Service Engine Soon light came on.

[Redcell]

So I went threw the manual and looked it up. It says something about ODB and the purpose of it is to ensure proper emission controle system operation for the vehicles lifetime by monitoring emission-releated componets and systems for deterioration and malfunction. It gose on to say that it can misfire and cause damage to the catalytic converter. I was thinking it was the filler cap might be tightened all the way so I tighted it back up and the book said the indicator should extinguish within a few days. Was wondering
if a OBD-II tool would tell me the exact problem or would it just give me a basic description like the indicator light? Heres hoping its just the gas cap. Another question what is the best OBD-II tool to get? are there a preferd one say over another.

[16valex]

I don't know what type of BMW you have this issue, but any how, you need to get the codes read, once you know the codes then you can start trouble shooting. I heard that you can bring your car to Autzone and others to have the codes read. I own a Check Engine Light reset and scanner, the best money I've ever spent, it costs about $130 from Peake Research

[Redcell]

But will the code reader tell me exactly what is going on? Like it misfiring or something is wrong with the cat? Buy the way I have a 01 525I with the sport package. And sorry for the messed up post above I was at work and was in a hurry to post. I will proof read my stuff before hand.

[d3ity]

The codereader will tell you the reason the check engine light is on. Basically, that light comes up when a fault is detected. It's not always the part that OBDII mentions that actually broke, but it's something involved in that system. Rather than chasing ghosts under the hood, it's at least a point in the right direction and is almost always accurate.

[DiagnosticToolDave]

I use a diagnostic tool called CarMD. It will pretty much tell you whatever is wrong with your car as long as it is a 1996 or newer. It costs about $90 and*it plugs into the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II) port. Very easy to use. Heres a link to the site if you want to check it out:

CarMD - The easy-to-use handheld automotive diagnostic tool and software package

[jvest2000]

Just wanted to weigh in on a code reader solution I got that seems to work great on my 2004 Tundra and also on my wife's 2006 BMW X3. It's a Bluetooth OBDII connector that you pair up to and Android powered smart phone. Here is a little write up/review I did for it and for the Torque Pro app, hope it helps some folks, reading these codes and being able to get information from your ECU is awesome! I was able to read some codes on the X3 (the seemingly common P0174 and P0171 Too Lean Bank 1 and 2 codes) and clear them which turned off the SES light.


ELM327 Bluetooth OBDII Reader and Torque Android App Review

[bimmerfan52]

Whoa !!! This might be a new record.

Resurrecting a thread over five years old!

[witeshark]

Closed, from 2007