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Is it safe to drive your 2015 BMW 325i with the check engine light on?

This question is not very accepted because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is normally indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more treacherous problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a treacherous issue and it is recommended to service your BMW 325i promptly. Call the experts at Richmond BMW Midlothian by dialing 8043618758 so you can describe the issues. Or lessen your speed and deliver your 2015 BMW to our certified mechanics as soon as functional.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most continuously misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2015 BMW 325i is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few different 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 car. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored car performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2015 BMW 325i. Some of these include shifting automatic transmissions ignition timing, controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a assortment of assorted things. It can be as pure as your gas cap being loose or as serious as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2015 BMW 325i, contact Richmond BMW Midlothian. Our BMW service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or investigate why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Richmond BMW Midlothian today!

2015 BMW 325i Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that microscopic light on your vehicle’s dashboard immediately illuminates, 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 known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your 325i. There are hundreds of various codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a microscopic patience, tackling essential diagnostics will give you appropriate knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Regrettably, alluring and accessible vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of sensible OBD codes, there are also hundreds of sensible reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is alarming 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! If the engine light comes on due to a noticeable concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out instantly by a certified BMW mechanic.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2015 BMW 325i?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as effortless as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a unsafe problem that could cause unsafe damage to your engine and come with a big repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A dependable glow constantly means something less unsafe but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in unsafe trouble and service is imperative immediately. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2015 BMW 325i, we extraordinarily recommend not to drive the car and schedule BMW service today. Below is a list of the most effortless reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your BMW 325i is what determines how much fuel is needed 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 satisfied changes, like altitude. If your BMW 325i is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • Your 2015 BMW 325i has a vacuum leak. Every BMW 325i has a vacuum system that performs a roomy variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower 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, particularly if they’re exposed to imposing heat or extreme agile.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, admitted 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 real 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 2015 BMW 325i's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to elect for the right collection of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2015 BMW 325i’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 usually 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 2015 BMW 325i 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 other problems from overheating.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are needed for your 2015 BMW 325i. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel collection 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 bad or classical, 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, finest to more expensive repairs.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak havoc on your 2015 BMW 325i if it’s not installed correctly. These aftermarket components and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound admitted, bring your 325i to BMW and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, particularly aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM components first place might estimate a tiny bit more but could save you money from having to get poor function and damage caused by poor installation function corrected.
  • The battery is poor or dead. The battery in your 2015 BMW 325i is every needed. 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 truly require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of BMW you drive, but check our tolerable service coupons and specials.
  • One of the most authentic and frequent cause is that your 2015 BMW 325i gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2015 BMW 325i 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 bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is classical 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 expensive. If your check engine light turns on shortly after you put gas in your 2015 BMW 325i, first thing you should check is to make confident the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.

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

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

Check Engine Light Service 2015 BMW 325i

What do you do when you’re driving along in your BMW 325i and suddenly, a yellow light lights up 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 rate 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 vehicle over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2015 BMW 325i checked as soon as practical. Ignoring that warning could end up causing substantial damage to expensive engine parts.

When your 2015 BMW 325i's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electrical control system that it can’t decent, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically 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 electronic scan tool that is used by our BMW auto repair mechanics at Richmond BMW Midlothian. There are also a number of relatively honorable code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you choose that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an trained experienced to represent the issue and repair it.

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

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

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2015 BMW 325i will generally 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 realistic, and you did assorted 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 2015 BMW 325i light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that fee and the light is still on, you will need to deliver it in to Richmond BMW Midlothian so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

2015 BMW 325i Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are bountiful possible causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are innumerable popular causes including something as uncomplicated as a loose gas cap. Substitute popular reasons for a Check Engine Light are a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty emissions control part, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty head gasket, damaged oxygen sensor, or defective spark plugs to name a few. 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 essential 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 fixed.

Every 2015 BMW 325i was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the car on its crucial systems. The sensors are continuously detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control department. If the electronic control department 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 really is erroneous 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 Highly Qualified Service professional.

2015 BMW 325i Check Engine Light

A flashing light indicates that the problem is relentless and if not taken care of hastily may result in broad damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your 2015 BMW 325i starts flashing, that means that the problem needs swift attention and your BMW should be brought in hastily. This blinking light usually expresses a rigid engine misfire allowing unused fuel to be ditched into the exhaust system. There it can expeditiously enhance 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 absolutely be the cause. A precarious, 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 very expensive repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive mentors at Richmond BMW Midlothian shortly by calling 8043618758.