Quote:
Originally Posted by FredVMI
Update:
First of all, many thanks to everyone who posted comments. The suggestions and opinions were quite helpful. This forum continues to be a valuable tool to M3 owners!
The feedback received largely confirmed my belief that the faults would not be corrected with a SW upgrade and that the failure mode was likely a bad TVA. However, the intermittent nature of the problem rather than a hard failure is problematic. I decided to start with the SW upgrade, even though I did not believe it was the source of the problem, primarily because I wanted to have the most current SW release and to eliminate this potential cause. Further, the dealer stated that they would refund the cost ($225 - bandits) if it didn't fix the problem.
With the upgrade complete, I picked-up the car and drove home (20 minutes). I stopped for 10 minutes to run into a store. When I started the car again, yep...the faults returned (4 of the 5 - no Increased Emissions message). Pathetic. Called the dealer to let them know and returned shortly thereafter (in limp mode, of course). Nothing like getting dusted by a Chevy Spark on an uphill! 
Anyway, the dealer is still hanging their hat on a DME replacement. $2,000 for the part alone, plus $500 for programming. Crap. Just throw me into the trunk of a Pinto and rear end it with an Escalade! 
I asked the dealer to engage the field engineers at BMW NA. I'm not spending money on the TVA (which I still think is the problem) or the DME without conclusive proof of the problem source. I must have the problem fixed for certain as I will be driving to Phoenix in a few weeks to relo back to the Valley of the Sun...a long trip in Reduced Power mode!
I was able to secure their diagnostic routine that leads them to their conclusions (SW & DME). Not sure what to do next. Hopefully this info will help other members of this forum. Wish me luck! |
Just get a TVA it costs 800 ad tell them if it fixes the problem like you think then they have to pay for it...and if it doesnt I'm sure you can easily sell it to someone on here for 750$ because it does seem to be a fairly common problem. Why not just try a different dealership? Yours seems to be cheaper and dumber than most if them.
