318i "exhaust emission values have deteriorated

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   Hi

I recently bought a 2001 318i with 65000 miles. The car had been garaged and undriven for approx ten months. I've had the car for 2 weeks and it drives pefectly. A warning light appeared on the dash a few days ago (after a friend had been taking a look at the engine and touched some of the hoses) and on checking the manual it confirms it means that the exhaust emissions valves have deteriorated. I had it checked by bmw dealership yesterday who advised that 2 possible causes came up on the computer. The first was that it may need the camshaft sensor replaced. The second was that there was fuel air mixture stored in the dme. They didn't explain what either mean't and how much it would cost to fix and simply advised that the car would need to be booked in for more extensive diagnostics. Can anyone help as to what the problem with the car may be and how much it may cost to fix ?

R

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rghughes Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 18-November-2012 Location: NI Status: Offline Points: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote rghughes Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: 318i "exhaust emission values have deteriorated Posted: 18-November-2012 at 19:00
	Hi I recently bought a 2001 318i with 65000 miles. The car had been garaged and undriven for approx ten months. I've had the car for 2 weeks and it drives pefectly. A warning light appeared on the dash a few days ago (after a friend had been taking a look at the engine and touched some of the hoses) and on checking the manual it confirms it means that the exhaust emissions valves have deteriorated. I had it checked by bmw dealership yesterday who advised that 2 possible causes came up on the computer. The first was that it may need the camshaft sensor replaced. The second was that there was fuel air mixture stored in the dme. They didn't explain what either mean't and how much it would cost to fix and simply advised that the car would need to be booked in for more extensive diagnostics. Can anyone help as to what the problem with the car may be and how much it may cost to fix ? R

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Andrew Rolland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Go away rain Joined: 19-August-2004 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 6579	Post Options Post Reply Quote Andrew Rolland Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 19-November-2012 at 08:46
	At that age of car it is probably worth taking to an engine management specialist who can read the diagnostic codes for you and tell you a bti more about the faults. At that age and low miles and the fact that it has been sat for 10 months un used probably means the insides of the engine could do with a clean out. It sounds like the info BMW gave you mean that there is an air to fuel mix ratio problem, which could mean that a few things need cleaned out like the EGR/PCV system, this is the system that vents burnt gasses that accumulate in the crankcase and head back into the intel manifold. The camshaft sensor can be a common fault, the sensor packs up and it throws off a diagnostic code. Did BMW reset the faults? When a car is presented for an engine management fault, the first thing you do is read the codes and record them, then wipe them, i.e. reset. Then drive the car to see if the fault re-appears then re-read the codes and record them, then tell the customer. If your friend touched a hose and dislodged it enough for a fault to appear, it should be obvious that there is a leak from one of them and could be possible pushed back into place and the hose clip tightened back up to secure it. I suspect that the engine is a bit sludged up from being out of use. Start with replacing the engine oil and taking for a long run to get the engine up to temperature and maintain it for a time so that you can get all the fluids and exhaust gas systems up to temperature. Also replace air and oil filters. Might even be worth swapping out the fuel filter.
	Be exclusive and drive a Petrol 5 Series! Current '13 62 F10 535i MSport Auto Previous '04 04 E60 545i SE Auto '03 53 E60 545i SE Auto (Stolen) '98 S E39 523i SE Auto

rghughes Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 18-November-2012 Location: NI Status: Offline Points: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote rghughes Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 19-November-2012 at 18:15
	Andrew Thanks. Brought it to my own mechanic earlier who gave it a quick service. Light is out and driving great. Thanks again. R

Andrew Rolland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Go away rain Joined: 19-August-2004 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 6579	Post Options Post Reply Quote Andrew Rolland Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 20-November-2012 at 08:25
	Good stuff.
	Be exclusive and drive a Petrol 5 Series! Current '13 62 F10 535i MSport Auto Previous '04 04 E60 545i SE Auto '03 53 E60 545i SE Auto (Stolen) '98 S E39 523i SE Auto