Check Engine light redux

[autodahn]

Anybody still having this problem? Mine is back (for the 3rd time), and the dealer says to keep driving, a fix is on the way, about mid-April. WTF?

[shenard]

Originally Posted by autodahn

Anybody still having this problem? Mine is back (for the 3rd time), and the dealer says to keep driving, a fix is on the way, about mid-April. WTF?

Ask them to double-check and make sure it has the correct battery. I know at lot of the X6s had the wrong battery installed at the factory. Sounds crazy but several people on this forum have had that problem and after having the battery swapped the problem went away

[dmlgc]

shenard is correct , they replaced the battery in mine. after replacing the dml something rather thing ( gas evaporator pump). they also reprogrammed mine, not sure if that was needed or not but it did have the WRONG battery in it and would not hold charge correctly. Besides check engine light I had other weird things happening, like clock resetting itself. I think them telling you a fix is coming is crap, they should fix it now.

[shenard]

Originally Posted by dmlgc

shenard is correct , they replaced the battery in mine. after replacing the dml something rather thing ( gas evaporator pump). they also reprogrammed mine, not sure if that was needed or not but it did have the WRONG battery in it and would not hold charge correctly. Besides check engine light I had other weird things happening, like clock resetting itself. I think them telling you a fix is coming is crap, they should fix it now.

I certainly agree with dmlgc. Telling you it is coming is just a BS excuse for them being incompetent and not fixing it correctly the first time.

[autodahn]

Thanks Shenard and dmlgc, you are probably correct that there is ignorance involved, and at some point I may throw a hissy-fit, but: Yesterday the light went off and has yet to return. There is no difference in the car's behavior with or without the light. My hope (perhaps naively) is that they have determined that there is no direct safety issue associated with this fault. I went into this with eyes wide open, knowing that the engine was new, and that some things would need sorting. I will let you know.

Cheers!
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[dmlgc]

Originally Posted by autodahn

Thanks Shenard and dmlgc, you are probably correct that there is ignorance involved, and at some point I may throw a hissy-fit, but: Yesterday the light went off and has yet to return. There is no difference in the car's behavior with or without the light. My hope (perhaps naively) is that they have determined that there is no direct safety issue associated with this fault. I went into this with eyes wide open, knowing that the engine was new, and that some things would need sorting. I will let you know.

Cheers!
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Actually they had me drive mine with the light on for about six weeks while they tried things, it didn't affect the performance.
As long as they have checked to make sure that nothing is actually wrong then you will probably be ok.

I pushed on them until it was fixed ( they would do something, light would go off for 20-60 miles , then come back on and I would bring in it next day). Since they know I take trips to middle of no where in Nevada/Arizona it wasn't hard to get them to see "what if something really goes wrong, how will I know and I will be in middle of desert". It's a weird problem, make a list of all the things mentioned on this forum and have them checked.

[autodahn]

Originally Posted by dmlgc

Actually they had me drive mine with the light on for about six weeks while they tried things, it didn't affect the performance.
As long as they have checked to make sure that nothing is actually wrong then you will probably be ok.

I pushed on them until it was fixed ( they would do something, light would go off for 20-60 miles , then come back on and I would bring in it next day). Since they know I take trips to middle of no where in Nevada/Arizona it wasn't hard to get them to see "what if something really goes wrong, how will I know and I will be in middle of desert". It's a weird problem, make a list of all the things mentioned on this forum and have them checked.

You are certainly wise not taking unnecessary chances. I take a print-out of posts on this forum every time I take it in, so far to no avail..

[shenard]

Originally Posted by autodahn

Thanks Shenard and dmlgc, you are probably correct that there is ignorance involved, and at some point I may throw a hissy-fit, but: Yesterday the light went off and has yet to return. There is no difference in the car's behavior with or without the light. My hope (perhaps naively) is that they have determined that there is no direct safety issue associated with this fault. I went into this with eyes wide open, knowing that the engine was new, and that some things would need sorting. I will let you know.

Cheers!
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It will come back. Mine went away and came back about 5 or 6 times on my 2008 X6 before BMW bought it back. My '09 has not had any issues yet.

[dmlgc]

Originally Posted by autodahn

You are certainly wise not taking unnecessary chances. I take a print-out of posts on this forum every time I take it in, so far to no avail..

Doesn't Texas have a consumer law that after it's been in for the same thing three times it can get qualified as a lemon and they have to take it back ?

[archwerks]

Originally Posted by autodahn

Anybody still having this problem? Mine is back (for the 3rd time), and the dealer says to keep driving, a fix is on the way, about mid-April. WTF?

Copie from another post that u may have missed:

Power Issues MAY Require N e w Battery *

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


BMW needs a worldwide total recall to check that the battery installed in x6's are correct.
After 3 visits, nobody suspected that the wrong battery could be installed from the factory!

If i had not come across the Car & Driver article on their Long Term x6 test report, and read that they had discovered the wrong battery installed from the factory, i'd still be wasting time at my dealer to get them to resolve the problem!

Send those responsible for installing & those inspecting their work/quality control for vehicle electronics, back to washing the factory floor with a mop for a month minimum!

Provide some valuable consideration, as a gesture of goodwill, to those of us who've spent countless hours/days chasing after their service depts. on wild goose chases.

These are the Canadian part #'s involved:
Supposedly incorrect battery # 61216946334 orignally from Spartenburg factory
Apparently Correct battery # 61217553954 from bmw dealer.

I've mentioned in #15 in "Problems & Solutions" with greater detail.

[shenard]

Originally Posted by dmlgc

Doesn't Texas have a consumer law that after it's been in for the same thing three times it can get qualified as a lemon and they have to take it back ?

It is a little more complicated than that but to a degree yes but you have to check several other boxes along with it not being repaired after three attempts. You can read about it here http://www.carlemon.com/lemon/TX_LemonGuide.html In my case it was an issue that posed a serious safety hazard (steering wheel locking and being notchy on occassion) that occurs more than once within the first year or 12,000 miles of ownership not to mention that they tried to fix three times and my X6 was in service for about 9-15 days each occurance. BMW actually stepped up and offered to replace vehicle at minimal cost to me without me having to go through the Lemon Law process which I would have been successful at either way. In my scenario I have to give BMWNA and my dealer huge props in realizing there was an issue and resolving it in a way that made us all happy.

[shenard]

Originally Posted by dmlgc

Doesn't Texas have a consumer law that after it's been in for the same thing three times it can get qualified as a lemon and they have to take it back ?

Also, keep in mind too that just because you win a lemon law case doesn't mean that have to take it back and replace at no cost to you. For example, lemon law states that they have to replace with comparable vehicle and options. In my case I had an '08 X6 and when I went forward with the buyback BMW dealers no longer had '08 models and none with my custom options I had so the only option was to rebuild at factory the way I wanted it and replace it with an '09. Well certain options that I had before like Nappa Leather Seats on the '08 are no longer available on the '09 without the Nappa Leather Dash which increased price more than a $1,000, not to mention that the MSRP sticker went up over $4k from when I originally ordered the '08. If I gone through the lemon law process it could have cost me well over $7K out of pocket because my old MSRP sticker price was $78k and my '09 configured as close as possible to same options before was $85.5k

I ended up negotiating a trade-in price for my '08 X6, had BMWNA kick in cash to offset the low trade in number they gave me and then they sold me the new one at invoice and at the end of the day I only incurred minimal out of pocket costs which was worth it to me because I newer model year with leather dash and I actually changed the color from Vermillion Red to Alpine White which I like a lot better.

I think it is usually better to contact BMWNA first and try and work out any issues before going the lemon law route.

[autodahn]

+1

Shenard, I hope you enjoy the new improved ride!

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[dmlgc]

Originally Posted by autodahn

+1

Shenard, I hope you enjoy the new improved ride!

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I'm sure he will, doesn't have to worry about the wheels turning sideways unexpectedly whenever they feel like it (sort of makes our check engine light issues seem minuscule doesn't it).

oh shernard you know I have to ask... are you going to check the battery....

[xDrive50i]

Originally Posted by dmlgc

I'm sure he will, doesn't have to worry about the wheels turning sideways unexpectedly whenever they feel like it (sort of makes our check engine light issues seem minuscule doesn't it).

oh shernard you know I have to ask... are you going to check the battery....

That's funny!

Wonder if he already did ...

[BMWNA]

Originally Posted by autodahn

Anybody still having this problem? Mine is back (for the 3rd time), and the dealer says to keep driving, a fix is on the way, about mid-April. WTF?

I am with BMW of North America, LLC. I've passed this message on to a BMW NA Customer Relations Representative who will be in touch with you soon.

[rcalabrojr]

Just shy of 800 miles and got my first engine light. This sucks.

[dmlgc]

Originally Posted by shenard

I think it is usually better to contact BMWNA first and try and work out any issues before going the lemon law route.

I agree with shenard completely as BMWNA seems to be reasonable unfortunately that doesn't seem to make it's way down to the dealers. I am very surprised the "check engine light" issue is still showing up.

[shenard]

Originally Posted by autodahn

+1

Shenard, I hope you enjoy the new improved ride!

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Enjoying it so far! Loving the leather dash! Only 874 miles so time will tell

[shenard]

Originally Posted by dmlgc

oh shenard you know I have to ask... are you going to check the battery....

I was actually thinking about that the other day and when I get around to it I am going to check.

[autodahn]

An update: I was contacted by BMWNA and my dealership about the new software (Ver 2.33.0) and they installed it in one day. I've driven it 2 days now on strictly short trips, and no light so far. Those still plagued with this fault might be wise to ask about the new software...

Also, kudos to BMWNA for their attention to this forum!

Cheers,

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[dmlgc]

anyone know how you tell what version of software is loaded in the car ?

I suspect when my car was reprogrammed new software was loaded and that was what made the problem go away. I haven't had any issues since but it would be nice to know how to check version.