Sivakumar
Member
- Posts
- 11
- Location
- Port Talbot, Wales
Hi Everyone,
A couple of days ago, while waiting in line to enter the car wash, my wife and I noticed something unusual. The air conditioning suddenly stopped blowing cold air, and shortly afterward, white smoke began coming from the bonnet. This was followed by all the electrics switching off.
I’m not sure whether I switched off the car myself or if it shut down on its own, but when I got out to check, I saw smoke coming from under the bonnet as well as from the driver’s side wheel arch. There was also a faint burning smell (though I can’t be 100% certain as I was a bit panicked).
When I tried restarting the car, it showed no power at all. Since I have a battery disconnector installed, I switched it on. The power returned, and the car started, though it was still smoking. I carefully reversed it, parked to the side, and observed more smoke coming from the back, underneath the engine bay, and again from the wheel arch. I turned it off, left the bonnet open for about 10 minutes, then removed the battery disconnector and reconnected the battery as normal. After waiting a few minutes, I tried starting it again—it started without any smoke and drove normally.
The next day, I even took it for a 140-mile drive, and everything seemed fine. When I first bought the car, the seller mentioned that his daughter had once seen smoke from the engine bay, but after taking it to a garage, no fault was found, and it had been running without issues for three months—until this recent incident. For context, I travel about 70 miles daily for work. Interestingly, I used to have the common battery drain issue where the car wouldn’t start after sitting overnight. But since this smoke incident, that problem seems to have vanished, and now it starts smoothly every time.
My main concern is: what could be the cause of the white smoke? Is it a serious warning sign that the car may soon require a costly repair? Should I consider selling it or scrapping it?
Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
A couple of days ago, while waiting in line to enter the car wash, my wife and I noticed something unusual. The air conditioning suddenly stopped blowing cold air, and shortly afterward, white smoke began coming from the bonnet. This was followed by all the electrics switching off.
I’m not sure whether I switched off the car myself or if it shut down on its own, but when I got out to check, I saw smoke coming from under the bonnet as well as from the driver’s side wheel arch. There was also a faint burning smell (though I can’t be 100% certain as I was a bit panicked).
When I tried restarting the car, it showed no power at all. Since I have a battery disconnector installed, I switched it on. The power returned, and the car started, though it was still smoking. I carefully reversed it, parked to the side, and observed more smoke coming from the back, underneath the engine bay, and again from the wheel arch. I turned it off, left the bonnet open for about 10 minutes, then removed the battery disconnector and reconnected the battery as normal. After waiting a few minutes, I tried starting it again—it started without any smoke and drove normally.
The next day, I even took it for a 140-mile drive, and everything seemed fine. When I first bought the car, the seller mentioned that his daughter had once seen smoke from the engine bay, but after taking it to a garage, no fault was found, and it had been running without issues for three months—until this recent incident. For context, I travel about 70 miles daily for work. Interestingly, I used to have the common battery drain issue where the car wouldn’t start after sitting overnight. But since this smoke incident, that problem seems to have vanished, and now it starts smoothly every time.
My main concern is: what could be the cause of the white smoke? Is it a serious warning sign that the car may soon require a costly repair? Should I consider selling it or scrapping it?
Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
