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      10-08-2016, 11:56 PM   #1
distinctperson
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Accidentally driving with part of air intake off

So, lately, I've been getting random CELs here and there, always during the warmup period -- never when the car is fully warmed up. I have been ignoring them, and nothing consequential has yet occurred (I just turn off the car, turn it back on, and the light is gone).

Today, when I started my car (2012 E89 35is), after a few minutes of not moving (was checking my phone), the car threw a low oil error message -- first time ever I've witnessed that message. The car was admittedly on a ~7% slope, so I thought perhaps that's whats causing the error. I decided to start driving to see if the message would disappear after I hit even ground, but it did persist. So I turn off the car in the middle of the street, open the hood to see if I could spot some wet oil as an indication of a leak, but couldn't find any. However, while I was examining under the hood with my phone's flashlight on, to my utter disbelief, I discovered that the connection from the airbox to the radiator was missing (check attached pics).

The only people who have had access to my car are the ones at a body shop that replaced my bumper and headlight after a fender-bender. I have not taken my car to a mechanic since I purchased it ~2 months ago, and I remember when taking a look under the hood prior to purchasing it that nothing was amiss. So my 2 questions are 1) What is the likely damaged that the car has incurred given what is absent (and what is it exactly that's missing?). I have put roughly 1500 miles since vising the body shop, and 2) Is it plausible that the body shop decided to remove those parts to be able to remove the bumper and the headlight ? or could they have done so without having to take the absent pieces apart ? (just trying to establish culpability here, even though it couldn't have been any other party's fault since no one has gone under the hood except them since my purchasing of the car).

Also, in the meanwhile, will it be detrimental to the car if I drive it around ?

Thanks a lot for reading, and I appreciate your help here.
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      10-09-2016, 01:14 AM   #2
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That missing piece is just an air scoop that funnels cold air from the grill, no need to worry. That will not cause any codes.

The oil prompt however, you should add some oil. Do you have idrive? It should show you how much oil you have. If you dont, start off with 1/2 quart.
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      10-09-2016, 01:51 AM   #3
talhagursoy
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That may cause low boost issue since your turbos not getting enough cold air. Did you feel any performance lose ?
If they replace the front bumper, they had to remove the air scoop, but I don't think it will cause any oil issue.
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      10-09-2016, 10:28 AM   #4
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It's should not lower boost. There is still plenty of airflow going through the engine bay. It definitely won't affect oil levels.
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      10-09-2016, 12:08 PM   #5
distinctperson
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jts1981, once I restarted my car, the low oil error disappeared. In the iDrive, whilst the error was still there, it showed that I had nearly no oil whatsoever (below midway, between blank and minimum on the gauge). Also, when I was inspecting the engine bay, I was unable to find any wet spots that would allude to a present leak. So I guess the question here, since you say it is irrelevant to the missing air scoop, is it normal for the car to throw such an error once in a while (I haven't seen this error since purchasing the car) ? Otherwise, what should I look for ?

talhagursoy, I have not witnessed any drop in boost levels (my perception could be off, however). I still redline the car about twice a week, and otherwise stay in the 4-5k rpm, and nothing has perceptively changed. But I'm glad to read that you can confirm it is necessary to remove the air scoop to remove the bumper/headlight, which affirms my theory that it must have been the body shop, because no other entity has had access to the car.
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      10-09-2016, 12:55 PM   #6
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What is your oil level with no alarm or message? If normal keep an eye on it next time it happens and when it clears. If your not low on oil possible sensor going bad....
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      10-09-2016, 02:23 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by distinctperson View Post
jts1981, once I restarted my car, the low oil error disappeared. In the iDrive, whilst the error was still there, it showed that I had nearly no oil whatsoever (below midway, between blank and minimum on the gauge). Also, when I was inspecting the engine bay, I was unable to find any wet spots that would allude to a present leak. So I guess the question here, since you say it is irrelevant to the missing air scoop, is it normal for the car to throw such an error once in a while (I haven't seen this error since purchasing the car) ? Otherwise, what should I look for ?
I would top off the oil and keep an eye on it, checking once every 1k miles. Its normal for turbo cars to burn off a little oil under spirited driving. You probably won't need to top it off every 1k, but its a good habit to have.

Did you try calling up the body shop about the missing part? While its not a crucial part, I personally would be annoyed if the shop misplaced it.
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      10-10-2016, 12:34 PM   #8
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The oil level displayed in the iDrive is right at the maximum line. So nothing is amiss there.... yet.

Just texted the shop the pics of the missing airscoop and will see what they say. Hope they don't attempt to deny it. Will report back
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      10-10-2016, 04:36 PM   #9
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In regard to CELs during warmup ,I suggest checking the DME for stored codes.
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      10-11-2016, 02:14 AM   #10
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The shop put the air scoop back on, so all is well there. Received a sincere apology as well.

I still got a CEL afterwards, so evidently, as jts1981 indicated, the two are not related.

The only thing that also occured right before experiencing the CELS is the golf tee mod. I had the same shop remove the wire and cover the ends with black tape. I read multiple threads where other owners experienced CELS after doing the mod (simple search will yield the posts). Is it possible that mine was caused by that as well ? I have no diagnostic tool to identify the source of the CEL at the moment. Thoughts ?
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      10-11-2016, 11:21 AM   #11
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Pull the codes and we'll see what pops up...
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