BMW 520d DPF Problems: Heavy Smoke and Power Loss

Hey there! I've got some experience with diesels and had a similar issue with my 2006 BMW 523d. Also own a 525i from the same generation. Had exactly those symptoms, power loss, warning lights, and that nasty smoke. My exhaust back pressure sensor was acting up, throwing those DPF-related codes you mentioned. Got it fixed at my trusted workshop about 8 months ago, cost me 245 Euro all in. Could be the same thing on yours, but would need more info to be sure. Current mileage? How long have you had these symptoms? Any recent DPF regenerations? What specific fault codes are you getting? Feel free to share those details, and I'll try to help more based on my experience.

Thanks for jumping in! My 520d has 48740 KM and had its last service just 2 months ago. Been dealing with these symptoms for about a week now. The weird thing is, I haven't noticed any active regeneration cycles lately, which might be part of the issue. Getting fault codes P2002 and P242F. The exhaust pressure sensor being the culprit would actually make sense given the symptoms. Really helpful to hear about your experience with a similar problem. Did your car also have that strong diesel smell before you got it fixed? Just trying to confirm if I'm dealing with the same thing before heading to the shop.

Hey again! Yes, absolutely, that strong diesel smell was definitely there on my 523d before fixing it. It's actually one of the telltale signs that reminded me of my own case when I read your post. The fact that you're not seeing regen cycles combined with those specific fault codes (had the exact same ones) really points to the pressure sensor issue. The mileage on yours is actually lower than mine was when I had the problem, mine was around 65000 KM when it started acting up. Just to share a bit more from my experience, after they replaced the sensor, it took about 2-3 drives for everything to settle back to normal. The smell went away completely, and the engine power returned to normal. The warning lights cleared up right after the fix though. One thing I'd mention, while they were at it, they also cleaned the DPF sensor connections as they had some carbon build-up. Might be worth asking your shop to check that too when you take it in. Didn't cost much extra but helped ensure everything was working properly. Let me know how it goes when you get it checked out. Always interested to hear if others have the same fix work for them!

Thanks so much for all the detailed info! Really appreciate you sharing your experience, especially about the sensor connections cleaning. That's exactly the kind of real-world advice I was hoping for. Will definitely mention checking those connections when I take it in tomorrow. Also good to know about the 2-3 drives settling period, helps set the right expectations. Honestly feeling much more confident now about what I'm dealing with. The matching symptoms, identical fault codes, and especially that diesel smell confirmation make me pretty sure it's the same issue. Plus it's helpful knowing the rough cost range, at least I won't get hit with any shocking surprises at the workshop. Will update you once I get it sorted. Thanks again for taking the time to share all this, super helpful for someone dealing with their first DPF drama!