[Geesh_46]

I bought my 335i just before christmas and it has got a few issues which i would like to get diagnosed on here if possible. the issues are:

• When braking there is a noise coming from the front left. its not a usual grinding noise or any other noise I have heard from brakes but its like the noise the blower makes when it comes on. its very strange but the garage i bought it from have said there is nothing wrong.

• I park the car up and the mrs "runs" into next and I wait in the car, I switch the engine off to save fuel but still like to listen to the radio. after about 30secs/1 min the battery light comes on and then it says "battery charge very low" and it switches everything off. I got told by the garage "its a thing all bmw's do" even though i argued that I have had had 2 previous E90's and this didnt happen. spoke to bmw and they said to put it on charge overnight and drive it for a couple of days to see if it happens again. Has anybody else experienced this? I think the battery is goosed and haven't really got time to mess around testing it myself!

• when the car is idling there is smoke coming out of the right hand side exhaust but not out the left. I followed the car just to see what happens and when the car is driving 20mph + the smoke goes but when the car is stuck in traffic or moving slowly it comes back again and then again when stationary. this happens when the car is both cold and warm. the smoke isn't thick like when something is about to blow but its still quite worrying! Is this just me being paranoid due to me only driving diesels?

[RajB]

I had the same with the battery. Put it on a trickle charge to recondition it and now it's fine but if yours continues then it's a new battery that's required.

Would need to hear the brake sound to help diagnose really as its a bit hard to say.

Unsure on the exhaust smoke from one side but could highlight a slight amount of extra water for example coming out that side which with the temps is being highlighted more.

[old grey steve]

Geesh

Q)When braking there is a noise coming from the front left. its not a usual grinding noise or any other noise I have heard from brakes but its like the noise the blower makes when it comes on. its very strange but the garage i bought it from have said there is nothing wrong.

A)Tough one this what people describe verbily and what we visualise via the description could/can be two different things could be the start of a binding calliper look at the discs(take photo and post them up if you like)if the disc looks blue/red chances are we've got a calliper issue the noise you could be hearing may be related to the severe heat cycle its gone through, but as I said only a pure guess, but it might be worth getting the discs photo'd

Q)I park the car up and the mrs "runs" into next and I wait in the car, I switch the engine off to save fuel but still like to listen to the radio. after about 30secs/1 min the battery light comes on and then it says "battery charge very low" and it switches everything off. I got told by the garage "its a thing all bmw's do" even though i argued that I have had had 2 previous E90's and this didnt happen. spoke to bmw and they said to put it on charge overnight and drive it for a couple of days to see if it happens again. Has anybody else experienced this? I think the battery is goosed and haven't really got time to mess around testing it myself!

A)The battery IMO is good on these cars for around 3-4 years then they start to when efficiency is getting below par to do many a strange thing. Battery's have been discussed on here before but in a nut shell if the power isn't spot on the car has the ability to shut control units down to conserve power, on the power cables from the battery there is a sensor called an IBS cable that monitors power related performance BMW power mangment is complex. This can also throw a wobbly re the alternator too(which charges the battery)

When you change the battery you need to register the battery to the car (needs to be done by a diagnostic set up that is BMW compliant)this will enable the cars systems to adjust to the correct power. If the cars had a battery change in the past and its the incorreect battery/hasn't been registered to the car or both then this sort of thing can create various power related issues but the sign on the dash tells you all you need to know and I'd advise getting this sorted before it starts to create other problems.

Q)when the car is idling there is smoke coming out of the right hand side exhaust but not out the left. I followed the car just to see what happens and when the car is driving 20mph + the smoke goes but when the car is stuck in traffic or moving slowly it comes back again and then again when stationary. this happens when the car is both cold and warm. the smoke isn't thick like when something is about to blow but its still quite worrying! Is this just me being paranoid due to me only driving diesels?

A)depends on the smoke in question in the winter you'll see more for sure due to condensation lower temps etc. If the smoke is vapor then its perfectly acceptable, if the cars town driven a fair bit you're likely to see a little more, I'd expect to see the offside rear tailpipe coated more than the nerar side too. The near side pipe has a flap that opens and when you start the car up in the morning you'll notice the offside pipe works on its own then the near side pipe will chime in afterwards.

If the smoke is denser blue grey then be a little more concerned, mine smoked while driving at 25mph out the off side pipe noticed this in the rear view mirror the tailpipe was coated in oil and bye bye turbo(s).

I suspct the smoke is vapor though but if you're unsure again pics or even a video and I'm sure we'll all help to put your mind at rest

[Geesh_46]

Bloody hell Steve spot on advice! Will have a look at all your suggestions and get back to you,

And cheers Raj I will have a go sticking it on a trickle charger

once again cheers

[MERLIN335i]

Originally Posted by Geesh_46

I will have a go sticking it on a trickle charger

You need to identify which type of battery you have first. "normal" wet (White with charge indicator window) or AGM (Black), they have/require different charging cycles.

For example if you have AGM and charge it with a charger without an AGM mode, it will not be charged correctly.

HTH.

[wallsmk2]

I had battery issues and bought a ctek charger, one that reconditions the battery. That was a year or so ago and no problems since.

[old grey steve]

Originally Posted by MERLIN335i

You need to identify which type of battery you have first. "normal" wet (White with charge indicator window) or AGM (Black), they have/require different charging cycles.

For example if you have AGM and charge it with a charger without an AGM mode, it will not be charged correctly.

HTH.

Very true. chances are its the white version. If its an aftermarket battery then you can guess the rest

[djgandy]

Unless the smoke smells smoky and doesn't look like vapor I'd assume that it is just vapor, which is normal. There is a lot of it , especially when it is cold outside and you can see it in your rear mirrors.

The battery is a fixable issue, new batteries are £100 or so if trickle charging doesn't work. Assuming its not your alternator that is. Do you do a lot of short journeys? This could have an effect here too, especially now in the winter.

The brakes. I'd be most worried about this as these kind of issues can be such a pain to identify and fix. You may just end up living with it unless it is something obvious. As Steve said, pictures of the discs may narrow down calliper issues.