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[kiter17]

guys I had my Water pump and Intake manifold gasket repaired recently, hefty bill of $2,600 after taxes. Prior to that i have had issues with my DTC light coming on, last night it was the worst it has been, it was continuously coming on, then the ABS light came on eventually. When i arrived to where i had to go, i parked the car for a hour, when I came back to start the car, the icon showing a car on a hoist came on in red. So I had the car towed, more money, does anyone want to guess what the issue might be? Like i said i just spent $2,600, I am nervous about more money, $2,600 was a lot of money for me. I did check one wheel speed sensor, it was a bit dirty but not bad, ran out of time to check the other three, as i have heard in these forums that can be a issue. I am sure BMW will now charge me just to look at the situation, more money, so any advise would be greatly appreciated. I own a 2007, 323I, with 158,000km. the car is very clean.

[Wilson740]

I see a lot of wheel speed sensors but anything is possible. You can't see anything visually wrong. Sometimes wheel bearings go bad and cause issues as well.

[kiter17]

I wonder if I should try cleaning them all before I take it in to the dealer? See if that works? dealer is busy until Friday and today is only Wednesday.

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my mechanic is telling me it is safe to drive, and is likely a brake sensor, any thoughts?

[Wilson740]

I wonder if I should try cleaning them all before I take it in to the dealer? See if that works? dealer is busy until Friday and today is only Wednesday. - - - Updated - - - my mechanic is telling me it is safe to drive, and is likely a brake sensor, any thoughts?

no that will not help. It's a internal electrical issue. If the sensor is the problem.

[kiter17]

my guy has told me one of the rear sensors and cable has come apart and wrapped around brake, the second issue was brake fluid needed flushing, and thirdly rear brake pads were worn. we will see how she runs now.

[kiter17]

well back to square one. after making the above changes the DTC light is still coming on. this is brutal, anyone have thoughts? this will be the third time it will be going to the shop. So a recap at what has been done. waterpump and thermostat, intake manifold gasket, back brake pads, brake fluid flush, one brake sensor.

[modular93fox]

E90 ... I'm betting on dsc pump / module. Replace as an assembly. Not cheap

[Wilson740]

What are the fault codes?

[maxell0405]

I suspect "your guy" does not have the full BMW diagnostic software that is needed to pinpoint the problem. Worn brakes are not setting off the DTC warning. Replacing pads and fluid is just regular maintenance, not repair. You need an independent BMW specialist, or the dealer.

[ss109]

Sounds like he's just throwing parts at the car because you're paying for them. Having the proper software to diagnose this car will show you the exact problem..

[kiter17]

yeah now he says it is a reluctor ring is cracked, the part is cheap, but said on BMW you need to replace the axial as well, is this true?

[kiter17]

can anyone let me know about reluctor ring replacement, if axial is required.

[modular93fox]

Lol.. How about you pay 120-280 for a dealer or quality Indy shop to properly diagnose your problem?

[kiter17]

I am thinking that now. My guy is honest, but I am now learning he is not capable of working on BMW.

[modular93fox]

Most problems can be diagnosed within an hour if you have a qualified tech... If a new guy gets your car well that's a different story, talk to the advisor and ask who is strong in diagnosing with 4+ years experience and request that guy to work on it. Otherwise it goes into the "system" and anyone 1 day experience out of school to a 10 year vet

[kiter17]

I am noticed today the DTC light did not come on until i made a sharp turn, i normally have it come on like clock work, about 20 minutes into driving, but today I stayed in one lane for a long distance, maybe 15km, as soon as I made a turn it started up. could this be steering angle sensor? I looked in car history maint. and it looks like a calibration was done on steering many years ago.

[modular93fox]

I am noticed today the DTC light did not come on until i made a sharp turn, i normally have it come on like clock work, about 20 minutes into driving, but today I stayed in one lane for a long distance, maybe 15km, as soon as I made a turn it started up. could this be steering angle sensor? I looked in car history maint. and it looks like a calibration was done on steering many years ago.
Your only possible diagnosis is a BMW scan tool... Id be surprised if someone could possibly diagnose your concern over the Internet

[kiter17]

hi guys i am back. i understand and have learned it was a mistake to take my 323i 2007 bmw to my regular mechanic, he is a honest guy, so i thought it would save me money. I have since learned not the case. We are still working on this car, after changing the water pump, and manifold gasket, that was one seperate issue. After this we have been working on eliminating the dtc light. I mentioned above what he tried, and he recently said it is rear axial issue, he told me to drive the car until he found a used one. so this is where problems started or continued, prior to this, the dtc light was coming on quit often but manageable.... then it started to get worse, to the point it was almost impossible to drive car. So i tried something different, holding the dtc light for a few seconds, and this kept the icon on full time, but stopped it from flashing. Then this eliminated the dtc issue, but shortly after abs light came on and then stayed on. so this all happened waiting for a used axial. so as of today, he found out that the car brakes seized so he says.... and wore out the pads, and damaged the brake sensor, i think or abs sensor. Now i have been quoted $2,000 before taxes to have a new axial, as he is having no luck finding a used one (axial cost $850). Replace the pads again, but now add rotors as they are shot from car seizing, rear brake sensor, abs sensor, (labor $450 totalling). In his defense he owned up to this error, saying he should have not allowed me to drive the car with the bad axial and will warranty the brake pads and one of the sensors, i forget which one. so total job works out to $2,000. funny thing is he realized this overwhelming cost, and said think about it, he personally advised me not to bother fixing the car, and said drive the car for now and think about it. Does this make sense, the car pads, and abs light is on, but reset it, but says drive car for now? this is really hard to understand.

[ptarditi]

Why are you still going to this mechanic if he keeps giving yoiu bad advice?

[modular93fox]

Why are you still going to this mechanic if he keeps giving yoiu bad advice?
Some BMW owners just love the punishment and then insist dealerships are stealerships...

[kiter17]

ok the latest now is... i went to a reputable Indy shop, the other mechanic after his claim the new brakes seized, we did not put new ones on just yet, he said drive the car as is for now, he backed of the rear brakes a bit, and reset the rear brake code. from there I went to the reputable Indy shop and had the car looked at. He said cars looks good, pointed out I needed brakes, which I new, a rear wheel speed sensor, rear right ball joint, which i kind of new as well from the squeaking noise, but beyond that car was good. At that time, the DTC light had not come on in two days. so now two weeks have passed, no DTC light, I was so happy... then last night i drove 30km, car was fine, then drove home, and about the last 10 km, friggin DTC light started up again. friggin crazy. then the morning to work all good. Can someone please tell me what they think might be the issue? And to boot, I changed spark plugs, air filter, and cabin filter, i thought the car was finally going to run good. PLEASE HELP!!!

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correction, one required repair was rear ABS sensor not wheel speed sensor according to my records.