2008 328i gas smell

Hey all, 

I'm in my hometown and looking for some help from the hive. My father has a 2008 328i convertible. 66k miles and in great shape. It however has a gas smell. One other thing to note is that it doesn't like to take fuel, I had it keep clicking off yesterday. Dad says it won't do that if you hold the nozzle sideway? 
my non bmw experience says check valve or charcoal canister. Car runs perfect and gets 25+ mpg. 
any common issues we should check first? 

Try checking under the rear seat to see if the fuel pump module(s) may be leaking or have a hose leaking.  Easy thing to check before digging any deeper.