BMW is a car that has built and maintained its reputation for decades. The company boasts about its modern technological marvels. With this technology, the car can identify any potential problems in just a matter of seconds.
And whenever there is a problem it is displayed in your dashboard. If you own a BMW, you are probably familiar with the drivetrain error. Here’s all you need to know on drive train malfunction on BMW, drive moderately problem.
What Is A Drivetrain Malfunction?
A drivetrain malfunction is simply the detection of an error in your engine or transmission. This error is detected by the vehicle’s ECU or engine control unit.
When there is something wrong with your engine, you really shouldn’t try to put a lot of stress on it. In the BMW, the capability of the engine is automatically regulated when the ECU detects a drivetrain error. By doing so the BMW minimizes the damage that your engine will suffer due to the malfunction.
If you are someone who owns a BMW you might have noticed that this error often pops up when you are accelerating or when the weather is chilly. There are some complaints that this error pops up when driving normally.
What To Know About The BMW Drivetrain Malfunction Error
This is an error that is commonly encountered by BMW owners. The problem seems to be more common when driving through inclines, rapid acceleration, and while hauling something heavy. Overall, as you might see, when the engine is stressed the BMW drivetrain malfunction, drive moderately problem arises.
There is not a lot you can do when this warning arises. The best solution for you is to take OBD 2 scanner and try to diagnose the problem. You can either take it to an authorized dealership or buy a scanner yourself and diagnose the problem.
After scanning the codes, you should be able to find out why the error popped up. Once you know the cause, you can decide whether you need to get it checked.
Are There Any Other Symptoms Of a Drivetrain Malfunction In A BMW?
The first and most obvious sign if your drivetrain has an issue will be the drivetrain malfunction error. But with this problem occurring regularly, you might want to know other symptoms. If your drivetrain error doesn’t show up on your dash, you could identify a drivetrain error using the following symptoms.
Shaking
If you notice that your car is vibrating vigorously or shaking, this could be a sign that your drivetrain is malfunctioning. There could be a number of reasons why your car is shaking.
Even though you might not be able to identify the problem because of the shaking, it is often followed by either the check engine light or drivetrain error.
By diagnosing this with an OBD 2 scanner you should be able to figure out the problem. Shaking or vibrations alone will not allow you to come to a conclusion on what the problem is.
Check Engine Light
As long as your car has an engine it will also have a check engine light. Though the drivetrain doesn’t include the engine a problem in the engine affects the drivetrain. So, whenever your check engine light is on, there is a chance that your drivetrain warning will illuminate soon.
Usually, if the drivetrain error occurs and the engine is involved, both warnings come together. But if you only get the check engine light, there is a possibility that it’ll be followed up with a drivetrain malfunction error.
Engine Shutdown
This is commonly seen with BMWs when there is a drivetrain error. When the engine is on idle for a while and you start to drive away it could shut down. Again the only way to find the exact cause is to use a scanner tool.
Smoke From The Exhaust
You do not notice smoke from the exhaust in modern cars. In diesel vehicles, you might see smoke. But in a modern BMW, it is not visible. This doesn’t mean that there are no exhaust gasses. Exhaust gasses are mostly made out of carbon dioxide which is a colorless gas. So you do not see exhaust fumes.
If you can see exhaust fumes, that means that something other than fuel is burning in your engine. This will also cause a drivetrain error.
These are just a few of the symptoms of a drivetrain failure. Actually, there are dozens upon dozens of reasons, why you might be facing a drivetrain failure. These are the most common symptoms why drivetrain errors surface in BMWs.
What Is The Reason Behind The Drivetrain Error In BMWs?
There are a lot of causes why you could be facing a drivetrain error. That doesn’t mean you need to know every single one of those. Looking at the drivetrain errors in BMWs, there are a few causes that emerge repeatedly.
Though there is no guarantee, there is a good probability the cause of the drive train error is one or more reasons listed below.
Spark Plugs
Faulty or worn-out spark plugs can be really frustrating issues. Sparkplugs tend to wear out at around 20,000 miles. So when you forget your routine spark plug replacement, you could end up with faulty spark plugs. A few faulty sparkplugs can cause drivetrain errors in BMWs.
Some symptoms of faulty spark plugs include misfires, rough idling, and engine not starting. These coupled with a drivetrain error could indicate faulty spark plugs.
The only solution is to replace the sparkplugs. Spark plug replacement is a cheap repair that you can do yourself. While you are at it make sure to replace the entire set and not only the spoiled ones.
Ignition Coil Failure
Just like the sparkplugs, the ignition coils that power the sparkplugs in the BMW are also prone to fail. Defective ignition coils will also result in misfires. These misfires turn out to be the reason for drivetrain malfunction error.
A cylinder misfire means that the ignition coil connected to that cylinder is no longer working. You can test it out by swap[ing the coil to another cylinder. If the misfires now come from that other cylinder, it would indicate that the ignition coil is the culprit.
Other than that, the symptoms of a faulty ignition coil are almost the same as faulty sparkplugs.
Fuel Pump Failure
The problem related to the BMW fuel pump is the pressure. The fuel pump in the BMW turns out to be unsuccessful when it needs to send extra fuel to the engine.
This is a prime example of a reason why the drivetrain malfunction error is displayed when accelerating. When you try to accelerate rapidly, the fuel pump cannot keep up with the engine. With not enough power for the engine to accelerate, it causes the check engine light and the drivetrain error to pop up.
When the fuel pump cannot supply your engine with enough fuel, you are going to have to replace the fuel pump. Again this is not going to be a costly repair. It is a simple procedure and you can do it yourself.
Clogged Catalytic Converter
This is another common reason why you have a drivetrain malfunction on a BMW. The catalytic converter is a part of the exhaust system. The exhaust system is directly connected to the engine thus the drivetrain.
The catalytic converter is in charge of reducing the harmful gasses that are expelled when the car is running. It turns carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. For this reason, all the exhaust fumes flow through the catalytic converter. During this particles tend to get stuck and clog the catalytic converter.
This is more common in older BMWs. You might also see this issue with BMWs with high mileage.
The clogged catalytic converter obstructs the flow of the exhaust fumes. Thus it needs to be cleared. Therefore, you have 2 options. You can remove the catalytic converter and clean it or you can replace it with a new one.
If you do to a dealership, they will encourage you to get a new one. That is the better option, but it will cost you more.
Damaged Fuel Injectors
Dealing with damaged or clogged fuel injectors can get tricky. When one or more fuel injectors in your BMW are damaged, it will immediately reduce the performance of the car. This is because the engine will not be getting the required fuel levels to operate smoothly.
When this happens your engine runs at reduced power. This causes the drivetrain malfunction on BMW.
The tricky part comes when you need to replace the fuel injector. Most of the time only one of your fuel injectors gets clogged or damaged. So it makes sense to replace only the damaged fule injector.
But it is recommended that you replace all your fuel injectors at once. This was you will get peak engine performance. But if you recently replaced your fuel injectors and don’t want to spend on replacing everything again, you can replace only the faulty fuel injectors.
Low-Quality Fuel
Pumping low-quality fuel will also result in the drivetrain malfunction on BMW. Fuel quality is measured in octane. It basically measures the combustibility of the fuel under pressure.
BMW suggests that you use 93 octane or higher on its vehicles. When you do not pump high-quality fuel, the efficiency of the engine will drop resulting in a drivetrain error.
But what if you do not have access to high octane fuel or misread the label? In this case, you can use an octane booster such as Tetraethyl lead.
These are the most common reasons why you are encountering a drivetrain malfunction on BMW. We cannot be 100% certain that if your drivetrain is malfunctioning, one of the above is going to be the reason.
But looking at the data it is evident that these are the most probable causes for drivetrain malfunction on BMW.
How To Deal With The Drivetrain Malfunction On a BMW
Dealing with a malfunction in your car can be frustrating. It is especially true when you do not know what exactly is wrong in the first place. In case you run into a drivetrain malfunction on BMW, there are a few ways you could solve it.
Try Restarting Your Car
This is the first thing that you should try if your drive train malfunctions.
If this happens while you are driving, park your car in a safe place. Then wair for about 5 to 10 minutes and restart your engine. If the error was caused by an onboard computer malfunction, restarting it would solve the problem.
In some models, restarting the car a few times solves the check engine light problem. This will not work with the drivetrain issue with the BMW.
Inspect Your Engine
If the first idea did not work, you need to go deeper into the problem. You’ve already parked the car in a safe space. Now open the hood and check the engine.
Observe the engine temperature, maybe it was due to the engine overheating. Next, move onto fluid levels. Check for engine oil, transmission oil, coolant, etc.
Make sure non of these fluids are running dry. If the powertrain failure was caused by a lack of fluids, you need to get it refilled soon.
Use A Scanner
If none of these work, then you have to scan the problem. Scanning the problem is the only way to know why the error is displayed.
For this, you can use a BMW scanner tool. Once you read the error codes, depending on what caused the error, you could decide whether you can continue driving.
If you do not have an OBD 2 scanner, you can either buy one or take your dealer to get it scanned. Depending on the severity of the issue the dealership will suggest a solution. You might have to check it out at your earliest convenience or you might have to submit your car for a repair immediately.
Drivetrain Malfunction On BMW Repair Cost
The cost for repairs is going to depend on what exactly is wrong with the car. The drivetrain malfunction could be caused by a variety of issues.
If the issue was caused because your coolant was low and your engine is overheating, then the only cost is for you to refill the coolant.
When we look at the common issues such as sparkplug failure, ignition coil failure, or fuel pump failure, the repairs or quite cheap. These are repairs that you can do yourself. If you do not take your car to a professional you can save even more. These repairs are going to cost a few hundred bucks.
Then if we move onto the fuel injectors and the catalytic convertor the cost is a bit higher. These are costly repairs all-around. Labor is not going to be easy so it will add a lot to the bill. The parts aren’t cheap either.
If either one of these causes the drivetrain malfunction on your BMW, you should expect to pay around $1000. Depending on the model of the BMW the repair cost could get as high as $2000 or more.
If the problem was the fuel, you will only have to pay for the octane booster, which is relatively inexpensive. You can totally avoid it by using the right fuel.
Other than these if your drivetrain completely fails, repairs are going to cost $3000 or more depending on the damage. So there is no way to accurately mention how much is it going to cost to solve the drivetrain malfunction on BMW.
FAQs
Here are some of the most common questions regarding drivetrain malfunction on BMW.
How Much Does It Cost To Replace Fuel injectors?
If your drivetrain is malfunctioning due to fuel injectors, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to replace them. Sometimes a clogged fuel injector can be cleaned out. Or sometimes all it needs is a flush.
If you have a chance to salvage the existing fuel injectors, use them. Fuel injector replacements can be costly. Depending on the model of your car, fuel injector replacement could cost between $600 to $2000.
How Long Do BMW Drivetrains Last?
Drivetrains are meant to last forever. But that doesn’t mean that it will last a lifetime. If it did they won’t make new cars, will they.
In reality, BMW drivetrains can last 100,000 to 200,000 miles or more. Drivetrains last as long as you care for them. With regular maintenance and a few occasional repairs, they can last a really long time.
Generally, after about 100,000 miles, your engine will start brewing all sorts of problems. So you will have to do a few repairs. As long as you properly maintain your drivetrain, you should be able to get 200,000 to 300,000 miles without facing many issues.
How Long Is The Drivetrain Warranty On A BMW?
BMW offers a drivetrain warranty for 4 years or 50,000 miles. This warranty includes the engine, transmission/transaxle, and transfer case. Apart from this warranty, BMW also offers a 12-year corrosion warranty. This is valid for unlimited miles.
Can You Drive With The Drivetrain Warning Light On?
When your drivetrain light illuminates, it means that something is wrong with your engine. You can drive with it but try to minimize it.
If your car failed as soon as the light comes on, there is no reason to put a light on. When a warning light comes on it means that a problem is imminent, not immediate.
Your best option is to diagnose the problem immediately. Depending on the severity of the problem you can schedule a repair. If you drive with the light on and it turns out to be a major issue, the longer you ignore the warning, the more damage your engine or transmission will suffer.
You could turn a $500 repair into a $5000 repair by ignoring the warning.
Does Higher Octane Gas Give You Better Mileage?
No, unless your car is specifically meant to run on high octane, driving on high octane will not prove to be fuel-efficient. In the BMW, it is recommended to use 93 or higher octane. Using a lower octane could decrease fuel efficiency.
The octane rating mentions the energy required to ignite the gas. It does not depend on the energy the gas emits upon combustion.
How Much Does A Drivetrain Rebuild Cost?
In the instance of a complete drivetrain failure, you need to invest in a complete rebuild or an extensive repair procedure. Replacing the gears or other major repairs can cost $2000 to $3000 or more. Depending on the model the cost will vary.
Conclusion
Drivetrain malfunctions are one of the worst problems that you can run into when it comes to auto repairs. But this problem seems to be persistent with BMW.
Apart from the drivetrain malfunction alerts, there are a certain number of other symptoms that can alert you when your drivetrain is malfunctioning. Not only can they alert you, but sometimes they can give an idea of what could be the cause.
A drivetrain malfunction could be one of many causes. On occasion, there could be multiple causes why your drivetrain is malfunctioning. But in the BMW there are a few common causes that we see occurring repeatedly. While there are no guarantees that this could be the reason that your drivetrain is malfunctioning, there is a good possibility that it could be one of the causes that we mentioned earlier.
When you face a drivetrain malfunction in your BMW, there are a few ways you can go about it. While restarting your car could solve the issue, you need to remember that it is temporary. The malfunction could come back on at any moment. So to be on the safe side, you need to get a BMW scanner and figure out what caused the malfunction.
Depending on the cause of the malfunction the repair cost is going to vary. You might be able to fix it for less than $100 or you could end up spending $5000. The longer you let a problem linger, the more you have to spend.
