[Saxatilis]

i have a 2010 335i…190k miles…drives perfectly…notice a faint burning smell in cabin and outside of car after driving more than 20 minutes…no discernable smoke…any ideas? planning on reluctantly selling it (got an m240) and wondering if this will be a big/expensive fix?
doesn’t really smell like coolant or oil

[ky0u]

Bit vague tbh, could be anything. What kind of burning? Is it like plasticky? electronics?
Do you see any smoke in your cabin? Have you done the blower motor recall on your car?

[Saxatilis]

yeah i know, sorry…totally vague i know…yeah kind of plastic/rubbery…maybe a belt…i’m gonna bring it in and see…doesn’t feel right to sell it without checking it out

[NikMN]

Check your valve cover

[drmn43]

Agree - I’ve had a burning smell coming from valve cover gasket leak on exhaust side

[Jaronbwall]

VCG leaking can drip onto the downpipes and cause that smell. When it gets bad enough you'll think your engine is catching on fire. Ask me how I know.

[Saxatilis]

ha! is that a legit risk?

[Jaronbwall]

Originally Posted by Saxatilis

ha! is that a legit risk?

Dude I don't know but my god it was scary. To make matters worse my now wife was with me and doesn't like my choice in vehicles. We limped it home driving about 50mph. I've done so much maintenance after 8 yrs of ownership. It never really ends once you cross 100k miles. Get mentally and financially prepared if you want to drive a used BMW. It's fun but exhausting sometimes. Cheers.

[Saxatilis]

i hear you…i’m sad to give this one up…190k miles and still runs awesome (except for this possible impeding fire)
i bought a 2018 m240 w only 20k miles, so kinda starting over

[tcphoto]

You got rid of the car because of the VCG? It's a fairly easy DIY but is tedious, even at an Indy the job is about $1K. I did mine three years ago and the gaskets under $50.

[Saxatilis]

no! i am somewhat reluctantly moving on from car just due to miles and age…i still love it

was wondering if i should sink in the $1k+ to fix it before selling it