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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum Check Engine Light?
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      07-20-2012, 08:16 AM   #1
skiajl6297
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Check Engine Light?

After doing some reading on this forum, I saw several owners indicate that occasionally the check engine light shows up on the dash without any other indication of problems.

The most frequently cited concern was the gas cap being loose.

My check engine light came on yesterday before commute home, and nothing felt amiss with the car, although I drove cautiously. Got home, did a walk around and no different. Restarted the car after a few hours, and the light was still there.

This morning before departing, I checked the gas cap, and it was snug, but did have a little bit of travel to be fully tightened. I tightened it, then turned on the car, and the check engine light was still on.

However, after about 10 minutes of driving, the light turned off, and has not returned. Could the gas cap have triggered a check engine light due to a SLIGHTLY less than complete closure? I didn't fill up within the last 5 days!

If not, is it weird that the light turned itself off? I read comments saying that once the light came on, nothing short of a visit to the dealer could reset it.

All of this to ask - now that the light is off, should I bring it in for service? Or just wait and see if it happens again? Don't want to risk some other problem, but in the same regard, the light is off, and at no point did any of the car's internal tracking status messages go off. Nothing feeling out of the ordinary. Driving a 2012 528i. As always, thanks for the help!
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      07-20-2012, 08:54 AM   #2
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If the light is off, I would leave it. If the CEL comes on again, then I would bring it to the dealer.
The CEL stays on if the problem still exist, but if the problem is gone, the CEL will usually go off after so many miles or start.
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      07-20-2012, 02:28 PM   #3
ghueser
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I was most likely your gas cap not being tight enough. In that case the CEL will indeed go out once it senses the correction.

You can stop by the Dealer and they can read your Key Fob to see what the specific event was. It would only take a few minutes and might make sure there are no other issues at hand.
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