P0015 code.

[4play]

E85 2.5si
Driving to work my engine hesitated while accelerating. It had been ok up to now but felt the loss in power any time I put my foot down.
Plugged in the reader and got p0015.
No engine light on, due an oil change, should I change it and see if that fixes the problem.

 

[Ilogik]

Common causes on BMW Z4s​

On the Z4, especially with the N52/N54-era engines, the most common causes are:

• Dirty or failing VANOS solenoids (VERY common)
• Low or old engine oil
• Wrong oil viscosity
• Faulty camshaft position sensor
• Timing chain stretch/tensioner issues (less common but more serious)
• Clogged oil passages
• Wiring/connectors to VANOS solenoids

Symptoms you might notice​

• Engine light
• Rough idle
• Loss of power
• Hesitation
• Poor fuel economy
• Rattling on startup (more serious warning sign)

 

[4play]

Car drove without fault this morning, I'm going to change the oil and clean the solinoid tomorrow and see if that prevents further problems in the future

 

[Ilogik]

How'd it go?

 

[4play]

How'd it go?

The next day the code was gone and the engine ran fine, I had an oil low warning a couple of days later, I did the oil and filter change and still all good, not sure if the low oil had anything to do with the Vanos throwing a code.
Will pop the solenoids out and give them a clean, rattle, and hope they don't need replacing.

 

[enuff_zed]

On the assumption it was due to low oil, this is why I can never understand why people wait for the low level light.
It’s easy to check the level and if it needs a quarter of a litre, top it up!