Amber engine light on dashboard

Z

zacatlondon

Member
Hi

Not sure if anyone has come accross this problem but thought it might be usefull information

I have a 2009 Z4 s35i. About 6 months after i bought the car, amber engine light appeard on the dashboard and i lost most of the engine power. I took it back to BMW who had the car for about 2 weeks but couldnt figure out what was going wrong (even after consulting BMW Germany). They kept resetting the system and eventualy the light went off. About another 8 to 10 months passed and the light came on again. Same thing again, gave it to (a different) BMW garage but they could figure out either and mysteriously the light eventualy switched off (for those who interested, the fault logged was, system wasnt providing the correct fuel mixture to the engine). It happened again a few weeks back and finaly i think the cause of fault is found. I always use either Shell VPower or Tesco's high grade (99%) fuel in the car. Apparently its the Tesco fuel that's causing the problem as it is high in sulphur and is causing issues. There is no proof of this but i will stop using Tesco fuel and will put a follow up post

While im here, can anyone recommend a good place to get my wheels refurbished? in north london

Thanks
 
Thats what i thought as well but the BMW assist guy said (and it kinda made sence) "there is a reason why Tesco fuel is cheaper the VPower" :s
 
zacatlondon said:
Thats what i thought as well but the BMW assist guy said (and it kinda made sence) "there is a reason why Tesco fuel is cheaper the VPower" :s
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Probably the same BMW Assist guy in Essex who broke my first engine by revving the nuts off it for 30 minutes in attempt to clear a misfire :headbang:
 
The common problem on Z4s seems to be the O2 sensors. I've never had one replaced myself, but some on here have had 6 replaced.
 
zacatlondon said:
While im here, can anyone recommend a good place to get my wheels refurbished? in north london

Thanks
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Lepsons. http://www.lepsons.com Do not go anywhere else. Pristine wheels? - $h1t. I just had 2 done at the Lepsons Swindon sub-branch, and THEY ARE AWESOME. I'm happy to send you pix if you wish, Take it that I am VERY fussy, and they have done an amazing job. Thoroughly recommended.
 
Thanks mmm. Car is back in with BMW with the same problem again. Now they seem to think that car is taking in too much air when its warmed up. I'm presuming that an O2 sensor could cause this?. I have mentioned this to BMW

2alpsade, thanks for your recommendation. Can I ask how much do they charge per wheel? BMW are quoting £120 per wheel. Also if possible, can you post a pic as well?
 
zacatlondon said:
Thanks mmm. Car is back in with BMW with the same problem again. Now they seem to think that car is taking in too much air when its warmed up. I'm presuming that an O2 sensor could cause this?. I have mentioned this to BMW.
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Could also be an ECU fault, or a fault with the MAF. You don't have an aftermarket oiled filter on do you?
 
I had a similar problem with my older 04 Z4 the other week, the engine light came on and it was down to running too weak a fuel mixture. The problem was caused by a split in two hoses, 1, the main intake elbow & the other a small blanking pipe on the back of the intake manifold. Now I doubt you will have anything split due to age, you car being a lot newer, but it might be worth checking your hoses, even the smaller blanking ones.
 
mmm, no i dont have any after market stuff on the car (mainley because i like the car the way it is and wouldnt want to change anything in it :) ). I have asked them to look at ECU and MAF. They dont think anything is wrong with the ECU as they have already checked it. They will get back to me about MAF (not that i know what MAF is)

wixer, they have checked the hoses but nothing there

I have to say that i love my car but dont have the knowledge about the car the way most of you but your advice has been a great help so thanks again
 
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