[3seriesman]

Hey guys, I had a question being new to this site and BMW specifics in general. So I see a lot of people talking about their fault codes on the BMW, and the things that are wrong. Do they check the codes to find out if something is wrong, say every month, or do they only check the codes when they know something is wrong? And I was wondering how people know if their BMW has something wrong with it, because I am not very car savvy so a lot of the warning signs I would probably pass over except for the obvious ones. How do I know if my BMW needs a service or if there is something wrong with it? Will it be obvious or hard to tell in most cases? Thanks

[srey]

Originally Posted by 3seriesman

Hey guys, I had a question being new to this site and BMW specifics in general. So I see a lot of people talking about their fault codes on the BMW, and the things that are wrong. Do they check the codes to find out if something is wrong, say every month, or do they only check the codes when they know something is wrong? And I was wondering how people know if their BMW has something wrong with it, because I am not very car savvy so a lot of the warning signs I would probably pass over except for the obvious ones. How do I know if my BMW needs a service or if there is something wrong with it? Will it be obvious or hard to tell in most cases? Thanks

I check whenever a fault light comes on.

[3seriesman]

Originally Posted by srey

I check whenever a fault light comes on.

Ok thx

[tlow98]

I check every couple of months mostly out of boredom, but in hopes that I will catch the water pump throwing a failure notification in the form of a 'shadow' code.

Nice pick up wrt your E93 6MT!

[3seriesman]

Originally Posted by tlow98

I check every couple of months mostly out of boredom, but in hopes that I will catch the water pump throwing a failure notification in the form of a 'shadow' code.

Nice pick up wrt your E93 6MT!

Thank you. Have had it for a couple of years but just started browsing these online forums. Is it worth picking up a code reader? Theyre quite expensive

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by 3seriesman

Thank you. Have had it for a couple of years but just started browsing these online forums. Is it worth picking up a code reader? Theyre quite expensive

I bought the Carly Unit. ~$50 for the reader and another ~$50 for the iPhone app. The next step up is the Foxwell unit for $150ish. A couple a or a few tanks of gas, really. Or, if you're handier and a little braver you can download the program ISTA (free) and with a $45 cable you can almost limitlessly access and alter the car's systems.

I don't consider that too bad, especially bc I maintain the car myself. it's essential if you're actually working on the car.

If you're just doing it for kicks or to keep your mechanic honest I suppose the price point is more subjective.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by 3seriesman

Hey guys, I had a question being new to this site and BMW specifics in general. So I see a lot of people talking about their fault codes on the BMW, and the things that are wrong. Do they check the codes to find out if something is wrong, say every month, or do they only check the codes when they know something is wrong? And I was wondering how people know if their BMW has something wrong with it, because I am not very car savvy so a lot of the warning signs I would probably pass over except for the obvious ones. How do I know if my BMW needs a service or if there is something wrong with it? Will it be obvious or hard to tell in most cases?

One major part of the "Service" that the computer calls for is to read the Key memory, and the OBD memory. So it gets checked by the dealer whenever you take it in for CBS service.

As mentioned by others, if the CEL/SES comes on, it's necessary to read the OBD codes to begin diagnosing the problem.