I've had my Evo for 2 months now, but ever since picking it up I've had an issue that I hoped would sort itself out, but now seems to be with me for the long-haul.

Each time the car is started for the first time in any given day, smoke pumps out of the exhause pipe. It's not a small amount either, but enough that one day, my neighbour who was stood in his front garden cleaning out his fish pond 'vanished' because of it. He could no longer be seen!

The smoke is grey/blue in colour and comes out in massive quantities. I've had the car looked over by the dealer after filming the problem one day and they could find nothing wrong with the car, despite it belching out the stuff when they started it themselves. They removed and cleaned out the breathing hoses but this has not solved it. I haven't driven that many miles (almost a thousand now) since getting it end of May but I am assured that regardless of the mileage, the car should not be pumping this stuff out and not in these quantities.

I am interested in hearing from anyone who may have experienced a similar issue. The car is going back in tomorrow afternoon for them to keep for a few days to give it a thorough going-over. I've been keeping an eye on the oil levels, and nothing untoward happening with the levels.

I am bracing myself for some bad news later this week.

Same engine as me, mine runs clean & has done since day 1 in all conditions so far.


Very weird! but, that's why its under warranty so at-least you wont be out of pocket, certainly get them to sort it out.


Also, if possible would like to see the video if you can youtube it or anything? - for future reference + personal curiosity.

Blank2k2 said:

Same engine as me, mine runs clean & has done since day 1 in all conditions so far.


Very weird! but, that's why its under warranty so at-least you wont be out of pocket, certainly get them to sort it out.


Also, if possible would like to see the video if you can youtube it or anything? - for future reference + personal curiosity.

Click to expand...

You're sick I tell ya, sick!

Well that is bad news.

Can't say my Sport has smoke of any kind, even the white kind from the turbo, thankfully.

When I showed the dealer the footage of the smoke problem, they thought it was a diesel until they realised it was a petrol engine.

Car's at the dealer now so I hope to learn more over the next couple days.

mjt said:

When I showed the dealer the footage of the smoke problem, they thought it was a diesel until they realised it was a petrol engine.

Car's at the dealer now so I hope to learn more over the next couple days.

Click to expand...

Good luck and let's hope for a quick turn around.

mjt said:

When I showed the dealer the footage of the smoke problem, they thought it was a diesel until they realised it was a petrol engine.

Car's at the dealer now so I hope to learn more over the next couple days.

Click to expand...

Could we see the footage!?

Got my car back today and although it isn't fixed, we now know what the problem is! Apparently there was an assembly fault when they were building the engine and a tube that carries unused fuel back to the petrol tank when the engine is turned off was blocked by sealant from the Rocker cover. As the fuel couldn't drain away, it was left in the engine and is immediately vapourised when the ignition is turned on which results in the smoke belching out the exhaust.

They've ordered a replacement tubing part but it has to be shipped over from Italy so the car has to go back in again next week. I am informed that I will also see an improvement in fuel economy too, as apparently, the engine is burning the equivalent of a cup of fuel on startup before I even go anywhere! Maybe Fiat should compensate me for a tank of petrol under the circumstances. It's a very rare thing to happen, as I am told when the cars are being built, they tend to skimp on the sealant and don't use enough. Typically, I get the one where they go overboard.

If anyone actually wants to see the video (as per above), PM me your email and I'll forward it to you as I don't think I can upload it here and am not prepared to post it on You Tube.

I'm glad they found the problem, sounds like a **** up but atleast they've found it & are able to remedy it could of been one of those things that goes back 10 times to a dealer before they notice it things.

That said, pretty sure with the Evo there keeping a keen eye on it to make sure theres no major recall problems.

Out of interest, does the Start&Stop belch smoke too?

To be fair, it wasn't the dealer that identified the problem, they were totally stumped. It was Fiat themselves who asked them to remove the Rocker and check this tube to see if it was blocked. Low and behold....

It would only chuck the smoke out (and it was a LOT) on the first start of the day as the fuel had been sat in the engine overnight. I never had it at all with the Stop/Start system, thank God!

I also had the Stop/Start system reset as it was playing up. If anyone has problems with it saying 'Stop/Start Unavailable' and you don't ride the clutch (which apparently people do and will stop it working) the dealer can 'adjust the timing' on the system to make it work better. Apparently, Stop/Start can also become unavailable if fuel drops below quarter tank level. Thought this may be of interest to some.

Oh, forgot to mention. When I collected the car when I bought it, I noticed that the vent on the centre console on the driver's side was broken. Took a couple weeks for them to get in a replacement.

While the car was in for 'observation' over the past couple days they fitted the new unit and now my cubby hole on the dash doesn't open :bang: LOL.

Apparently it's now such a common issue, there's now an official 'fix' for it. Within a few seconds of walking out of the dealer, another customer went in with the same problem with their dashboard cubby hole and they fixed it there and then for them.

Typical that I have no problems with it initially, then I have a brand new centre console unit fitted to sort the busted vent which now works fine and I get the issue with the lid on the compartment reported by many!

I'd ask them about "bore wash".
A cupful of petrol neat petrol in the cylinders at every start up for over a thousand miles may lead to early engine wear which will only show up when Warranty is finished....

Thanks for the warning. I'll query it when I take the car in Monday for the fix.

Well, car went in last Monday for the fix and I collected it Wednesday evening. Great news, no more smoke since then...

...until yesterday and the problem's back as if nothing was done. Smoke belching out as normal.

I was somewhat miffed, so yesterday I rang the dealer when I got to work and they were obviously concerned and somewhat shocked. I had to leave it with them and got called back this afternoon. It seems that my little problem has been escalated to the highest level and is now the responsibility of the technical folks in Turin. Apparently there is one other 'rogue vehicle' somewhere else in Europe that Fiat know about which is due to have the same 'fix' mine had last week and I am now unsure if I am reassured or more angry that this is not just an isolated problem.

I was advised to phone Fiat UK's Customer Services Department and ended up speaking to someone in Milan. My Dealer warned me that there may be an imminent 2 week summer shut down in Turin but the guy I spoke to said that some parts of the country go on holiday for the whole of August and some of Turin are shut down already. I was left furious as I am now thinking that potentially there will be no-one in Fiat's technical department in Turin to investigate what's going on until next month. :bang:

I've been told there is not a 'safety issue' with the car but to be honest I am more concerned that, if no one actually knows what's wrong with the engine, could I potentially be introducing long-term damage by continuing to drive the car. I realise this is all covered by warranty, but that's not exactly the point. In the mean time, I've been warned to pay careful attention to the oil levels as the car has been getting through it at quite a rate prior to the 'fix' last week. Besides the dealer filling it up on every visit, I've just paid about £13 for a tiny bottle of the stuff I take with me everywhere now. I'm getting paranoid about checking it already.

This is extremely frustrating. I'm loving the car but having to constantly take the car to the dealer, spending so much time on the phone etc is getting ridiculous. In their defence, the dealer have been brilliant, but my patience is beginning to run out. I await a phone call tomorrow (I believe) from Fiat UK.

did it do this the second you picked it up (ie, at the garage you bought it from)?

I think the best thing to do would be to ask Fiat UK when they phone tomorrow, for a car to use while they investigate the problem with your Evo. There's not alot anyone in the UK can do about the daft month long shut down (which is totally ridiculous for any company wanting to make a profit) but they can at least prevent any further damage to your car & relieve you of the hassle of checking oil levels daily, by giving you a fully functioning car in the interim.

I don't think that's asking much of them at all and if they say no, i'd inform them of my intention to speak to Watchdog, just to keep them on their toes.

Marcos999 said:

did it do this the second you picked it up (ie, at the garage you bought it from)?

Click to expand...

Yes. I figured it was because it was new. I rang the dealer when I got home and was told it was probably some coating on the exhaust system that needed to burn off.

JTD_Liam said:

I think the best thing to do would be to ask Fiat UK when they phone tomorrow, for a car to use while they investigate the problem with your Evo. There's not alot anyone in the UK can do about the daft month long shut down (which is totally ridiculous for any company wanting to make a profit) but they can at least prevent any further damage to your car & relieve you of the hassle of checking oil levels daily, by giving you a fully functioning car in the interim.

I don't think that's asking much of them at all and if they say no, i'd inform them of my intention to speak to Watchdog, just to keep them on their toes.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately no one called today, so I tried ringing them. Got told that the call is due tomorrow as they have been investigating today. Someone will be phoning me tomorrow and I obviously have a lot to discuss.

mjt said:

Unfortunately no one called today, so I tried ringing them. Got told that the call is due tomorrow as they have been investigating today. Someone will be phoning me tomorrow and I obviously have a lot to discuss.

Click to expand...

Eek. Keep us posted & good luck

Had a phone call from Fiat UK and I felt totally fobbed off. They kept saying that they know what the problem is and were just waiting on an advisory to come out of Turin on how to fix it. My dealer is adamant that they do not know what the problem is which is why Turin took ownership of the problem in the first place.

Apparently the car has been through about 6 litres of oil in the first 1000 miles the car has been driven which horrified me. I knew they had been filling it up each time the car went in recently, but didn't realise it was that bad.

I've told the dealer and Fiat UK that if a fix isn't forthcoming, and soon, along with a guarantee that the future trade-in value won't be compromised because of this issue, I am rejecting the car.

The head of Fiat UK's customer services department is calling the dealer tomorrow and they'll be calling me after.