What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most typically misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2021 BMW X7 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in various careful 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 variety of things for your 2021 BMW X7. Some of these include controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions ignition timing, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a range of disparate things. It can be as authentic as your gas cap being loose or as perilous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2021 BMW X7, contact Plaza BMW. Our BMW service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or scan why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Plaza BMW today!
How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?
The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. If you check engine light is flashing, we endorse that you pull over and contact Plaza BMW to help determine if your vehicle is safe to travel to work in or if we endorse a tow truck. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. Since all check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how many miles you can travel to work with the warning light on.
Is it safe to drive your 2021 BMW X7 with the check engine light on?
This question is not very simple 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 safe to drive. This is continually indicated by a consistent 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 draconian problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a draconian issue and it is recommended to service your BMW X7 urgently. Call the specialists at Plaza BMW by dialing 3145823628 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2021 BMW to our certified mechanics as soon as attainable.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your 2021 BMW X7 will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. 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 functional, and you did bountiful 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 2021 BMW X7 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 Plaza BMW so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.
How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?
The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not accordingly tightened to a more threatening failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it astonishing to get the persuasive code reading and diagnosis. The average price for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The astonishing news, Plaza BMW offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help opt for the cause of your check engine light.
Check Engine Light Service 2021 BMW X7
What do you do when you’re driving along in your BMW X7 and abruptly, a yellow light brightens on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most BMW owners, your heart sinks a miniature because you have miniature 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 2021 BMW X7 checked as soon as sane. Ignoring that warning could end up causing broad damage to expensive engine components.
When your 2021 BMW X7's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t honorable, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is often 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 learn with an electronic scan tool that is used by our BMW auto repair mechanics at Plaza BMW. There are also a number of relatively cheap code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you pick that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an skilled professional to determine the issue and repair it.
What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2021 BMW X7?
When your check engine light comes on, this could be as uncomplicated as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a alarming problem that could cause alarming damage to your engine and come with a momentous repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow commonly means something less alarming but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in alarming trouble and service is necessary at this moment. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2021 BMW X7, we exceptionally recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule BMW service at this moment. Below is a list of the most traditional reasons your check engine light can come on:
- One of the most straightforward and bountiful cause is that your 2021 BMW X7 gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2021 BMW X7 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 bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is classic 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 fancy. If your check engine light turns on quickly after you put gas in your 2021 BMW X7, first thing you should check is to make positive the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
- Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2021 BMW X7’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 regularly caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Plaza BMW offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every BMW service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2021 BMW X7 will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your vehicle may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause additional problems from overheating.
- Your 2021 BMW X7 has a vacuum leak. Every BMW X7 has a vacuum system that performs a expansive variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower bad 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 dry out and crack, extraordinarily if they’re exposed to exciting heat or extreme bleak.
- Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less handy 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 damage to your catalytic converter and your 2021 BMW X7's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to indicate the right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a vehicle to fail an emissions test.
- Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your BMW X7 is what determines how much fuel is crucial to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to authentic changes, like altitude. If your BMW X7 is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a nimble change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
- Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or additional item can wreak havoc on your 2021 BMW X7 if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket components and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even avert the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound present, bring your X7 to BMW and have our team of certified technicians ensure that your aftermarket items were installed accurately and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, extraordinarily aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM components first place might cost a little bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
- New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are crucial for your 2021 BMW X7. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture 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 bad or classic, 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 damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, considerable to more fancy repairs.
- The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2021 BMW X7 is every crucial. Without a vehicle battery, your vehicle won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s vehicle batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't explicitly require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of BMW you drive, but check our existing service coupons and specials.
2021 BMW X7 Check Engine Light Flashing
Although there are countless likely causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are innumerable attentive causes comprising something as uncomplicated as a loose gas cap. Additional attentive reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, or defective spark plugs to name various. 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 imperative 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 2021 BMW X7 was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its crucial systems. The sensors are frequently detecting conditions while sending data to the computerized control unit. If the computerized control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light lights up telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what definitely is amiss nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Plaza 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 Highly Qualified Service professional.
2021 BMW X7 Check Engine Light Codes
The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that small light on your vehicle’s dashboard shortly brightens, 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 additional name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also established as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your X7. There are hundreds of assorted codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a small patience, tackling needed diagnostics will give you comfortable knowledge about your car and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is genuinely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, clear and major car symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of convenient OBD codes, there are also hundreds of convenient reasons for the light, including:
- Ignition system faults
- Transmission issues
- Bad Spark Plugs
- Old Battery
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
- O2 Sensor
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
- Emissions controls issues
- Computer output circuit issues
This is why it is strict for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out suddenly by a certified BMW mechanic. Call Plaza BMW at 3145823628 hastily or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a unsafe concern, you risk damaging your car extra by not repairing the issue right away.
2021 BMW X7 Check Engine Light
If the check engine light in your 2021 BMW X7 starts flashing, that means that the problem needs quick attention and your BMW should be brought in instantly. A flashing light indicates that the problem is impressive and if not taken care of instantly may result in colossal damage to the vehicle. This blinking light typically expresses a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can quickly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an pricey repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can precisely be the cause. A bad, aged or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very fancy repair. If your check engine light is blinking, please contact our team of automotive experts at Plaza BMW hastily by calling 3145823628.