Carvana and check engine light. Failed emissions.

[YourCoWorker]

Hello Everyone.

I'm in the process of buying a 2014 Z4 sDrive35is, and on the required test drive before they make delivery, a check engine light came on, was reset, and came on again and it failed emissions. 53,000 miles on the car.

I've read that this can be a number of things, from a loose gas cap, not having driven it enough (perhaps battery was unhooked and not driving enough to reset all the sensors), all the way up to EGR adjustments and even possibly having to replace the turbos.

I talked them into taking the car to a major BMW dealer in Atlanta and am awaiting more details. I know you can't diagnose the problem, but statistically, what are the chances that it's a simple fix or an expensive fix? Let's say the dealership fixes something simple, and the CEL stays off, and I take delivery; what should I do to exercise the car in such a way that if the CEL was going to come on at some point, I can force it in a day or two, so that I have time to return the car?

[Marcoose]

Perhaps a few cold starts and 1-2 laps around the block? You can do that every 2-3 hours. Leave the car with low fuel. Turn on high beams, max aircon, max heated seats, radio, etc. Put the battery and alternator thru their paces. Test the battery too. Hopefully that will trigger the fault. Good luck with your new car. I love mine!

[uuJimtq]

I have been having random fuel trim issues for the last 18 months. I find an Italian tune up will clear things up for a while. Thinking build up on the valves. Common for DI. Even worse if you have a turbo.

[YourCoWorker]

Hello All, I just took delivery and had a 13 mile test drive. Fast acceleration put the CEL back on and "Engine malfunction! Reduced power" warning. I scanned it and got 2 codes.

30FF and A559

I have an appointment with the BMW dealership on Tuesday for a thorough look.

[YourCoWorker]

I've been reading and watching videos all day. I think I'm going to replace the boost solenoid valves first.
Would you expect these to go bad after 53,000 miles?

[paris1]

Why not wait to see what the dealer has to say?

[KennyP]

Originally Posted by YourCoWorker

I've been reading and watching videos all day. I think I'm going to replace the boost solenoid valves first.
Would you expect these to go bad after 53,000 miles?

A559 is for not charging battery enough before driving
30FF is for low boost.
there is 30FE aswell that is for overboost.


for 30FF

1: check intake piping for leaks or anything popped off..
turbos->intercooler-> chargepipe/ diverter valves-> intake manifold.
chargepipe can crack on these things aswell... so check for cracks...

2: check vacuum lines from vacuum pump going over the engine to vacuum canisters and boost solenoids and from there to turbos... also check vacuum canisters for cracks.
Also check vacuum lines from intake manifold to diverter valves.
They are known to crack. and its sometimes hard to notice from under the braiding. This issue happens more often on cars from hotter climate IMO.
I changed them on mine as preventative maintenance.

3. Boost solenoids.
Yes they can start leaking... but its more like a gradual thing.
I did not have any error codes but felt my car not boosting well enough or like not as immediately as before so i changed them to the Pierburg solenoids (no need to buy OE) and yes car did start to build boost faster again. This was around maybe 66k-67k miles. They dont cost that much, easy to replace aswell... i suggest to do it around 60k miles as preventative maintenance.

After all that things get more serious with turbos and wastegates etc,

Im still thinking vacuum line leak or intake boost leak.

[YourCoWorker]

Well, I think I found the problem

I can't get my hand in there to fully seat the pipe and not sure if there is a latch or something giving pressure that has to be overcome. Any tips?

There doesn't seem to be any slack available from either end.

[KennyP]

There is a clamp like this that holds it in place..
Remove it
reseat pipe
Insert clamp back.

Its intercooler to chargepipe connection right?

[YourCoWorker]

Originally Posted by KennyP

There is a clamp like this that holds it in place..
Remove it
reseat pipe
Insert clamp back.

Its intercooler to chargepipe connection right?

That is the top side connection; I don't have any trouble connecting and disconnecting that side.

The intercooler to chargepipe connection is at the bottom and front of the driver's side. I can't get my hand on it due to reinforcing crossmembers and the other components that can't be removed without significant disassembly.

I was able to completely remove the charge pipe assembly for inspection, and reinstall it back to the original state, meaning I still can't snap it into the intercooler. The two springs on the intercooler female coupling can be reached and I pushed them open with my finger tips. They seem very easy to move.

I think I would have to jack the car up, remove some plates from underneath, to actually get my hand around that lower end of the chargepipe to have the force to insert it.

[CarAbuser]

You don't need to remove those clips to reseat the pipe, they are quick connect so it's best to leave the spring in place and it will latch in place after you push the pipe in enough.

It's easy to reach from underneath once the undertray is removed.

[KennyP]

Originally Posted by CarAbuser

You don't need to remove those clips to reseat the pipe, they are quick connect so it's best to leave the spring in place and it will latch in place after you push the pipe in enough.

Did not know that... Learning something everyday

Removing undertray would make things easier for sure... you can look at any n54 intercooler install videos for reference...

[YourCoWorker]

Shockingly, the huge BMW dealer in Atlanta is on SilverRock's (Carvana insurance partner) preferred repair facility list. $0 deductable and this defect, even if the turbos are bad, appears to be covered. I have a diagnostic appointment in two days and will report back.

By the way, here is the reason why I am putting up with this from Carvana:

2014 sDrive 35is

[Marcoose]

I’d love to learn more about the repair insurance. Nice motor there!

[KennyP]

Looks good in red. Needs stubby antenna. It was the first thing i changed on my car.

[surfwooder]

Great looking Z in red. While you're at the dealer you may want to pickup a pair of Salmon relays, and change out the originals. You'll find them mounted on the hydraulic pump frame, just aft of the battery in the trunk. This is preventive maintenance, to protect the top hydraulic motor.

[StLMO]

Congrats on the z!! Had a white one that I sold to carvana early this year. I heard their insurance is pretty good, my SA said they never had issues with carvana or carmax warranties. I purchased mine from Irvine bmw and tried to price aftermarket warranties but didn't get a decent enough price.