2013 328i CEL

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Some time last summer I got a CEL and a code for "catalytic converter efficiency threshold" or something similar. The CEL went away after a few hundred miles only to return one day after getting the car smogged. The CEL stayed on until September when I stopped driving the car. Now, after a 4 month hiatus I drove the car a few times and yesterday the CEL did not come on and has remained off. I feel like I am driving through the Twilight Zone. The CEL led is working.
 
Yes. It takes at least 100 miles of driving without the error occurring for the CEL to remain off. That's how I passed the smog check. Had I just cleared the CEL, the tech would have seen that to he car had not performed its own diagnostics yet aka monitor not ready and thus the car would have failed the smog test by default. I wonder if I maybe got had got bad gas and the cat got contaminated. Maybe it is now teetering between passing an failing internal emission tests.
 
Originally Posted by vavavroom
Yes. It takes at least 100 miles of driving without the error occurring for the CEL to remain off. That's how I passed the smog check. Had I just cleared the CEL, the tech would have seen that to he car had not performed its own diagnostics yet aka monitor not ready and thus the car would have failed the smog test by default. I wonder if I maybe got had got bad gas and the cat got contaminated. Maybe it is now teetering between passing an failing internal emission tests.

Not trying to troll here, but consider moving to a non inspection state. I remember dealing with that. What a PITA! Just another pointless government intrusion into your life.
 
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Originally Posted by Clubber_Lang

Not trying to troll here, but consider moving to a non inspection state. I remember dealing with that. What a PITA! Just another pointless government intrusion into your life.


Live in NY, recently spent a lot of time in a non-inspection state. When there, I was walking through a large parking lot noticing the tread on the tires of parked cars (yes, I know a weird thing to do).

At least 10% of the cars, perhaps pushing 20% had tire tread that was rather worn, and would not have passed an annual safety inspection in NY.

I do agree, there is too much government intrusion and the smog tests IMO are over the top. But annual safety inspections for tires, horn, turn signals, lights, brakes and suspension system is useful and probably avoids more than a few road accidents. A certain percentage of folks will drive anything that move without safety inspections.
 
Yeah, it's a pain. Safety inspections have a place IMO, and it's not exactly death to have to repair a vehicle to keep the ODBII monitors happy. I mean, what did you expect, a car to run forever without repairs? Nothing does that. Roofs spring leaks, pipes give up, yards need seeding. Cars need tires, brakes, random repairs.

That said, now that I have a car that no longer needs to pass emissions... I hope to keep as long as possible. Unfortunately I suspect it's one of the cheapest vehicles out there to buy emissions equipment for! Dollars to doughnuts, I bet my late model vehicles probably would cost more to fix cats, injectors, whatever when they break...
 
Originally Posted by SeaJay
Originally Posted by Clubber_Lang

Not trying to troll here, but consider moving to a non inspection state. I remember dealing with that. What a PITA! Just another pointless government intrusion into your life.


Live in NY, recently spent a lot of time in a non-inspection state. When there, I was walking through a large parking lot noticing the tread on the tires of parked cars (yes, I know a weird thing to do).

At least 10% of the cars, perhaps pushing 20% had tire tread that was rather worn, and would not have passed an annual safety inspection in NY.

I do agree, there is too much government intrusion and the smog tests IMO are over the top. But annual safety inspections for tires, horn, turn signals, lights, brakes and suspension system is useful and probably avoids more than a few road accidents. A certain percentage of folks will drive anything that move without safety inspections.

Freedom is dangerous thing

I'll take dangerous freedom rather than peaceful slavery.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by SeaJay
Originally Posted by Clubber_Lang

Not trying to troll here, but consider moving to a non inspection state. I remember dealing with that. What a PITA! Just another pointless government intrusion into your life.


Live in NY, recently spent a lot of time in a non-inspection state. When there, I was walking through a large parking lot noticing the tread on the tires of parked cars (yes, I know a weird thing to do).

At least 10% of the cars, perhaps pushing 20% had tire tread that was rather worn, and would not have passed an annual safety inspection in NY.

I do agree, there is too much government intrusion and the smog tests IMO are over the top. But annual safety inspections for tires, horn, turn signals, lights, brakes and suspension system is useful and probably avoids more than a few road accidents. A certain percentage of folks will drive anything that move without safety inspections.


Could you imagine a TÜV (DEKRA, KÜS, GTÜ) level of inspection in the US? I'd guess that 15% of the existing automotive fleet would become instantly eligible for impound.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Could you imagine a TÜV (DEKRA, KÜS, GTÜ) level of inspection in the US? I'd guess that 15% of the existing automotive fleet would become instantly eligible for impound.

I'd think more. Heck, I bet all three of mine would fail, maybe not impound-worthy, but failure all the same.
 
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Could you imagine a TÜV (DEKRA, KÜS, GTÜ) level of inspection in the US? I'd guess that 15% of the existing automotive fleet would become instantly eligible for impound.


Very few cars if any of the vehicles I see would pass.
 
Take it for a good ride, add some injector cleaner, and go to manual mode on the highway to get it out of overdrive. Sometimes on more gently driven cars the cats dont get to temperature enough and can throw faults for being dirty or loading up. By keeping the revs higher, youll get it up to temp and burn off any accumulated crap. Ive had 15 year old cats with cat faults, and after 40 miles on the highway the faults still havent returned after a few years.
 
The P0420 type codes will come and go if the catalytic convertor is marginal.

The "anti-fouler trick" works, but I suppose it is illegal, maybe even a felony. Have never heard of any individual getting caught... yet.

There are some products (Cataclean) that supposedly will fix a marginal cat.

Don't throw parts (O2 sensors) at the problem.
 
Originally Posted by Clubber_Lang
Originally Posted by vavavroom
Yes. It takes at least 100 miles of driving without the error occurring for the CEL to remain off. That's how I passed the smog check. Had I just cleared the CEL, the tech would have seen that to he car had not performed its own diagnostics yet aka monitor not ready and thus the car would have failed the smog test by default. I wonder if I maybe got had got bad gas and the cat got contaminated. Maybe it is now teetering between passing an failing internal emission tests.

Not trying to troll here, but consider moving to a non inspection state. I remember dealing with that. What a PITA! Just another pointless government intrusion into your life.


I have no problem with regulations and inspections. Knowing human nature, I have a pretty good idea where we'd be without them. If the CEL keeps returning I will replace the cat.
 
Originally Posted by Audios
Take it for a good ride, add some injector cleaner, and go to manual mode on the highway to get it out of overdrive. Sometimes on more gently driven cars the cats dont get to temperature enough and can throw faults for being dirty or loading up. By keeping the revs higher, youll get it up to temp and burn off any accumulated crap. Ive had 15 year old cats with cat faults, and after 40 miles on the highway the faults still havent returned after a few years.


It's got a six-speed. When I drive it I drive it pretty hard and for at least a couple hours. I don't drive this car that often and it's got only 60,000 miles on it. That's early for a defective cat. That's why I suspect I got bad gas, maybe more than once. How would injector cleaner help with the cat? I always run a bottle of RL SL1 before every oil change.
 
Originally Posted by vavavroom
Originally Posted by Clubber_Lang
Originally Posted by vavavroom
Yes. It takes at least 100 miles of driving without the error occurring for the CEL to remain off. That's how I passed the smog check. Had I just cleared the CEL, the tech would have seen that to he car had not performed its own diagnostics yet aka monitor not ready and thus the car would have failed the smog test by default. I wonder if I maybe got had got bad gas and the cat got contaminated. Maybe it is now teetering between passing an failing internal emission tests.

Not trying to troll here, but consider moving to a non inspection state. I remember dealing with that. What a PITA! Just another pointless government intrusion into your life.


I have no problem with regulations and inspections. Knowing human nature, I have a pretty good idea where we'd be without them. If the CEL keeps returning I will replace the cat.

It's a good thing you like regulations, being that you live in Kali
 
Originally Posted by Clubber_Lang

Not trying to troll here, but consider moving to a non inspection state. I remember dealing with that. What a PITA! Just another pointless government intrusion into your life.


Emissions testing will come to every state eventually, Especially the densely populated areas.
 
Originally Posted by clinebarger
Originally Posted by Clubber_Lang

Not trying to troll here, but consider moving to a non inspection state. I remember dealing with that. What a PITA! Just another pointless government intrusion into your life.


Emissions testing will come to every state eventually, Especially the densely populated areas.

Nonsense "Tea" Taxes helped start the US of A

Nonsense other taxes, the ones where people leave $20s on their dashboard, so they can do something like say *drive to work* are equally retarded.
 
Ontario, the most densely populated province in Canada, recently did away with emission inspections as well.
So clearly emission control at individual level is no longer recognized as required by many local governments.

Cars self monitor these days and there will be very few individuals, percentage wise, that will circumvent manufacturer's emission control and self checks.
 
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