Replace catalytic converter? Other joys of reaching over 306K kms/290K miles?

[tranquility]

Just got this flashing yellow engine light and the attached photo seems to indicate that my cat is dying. I guess it's not a false code since the engine shudders if I go higher in revs.

So, is this pretty much the reason? How much will it cost for parts/labor? Fyi, I don't bother having my own code reader since I don't diy any major work anyway.

Tbh, at my mileage, the car has been running great (knock wood) save for this recent CEL. Any other surprises I should anticipate at this old age? I replaced the water pump years ago.

[B21]

IMHO I’m not sure it’s a CAT problem or at least not the physical CATs…could be many things like O2 sensors or many other items..as you refrain from having a code reader it’s a dealer visit..he’ll put his code reader on and then we can see..

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by B21

IMHO I’m not sure it’s a CAT problem or at least not the physical CATs…could be many things like O2 sensors or many other items..as you refrain from having a code reader it’s a dealer visit..he’ll put his code reader on and then we can see..

Thanks, my indy is guessing the sparkplugs or injection coils...how much will those cost?

[KennyP]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Thanks, my indy is guessing the sparkplugs or injection coils...how much will those cost?

Coils cost around 200 eur for all 6.
Bosch is original that came from factory and is maybe a tiny bit cheaper... but is weaker and more prone to issues...
BMW itself have upgraded their coils parts multiple times...
BMW switched from Bosch to Delphi coils and then later again to Eldor branded coils.. each time quality, coil weight went up...
BMW parts catalogue lists Eldor as the most current replacement part...

Price difference between them is small so get the latest that is available to you.
My car is running Delphi coils...

Stock Bosch sparkplug is around 10 eur a piece... iridium stuff costs more... but thats for tuned cars.. with them you get into 1 or 2 step colder plugs.. and they have to be gapped aswell...

Also did i really read it right? over 300K km on the odometer? this must be one of the highest mileage e89-s out there doesnt it?

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by KennyP

Coils cost around 200 eur for all 6.
Bosch is original that came from factory and is maybe a tiny bit cheaper... but is weaker and more prone to issues...
BMW itself have upgraded their coils parts multiple times...
BMW switched from Bosch to Delphi coils and then later again to Eldor branded coils.. each time quality, coil weight went up...
BMW parts catalogue lists Eldor as the most current replacement part...

Price difference between them is small so get the latest that is available to you.
My car is running Delphi coils...

Stock Bosch sparkplug is around 10 eur a piece... iridium stuff costs more... but thats for tuned cars.. with them you get into 1 or 2 step colder plugs.. and they have to be gapped aswell...

Also did i really read it right? over 300K km on the odometer? this must be one of the highest mileage e89-s out there doesnt it?

Tx for the info, this is not my forte so it's good to try to gain some knowledge. I replaced my sparkplugs 5x times and the fuel injectors once. The ignition coils were never replaced before and I read that if the sparkplugs need replacing, I don't have to replace the coils, but my indy is recommending that I should replace the coils too since they are OEM: what do you guys think?

Ya, I'm probably up there in mileage, 306,000kms/190,000miles, a tech was shocked he had to check my odometer twice. Knock wood, it has been quite the journey w my white baby.

Thanks everyone for any guidance.

[KennyP]

People dont really change coils preventatively on a schedule and do it when there are issues...
If your car is stock then they can last quite long... ive read up to 140k miles even...

Your driving style also plays a role... aggressive driving asks more from them...

Usually people change them at 60k miles or there about...
I changed mine a bit past 60k i think... i was on stage 1 tune and had some hesitation issues...

Tuned cars ask alot more from coils and sparkplugs.
Recommended sparkplug change interval gets cut in half when running a tune.. And coils get their life shortened aswell...

if you dont mind spending extra 200 now and then... then good plan to change them out is every other/ second sparkplug change...
so for stock cars:
plugs at every 30k miles... then coils every 60k miles
for tuned cars:
plugs every 15k miles... coils every 30k miles..

but you can just wait for them to act up and then change them... and thats what usually happens...

Changing coils is very simple... just remove engine beauty cover, unplug them and pull them out... new ones in, plug wiring back in, put cover back on and you are done.

[B21]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Tx for the info, this is not my forte so it's good to try to gain some knowledge. I replaced my sparkplugs 5x times and the fuel injectors once. The ignition coils were never replaced before and I read that if the sparkplugs need replacing, I don't have to replace the coils, but my indy is recommending that I should replace the coils too since they are OEM: what do you guys think?

Ya, I'm probably up there in mileage, 306,000kms/190,000miles, a tech was shocked he had to check my odometer twice. Knock wood, it has been quite the journey w my white baby.

Thanks everyone for any guidance.

Is yours a DCT?..has the oil,been changed?

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by B21

Is yours a DCT?..has the oil,been changed?

Yes, it's DCT and I changed the fluid several times due to fixing tranny leaks. My last was @193,000kms/120,000miles, so I think that I'm due anytime now. Do you have any recommendations of intervals, etc? It has been 5+ years though, so I wonder if tranny fluid is like brake fluid, and I should worry about time in addition to distance travelled?

Fyi, the dealer and Blackstone recommends @150,000kms/93,000miles thereabouts, my indy says @100,000kms/62,000miles or 3 years.

[KennyP]

60k miles sounds about right... not sure on the 3 years time interval...
im sure most z4-s dont do 60k miles in 3years... i havent done that even in 8 years of owning mine...
I doubt anyone services their dct every 3 years...
if you havent done it for like 5-6 years then maybe something to think about...
i serviced my dct at about 60k miles.. i think car was like 10 years old at that point... doubt anyone had serviced it before... maybe a rare chance someone did to fix leaks...

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by KennyP

Changing coils is very simple... just remove engine beauty cover, unplug them and pull them out... new ones in, plug wiring back in, put cover back on and you are done.

Tx for your suggestion: I'm sure it's easy for you but I'm afraid of plugging it wrongly and my engine exploding. Just gonna leave it to the experts.


Tx guys for reminding me of the tranny fluid. Man, I'm due for so many maintenance items.

[B21]

60k ish miles is a good distance to change the DCT fluid / filters etc…that’s what the guys who makes these things suggest..

[Steve Jarvis]

The cats needed to be replace in my E46 M3 and E60 M5 around 175,000 miles.

[tranquility]

Knock wood, luckily it wasn't the cat since that would've been 4 figures.

[Steve Jarvis]

I was able to find some low mileage stock headers/cats, where someone had went cat-less headers. I bought the 40,000 miles cats for my E46 M3 for $400.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Knock wood, luckily it wasn't the cat since that would've been 4 figures.

Further to this, it was 1 of the 6 ignition coils so my indy replaced that. I'm wondering if I should've just gotten the remaining 5 replaced to save on labor?

[KennyP]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Further to this, it was 1 of the 6 ignition coils so my indy replaced that. I'm wondering if I should've just gotten the remaining 5 replaced to save on labor?

i would have just replaced them all and be done with it... its not just the cost... its just annoying to deal with car issues over and over...
They arent that expensive...
If you replace them one by one you will potentially deal with the same issue 6 times instead of one. next month next one maybe acts up... 4 months after that maybe another one...

and its so easy to do yourself... just look at service manual instructions for the job...added the important ones as pdf files for you... you cant really mess it up...

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by KennyP

i would have just replaced them all and be done with it... its not just the cost... its just annoying to deal with car issues over and over...
They arent that expensive...
If you replace them one by one you will potentially deal with the same issue 6 times instead of one. next month next one maybe acts up... 4 months after that maybe another one...

and its so easy to do yourself... just look at service manual instructions for the job...added the important ones as pdf files for you... you cant really mess it up...

Thank you very much, I'm going to check out your pdfs and also some YT videos; it is quite rewarding if I can diy, so appreciate your encouragement. I hope the next time won't come for a long, long time.

EDIT: although I just realized something, since I don't wanna bother getting a scanner, how am I gonna determine which coil is faulty next and also how can I reset any error code? Maybe I guess I'm doomed to seek out my tech haha.

[KennyP]

If you want to determine which coil exactly is faulty then yes you need some sort of code reader...
i guess for engine codes it doesnt have to be anything fancy... but if you want to scan cars other systems/ modules and their errors then you will need something more specific...

but yet again... if you replace all 6 now preventatively then you will not have problems with coils for a long time and you dont even need to determine which coil is acting up etc... so basically you dont even need to spend money on a code reader...

Others can recommend code readers better... i myself use Cobb Accessport for that... its main function is to flash custom maps to the ecu... stage1 up to stage2+ for example, but it also can read and delete engine error codes, reset adaptations, monitor live data like boost pressure, fuelpressure, intake air temp, coolant temp, air-fuel ratios. It can also datalog but i have never really used this feature... you can also do performance testing with it.. like measure 0-60mph time or 1/4 mile time, though its accuracy is a bit questionable...

but i guess you can read and clear engine codes with things like Carly app and its bluetooth obd dongle for example.. or get something from car parts store...

To determine if its a specific coil that is faulty and which one... you swap coils from cylinder to cylinder and see if the code follows...

[B21]

You really need a scanner!

The scanner will show which cylinder has misfired…simples..

[tranquility]

Tx guys, I just don't wanna fall into that rabbithole and start buying more and more car monitoring/maintenance stuff. I guess if/when the next coil fails, I'll see if I should just replace the rest in one go.