[trevor56]

So I was car shopping the other day & was planning on using my 2011 BMW 550ix as a trade-in. The estimator came in with a lowball price & said there was white smoke coming from both tail exhaust's. I said I have never seen any before so we went outside & he started the car while I stood behind it & after about 2 minutes of letting the car idle white puffs of smoke started coming from both exhaust pipes. He said that is a very expensive fix. The car runs perfect. Can anyone help me understand this? thanks

[lsturbointeg]

white smoke is coolant/water...blue smoke is fuel usually...and gray or black smoke is oil. could be just condensation in your exhaust pipes tho?

[trevor56]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

white smoke is coolant/water...blue smoke is fuel usually...and gray or black smoke is oil. could be just condensation in your exhaust pipes tho?

Thanks for your reply Isturbointeg

So the coolant guess would make sense. About 2 weeks ago I got a message on the display to add to my coolant so I added 3/4 of a quart of anti-freeze. I then drove from Florida to Ontario, Canada & checked the anti-freeze level & it had dropped a little so I again topped it off.

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by trevor56

Thanks for your reply Isturbointeg

So the coolant guess would make sense. About 2 weeks ago I got a message on the display to add to my coolant so I added 3/4 of a quart of anti-freeze. I then drove from Florida to Ontario, Canada & checked the anti-freeze level & it had dropped a little so I again topped it off.

really?! if you're needing to add coolant than there's probably an issue. i know i've seen threads here regarding coolant issues but never read them. ususally if you're loosing coolant check all your coolant lines if there's a leak? if not and hopefully it isn't but usually a bad head gasket causing coolant to seap into the block causing the white smoke? check the coolant reservoir and see if it looks milky

[trevor56]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

really?! if you're needing to add coolant than there's probably an issue. i know i've seen threads here regarding coolant issues but never read them. ususally if you're loosing coolant check all your coolant lines if there's a leak? if not and hopefully it isn't but usually a bad head gasket causing coolant to seap into the block causing the white smoke? check the coolant reservoir and see if it looks milky

I'm no mechanic so I wouldn't know a coolant line from a gas line lol. When adding the coolant I did not notice a milky look to the fluid. Is fixing a bad head gasket a big expensive job? On another forum I was asked if I had gotten the Customer Care Package done yet & I have not. Would that package help deal with this issue? thanks

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by trevor56

I'm no mechanic so I wouldn't know a coolant line from a gas line lol. When adding the coolant I did not notice a milky look to the fluid. Is fixing a bad head gasket a big expensive job? On another forum I was asked if I had gotten the Customer Care Package done yet & I have not. Would that package help deal with this issue? thanks

not sure what the customer care package is? i would look into it and see if that covers it. are you not covered under warranty anymore? if you're getting that white milky in your coolant that's oil. do you feel a loss of power when you step on the gas? sounds like you have a possible blown head gasket as you now have coolant mixing with the oil in the pistons.

[SLVSRFR]

Just to clarify

White smoke = water/coolant
Black smoke = FUEL
Blue smoke = Oil

On another note, it's probably your turbo seals going out

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by SLVSRFR

Just to clarify

White smoke = water/coolant
Black smoke = FUEL
Blue smoke = Oil

On another note, it's probably your turbo seals going out

i was thinking about the seals too on the turbo! i think you're right on the black and blue smoke now that i think about it. i know when i was running rich i thought blue smoke was the fuel? nevertheless he's got white smoke so we know it's water/coolant

[SLVSRFR]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

i was thinking about the seals too on the turbo! i think you're right on the black and blue smoke now that i think about it. i know when i was running rich i thought blue smoke was the fuel? nevertheless he's got white smoke so we know it's water/coolant

Yup, but it seems odd that it starts only on idle. That symptom right there would point to valve stem seals. OP, are you sure the smoke doesn't have a light blue tint to it?

[Teddylongtooth]

Originally Posted by trevor56

So I was car shopping the other day & was planning on using my 2011 BMW 550ix as a trade-in. The estimator came in with a lowball price & said there was white smoke coming from both tail exhaust's. I said I have never seen any before so we went outside & he started the car while I stood behind it & after about 2 minutes of letting the car idle white puffs of smoke started coming from both exhaust pipes. He said that is a very expensive fix. The car runs perfect. Can anyone help me understand this? thanks

Was this at a bmw dealership? If so they know what the problem is and you should have asked them why its smoking. If you really want to get rid of this car take it to a different dealer a few hours before closing and tell them your really wanting to get something new that night, they will bend over backwards to make a last sale and most likely miss the smoke and by the time they find out it will be too late. You might want use your own financing and not thiers so they cant back out of the deal if they spot the smoke. Trust me they wont have a problem selling a car like that and you shouldn't feel bad, dealers rip people off every day. Dump that piece on them like they did on you. This is exactly what im doing with mine when my warranty expires.

[5fix]

It's probably your valve seals which means you are burning oil. Do you smell a burnt oil smell after idle? Have you had to add oil in between oil changes?

You can search other threads and see that white/gray smoke when revving engine after idling means valve seals failing.

Repair approx. $5k.

[SLVSRFR]

if it does turn out to be valve seals, find a good Indy that has the AGA valve kit.

Shops here in SoCal charge 2,500 for the job since it can be done without removing the engine with the toolkit.

[trevor56]

Thanks for all your input.

[trevor56]

Been very busy at work lately & haven't had time to do any follow up on this issue. I will look for a good indy & see what they say. Still love the car & want to keep it around for a good long time.

[STR8-6IX]

mileage?

this estimator is a moron. trying to squeeze every last penny out of you. look elsewhere.

[trevor56]

Originally Posted by STR8-6IX

mileage?

this estimator is a moron. trying to squeeze every last penny out of you. look elsewhere.

$14,000 with 85,000 kilometers, not gonna happen though, I'll just keep it & enjoy the ride, for that price even if I spend some money on it I won't mind.

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by trevor56

$14,000 with 85,000 kilometers, not gonna happen though, I'll just keep it & enjoy the ride, for that price even if I spend some money on it I won't mind.

keep it. dont lose all your money.

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by trevor56

$14,000 with 85,000 kilometers, not gonna happen though, I'll just keep it & enjoy the ride, for that price even if I spend some money on it I won't mind.

Makes sense to keep it as long as it doesn't totally crap out on you, but I wouldn't spend much time/money/energy trying to fix it quite frankly...

[DriveTrainMalfunc]

Bmw offered me 18k with 71500 2011 550xi. I just did it for shits & giggles though.