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BMW has a lineup of high-quality, performance-oriented, luxury vehicles. Choosing one likely means you enjoy driving and want to have a car that is reliable, stylist, and powerful. One thing that can easily ruin that is lack of performance, which can be caused by problems with the fuel injectors. The fuel injector’s job is to spray fuel into the cylinders during the combustion process. This happens when the air/fuel mix is ignited by the spark plug, which is a crucial part of the engine’s 4-stroke cycle. There is one fuel injector for every cylinder in your BMW’s engine.
Let’s look at some of the symptoms of failing fuel injectors to better understand this problem and why it is critical to have fuel injectors serviced.
Symptoms of BMW Fuel Injector Failure
- Hard start: Your BMW might be harder to start if one or more fuel injectors are failing. This is because your car depends on fuel for combustion, and without successful combustion, your car will either run very poorly or sometimes not run at all!
- Bad smell: Sometimes the smell of fuel might be present while driving. This could be especially true when you first start your BMW. This is indicative of a possible leak at the fuel injectors, which can be a fire hazard so exercise extreme caution and have your vehicle serviced as soon as possible.
- Discolored exhaust smoke: Darker exhaust smoke, either gray or brown, is also possible when fuel injectors are failing.
- Loss of fuel efficiency: You might notice you get fewer miles to the gallon than you used to. Bad injectors means improper fuel usage, which can lead to reduced gas mileage.
- Rough running conditions: This includes rough running when in motion, at idle, possible misfiring, surging, engine knocking, and bucking. Essentially, the car might sound worse with new, unusual noise not previously present when in motion or at idle. It may sound like it is skipping due to misfires, which are incomplete or absent combustion in one or more cylinders. It could accelerate before shifting to higher than normal RPMs (surging), or even dropping RPMs (bucking). All of this clearly impacts drivability, and your BMW will not be enjoyable to drive or in some cases not even safe to drive, until it is addressed.
- Emission trouble: When fuel is used improperly, it alters the emissions of your BMW. This can lead to failure of a state required emissions test. Be sure to check your state’s rules and regulations if you are concerned about this, as each state has varying guidelines. It is a safe bet that failing emissions will require you to get your BMW to a state where it does pass emissions, however.
While these are all signs of bad fuel injectors, it is good to remember that these are also all signs of other problems with cars, making this a somewhat complex diagnosis to make. That is why it is wise to seek the services of a professional to get the job done correctly and safely. This is especially true when dealing with the fuel system, due to the flammability and risk of fire if service improperly. For example, not reconnecting the fuel line after maintenance correctly can lead to a leak while the engine is running.
Even if you do not notice any of these symptoms, regular inspection of your fuel injectors can help prevent these issues from occurring by repairing and replacing before components break or fail.
Daniel’s European for your BMW’s Fuel Injector Service
Daniel’s European in La Habra, California has been the #1 shop for European vehicle maintenance and repairs since 2013. We also 
serve the nearby areas of Brea, Fullerton, La Habra Heights, Hacienda Heights, and Rowland Heights, CA. We are Los Angeles County’s preferred destination.
Our certified mechanics have decades of experience and are formally trained. Factory grade equipment is used to provide you with an affordable dealership alternative and honest, upfront pricing. Our work is covered by a 24-month/24,000-mile warranty. For an appointment, please call us at (562) 690-7000. We are located at 481 E. Imperial HWY Suite E. in La Habra, CA and our hours are from 8:00AM to 5:30PM Monday through Friday.