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2013 BMW 328i Check Engine Light

A flashing light hints that the problem is powerful and if not taken care of hastily may result in major damage to the car. If the check engine light in your 2013 BMW 328i starts flashing, that means that the problem needs urgent attention and your BMW should be brought in hastily. This blinking light commonly implies a relentless engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can instantly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can certainly be the cause. A bad, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a excessively pricey repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive advisors at Richmond BMW Midlothian immediately by calling 8043618758.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2013 BMW 328i?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a hazardous problem that could cause hazardous damage to your engine and come with a hefty repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A consistent glow frequently means something less hazardous but a flashing check engine light implies that your vehicle’s engine is in hazardous trouble and service is basic today. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2013 BMW 328i, we remarkably recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule BMW service at this moment. Below is a list of the most prevalent reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • The battery is meager or dead. The battery in your 2013 BMW 328i is every paramount. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The cost of a new one depends on the type of BMW you drive, but check our extant service coupons and specials.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, established as the O2 sensor, measures the sum of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less functional when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause damage to your catalytic converter and your 2013 BMW 328i's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to elect for the right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A harmful O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your BMW 328i is what determines how much fuel is necessary to run your engine efficiently by measuring the sum of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to genuine changes, like altitude. If your BMW 328i is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a hasty change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a harmful mass airflow sensor.
  • One of the most commonplace and many cause is that your 2013 BMW 328i gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2013 BMW 328i serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a harmful fuel cap? If your gas cap is erstwhile or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't costly. If your check engine light turns on immediately after you put gas in your 2013 BMW 328i, earliest thing you should check is to make hopeful the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • Your catalytic converter is harmful or going harmful. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2013 BMW 328i’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is ordinarily caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Richmond BMW Midlothian offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every BMW service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2013 BMW 328i will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause substitute problems from overheating.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or substitute item can wreak havoc on your 2013 BMW 328i if it’s not installed perfectly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even impede the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound ongoing, bring your 328i to BMW and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed well and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, remarkably aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts earliest place might cost a scant bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are necessary for your 2013 BMW 328i. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are harmful or erstwhile, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, best to more costly repairs.
  • Your 2013 BMW 328i has a vacuum leak. Every BMW 328i has a vacuum system that performs a humongous variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lessen harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, remarkably if they’re exposed to notable heat or extreme brisk.

2013 BMW 328i Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly brightens, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also noted as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your 328i. There are hundreds of odd codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling extensive diagnostics will give you cooperative knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is precisely supposed to do: be your guide. Regrettably, conspicuous and cooperative vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of attainable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of attainable reasons for the light, including:

  • Bad Spark Plugs
  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
  • O2 Sensor
  • Emissions controls issues
  • Transmission issues
  • Ignition system faults
  • Computer output circuit issues
  • Old Battery

This is why it is vital for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Richmond BMW Midlothian at 8043618758 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out promptly by a certified BMW technician. If the engine light comes on due to a critical concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue right away.

Is it safe to drive your 2013 BMW 328i with the check engine light on?

This question is not very clear because it each depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be protected to drive. This is typically indicated by a consistent glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the automobile, it could be an indication of a more hazardous problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a hazardous issue and it is recommended to service your BMW 328i instantly. Call the specialists at Richmond BMW Midlothian by dialing 8043618758 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2013 BMW to our certified mechanics as soon as attainable.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most frequently misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2013 BMW 328i is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few numerous ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your automobile. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored automobile performance since the 80s and do a collection of things for your 2013 BMW 328i. Some of these include ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a range of disparate things. It can be as clear as your gas cap being loose or as strict as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2013 BMW 328i, contact Richmond BMW Midlothian. Our BMW service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Richmond BMW Midlothian today!

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not perfectly tightened to a more relentless failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it excellent to get the careful code reading and diagnosis. The middle cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is often between $88 and $111. The excellent news, Richmond BMW Midlothian offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to assist represent the cause of your check engine light.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how several miles you can drive with the warning light on. It could be anything from a detrimental sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy properly. If you check engine light is flashing, we indicate that you pull over and contact Richmond BMW Midlothian to help represent if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we indicate a tow truck.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2013 BMW 328i will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going apt, and you did various of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your 2013 BMW 328i light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Richmond BMW Midlothian so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Check Engine Light Service 2013 BMW 328i

What do you do when you’re driving along in your BMW 328i and suddenly, a yellow light brightens on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most BMW owners, your heart sinks a tiny because you have tiny idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2013 BMW 328i checked as soon as achievable. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major damage to pricey engine components.

When your 2013 BMW 328i's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t sane, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is mostly labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an mechanical audit tool that is used by our BMW auto repair technicians at Richmond BMW Midlothian. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you indicate that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to indicate the issue and repair it.

2013 BMW 328i Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are bountiful feasible causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are assorted commonplace causes including something as classic as a loose gas cap. Added commonplace reasons for a Check Engine Light are dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty head gasket, faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, or defective spark plugs to name various. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the BMW Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as needed to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your BMW issue was serviced.

Every 2013 BMW 328i was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its laborious systems. The sensors are typically detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is sorry nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Richmond BMW Midlothian provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Immensely Qualified Service compelling.