Welcome to Tech Talk, where our resident BMW tech Nick Owen answers all your pressing BMW technical questions, frustrations, and issues. Have a question for Nick? Email him at techtalk@roundel.org. Let’s get into it.
M3 Check Engine Light
I have a 1998 M3 with 49,000 miles and the check engine light is on.
Checked the code, which came out to be 0455, an emissions issue. Simplest repair was to replace the gas cap, but I checked and it was in good shape. Other items would be the evap system (charcoal canister, etc.) and other emissions-related items.
Looking up potential repair options on the internet noted the charcoal canister as a suspect and doing a smoke test to see what part(s) of the system were leaking.
Given all of that I took the car to a repair shop I have used in the past, and they wanted to do a diagnostic to confirm what might be wrong. Totally acceptable to me.
After confirming the code, they then wanted to charge me for two additional diagnostic tests. One was a separate charge for the smoke test and then another charge for the “secondary” air system. I think this includes the air pump.
My concern is I am being charged for three separate diagnostics when they are all part of the same system, emissions. It seems to me that the smoke test should be part of the original diagnostic charge and not separate. Same for the air pump, etc.
Finally, there would be the charge for purchase and installation of a new charcoal filter which is what they believe is the problem.
Am I being realistic with my position? I didn’t do the work myself as I don’t feel my proficiency level is high enough to repair this. Also, not trying to second guess the repair shop, but wanted another opinion before challenging the charges, which I think are excessive (over $1000)
John
The components on your vehicle that are in question are for emissions but are separate systems from each other. Evap is related to fuel tank and fuel vapor control while Secondary Air is for helping the catalytic converters heat up faster.
If the shop charged you an initial diagnosis of a fault check, then another for smoke test and another for Secondary Air, that is kind of heavy in terms of diagnostic charges for something that’s under the general umbrella of emissions but isn’t directly related to each other. I personally would have clumped the diag together with the initial charge of a fault check, then would’ve done follow up diag if I found a fault related to secondary air. I would charge a separate fee for a smoke test because you do have to set that machine up properly to test the system.
If I were you, I would diplomatically challenge the diagnostic time as “What did I get for my money?” and let the shop explain it. This is something that should have been done prior to the authorization of the work anyway, but it depends on who’s running the shop, who’s working on the cars, and who’s talking to the customers. For approximately 3hrs of diagnostic time plus installation of parts, it’s completely acceptable to ask for clarity on “why did I pay you this money?”
I will say, as someone who has their own smog and service shop, a $1000+ bill on a late-Nineties BMW is not uncommon…
