Error codes...

[mleskovar]

Been getting intermittent "car on the lift" in my display that goes away after about 20 seconds. The place that rotated my tires read them and came up with code A559.....Instrument cluster power supply switched off...and code 931B...Outside temp sensor. Not noticing anything wrong with the car and wonder if it's even worth looking into. Any insight to these codes?

[A_Squared]

Probably just need to reset the service intervals. Look up Dack's how to for that.

[JimD]

Did they read the codes only or did they reset them too? If they didn't reset them, that is what I would do first. These don't look like the car will strand you and when those kind of codes appear I generally just reset them and wait to see if they come back.

With respect to the instrument power, did the cluster get removed for anything? It's easy on our cars and there is a connector on the back. I don't remember getting a code but I've removed mine several times installing GPS mounts and wiring.

The other one suggests an issue with the outside air temperature sensor (?) Do you get a reading that looks right for outside air temperature on the dash?

I will also make my standard comment about codes. I think every car enthusiast should have at least one way to read and clear codes. I have a code reader, I can code, but what I generally do is use Torque. I have it loaded on my Samsung tablet but you can also put it on phones. You need a OBDII to bluetooth adapter, about $25 at Amazon, and you should pay the $5 for the software but you can try it for free. So when you get a code, you plug in the adapter, fire up the app, read it and reset it. I used it on my daughter's Corolla last weekend.

To get more info on codes, I google them.

[Alow]

Is that torque app available for iPhones? If not, is there a good alternative?

[mleskovar]

Originally Posted by JimD

Did they read the codes only or did they reset them too? If they didn't reset them, that is what I would do first. These don't look like the car will strand you and when those kind of codes appear I generally just reset them and wait to see if they come back...

No they didn't reset them. They are specific to the BMW as my OBDII reader didn't even pick them up.

Originally Posted by JimD

...With respect to the instrument power, did the cluster get removed for anything?.....

No. The only electrical work ever done on the car was the battery cable recall and the error messages didn't occur until a while after that was done.

Originally Posted by JimD

..The other one suggests an issue with the outside air temperature sensor (?) Do you get a reading that looks right for outside air temperature on the dash?...

Yes, it seems to be working fine. One of my Benz's would throw spurious codes and rarely repeat them so I'm used to it

Originally Posted by JimD

....I will also make my standard comment about codes. I think every car enthusiast should have at least one way to read and clear codes. I have a code reader, I can code, but what I generally do is use Torque. I have it loaded on my Samsung tablet but you can also put it on phones. You need a OBDII to bluetooth adapter, about $25 at Amazon, and you should pay the $5 for the software but you can try it for free. So when you get a code, you plug in the adapter, fire up the app, read it and reset it. I used it on my daughter's Corolla last weekend. ...

Agree, but I'm an old fart now and after 50 years of working on cars I'm getting lazy....and somewhat uninterested. No laptop, no cell phone (smart or stupid). I was just wondering if anyone had those codes before or if they were significant. I'm no Luddite by any means but I find the complexity of error codes on all the German cars over the top and more helpful to the dealer than the car owner. Or is it just me? Thanks for the response.