My car's check engine light is on! :(

#16
Im sorry, I had to giggle a little bit. You are totally being over dramatic!
Just take the car in, it will be fine. You wont have to pay anything, the warranty will cover whatever is wrong. I must throw in, everyone Ive ever known who has owned a BMW has had problems with them:Push:. Sorry, that probably didnt help your blood pressure...
 
#17
How many miles do you have on your car?

Take it in to get looked at to be on the safe side. Like everyone has said, it should still be under warranty if they should find anything. Also it shouldn't cost you anything to bring your car in.

Good luck!
 
#18
Don't take this as advice from a mechanic (because I'm definitely not one!) but a lot of cars have a check engine light that is set to come on after a certain amount of miles or time to get you to bring it in. It means nothing. At least that was the case with my friend's BMW.

And I drove my Audi for months with the check engine light on. It would come on due to a bad oxygen sensor, which affected emmisions and performance, but did not hurt the car to drive that way.
 
#19
Rule of thumb..if the light is blinking DO NOT DRIVE IT. If it's just on, it's not a huge deal. Of course each car is different, so always refer to your manual. Also, usually the older cars had the check engine light come on when it was time for a service, but newer cars have a dedicated service indicator to handle that. My Audi has a little wrench that comes on when it's time for service.
 
#20
Sheishollywood --

Oh, no!! I feel for my 'beemer sister' LOL. I would probably not drive it around until you hear from the BMW service people just to be on the safe side.

Let us know what happens!
 
#21
I would take it back in and make them figure it out! My service engine light came on in my car not long after I had it and it turned out to be a sensor in something or other that wasn't working properly. So it may be something small, but better to have them figure out exactly what it is. I am like you ... it's hard not to freak out a bit when something like that happens!
 
#23
I got a new Chrysler Aspen back in August and I had a yellow exclamation light on. I took it in and they said it's just to let me know my tire pressure was low. They filled it up and no more light.

So it might be that or also the gas cap could be lose like someone said.

My jeep cherokee would light up with the engine yellow light if I left my car on (not engine) when I filled up the gas tank. I would have to take it in every time to have them reset it. I learned to stop doing that!!
 
#24
Any news yet? Have you gotten your car checked out yet?

I freaked out when my engine service light went on, but it turns out it automatically goes on after 5,000 from my last oil change. They reset it each time they change the oil.
 
#25
My friend has a chevy colbalt thats check engine light is always on and no one can figure out why.The funny thing is that even though the two Chevrolet service places she took it too couldn't find anything wrong but won't turn the light off because it would be a liability issue if something did go wrong.
 
#26
jchiara said:
Especially since it's a Beemer, I highly doubt that it won't be covered if it IS something major. Just chill out - just breathe deep - it's just a car - and know it's fixable. I know it's hard to do, because I've been just like you - but it's such a relief to know that it will get fixed.
You just call the service department first thing in the a.m. and ask if it's safe to drive. If not, they should provide a pickup service to tow the car into the dealership.
You will feel a whole lot better when it's in the service bay and you can go do whatever tomorrow...
Be thankful for such a blessed time of year, you're healthy and happy and all will be OKAY.
I promise.....
Click to expand...
The cars are "Bimmers". BMW's motorcycles are "Beemers".

Also, OP, if your oil light comes on, it's asking for 1 quart. No more, no less. Once you do that, the OIL light will go off. If your service engine light comes on, only the dealer can have it reset unless you have the correct device that can read and reset the codes.

--From MissE46's SO.
 
#27
Not that I reccomend this, but my check engine light kept coming on (it's a 94 T-Bord) and I took it in and had it checked.. they couldn't find anything wrong with it. So the mechanic just disconnected the battery for a few minutes and it reset itself. He told me the computers in cars now are SO complicated, a useless wire dangling will set the light off.

Of course, don't do this if you haven't had it checked out. But it seems nowadays, there's an idiot light for every little thing... from tire pressure to major engine blow outs, and you don't know which one it'll be.

Makes me think they put these in so people can freak.
 
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