Diesel leak from rear of car help? - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum

bmwak · 01-07-2009, 11:34 AM

Hi All,

I appear to have diesel leaking from the right side of my car (the side where the fuel cap is). It comes from the bottom corner , just to the front of the rear right wheel. I have noticed that it only comes when the car is filled up full tank and it only seems to leak when this occurs. I know you shouldn’t but on some occasions I may have overfilled whereby I let the pump click a few times. I know there is an issue with some of the early models of these cars which don’t have a shroud on the fuel breather pipe, causing it to rub against something.

Having inspected it behind the arch liner you can see that the breather pipe end coming from the tank through a hole in the chassis has diesel leaking out of this hole towards the arch liner. This is wierd because the breather pipe faces tilts upwards. The pipe does have a shroud (so seems to have been replaced previously in its life) so am not sure if it is worth replacing this or not. It doesn’t seem like it could leak from anywhere else but that pipe. Does anyone know or had the same issue?

Thanks

rogerxp · 01-08-2009, 04:53 AM

Is this what you mean??? I've simply rolled the car backwards from the spill.

This exact thing happened to me a few months ago. Just book in into the dealer. You're rights in suggesting one of the pipes (think it's the 'breather' pipe) can rum against something and eventually wear a hole/crack.

Just book in into the dealer and they either replace the whole pipe or thread a smaller pipe within the existing pipe to bypass the hole/crack.

At least the diesel you've lost recently was cheaper than the stuff I lost a few months ago!!!

bmwak · 01-08-2009, 07:42 AM

Yeah that’s exactly where it is mate, except my car is leaking a bit less than that and its more of a localised leak than spreading.

The thing is BMW say that the new pipe has a shroud or corrugated sleeve on it to protect it from this chaffing. Mine already has this modified pipe (probably sorted by the previous owner in the past) but it still appears to be leaking from here.

Did they only change your breather pipe on yours or did they do anything else to sort it?

I only suspect this pipe as this is the only pipe that is on that side – hope its not coming from the fuel tank itself. I’m going to give it to my local indy garage as BMW will probably charge silly money for doing this. It is under third party warranty now and I know it clearly says it won’t cover pipes / hoses e.t.c.

Been quoted £145 to sort this inc genuine new pipe as it requires dropping the tank – does this sound right?

Thetoycollector · 01-08-2009, 10:50 AM

Same thing happened on my 05 320D.

It was the plastic fuel tank. It is prone to splitting where it sits in the straps (apparently).

It is a common problem according to my dealer.

jamster76 · 09-07-2010, 05:36 PM

Had same problem with fuel leak from my car 320d auto; this only happens when tank is filled to the brim and I had taken my car for an MOT with a full tank which was a mistake as it failed.
BMW were asking £550 and dealer told me BMW UK were not willing to contribute.
I phoned BMW UK and told 'em how disgusted I was as the car had been fully maintained via BMW dealerships.
Totally shocked when they agreed to cover 100% of the cost. Nice one BMW!

blunk · 03-17-2011, 04:02 PM

Hey guys,

I have the same problem on my e90! The last two occasions i have refuelled it have had very very expensive diesel just dripping out all over my drive. I have two big stains on my drive now just like rogerxp!

Took it to main dealer and they quote around the £550 mark! Jeysus!

I asked about goodwill but got told that because my car is just over 5 years old it is outside of the guidelines and they cant claim. But i have had the car serviced by BMW since new.

Jamster76, how old is your BMW? How did you contact BMW UK? I need to have a good rant me thinks......

p0jy · 03-17-2011, 05:12 PM

my cars going in for diagnostic on this on Saturday. My car is a 55 plate, did they charge you to diagnose it ?....I am going to kick off if they say 550 quid ?

b19rak · 03-17-2011, 05:27 PM

I had it done £120 at my local BMW Indy in Coventry. He just dropped one side of he tank and changed the pipe. Main dealer will say whole thing needs to come out. Took my Indy 90 minutes.

p0jy · 03-18-2011, 04:15 AM

I'm going to try my luck at BMW first as the tank and various bits were replaced last year so ikm going to try get them to do it for free....will keep you posted!

BEE EM · 03-18-2011, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b19rak

I had it done £120 at my local BMW Indy in Coventry. He just dropped one side of he tank and changed the pipe. Main dealer will say whole thing needs to come out. Took my Indy 90 minutes.

I have the same problem with my car. Can you give me the details of your local indy as i wish to have this problem fixed.

Thanks

p0jy · 03-19-2011, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BEE EM

I have the same problem with my car. Can you give me the details of your local indy as i wish to have this problem fixed.

Thanks

ditto, I am in Leicester so might be prepared to travel to Coventry to get it done...

BMW said there is no leak today, WTF !!

josh laurence · 03-26-2011, 05:06 AM

I have this problem now!! I phoned up a indy near me and he said the tank has to come 90% out, prop off ect and will be around £300! Anybody know if this is REALLY the case? Is it the actual filler pipe/breather pipe or both? Nedd to find someone in the southampton area........... thanks

kowalski · 03-26-2011, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by josh laurence

...the tank has to come 90% out, prop off ect and will be around £300! Anybody know if this is REALLY the case? Is it the actual filler pipe/breather pipe or both?

Had it done a few months back and it requires a fair bit of disassembling done. The easy part was testing using some kind of smoke. The actual job required the prop shaft to be lowered at the back so that the tank could be lowered. Inside the car the centre console also had to come off to allow the gear lever to be lowered... What I'm trying to say here is that it is a big job time wise and fairly difficult at the same time with all those parts (especially inside the car) coming off / being disconnected, so get someone you trust to do the job rather than someone that is simply doing it for a bit less money.

josh laurence · 03-26-2011, 12:45 PM

OK thanks for your input. Please tell me how they use smoke to test it...........

Thanks

kowalski · 03-26-2011, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by josh laurence

OK thanks for your input. Please tell me how they use smoke to test it...........

Thanks

smoke from a can - not sure of the brand - through the filler neck - replaced the cap and checked to see where it was coming out from

>sVo< · 03-06-2013, 05:47 AM

unfortunately I have the same problem

the good thing is that BMW knows about this common issue and they modified the pipe... so... I ordered a genuine one from BMW for £35 (a good price I think). Now I'm waiting for the quotation for the labour...

BoondogUK · 03-06-2013, 06:57 AM

hmmm, think this thread explains why I can smell diesel when I fill up. Time to book it in for a look see...

>sVo< · 03-06-2013, 08:32 AM

i learned my lesson... today I found out that the first click at the pomp is more than enough... I was going to 3 or 4 clicks each time

BoondogUK · 03-08-2013, 06:27 AM

Just booked mine in with an Indy...

Was advised that the job will go one of two ways, if the split is not to bad and there is not to much diesel buildup around the pipe they can sometimes change the pipe without lowering the tank. However it is more common that they have to lower the tank to change it. Quote of 4hrs for the later +£20 for the part (or about 1.5hrs for the former).

Guess thats why the quotes above vary so much.

Fingers crossed for the easy fix!

BoondogUK · 03-14-2013, 04:40 AM

All fixed, but not the quick way unfortunately!

Work took just shy of 5hrs including a road test, but was only charged the quoted amount of 4hrs.

Part was £30+vat

rsmallwo · 03-15-2013, 02:53 PM

my indy is quoting Â£300 to fix mine. Anyone had theres done in east/south yorkshire and it was cheaper?

Robin330i · 03-16-2013, 12:53 PM

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...t=Dreaded+fuel

01-07-2009, 11:34 AM	#1
bmwak Captain Drives: 325D M-Sport Coupe (E92 LCI) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 639 iTrader: (0)	Diesel leak from rear of car help? Hi All, I appear to have diesel leaking from the right side of my car (the side where the fuel cap is). It comes from the bottom corner , just to the front of the rear right wheel. I have noticed that it only comes when the car is filled up full tank and it only seems to leak when this occurs. I know you shouldn’t but on some occasions I may have overfilled whereby I let the pump click a few times. I know there is an issue with some of the early models of these cars which don’t have a shroud on the fuel breather pipe, causing it to rub against something. Having inspected it behind the arch liner you can see that the breather pipe end coming from the tank through a hole in the chassis has diesel leaking out of this hole towards the arch liner. This is wierd because the breather pipe faces tilts upwards. The pipe does have a shroud (so seems to have been replaced previously in its life) so am not sure if it is worth replacing this or not. It doesn’t seem like it could leak from anywhere else but that pipe. Does anyone know or had the same issue? Thanks
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01-08-2009, 04:53 AM	#2
rogerxp Major General Drives: 370Z R'ster / QQ+2 Tekna Join Date: May 2008 Location: Stockport, Cheshire Posts: 5,648 iTrader: (1) Garage List 2008 350Z GT Roadster [1.00] 2004 Honda S2000 [0.00] 2005 Nissan 350Z GT ... [0.00] 2006 E92 BMW 335i SE [4.50] 2003 Maserati 4200 [2.33] 2006 E90 330d M Sport [0.00]	Is this what you mean??? I've simply rolled the car backwards from the spill. This exact thing happened to me a few months ago. Just book in into the dealer. You're rights in suggesting one of the pipes (think it's the 'breather' pipe) can rum against something and eventually wear a hole/crack. Just book in into the dealer and they either replace the whole pipe or thread a smaller pipe within the existing pipe to bypass the hole/crack. At least the diesel you've lost recently was cheaper than the stuff I lost a few months ago!!! Attached Images __________________ Current -: 370Z GT Roadster / Qashqai+2 Tekna 1.6dci Gone -: BMW X3 3.0d xdrive M Sport; E46 330i M Sport Coupe; Mazda RX8 231; Nissan 350Z GT Roadster; BMW E90 330d M Sport; BMW E92 335i SE; Maserati 4200; Nissan 350Z; Honda S2000; Astra Coupe Turbo; Ford Probe

01-08-2009, 10:50 AM	#4
Thetoycollector The Toy Collector Drives: 08 320D SE E90 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Margate, UK Posts: 19 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 320D SE E90 [0.00] 2004 Harley-Davidso ... [0.00] 2003 Yamaha XJR1300 [0.00] 1967 Chevrolet C-10 [0.00] 1998 Chrysler Grand ... [0.00] 1971 Oldsmobile Cut ... [0.00]	Same thing happened on my 05 320D. It was the plastic fuel tank. It is prone to splitting where it sits in the straps (apparently). It is a common problem according to my dealer. __________________ 2008 BMW 320D SE (177) E90

09-07-2010, 05:36 PM	#5
jamster76 Registered Drives: BMW 320d Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: W Mids Posts: 1 iTrader: (0)	Fuel tank leak Had same problem with fuel leak from my car 320d auto; this only happens when tank is filled to the brim and I had taken my car for an MOT with a full tank which was a mistake as it failed. BMW were asking £550 and dealer told me BMW UK were not willing to contribute. I phoned BMW UK and told 'em how disgusted I was as the car had been fully maintained via BMW dealerships. Totally shocked when they agreed to cover 100% of the cost. Nice one BMW!

03-06-2013, 06:57 AM	#17
BoondogUK Second Lieutenant Drives: Monaco Blue e90 320d Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 243 iTrader: (0)	hmmm, think this thread explains why I can smell diesel when I fill up. Time to book it in for a look see... __________________ Monaco Blue 320d, iDrive, 18" M3 Reps, M3 Front Bumper & Lip Spoiler, ///M steering wheel & gear knob, F&R Tints, BMW Performance Kidneys

01-08-2009, 07:42 AM	#3
bmwak Captain Drives: 325D M-Sport Coupe (E92 LCI) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 639 iTrader: (0)	Yeah that’s exactly where it is mate, except my car is leaking a bit less than that and its more of a localised leak than spreading. The thing is BMW say that the new pipe has a shroud or corrugated sleeve on it to protect it from this chaffing. Mine already has this modified pipe (probably sorted by the previous owner in the past) but it still appears to be leaking from here. Did they only change your breather pipe on yours or did they do anything else to sort it? I only suspect this pipe as this is the only pipe that is on that side – hope its not coming from the fuel tank itself. I’m going to give it to my local indy garage as BMW will probably charge silly money for doing this. It is under third party warranty now and I know it clearly says it won’t cover pipes / hoses e.t.c. Been quoted £145 to sort this inc genuine new pipe as it requires dropping the tank – does this sound right?

03-17-2011, 04:02 PM	#6
blunk New Member Drives: 320d M Sport Saloon Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: UK Posts: 6 iTrader: (0)	Hey guys, I have the same problem on my e90! The last two occasions i have refuelled it have had very very expensive diesel just dripping out all over my drive. I have two big stains on my drive now just like rogerxp! Took it to main dealer and they quote around the £550 mark! Jeysus! I asked about goodwill but got told that because my car is just over 5 years old it is outside of the guidelines and they cant claim. But i have had the car serviced by BMW since new. Jamster76, how old is your BMW? How did you contact BMW UK? I need to have a good rant me thinks......

03-17-2011, 05:12 PM	#7
p0jy Second Lieutenant Drives: BMW 318d M Sport Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Leicester Posts: 246 iTrader: (3)	my cars going in for diagnostic on this on Saturday. My car is a 55 plate, did they charge you to diagnose it ?....I am going to kick off if they say 550 quid ?

03-17-2011, 05:27 PM	#8
b19rak New Member Drives: E90 330d MSport Auto 06 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Nuneaton, Warwickshire Posts: 28 iTrader: (0)	I had it done £120 at my local BMW Indy in Coventry. He just dropped one side of he tank and changed the pipe. Main dealer will say whole thing needs to come out. Took my Indy 90 minutes.

03-18-2011, 04:15 AM	#9
p0jy Second Lieutenant Drives: BMW 318d M Sport Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Leicester Posts: 246 iTrader: (3)	I'm going to try my luck at BMW first as the tank and various bits were replaced last year so ikm going to try get them to do it for free....will keep you posted!

03-26-2011, 05:06 AM	#12
josh laurence Enlisted Member Drives: silver coupe Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: totton Posts: 49 iTrader: (0)	I have this problem now!! I phoned up a indy near me and he said the tank has to come 90% out, prop off ect and will be around £300! Anybody know if this is REALLY the case? Is it the actual filler pipe/breather pipe or both? Nedd to find someone in the southampton area........... thanks

03-26-2011, 12:45 PM	#14
josh laurence Enlisted Member Drives: silver coupe Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: totton Posts: 49 iTrader: (0)	OK thanks for your input. Please tell me how they use smoke to test it........... Thanks

03-06-2013, 05:47 AM	#16
>sVo< New Member Drives: E90 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 20 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2005 BMW/E90/330d [0.00]	unfortunately I have the same problem the good thing is that BMW knows about this common issue and they modified the pipe... so... I ordered a genuine one from BMW for £35 (a good price I think). Now I'm waiting for the quotation for the labour...

03-06-2013, 08:32 AM	#18
>sVo< New Member Drives: E90 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 20 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2005 BMW/E90/330d [0.00]	i learned my lesson... today I found out that the first click at the pomp is more than enough... I was going to 3 or 4 clicks each time

03-08-2013, 06:27 AM	#19
BoondogUK Second Lieutenant Drives: Monaco Blue e90 320d Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 243 iTrader: (0)	Just booked mine in with an Indy... Was advised that the job will go one of two ways, if the split is not to bad and there is not to much diesel buildup around the pipe they can sometimes change the pipe without lowering the tank. However it is more common that they have to lower the tank to change it. Quote of 4hrs for the later +£20 for the part (or about 1.5hrs for the former). Guess thats why the quotes above vary so much. Fingers crossed for the easy fix! __________________ Monaco Blue 320d, iDrive, 18" M3 Reps, M3 Front Bumper & Lip Spoiler, ///M steering wheel & gear knob, F&R Tints, BMW Performance Kidneys

03-14-2013, 04:40 AM	#20
BoondogUK Second Lieutenant Drives: Monaco Blue e90 320d Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 243 iTrader: (0)	All fixed, but not the quick way unfortunately! Work took just shy of 5hrs including a road test, but was only charged the quoted amount of 4hrs. Part was £30+vat __________________ Monaco Blue 320d, iDrive, 18" M3 Reps, M3 Front Bumper & Lip Spoiler, ///M steering wheel & gear knob, F&R Tints, BMW Performance Kidneys

03-15-2013, 02:53 PM	#21
rsmallwo Captain Drives: 335d Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: hull Posts: 869 iTrader: (0)	my indy is quoting Â£300 to fix mine. Anyone had theres done in east/south yorkshire and it was cheaper?

03-16-2013, 12:53 PM	#22
Robin330i Second Lieutenant Drives: E90 330i M Sport Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Cheshire Posts: 206 iTrader: (2)	http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...t=Dreaded+fuel __________________ E90 330i M Sport - Mk4 Golf R32 - Mk3 Polo G40

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