unidentified

BMW gave me 'Engine Malfunction. Reduced Power' warning Thursday evening while accelerating down the highway. The warning appeared with a half engine symbol on the console. The vehicle has 60k miles on it and is regularly serviced with oil changes every 7500 miles. It has had its HPFP changed under recall at 42k miles and new spark plugs.

The error code is '30FF - Low Boost Pressure'. Dealership blames defective turbochargers and quotes 5k+tax to repair them. Also, there are 2 engine oil leaks requiring changing Valve Cover Gasket ($1382) and Oil Filter Housing gasket ($1018). According to the dealership, the oil leaks have seeped into radiator hose and water pump as well ($1374 to fix). I understand indy shop is the way to go. If it helps, I am in Washington state. What advice do you have for me? Thanks.

Nika

I would do a Smoke test.

sujtai

Wow... we share a very close experience.

I bought my '08 535i back in April. During the first week I had it, I was noticing some strange odors, such as oil and exhaust, so I took it to my local BMW dealership for a checkup. They took me that I needed the valve cover gasket, oil housing gasket, and transmission gasket all replaced. They quoted me similar prices to yours, cant remember the exact amount though. Since I had just bought the car, I went back to CarMax where I bought it for all the necessary repairs. However, CarMax said I didnt need the valve cover gasket or oil housing gasket replaced. They saw no oil leakage. But CarMax did agree that I needed the transmission gasket so they sent my car to an 3rd-party BMW specialty shop for the transmission repairs. Since I didnt know who to believe, I asked this BMW specialty shop to give me an 3rd opinion on the gasket replacements. And they also said I didnt needed the gaskets replaced as there was no visible oil leakage. So, make a long story short... I believe the BMW dealership was trying to rob me for some major unneeded repairs. And I believe the original oil smell was just from an oil change that was done prior to my purchase. I haven't smell any oil since.

Now... this past week, as I was going to work, I also experienced a "Engine Malfunction. Reduced Power" message. It occurred as I was accelerating pretty hard. However, after turning off the car and restarting it, the message would disappeared. I took my car back to the same local BMW dealership and they said it was a 30FF fault. They performed a smoke test and disconnected/reconnected all vacuum lines, but found nothing. In the end, I was charged for $315 for a diagnostic fee and some 'needed computer update' but they never really fixed anything. And just today, the 30FF pops back up again. Sigh...

epilithic

I have recently had a similar issue only without the leaks or gasket issue. I received the "engine malfunction-reduced power" message as well only i was actually losing any power. The message would go away after a restart. Same code you posted above but i also received P30fc. (ill have to plug up my reader and get the exact verbiage, but it had to do boost leak something). I have an 08 535i, HFPF and LFPF have been replaced as well as all injectors and fuel unit control module all under warranty. I took my car to an indie shop to have them perform a smoke test but they found no leaks. After doing a bunch of research my suspicion is that its either a turbo wastegate issue or a diverter valve issue. Since my diverter valves have been replaced im assuming that the wastegate is more than likely the culprit. The error happens under wide open throttle in 5th or 6th gear but never at a shift point. My thinking is that a wastegate is getting stuck open or not closing fast enough and a sensor is registering it as a leak? Im no expert but i refuse to take the car to BMW only to have them charge me a $300 diagnostic fee and not find the issue.

amit1947

Fellow 535i drivers!

I have a 2010 535i with 31k miles on it.

I JUST had the 30FC and 2AAF codes last week, along with engine malfunction power reduced message on IDrive. This occurred during WOT and cleared after restart. No shaking or misfiring that I could tell.

These symptoms sound a lot like some of yours.

So I take it to the dealership (I have original warranty left) and they fix it the same day. They replaced the Low pressure fuel sensor (LPFP) to fix the 2AAF code. The Tech notes state that the LPFP was measuring incorrectly.

They replaced both Pressure Converters (I think they're also known as Wastegate solenoids?) to fix the 30FC code. They detected a reduction in vacuum pressure I believe. The Tech wrote extensive notes on the work order so I'll post that up when I get back from work today. He conducted several pressure tests using a pressure gauge and vacuum machine. I was impressed with the process he used to find the problem.

After the fix, I get no more Check Engine Light or IDrive messages. Also the car definitely feels more powerful.

amit1947

By the way, they also ran a test on my HPFP and found it to be functioning correctly.

NoQuarter

Just a few general notes:


Those of you in the areas with the oppressive heat - this is no time to be testing the general health of your tubo engines by going WOT anytime. Any weakness will show themselves under these conditions. Also, to troubleshoot this you really need to have the codes diagnosed. Mostly they are pretty descriptive and really all problems with the 535s have been experienced with us internet mechanics and most problems are DIY - short of new turbos of course. The usual culprits are plugs, coils and injectors.


The codes will tell you if you are chasing down a misfire (probably), boost problems (such as a leak), or something else

amit1947

NoQuarter, how reliable is your 535i? How many miles do you have? Sounds like you have experience in all things N54. I think your advice is good, codes do tell us a lot.

If you get fuel related codes than its most likely plugs, coils, injectors, fuel sensors.

If you get boost related codes, then look at intake hoses, waste-gate connected stuff like the pressure converter and related hoses/valves.

NoQuarter

I have 70K+ miles. I have had the usual warranty/recall work: HPFP, injectors, transmission mech sleeve leak, vanos solinoids. My turbos started to rattle and BMW replaced them with new ones. I have only paid a couple hundred $$ in CPO deductables. I have not had any valve cover leaks.

I had my oil tested in a lab at the last change. With 10,000 miles on the oil - double what I wanted , the test was great with very little metals, no water or antifreeze, etc. the lab said the engine is looking good. The only thing of note was higher iron content but that is easily attributed to my water/meth injection and going to 10,000 miles on the oil.

I love this car!

Jim

epilithic

Definitely agree with not pushing the turbos in this heat out here in California , I wait until 10pm-11pm when the temperature drops substantially to "test" this recent fault. In my case specifically that I didn't mention before is that I just bought and installed the Cobb ap. under normal stock conditions (no tuner installed) my car runs fine with no faults. The added boost when the tuner is installed in my opinion is what is showing the weak points in my engine. In this case a vacuum line or something. Was hoping the smoke test would point me towards an easy fix but no such luck. Same thing happened when I had the jb4 installed but little did I know it was my engine and not the tuner. Ignorance at its best on my part lol. The search continues...