[biffman49]

Hi all,

Hoping for a little help here...

I just filled up my gas tank and went through the car wash. Wash left me covered in soap, so I turned the car off, went inside, got a voucher, went through the car wash a second time.

During the second time through, the car was in Park, and I felt the car jerking a little bit. I looked at the tachometer which showed RPMs going from under 500 to over 12-1300, and back to under 500. It was just kind of moving back and forth a little bit. I typically idle at about 550-600 RPM.

When the wash ended, I pulled out, and had a noticeable loss of power. I pulled into a parking space, turned the car off, turned it back on, and drove back to work with no issues at all.

There haven't been any dash lights come on or anything, and I don't currently have the ability to check for codes.

Any thoughts as to what this could be or what to look for? Any help would be very much appreciated. Thank you!

[e92_enthusiast_1]

Depends on your miles and maintenance. Your plugs and coils new or original? How old are they? Sounds like it's time for new plugs though but you'd probably have misfires under WOT if it was.

Originally Posted by biffman49

Hi all,

Hoping for a little help here...

I just filled up my gas tank and went through the car wash. Wash left me covered in soap, so I turned the car off, went inside, got a voucher, went through the car wash a second time.

During the second time through, the car was in Park, and I felt the car jerking a little bit. I looked at the tachometer which showed RPMs going from under 500 to over 12-1300, and back to under 500. It was just kind of moving back and forth a little bit. I typically idle at about 550-600 RPM.

When the wash ended, I pulled out, and had a noticeable loss of power. I pulled into a parking space, turned the car off, turned it back on, and drove back to work with no issues at all.

There haven't been any dash lights come on or anything, and I don't currently have the ability to check for codes.

Any thoughts as to what this could be or what to look for? Any help would be very much appreciated. Thank you!

[biffman49]

Originally Posted by e92_enthusiast_1

Depends on your miles and maintenance. Your plugs and coils new or original? How old are they? Sounds like it's time for new plugs though but you'd probably have misfires under WOT if it was.

Yeah, sorry, could have included that initially.

Car is a 2009 328i Sedan with 47k miles. Bought it in December 2012 with 15k miles, and since I've owned it, I've maintained in pretty well. Had most recent oil change around 1000 miles ago, but have not replaced the plugs/coils previously.

I was planning on doing the plugs around 60k as preventative maintenance. Could that be all it is?

On another forum, someone recommended I check the vacuum lines - only problem is that I don't know how to do that!

[e92_enthusiast_1]

It could be either or yeah. You're right though, if you can find some info on checking that stuff lmk.

Originally Posted by biffman49

Yeah, sorry, could have included that initially.

Car is a 2009 328i Sedan with 47k miles. Bought it in December 2012 with 15k miles, and since I've owned it, I've maintained in pretty well. Had most recent oil change around 1000 miles ago, but have not replaced the plugs/coils previously.

I was planning on doing the plugs around 60k as preventative maintenance. Could that be all it is?

On another forum, someone recommended I check the vacuum lines - only problem is that I don't know how to do that!

[Deezulbeem]

My 2011 does the same thing when i wash it, i don't think its really an issue though.

[biffman49]

Originally Posted by AricsE90

My 2011 does the same thing when i wash it, i don't think its really an issue though.

Really? Just seems odd. It's never done it before, and I don't know why it would be doing it all of a sudden.

Quick update - drove home tonight (50 miles - 40 miles sailing on the highway, 10 miles stop and go traffic on the highway) without much issue.

The RPM's did seem to hang a bit if I'd let my foot off the gas and would decrease very slowly when braking. Didn't quite have the same problem when not moving as I did earlier.

Got home, left the car running, and opened the hood - seemed like it wasn't quite a loud as usual, but also didn't hear any noises that sounded out of place.

In any event, I'm not sure what's going on. The car got me home just fine, but it didn't feel right the entire time...but perhaps I'm just looking for it now?

I'm thinking I'll buy a scanner tool and see if it's throwing any codes. That ought to help point me in the right direction at least. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm more than happy to hear them!

[BMW_drei]

Originally Posted by biffman49

I'm thinking I'll buy a scanner tool and see if it's throwing any codes. That ought to help point me in the right direction at least. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm more than happy to hear them!

Do it! These cars store a lot of information on issues before they pop up on the dash. A specialized code reader (e.g. BT Tool, or others) is best, and is a key piece of maintenance gear if you plan on keeping the car and DIYing.

I've more than paid off the cost of my BT tool with the troubleshooting and repairs it's let me do. Besides, if you have someone else do repairs (e.g. dealerships...) it's nice to know ahead of time what the service department will tell you.

[e92_enthusiast_1]

Yup, you should do this man, I am getting all my stuff setup in a couple days. I got the BMW software and installing it on a shit laptop soon.

Originally Posted by biffman49

I'm thinking I'll buy a scanner tool and see if it's throwing any codes. That ought to help point me in the right direction at least. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm more than happy to hear them!

[bartles]

My 2011 does this basically 4/10 times I start my car. Havent had it checked out yet but sometimes its throws an "Engine Malfunction, Reduced Power" warning and others it doesnt.

[biffman49]

Originally Posted by bartles

My 2011 does this basically 4/10 times I start my car. Havent had it checked out yet but sometimes its throws an "Engine Malfunction, Reduced Power" warning and others it doesnt.

Ok, thanks for the info. Have just ordered my K+DCAN cable, and will check it out using the BMW Logger software as soon as it arrives.

Strange that someone else with a 2011 said they had the same issue in the car wash, and that it happens so often to you.

In my case, I wonder if something got wet that's not supposed to get wet. Worked reasonably well tonight, so I guess I'll see how I get on tomorrow.

[Seanzie]

It might be the Eccentric Shaft Position Sensor

[fravel]

I've experienced a stumbling idle in car washes before but never had any other noticeable issues arise from it. I just assumed my car had sucked in a little water vapor.

[biffman49]

Originally Posted by fravel

I've experienced a stumbling idle in car washes before but never had any other noticeable issues arise from it. I just assumed my car had sucked in a little water vapor.

Fair enough, perhaps that's all it was on mine. Drove back to work this morning with no issue. Still seems that the car has high RPM after letting off the gas - I feel like it should decrease quicker than it is. But that may be me being paranoid.

I've ordered a cable and will be using the BMW Logger software to read the codes when it arrives, so hopefully I can see if anything is actually wrong, or if it's all in my head!

[shepard10]

Mine does the same thing on rare occasions. I have a 2012 335 with like 27k miles.

[Miller335]

Don't go through a car wash with these cars.

You'll have to cut and buff the paint after going through one of those, and I guess deal with a crappy running engine also?

[bartles]

Originally Posted by Miller335

Don't go through a car wash with these cars.

As long as its a touchless you're fine. But never do a drive-thru wash that isn't touchless or you'll get alot of swirling in the paint.

[fravel]

Originally Posted by bartles

As long as its a touchless you're fine. But never do a drive-thru wash that isn't touchless or you'll get alot of swirling in the paint.

Yup. In all honesty though, touchless washes aren't getting your car clean - they leave a pretty good film behind if you look closely. Given the choice I always handwash my car, but during the winters it's just too cold, so I run it through the touchless wash and follow up by drenching it with spot free. It at least keeps the salt off the car and looking decently clean.

[Volasko]

I would do some searches regarding the VANOS solenoid, your symptoms sound similar to those issues others have reported. A sticking vanos solenoid can give you erratic idling and loss of power. When mine went it I got an error code but the code came and went randomly. You can DIY the swap with a new part VERY easily or try compressed air and MAF cleaner on it to clear the blockages.

[Deezulbeem]

Originally Posted by biffman49

Ok, thanks for the info. Have just ordered my K+DCAN cable, and will check it out using the BMW Logger software as soon as it arrives.

Strange that someone else with a 2011 said they had the same issue in the car wash, and that it happens so often to you.

In my case, I wonder if something got wet that's not supposed to get wet. Worked reasonably well tonight, so I guess I'll see how I get on tomorrow.

To be fair, my 2011 f150 also does this when I'm in the car wash.

[biffman49]

Just an update - I got my cable and ran BMW Logger. Didn't show any codes at all, so I guess this is a good thing. Perhaps just a quirk of the car wash?

I think for good measure, I'll put some Techron in the gas tank tomorrow (I've never done this before, and I've owned the car for 35k miles), and I'll probably look to change the spark plugs in the next couple months, as I'll hit the 60k mile mark in about 6 months.

Just glad there weren't any codes pulled. Thanks all, for your suggestions.

[e92_enthusiast_1]

Good to hear, thx for the update

Originally Posted by biffman49

Just an update - I got my cable and ran BMW Logger. Didn't show any codes at all, so I guess this is a good thing. Perhaps just a quirk of the car wash?

I think for good measure, I'll put some Techron in the gas tank tomorrow (I've never done this before, and I've owned the car for 35k miles), and I'll probably look to change the spark plugs in the next couple months, as I'll hit the 60k mile mark in about 6 months.

Just glad there weren't any codes pulled. Thanks all, for your suggestions.

[ccraig13]

Probably wasn't a BMW approved car wash

Anyways, I've had that issue before when going through a wash (touch less) as well. Yeah it was a bit disconcerting at the time