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      03-25-2015, 12:55 PM   #1
STR3T
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Illinois Emissions Test:

So, took my car in for it's first emissions test at a very leisurely pace after getting the notice in the mail. For one, it was December and cold and snow, etc. Also just assumed no real issues would come up as I haven't had MIL or anything since I bought this thing used a year ago. And really, it's an '09 what could possibly happen...these cars are really clean, right?!

Well, I should've known better as I knew from the carfax that this car was likely lemoned out of CA (ridden hard, put away wet with user complaining about "turbo sound"). It was bought by Chicago dealer and CPO'd on the cheap.

So I've been nervous since I bought it but other than a few items, I've put ~7.5k miles on it last summer/fall without much incident. I also don't have much experience with IL emissions...having had new cars for the most part since I moved from the MO side.

So first test was over a week ago...100% FAIL. Test center said they got nothing from the OBD port. NOTHING on any of their 8 or 10 tests.

I take it to a MO dealer I've been using for oil change and to please check the OBD port because... $50 OBD fee and they tell me they ran a short test with an ISID successfully and plugged in an aftermarket scanner and read data just fine.

Off I go, hoping somehow the BMW shop had reset something and/or the IL test center just messed it up the first time. Of course, same thing, FAIL. No readings whatsoever again. Now it's Tuesday night and so I have less than a week to get this fixed in order to get tags renewed.

So I shoot an email off to an IL BMW Dealer's service shop with this scenario hoping they have seen/heard of something like this on our side of the river.

Nice enough, one of the owners replies, says the test center folks don't know their cars. They are likely starting the car up (while foot is on the brake). That's apparently a no-no with this model. They should only start the ignition (not the engine) and get all the readings they want once the dashboard lights all fire up.

Now, at the IL test centers, they set you off into a little tiny waiting box that's about 100 degrees F and from there I can't really see exactly what they do each time. But I do know they started/restarted the car 3-4 times each go-round. So hopefully 3rd time will be a charm if this is the only issue.

Seems strange though that some of the tests wouldn't require a running engine, such as Engine Misfire. And of course, was wondering if the original CA owner had done some mod and was screwing around w/ the OBD and internal settings or something.

Thoughts...before I go back for my 3rd try here? Any other similar experiences w/ emissions on the E89?

Last edited by STR3T; 03-25-2015 at 09:31 PM..
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      03-26-2015, 08:18 AM   #2
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No joy. The emissions center said they can’t change their process/protocol on the fly. Currently, every start/stop car they test is able to output data while the engine is running.

They did call the primary resource, who is apparently a certified mechanic, located around Chicago area and the main contact in IL for emissions issues.

He said they see plenty of exotics up there obviously, and feels he would know about any change in process for a specific model and/or that BMW Corp would have released a statement saying same.

So he has to assume there is something wrong with the vehicle. Said dealer scanners are open to a much wider range of voltages/tolerances than the state emissions tool. This allows dealers/repair shops to determine and fix any issues.

Since the emissions center doesn’t care about fixing vehicles, if readings are out of range there machine simply reports a FAIL and of course not the cause.

So he can walk a mechanic through diagnosing any potential causes as long as they have a labscope at their disposal.

Now, I think a new cars get 5 years without emissions tests. This being an ’09, this would be the first year it should get tested and so maybe they are simply wrong and have yet to see the '09MY method change for the Z4. Or the original owner did something that needs repaired

Saga continues...
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      03-27-2015, 01:41 PM   #3
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Very much interested in your ordeal so keep us posted. I know when i plug my ODBII scanner into the port to read the codes the engine is not on and it reads just fine. But when i start the vehicle i do get a comm error. this has been the biggest challenge for me while trying to program new features.
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      03-27-2015, 04:39 PM   #4
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Not good so far. Dealer doesn't seem too interested in helping as they see no issue with it. That's a MO dealer. Who probably doesn't care about assanine IL state BS. They say it would pass emissions in MO a no problem. So far, haven't received a call back from the closest IL dealer. Figure I'll be paying labor hours to have them babysit the state of ILLINOIS thru this, after already getting hit $50 from the MO dealer saying "no issue found". Next week's biz at this point.

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      03-31-2015, 11:28 AM   #5
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alternately you might be able to take a portable ODBII scanner with you on the MO test. IF they plug in and it doesn't read and you plug in and it does read then clearly it is their machine that is bad. is there another MO station you can go to instead?
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      03-31-2015, 04:04 PM   #6
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Autohaus/BMW has now run 3 distinct scanners on the car. All worked fine.

I sat at the dealer for three hours this a.m. while they hooked it up to a labscope and sent the Outreach folks screenshots. They asked BMW to test voltage on pins 6 and 14.

BMW sent 5 screenshots. Outreach continued to dig and dig into the screenshots, asking for more. BMW sent 4 more screenshots. Outreach asked more and many varied other questions:

What are the real max/min voltage readings?
What is the network resistance?
Once you have max/min, get a couple data packets on the screen to compare.
Can you check DLC pins for low tension.
Has an insurance tracking device ever been attached to the DLC (WHO FREAKIN' KNOWS?).

Bottom line: Dealer continues to see no issues with vehicle and finally called it quits. Says they're nuts and had all the information they needed many times over. Meanwhile, IL Outreach refuses to believe their machines might be the cause. Hell, it's job security. "Look at all these cars I've cleaned-up in the last month alone!".

The dealer did strip the wires and reinstall...hopefully that helps when I test next.

So my tags expire today, I'll have to spend more time getting a registration extension and then drop the car off at an authorized IL repair shop and spend more money on it. Go through the same thing, likely next week. Pure joy.

IL BMW rep says he's seen 4 cars in the last week alone the state didn't pass. Says 90% of them will hit a different location and magically get a pass. I didn't know this up front. Not only did I go to the same location but also the same dang line (emissions tool).

I'll try again tonight at a different spot if I have time. See if my luck changes.

Last edited by STR3T; 03-31-2015 at 06:14 PM..
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      03-31-2015, 06:18 PM   #7
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Drove further after work to a different test center. Forgot they were closed on Tuesdays.

Hustled back to the other site I failed twice at...but jumped in the other lane.

OBD data read just fine, first attempt. All tests PASSED.

Jesus...IL state gov't and associated branches are an absolute nightmare.

Ahh well...I've got a 12 month grace period again!

NOTE: after i passed, I offered to have the car go through the other machine again...to rule out it was their machine at fault. "Oh no, on every Fail, it will run a self-diagnosis routine." I'm sure that could never fail.

Last edited by STR3T; 03-31-2015 at 08:37 PM..
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