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2019+ BMW 3 AND 4-SERIES FORUMS (G2x Generation) General G20 Sedan / G22 Coupe / G26 Gran Coupe Discussions Petrol smell in cabin

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      10-13-2019, 10:38 AM   #1
Portimao
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Petrol smell in cabin

Hi all

I have a g20 320i and havent had any issues so far. But we took a trip to yorkshire this weekend and I refuelled at a BP station and filled tank to 3/4.

Anyway - a few miles into the journey I noticed everytime we slowed to a crawl in traffic, the cabin would fill with a petrol smell.

I thought this strange. So I changed the ventilation setting from fresh air to circulated air and in slow traffic there was no petrol smell.

So clearly the ventilation is pulling in petrol smell from the engine bay which is a concern.

Anyone had this issue on a g20 or other BMW? Anyone got any ideas what would be the cause? We have had the car around 3 weeks.

Any help appreciated.
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      10-13-2019, 04:33 PM   #2
phillyd2
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You can use a match to find the source.

Seriously, if it's that noticeable and it not from some spillage I would get it back to the dealer ASAP because gas + hot engine =
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      12-01-2019, 01:48 PM   #3
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Hi,

New comer to this forum, got my G20 330e last Monday and loving it, I’ve done nearly 800 miles in it already! Mainly because I also drove to Yorkshire (almost 600 mile round trip) a couple of days ago, but since day one I’ve also had the smell of petrol smell in the cabin, which is noticeable when in slow traffic .

Have you managed to find out a solution or what the issue is that causes this ?

G

Last edited by Gavlar2019; 12-01-2019 at 02:00 PM..
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      06-10-2020, 09:41 AM   #4
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I have this issue on my G21 320D company car. I got it in November and it did it from the start. Has been back to the dealer several times and they say they cant find an issue. With mine you have to drive it about 50 miles, then when you slow to a crawl or stop, a diesel smell comes through the vents. Its currently sitting on the forecourt at work as legal has got involved and Health and safety have said not to drive the car. I waited two years for this car to come out and now I cant drive it. Let me know if they found a solution to your problem.
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      06-10-2020, 11:31 AM   #5
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I used to have this issue on old e90 320d, the common rail was seeping fuel you could see little pool of diesel near one injector which was quite back closer into cabin not clearly visible, it was soaking into foam under engine cover, got hot there, created mist and leaked inside through cabin filter.
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      06-10-2020, 01:21 PM   #6
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This has happened to me on the freeway once. I was in sport individual and started getting the smell and slowed my driving and switched to comfort to see if it progressed but it eventually went away and hasn't come back since.
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      06-14-2020, 10:04 AM   #7
Gavlar2019
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TNT33333 View Post
I have this issue on my G21 320D company car. I got it in November and it did it from the start. Has been back to the dealer several times and they say they cant find an issue. With mine you have to drive it about 50 miles, then when you slow to a crawl or stop, a diesel smell comes through the vents. Its currently sitting on the forecourt at work as legal has got involved and Health and safety have said not to drive the car. I waited two years for this car to come out and now I cant drive it. Let me know if they found a solution to your problem.
Mine went to two different BMW dealers, both said they couldn’t find anything. After it got to just under 3000 miles on the clock it seemed to go. Whilst one of the dealers had it for a few weeks they gave me a 5 Series Hybrid, I noticed the same issue with that vehicle also. It was when the second dealer brought my vehicle back that the delivery driver (whose job is to pick up & deliver the new BMW’s) said to me that they do have smells to start with etc. He seemed to be more knowledgeable than any of the technicians etc.?!?
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      06-14-2020, 06:48 PM   #8
phillyd2
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In most cases it’s a simple matter of filling it up past the first click.

“Overfilling the gas tank can cause liquid gas to enter the charcoal canister, or carbon filter, which is designed only for vapor”

Last edited by phillyd2; 06-14-2020 at 06:58 PM..
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      11-14-2020, 02:42 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gavlar2019 View Post
Mine went to two different BMW dealers, both said they couldn’t find anything. After it got to just under 3000 miles on the clock it seemed to go. Whilst one of the dealers had it for a few weeks they gave me a 5 Series Hybrid, I noticed the same issue with that vehicle also. It was when the second dealer brought my vehicle back that the delivery driver (whose job is to pick up & deliver the new BMW’s) said to me that they do have smells to start with etc. He seemed to be more knowledgeable than any of the technicians etc.?!?
Mine had about 4500 miles on it in the end but I could still smell diesel. This month the lease company agreed a buyback of the car and BMW have given my company a discount on a new one. The 330e touring is now on the list so I have gone for that. I look forward to smelling petrol for the first 3000 miles. 😂
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      11-21-2020, 12:44 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TNT33333 View Post
Mine had about 4500 miles on it in the end but I could still smell diesel. This month the lease company agreed a buyback of the car and BMW have given my company a discount on a new one. The 330e touring is now on the list so I have gone for that. I look forward to smelling petrol for the first 3000 miles. 😂
Ha ha!! You can guarantee it, something to look forward too, who needs that new car smell if you can have the smell of fumes instead! The service from both the dealerships was pitiful to put it politely, which is terrible for cars which aren't the cheapest on the market!
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      11-22-2020, 02:18 AM   #11
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Last time I had this in the car it was the evap (also known as activated charcoal filter). There were no codes. Do you have fault codes?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-3-G20...-/114440987453

That's what it looks like.
When you fuel up at the pumps and go beyond the clicks to the brim. Keep filling and keep filling although already full. The poor evap can suffer as it has a lot more to deal with.

Actually on another car the fuel pump seal had degraded. A previous owner put diesel in by mistake. So there was premature ware causing fumes to seep through into the cabin.

Lastly, shaguar had a recall on a fuel pipe. It might be worth checking hoses or demonstration to a tech the smell.

Home diagnostics? Use your nose. Close your vents turn your fan off. Cannot smell it? Likely to be outside. Have a sniff around the back seats. Remove the bench. See if you spot any fuel or smell it. The tank seal should be nice and sealed up. If there is fuel around it...
Try filling half a tank instead of full and see if it's stronger.

That's all I can think of for now. Good luck.
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