Jim Wallace

Hi Dave I was nervous before about having the DPF tampered with, even more so now. They removed the turbos last week and sent them off for refurb this week while they are on holiday. I'll speak to them on Monday and ask them not to mess with the DPF. I had the EGR and cooler replaced by a main dealer about 2 years / 8k miles ago and that's when the problems with burning oil smell in the cabin started. Last year I read online that a burning oil smell is not uncommon with the N47 due to oil leaks from the valve cover onto the exhaust. It's hard to see the edge of the valve cover because of the vacuum tanks and control devices but I had a look underneath and noticed the DPF was covered in oil. When I hooked up my scanner to bleed the fuel system I noticed codes relating to exhaust temp upstream of the cat. I replaced the sensor and all seemed well, then the EGR air plausibility codes started, then the charging pressure control and then limp mode. I'll make sure I take it for a decent run regularly. If the turbos last another 50,000 miles they'll probably outlive me. Cheers Jim

Morning Dave I'll bear that in mind. I do the occasional long run but maybe need to do so more regularly. The car didn't smoke and according to my scan tool the DPF have been regenerating. When the turbo guy explained that the root cause was the DPF and said he could "cure" it, I asked about the risk of MOT failure. He reckons that the emissions without a DPF are way below the limit and that his particular fix is not detectable. I'm not so sure now. He said something about drilling a hole somewhere but that doesn't sound like it's undetectable to me...

Thanks Dave - just noticed your post as Outlook has been filing the notification in Junk Mail. I took it to a local turbo specialist who specialize in diagnosing root cause of turbo faults/failures. They advised that the actuator that switches between the high and low pressure turbos was not holding vacuum. He said he could try replacing it but that wouldn't fix the underlying problem. He pointed out that there was oil in the intercooler pipes and recommended have both turbos refurbished. Apparently, the soot build up in the DPF caused by short trips reduces airflow in the exhaust which increases the pressure on the hot side of the turbo. The seals in the hot/low pressure side are prone to leak if the exhaust pressure increases and the leaking oil is carbonized which further damages the seals. His explanation makes sense to me and I didn't want to pay to have the actuator replaced only to have further problems in the near future. The turbos have been removed and sent for refurb and I'm expecting a bill of around £2,500 ☹️. I asked if the refurbed turbos would fail again if I keep doing short trips and he said not if I ask him to "delete" the DPF.

Many thanks for your input Dave. My car does have twin turbos. I checked for play on the cold side of the larger/bottom turbo by removing the air intake but I take your point about the hot side taking more of a hammering. I can feel the actuator move at the vacuum box but I can't access or see the point where it connects to the turbo. I don't know if the flap moves freely - maybe the hot side is full of carbon as I tend to do short trips. Time to dig deeper so I've just dropped it off with a local turbo specialists who say they can run diagnostic tests and do a route cause analysis. The car has only done 55,000 miles, full service history with oil/filter changes every 4000 to 5000 miles so I'm hoping the turbo hasn't failed already 😟 Thanks Jim

I'm hoping someone can give me a few pointers. I have a 2012 E84 25D and recently I've been getting the following intermittent codes: 4862 Air System, Air to EGR Mass Flow, Plausibility 4873 Exhaust-Gas Recirculation Cooling, Plausibility 4530 Charing Pressure Control, Control Deviation The car drove fine, no loss of power. I removed the EGR and Cooler to check them and there was very little carbon and both clear. Both were replaced around 10k miles ago under the BMW recall. The car has now gone into limp mode and is making a weird noise when reved. It's quite at idle but makes a lowish pitched drone or whining noise when the engine is reved. It's not a high pitched whine that I would associate with the bearings in the turbo. I had a fondle of the turbo spindle when I had the intake pipe removed. It spins freely and I cant feel any play in the bearings. The car has only done 55,000 miles and has a full service history with oil changes every 4,000 miles so I'm hoping the turbo hasn't failed already. I thought I'd try and check out the control system first. I looked at the parts diagram for the turbo vacuum control and started trying to check things. Connected a vacuum gauge on the supply side and the vacuum appears steady so I don't think there is a leak on the supply side or vacuum tank. I removed the vacuum line from the part labelled Vacuum box (15) on the parts diagram and the droning/whining noise stops. I connected a syringe to the Vacuum box and as i draw a vacuum the noise returns. Turned the engine off and used the syringe to draw a vacuum while feeling the actuator arm under the vacuum box and the arms moves/returns freely when a vacuum is applied/released. I can't work out what this vacuum box operates. The actuator arm passes down through the exhaust manifold and is connected to the turbo. Can anyone tell me what this does or suggest any next steps to try and diagnose the problem? Thanks Jim

Thanks Dave

Hi Dave, there are a couple of dealers in my area but I've not used either before so choose the nearest one... I rang BMW UK customer service yesterday and the guy I spoke with explained that the decision lay with BMW warranty goodwill team rather that customer service but he did say that the goodwill team look favourably at cases relating to recall work. He rang the dealer while I was on hold and then said the dealer would call me today with an update. The dealer has just called to say they are fitting a new inlet manifold and the work is covered by BMW UK goodwill warranty 🙂 Relieved to be getting my car back in the state it was in before they did the recall work.

Today I spoke to a really helpful guy at the dealers where I bought the car and thought I'd share in case anyone else has similar issues. The guy I spoke with used to work for BMW and told me that BMW regularly provide a replacement inlet manifold as part of the EGR recall as it's not uncommon for manifold to be damaged/leak. The dealer who carried out my recall has not provided any update for two days so chased them and finally got a text message saying they are "still awaiting a reply from the warranty team at BMW in relation to goodwill" Emailed BMW UK customer service just now telling them the customer service provided by my local dealer is appalling and asking them to resolve the matter asap. All I want is my car back in the condition it was in before they carried out the recall work. Not much to ask in my opinion.

Thanks Dave I'm hoping they will do the right thing. I don't expect them to admit liability, as they made a safe car unsafe, but I do expect them to return my car to the condition it was in before they worked on it. I'll ask for the work schedule - good tip thanks.

Hi, new to the forum and hoping for some advice from the gurus. I recently took my 2012 X1 25D to a local dealer to have the EGR valve recall work carried out. Got the car back and everything seemed fine but after not a lot of use (100 to 200 miles) I noticed a smell of burning oil in the cabin. This disappeared overnight and couldn't see any obvious leaks. After that there was a smell of exhaust fumes in the cabin - enough to need to have the windows open while driving. Took it back to the dealer and they are claiming it is nothing to do with the recall work they carried out, that the inlet manifold has a leak and needs replacing. The car had no issues before they worked on it, has only done 46,000 miles and has been well looked after. Seems rather unlikely that the manifold coincidently started leaking shortly after they worked on the engine. I believe the inlet manifold is plastic (?) and I suspect they damaged something while working on the car. When I said I would take the car for an independent inspection they immediately offered to contact BMW UK to see what they suggested. I'm preparing myself for the continued "not out fault" proclamation and will collect it and take it elsewhere for inspection and repair if necessary. Would welcome any thoughts or advice. Thanks