Check Engine light means there is an error, meaning there are issues on the car that is making it not run efficiently.
As a EURO car guy, I can tell you that you have been using the wrong oil most likely and that your issue is simply a dirty THROTTLE BODY and IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE! the CEL light indicates one of TWO related things! Either your AIR/FUEL mixture is going off kilter, or your CONVERTER is overheating from a bad AIR/FUEL mixture !There are other causes, but this is quite typical! ANY AUTO ZONE can read your OBD II codes, but realize that all BMW engine require ONLY oil that has the LONG LIFE spec words on it! NO WA BASED oils ever, MOBIL ONE 0W-40 is ONE off them PENNZOIL ULTRA EURO is another one and TOTAL ENERGY OIL is about the best for most BMW engines. RAVENOL is even better but impossible to find. BAD OIL makes tarry sludge that bakes into engine parts over time! It will CLOG up hydraulic parts, lifters and chain and belt assemblies and cost you big time $$$$ to get repaired. t
It doesn't do anything the service engine soon light is just a decoration on the dashboard.
The light comes on to indicate that the engine is operating differently. The light comes on to tell you that your car is broke.
THAT IS A SIGN THAT THE COMPUTER HAS A STORED CODE. PULL THE CODE(S) AND START FROM THERE. IT CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS A LOOSE GAS CAP OR AS COMPLEX AS A SLIPPING TRANS, OR MORE.
**facepalm** it means something wrong with the engine. Not necessarily that the engine itself is broken, but that something is wrong. For example, my check engine light came on when one of my spark plugs was misfiring. That as a result actually effected my gas mileage because the engine wasn't running to the fullest but still used the same amount of gas. Take it in and get it checked out.
PS. don't trust Autozone. All they came up with was that it was a spark plug. Turned out it was the decade old spark plugs and one of the cases was cracked which allowed oil to also interfere with the plug.
go have the codes checked
I have a 2001 bmw 330i. The service engine light came on the other day after it sat for a couple of days and my gas mileage went horrible. I've looked at a lot of things it sounds and looks fine. The timing is fine. Does the engine operate differently when the light is on?
