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What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2014 BMW X3?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as straightforward as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a awesome problem that could cause awesome wear and tear to your engine and come with a enormous repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow normally means something less awesome but a blinking check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in awesome trouble and service is fundamental straightaway. If your check engine light is blinking in your 2014 BMW X3, we highly recommend not to commute the vehicle and schedule BMW service today. Below is a list of the most prevalent reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Your 2014 BMW X3 has a vacuum leak. Each BMW X3 has a vacuum system that performs a wide vary of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can arid out and crack, highly if they’re exposed to important heat or extreme cold.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your BMW X3 is what determines how much fuel is decisive to run your engine efficiently by measuring the dump of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to singular changes, like altitude. If your BMW X3 is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a brisk change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a detrimental mass airflow sensor.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are decisive for your 2014 BMW X3. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel vary in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are detrimental or common, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or wear and tear to ignition coils and O2 sensors, considerable to more expensive repairs.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or back-up item can wreak havoc on your 2014 BMW X3 if it’s not installed correctly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can dump the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound appreciative, bring your X3 to BMW and have our squad of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, highly aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts initial place might cost a little bit more but could save you money from having to get poor function and wear and tear caused by poor installation function corrected.
  • One of the most simple and frequent cause is that your 2014 BMW X3 gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2014 BMW X3 serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a detrimental fuel cap? If your gas cap is common or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on instantly after you put gas in your 2014 BMW X3, initial thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the dump of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be fewer persuasive when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause wear and tear to your catalytic converter and your 2014 BMW X3's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to mean the right vary of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A detrimental O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
  • Your catalytic converter is detrimental or going detrimental. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2014 BMW X3’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is usually caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Richmond BMW offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with each BMW service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2014 BMW X3 will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause back-up problems from overheating.
  • The battery is poor or dead. The battery in your 2014 BMW X3 is each mandatory. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't actually require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of BMW you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.

Check Engine Light Service 2014 BMW X3

What do you do when you’re driving along in your BMW X3 and quickly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most BMW owners, your heart sinks a small because you have small idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2014 BMW X3 checked as soon as authentic. Ignoring that warning could end up causing considerable wear and tear to expensive engine components.

When your 2014 BMW X3's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t exact, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is naturally labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is determine with an computerized scan tool that is used by our BMW auto repair mechanics at Richmond BMW. There are also a number of relatively bargain code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you determine that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an professional professional to determine the issue and repair it.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most commonly misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2014 BMW X3 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in assorted extra ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a range of things for your 2014 BMW X3. Some of these include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a mixture of divergent things. It can be as plain as your gas cap being loose or as alarming as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2014 BMW X3, contact Richmond BMW. Contact Richmond BMW today! Our BMW service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or observe why your check engine light is blinking.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2014 BMW X3 will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is repaired. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going available, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your 2014 BMW X3 light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Richmond BMW so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is troublesome to predict how many miles you can commute with the warning light on. If you check engine light is blinking, we recommend that you pull over and contact Richmond BMW to help mean if your vehicle is able to commute in or if we recommend a tow truck. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly.

2014 BMW X3 Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless conceivable causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are a few detectable causes including something as detectable as a loose gas cap. Diverse detectable reasons for a Check Engine Light are a malfunction with the fuel injection system, damaged oxygen sensor, faulty head gasket, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty emissions control part, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the BMW Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as decisive to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your BMW issue was fixed.

Every 2014 BMW X3 was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its helpful systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control team. If the electronic control team detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what precisely is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Richmond BMW provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Largely Qualified Service professional.

2014 BMW X3 Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that tiny light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your X3. There are hundreds of definitive codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a tiny patience, tackling essential diagnostics will give you available knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, conspicuous and favorable vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of possible OBD codes, there are also hundreds of possible reasons for the light, including:

  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
  • Emissions controls issues
  • Old Battery
  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • O2 Sensor
  • Bad Spark Plugs
  • Ignition system faults
  • Transmission issues
  • Computer output circuit issues

This is why it is crucial for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. If the engine light comes on due to a unhealthy concern, you risk bad your car further by not repairing the issue right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out instantly by a certified BMW mechanic. Call Richmond BMW at 8042074692 today or schedule your check engine light service online today!

Is it safe to drive your 2014 BMW X3 with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a efficient issue and it is recommended to service your BMW X3 immediately. This question is not very disparate because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be protected to drive. This is mostly indicated by a possible glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more gargantuan problem. Call the advisors at Richmond BMW by dialing 8042074692 so you can describe the issues. Or decrease your speed and deliver your 2014 BMW to our certified mechanics as soon as achievable.

2014 BMW X3 Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2014 BMW X3 starts glaring, that means that the problem needs hasty attention and your BMW should be brought in quickly. A glaring light indicates that the problem is serious and if not taken care of quickly may result in enormous damage to the vehicle. This flashing light commonly indicates a dangerous engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be deposited into the exhaust system. There it can expeditiously expand the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is convenient, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can definitely be the cause. A damaging, former or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If the problem is ignored or you continue to commute, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very expensive repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Richmond BMW at this moment by calling 8042074692.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The intermediate cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is frequently between $88 and $111. The exquisite news, Richmond BMW offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help determine the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not well tightened to a more relentless failure like a damaging catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it exquisite to get the acceptable code reading and diagnosis.