I have a 2001 BMW 330Ci with 78.6K miles. I noticed the “service engine soon” light came on a couple of days ago. I brought the car to a local BMW dealership to get it serviced. They ran tests and found no leak on the transmission; fluid level ok; no air leak found on engine; and air mass sensor incorrect causing air/fuel mixture - too lean. They recommended to remove the transmission and inspect the converter seal; may need transmission replacement. Also, recommended replacing the air flow meter. These are very costly repairs. The car runs great so I decided to hold out on any repairs as recommended by the local BMW dealership. The car has been very well maintained and has never been in an accident. Anyone out there with experience have any clue why my BMW 330Ci with 78.6K miles would need a transmission removal to inspect the converter seal or may need a transmission replacement? Thank you in advance for any advice you can give me.
Service Engine Soon Light
- Thread starter acer330
- Start date
Welcome, we can try to help.
Need more info, something sounds incomplete. WHY did they even look at the transmission at all if there are no leaks and it was only the SES light, not the transmission light?? Was there a code thrown in the ECU that suggested a transmission problem?
It's true that there has been an apparently higher failure rate of automatic transmissions in the 2000 - 2002 model years, but the symptoms are TOTALLY transmission related, and is usually a total failure of reverse gear, or stuck in 3rd gear limp mode, and usually accompanied by a transmission light (looks like a gear).
If it is running fine I certainly would not spend money on this. Drive the car and see if it throws a code (SES light) again.
Consider buying a scan tool so you can read the codes yourself. It's a $150 investment that pays for itself in resetting nuisance codes, and keeping the shop honest. The ONLY good one to buy for our Bimmers is made by Peake Research, direct from them or Turner Motorsports or Bavarian Auto.
Also, from personal experience, a failing alternator can throw random codes due to electrical gremlins in the power.
Need more info, something sounds incomplete. WHY did they even look at the transmission at all if there are no leaks and it was only the SES light, not the transmission light?? Was there a code thrown in the ECU that suggested a transmission problem?
It's true that there has been an apparently higher failure rate of automatic transmissions in the 2000 - 2002 model years, but the symptoms are TOTALLY transmission related, and is usually a total failure of reverse gear, or stuck in 3rd gear limp mode, and usually accompanied by a transmission light (looks like a gear).
If it is running fine I certainly would not spend money on this. Drive the car and see if it throws a code (SES light) again.
Consider buying a scan tool so you can read the codes yourself. It's a $150 investment that pays for itself in resetting nuisance codes, and keeping the shop honest. The ONLY good one to buy for our Bimmers is made by Peake Research, direct from them or Turner Motorsports or Bavarian Auto.
Also, from personal experience, a failing alternator can throw random codes due to electrical gremlins in the power.