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Hi there, I purchased a secondhand BMW 118i 2006 on 31/8/2012 when I was 8.5 months pregnant. One week later when I started the car smoke came blowing out the exhaust. It has since done this on random occasions on start up since that first incident. Usually once or twice a week (but has done it 3x in one day). I took it to a mechanic who said he could not find any issues and he said it was hard to pinpoint the issue when it only blows smoke sometimes (as it would be easier if he could have seen/smelt the smoke). 4.5 months later I have been "googling" the issue on the internet and it sometimes looses power when I rev it and on one occasion the engine malfunction light came on (since disappeared). I want to sort it ( as I had a very difficult baby and my car was the last thing I wanted to think about) as was sold to me in this state. If I take it to a BMW specialist can their diagnostic equipment pinpoint the issue? Was I an idiot not to get an extended warranty on this car? I did get a AA pre-purchase check and if it is a fault with the car I could go back to the dealer anyway can't I?

If you bought the vehicle from a car dealer, not an auction or private sale, then you should take the vehicle back to the dealer to have a look at the vehicle. It is possible they might need it for a couple of days to reproduce the fault as it sounds like it isn't always present. Give them the opportunity to rectify the problem. The Consumer Guarantees Act covers you for a reasonable amount of time so you shouldn't delay in getting the vehicle to the dealer to sort out.