Intermittent Rough idle, "Service Engine Soon"

[SRVwannab]

Happy Sunday!

2013 128i Coupe, out of warranty. 22K miles. Yesterday the car started idling rough- really rough- and we've got the glowing "service engine soon" light on. On the way home it didn't happen every time at idle.

Obviously it is a trip to the shop after the holiday.

Has anybody had something similar? What in the world was it?

In advance, thank you!

[mackeroni]

Could be anything from a bad plug or coil to water in the fuel. Hard to tell from way over here. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Peace... Mack

[SRVwannab]

It is the Igntion Coils- and, my car is three weeks out of warranty. The dealer says I'm looking at about $750.

I've asked them for a little help based on the length of time out of warranty. We'll see what happens with that.

Can anybody share with me if that price seems right?

Thank you!!

[Dackelone]

I would have them replace the spark plugs while they are in there. Even though BMW says they are good for 100K... you will notice an improvement in performance and fuel economy.

[SRVwannab]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

I would have them replace the spark plugs while they are in there. Even though BMW says they are good for 100K... you will notice an improvement in performance and fuel economy.

Thank you! Great minds think alike. . I've got them doing the plugs as well.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by SRVwannab

It is the Igntion Coils- and, my car is three weeks out of warranty. The dealer says I'm looking at about $750.

I've asked them for a little help based on the length of time out of warranty. We'll see what happens with that.

Can anybody share with me if that price seems right?

Thank you!!

Why not check what a local indie shop would charge you for the work?

Back during the last ice age, I lived in SLC, and I had a 2002 that used to get serviced at (what is now) BMW of Murray. The mechanic who used to work on my car was named Jessie, and he was a really nice dude. A few years ago I thought I was going to be buying an old M3 from back east, and was thinking of having it shipped directly to BMW of Murray for some needed work, and I ended up talking with their service manager at some length. He remembered Jessie (from something like 30 years ago) and told me that he had broken off with another service guy and opened their own competing shop not far away, but he had now retired and was living in St. George. I never bought the M3, so I did not have the actual contact with the shop.

There has always been competing BMW indie shops in SLC, even when I was there, there was Werner's BMW. Werner had been the service manager at the BMW dealer, but he left and opened his own shop. Don't know how many indies are there now, but I would guess at least a few. It never hurts to shop around if your car is out of warranty.

[SRVwannab]

Originally Posted by champignon

Why not check what a local indie shop would charge you for the work?

Back during the last ice age, I lived in SLC, and I had a 2002 that used to get serviced at (what is now) BMW of Murray. The mechanic who used to work on my car was named Jessie, and he was a really nice dude. A few years ago I thought I was going to be buying an old M3 from back east, and was thinking of having it shipped directly to BMW of Murray for some needed work, and I ended up talking with their service manager at some length. He remembered Jessie (from something like 30 years ago) and told me that he had broken off with another service guy and opened their own competing shop not far away, but he had now retired and was living in St. George. I never bought the M3, so I did not have the actual contact with the shop.

There has always been competing BMW indie shops in SLC, even when I was there, there was Werner's BMW. Werner had been the service manager at the BMW dealer, but he left and opened his own shop. Don't know how many indies are there now, but I would guess at least a few. It never hurts to shop around if your car is out of warranty.

The dealer came through! They are paying 95% of the repair of the coils. I then called them and asked them to do the plugs while they are in there, and they are going to charge me 1/2 of labor and the cost of the plugs for that job.

They also mentioned.. that I have a very small valve cover gasket leak... which they won't pay any of. I'm going to find an independent to do that work- I think.

I had an independent do some work on my 95 530i, until I found out that he was charging me more than the dealer... so, I'm in search for a good, reasonably priced independent in Salt Lake.

If the valve cover gasket leak is small, is there a sense of urgency to get that done? I think the dealer said about $900- for the job. Any idea what it runs at an indy shop?

Not my first rodeo on owning a German car, I fully realize that there is no such thing as a free lunch. In advance, thank you!!

[champignon]

Originally Posted by SRVwannab

The dealer came through! They are paying 95% of the repair of the coils. I then called them and asked them to do the plugs while they are in there, and they are going to charge me 1/2 of labor and the cost of the plugs for that job.

They also mentioned.. that I have a very small valve cover gasket leak... which they won't pay any of. I'm going to find an independent to do that work- I think.

I had an independent do some work on my 95 530i, until I found out that he was charging me more than the dealer... so, I'm in search for a good, reasonably priced independent in Salt Lake.

If the valve cover gasket leak is small, is there a sense of urgency to get that done? I think the dealer said about $900- for the job. Any idea what it runs at an indy shop?

Not my first rodeo on owning a German car, I fully realize that there is no such thing as a free lunch. In advance, thank you!!

Don't know the SLC situation. I like the BMW dealer in Boise, and they have always treated me fairly in the service dept. As my cars age and go out of warranty I will need to re-evaluate the situation. I have had some significant bills on my 2000 Z3M Coupe, however that was mostly deferred maintenance/repairs on the part of the seller from before I bought the car 2+ years ago. My 1-Series cars so far have not cost me much, but that time is probably coming :-)

[NVHoo]

Originally Posted by SRVwannab

The dealer came through! They are paying 95% of the repair of the coils. I then called them and asked them to do the plugs while they are in there, and they are going to charge me 1/2 of labor and the cost of the plugs for that job.

They also mentioned.. that I have a very small valve cover gasket leak... which they won't pay any of. I'm going to find an independent to do that work- I think.

I had an independent do some work on my 95 530i, until I found out that he was charging me more than the dealer... so, I'm in search for a good, reasonably priced independent in Salt Lake.

If the valve cover gasket leak is small, is there a sense of urgency to get that done? I think the dealer said about $900- for the job. Any idea what it runs at an indy shop?

Not my first rodeo on owning a German car, I fully realize that there is no such thing as a free lunch. In advance, thank you!!

Don't know what labor hours they will charge you for plugs but replacing the plugs while you are already replacing the coil packs is less than 1/2 hour extra work.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

I would have them replace the spark plugs while they are in there. Even though BMW says they are good for 100K... you will notice an improvement in performance and fuel economy.

Dack, I'd always heard the 100K interval, too, but I was looking through the service/warranty guide for something else (see attached, page 11) and I came across info on spark plugs: it specifies an interval of 60K for the 128i and 45k for the 135i! I wonder if that's an update? I'll have to double check my hard copy.

No idea what the 1M interval may be, as I was looking at a 2010 guide.

[SRVwannab]

Originally Posted by NVHoo

Don't know what labor hours they will charge you for plugs but replacing the plugs while you are already replacing the coil packs is less than 1/2 hour extra work.

Ha! That is what I told them. From everything I've read (and, a little information is a dangerous thing)- they certainly should be able to do the coils AND the plugs in the 2 hours of labor they allot for the coils.

To not replace the plugs while they are there is like not washing your hair while you're in the shower...

[Havocsteve]

the coils and plugs should take like 1hr. I did the plugs in my 135, the plastic covering the engine took longer to take off then to change the plugs lol. Glad to see the dealership was nice to cover a large portion of the bill. I know here in Canada, it's about $29/plug.

As for the valve cover leak, ask where it is. Check yourself and you might be able to do a JB weld and drive it for a bit to save up the funds if needed. I know the part alone is expensive, so $900 isn't to far off in CAD but might be a bit high in USD. I think there might be a thread regarding this issue as well.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Dack, I'd always heard the 100K interval, too, but I was looking through the service/warranty guide for something else (see attached, page 11) and I came across info on spark plugs: it specifies an interval of 60K for the 128i and 45k for the 135i! I wonder if that's an update? I'll have to double check my hard copy.

No idea what the 1M interval may be, as I was looking at a 2010 guide.

BMW says for the 1M, spark plug change is 30K miles. Maybe the 100K mile 128i plugs is for the emission guarantee. ? But I have also always read 100K interval here on the forums for the 128i.

In any case it's crazy to go so long between spark plug changes. The longer you leave the plugs in... the more chance you might have a seized plug or damage the threads. I don't know how water gets down those plug wells/holes... but on a few of my spark plugs... there was some rust on the outside base of the plugs.

Dackel

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by SRVwannab

I had an independent do some work on my 95 530i, until I found out that he was charging me more than the dealer... so, I'm in search for a good, reasonably priced independent in Salt Lake.

One of the YouTube channels I follow is: TheStradman
He lives in SLC and he uses this shop bellow. It looks like a cool shop. Might be worth checking them out. ?

www.makesmodels.com

Lambo indi garage oil change...

[SRVwannab]

It will be done tomorrow. Anxious to pick it up!!