolant in the engine oil. The true acid test comes with a compression check. If you test the compression and find low readings in two adjacent cylinders, you’ve almost certainly got a blown BMW head gasket. So roll up your sleeves and get to work, ‘cause that gasket isn’t going to change itself.