Why is the emission light soo sensitive?

A

andysat

Lifer
Hi all-this is aimed at us 2.0 zedders, why is the light so sensitive?-I have read many threads on here regarding said light, and of owners who have just switched them off and having no real problems afterwards, mine came on again today after going approx. 2 miles of very bumpy road at 50mph (mid hoon) :roll:
Any thoughts?-thanks
 
No idea Andy, hope it's not going to be serious mate :(

Andy, Christmas is fast approaching and this is the time of year when you see more lights appearing, mind you they are normally on xmas trees. Have you ever thought that the source of all your car troubles could be down to your number plate, I noticed it contains the numbers 666 the sign of the beast :evil:

Just a thought :P
 
It's not just 2.0s that get this. I've had it happen 3 times so far. For me it seems it's always in the winter when the car is not used much, I believe that may be a factor and not just coincidence. Not sure exactly how it factors in. Perhaps the cold causes some sensors to return out of plausible range values.

In your case maybe the jostling caused some momentary signal loss. Hopefully it's nothing serious.
 
Swiftly said:
No idea Andy, hope it's not going to be serious mate :(

Andy, Christmas is fast approaching and this is the time of year when you see more lights appearing, mind you they are normally on xmas trees. Have you ever thought that the source of all your car troubles could be down to your number plate, I noticed it contains the numbers 666 the sign of the beast :evil:

Just a thought :P
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:lol:
 
bcworkz said:
It's not just 2.0s that get this. I've had it happen 3 times so far. For me it seems it's always in the winter when the car is not used much, I believe that may be a factor and not just coincidence. Not sure exactly how it factors in. Perhaps the cold causes some sensors to return out of plausible range values.

In your case maybe the jostling caused some momentary signal loss. Hopefully it's nothing serious.
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Cheers-the road felt rutted-as though the large rear tyres of a tractor had run over the new surface before it had set (only way I can think of to explain it) :oops:
 
It's not just the 2.0 or even Z4, it happens to lots of BMWs. My old 5 series used to do it intermittently, and when researching it I found lots of 7 series owners were getting it too. The car always drove fine so eventually I just stopped worrying about it, it would usually turn itself off eventually.
 
edd_jedi said:
It's not just the 2.0 or even Z4, it happens to lots of BMWs. My old 5 series used to do it intermittently, and when researching it I found lots of 7 series owners were getting it too. The car always drove fine so eventually I just stopped worrying about it, it would usually turn itself off eventually.
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When you say eventually-can I ask how many miles would you say approx.(if you can recall)-thanks
 
It usually came on either when the fuel got low (below a quarter of a tank) or when I just filled up, or when I was cruising on the motorway. Sometimes it would go off again after a few miles, sometimes it would stay on for weeks. Never got to the bottom of it.
 
andysat said:
Cheers. :)
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Do you run your car with a full tank of fuel or with low level ?
Have you ever tried additive to the fuel ? such as Forte product,s which are more expensive than the supermarket stuff but do have a good reputation
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Forte-Lubricants-Specialist-Injector-Cleaner/dp/B0035PRJRY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1385320106&sr=8-2&keywords=forte+fuel+system+cleaner
 
andysat said:
Usually 1/4 to 1/2 full-I don't like it getting too low :cry:
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I would be inclined to fire some of the Forte in then run the car with a full tank wherever possible , especially in colder temps when condensation can occur ?
 
andysat said:
edd_jedi said:
It's not just the 2.0 or even Z4, it happens to lots of BMWs. My old 5 series used to do it intermittently, and when researching it I found lots of 7 series owners were getting it too. The car always drove fine so eventually I just stopped worrying about it, it would usually turn itself off eventually.
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When you say eventually-can I ask how many miles would you say approx.(if you can recall)-thanks
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What causes the light to go off again is 3 drive cycles of no longer sensing the fault that triggered the light. A drive cycle is starting the car, driving long enough to reach normal operating temperature, then shutting it off for some time that's unknown to me. It may be 30 miles or 300 miles, but it doesn't start counting until the fault is no longer detected, and if the fault comes back, even briefly, the count resets back to zero.
 
Mine does exactly the same and yes it is a 2.0i. No performance issues and it usually goes off after a couple of days and then stays off for ages. Comes on when cruising on the motorway for a log journey or when ragging it about a bit. :evil:
 
Cheers chaps its just soo annoying that if there were a genuine problem why it doesnt come on more frequently? I use it every day and hoons at weekend.
 
Jonny essex said:
andysat said:
Cheers chaps its just soo annoying that if there were a genuine problem why it doesnt come on more frequently? I use it every day and hoons at weekend.
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I have to live with a constant bulb out light due to fitting facelift rear lights to my pre facelift :x
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No way round it then?
 
andysat said:
Cheers chaps its just soo annoying that if there were a genuine problem why it doesnt come on more frequently? I use it every day and hoons at weekend.
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-Any thoughts on this? bcworkz mentioned the counting system the car goes through, but still I would of thought it would come on more often if something is wrong??
 
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