135i SES light on white smoke puffing at exhaust after only 1000 miles!

[max102654]

I just bought a 135i convertible 1 month ago. It barely went past 1000 miles when the SES (Service engine soon) light came on. The car smelled like something was burnt. The next morning the light stayed on. I started the car and it was in idle for a short time. I noticed that it was shaking and felt rough. Then a huge amount of smoke puffing out at the exhaust. I turned the car off. After i restarted the car, the SES light went off and I do not see any more smokes.

The car is with the dealer now. The service adviser told me that he has never seen this problem with the 1 series. Can someone help me and give me some pointers as to what can be the possible cause of the problem? Any input is greatly appreciated.

[flyburch]

i see what looks like steam coming out of mine i thought i just washed it and got water in the exaust let me know what you find out. my smoke dissipates like it is steam but rises about 3 feet out of the exaust. i have 400 miles on mine just picked it up last saturday

[JHZR2]

Sounds like coolant dumping from the head gasket.

How were the temperatures and your coolant level?

Get the code scanned- even a generic obd scanner gives some insight.

[flyburch]

just started it up again no smoke

[max102654]

The dealer told me that the only thing they found is a loose gas cap. That is not true since we always make sure the gas cap is tight and clicks. Also, when we saw the light, the first thing we checked is the gas cap and it was indeed tight. The light came on a week after I filled up the tank and it had 1/4 tank of gas left. The smoke that came out from the exhaust did not resemble steam; it was darker and smelled burnt fuel. The temperature appeared to be normal.

The service manager said he wanted to hold my car to test it longer. I asked him what "fault" was logged when they downloaded the data from the computer. At first he claimed he didn't know what I was talking about, then he gave me a fault of "DME2A1AVM???" and said that means the gas cap is off. I told him that I don't believe there is a specific fault for "Gas cap is off" but rather the fault should point to some sensor, engine compression or exhaust problem. They might deduce somehow it is related to the gas cap but the fault itself will not be gas cap specific. He said that he will talk to the mechanic and call me back. We do have an OBC code scanner but we didn't use it since the car is new and we didn't take the time to find the interface port.

I am starting to get very upset over this not only because the car has only 1000 miles but the fact that they want to pass off a real problem by saying the cap was found loose.

[max102654]

Update on problem:

I went to the dealer and demanded that they showed me the fault code and where it said that it is the gas cap. The explanation of the fault code actually said it is the fuel ventilation system. The foreman agreed with me that it is not the gas cap but most likely, it is the fuel injection system. I've been researching the net and found a ton of documented problems with the turbo engine and the associated fuel system on the 335i, 535i and now the 135i. What upset me the most is they tried to lie their way out. Also, apparently, they knew about this problem since 2007 but instead of fixing it, they keep building more of the same and install the known problematic engine/fuel system in newer models like the 135i.

[Dr_Jones]

good luck...i had a fuel ventilation code when i went in for rough idle a few weeks back. they told me it was minor and reset it. i have no smoke thought. hope they werent lieing to me.

[BMWNA]

Originally Posted by max102654

Update on problem:

I went to the dealer and demanded that they showed me the fault code and where it said that it is the gas cap. The explanation of the fault code actually said it is the fuel ventilation system. The foreman agreed with me that it is not the gas cap but most likely, it is the fuel injection system. I've been researching the net and found a ton of documented problems with the turbo engine and the associated fuel system on the 335i, 535i and now the 135i. What upset me the most is they tried to lie their way out. Also, apparently, they knew about this problem since 2007 but instead of fixing it, they keep building more of the same and install the known problematic engine/fuel system in newer models like the 135i.

I am with BMW of North America, LLC. Check your inbox for our offer of assistance.

[MadMan77]

Originally Posted by BMW NA Customer Relations

I am with BMW of North America, LLC. Check your inbox for our offer of assistance.

Uh oh... Big Brother is trolling the forums. Everybody watch what you are saying as to not self-incriminate themselves.

[1013mm]

i've had that once... thought it was normal..

[max102654]

I finally got my little car back from the dealer after 7 days in the shop. In the work order, it is stated that the tank vent valve was sticking intermittently. Fault code logged was DME2A1A. I am not sure how the valve can cause the smoking but by that time, I was tired of driving the 328i loaner. I had to add air to one of the tires everyday so the tire pressure low light would go away. Apparently, the tire of the loaner has a bump which the dealer claimed they knew about.

When I picked up my baby, I noticed that the dealer has put an additional 100 miles on it. I thought it is just great that out of now 1100 miles, 30% of it was used to go back and forth the dealer and to repair it. The car is a joy ride but I just hope they have really fixed the problem. I am not very tolerant of car hassles no matter how fun the car is.

[JHZR2]

So what was actually happening? The vacuum from the engine was pulling fuel through the vent and providing unmetered fuel to the engine?

[Quick1 TO BE]

i had rough idle for a over two months.. took it to the dealer and they kept the car for 3 weeks and then gave it back on a thursday which i took it back on a friday cuz i had engine malfunction reduced power and they kept it for another week.

they changed my injectors and gave it back..

GUESS WHAT>> the car still takes a while to start and has a rough idle....

so now i said "F" it.. when the car brakes down on the highway there asses are gonna come pick that shit up.. as much as i loved driving my car i pretty much hate it now. and when the lease ends im gonna go throw that shit in there faces and give them my middle finger.

ive owned 7 BMWs so far and im only 28 and 2 of them were purchased brand new. the 1 and my E90 330i. i think im gonna switch to a different manufacturer soon.

Ash

[max102654]

Oh well, I didn’t think the fuel tank vent valve would have fixed the smoking problem. This morning after cold start, there was again a huge amount of black/white smoke at the exhaust. It lasted during my 10 minutes drive on the surface street; once I was on the freeway driving 65 miles, the smoke seemed to disappear. I felt so sorry for the cars behind me cause the smoke puffing like an old diesel engine. There is no fault light this time. I am going to take a video on the smoke and take the car in so they can’t just say no faults found.

The smoke is blackish/whitish with a burnt smell so I guess it is either fuel or oil but I don’t know how to distinguish between the two. If it is fuel, then it is probably the fuel injection system. If it is the oil, then it is the valve seals?!

[crumb]

Max,

Was that BMWNA communication for real?

[max102654]

Originally Posted by crumb

Max,

Was that BMWNA communication for real?

BMWNA sent me an e-mail stating that they can help. At the time, I got the car back and was hoping that the dealer somehow fixed the problem so I just replied back requesting information on how the vent valve can cause smoking in the exhaust. I guess at the bottom of my heart, I don't believe that the vent valve and the smoking is related.

I am going to take my car back to the dealer once again and see what they have to say. The last time they said a BMW engineer came out to inspect the car and found nothing wrong with the fuel system.