BMW’s “increased emission” overrun error – how to fix it?
BMW driver question
My BMW displayed an “increased emission” error. The car smokes more, does not run evenly at low revs and loses power. I’ve been to BMW service, they replaced some parts, but nothing helped. What could be the reason for this fault?
The problem affected the BMW 5 E60, but it also occurs in other models.
BMW 5 E60
Response from BM Cars service
On BMW 5 Series and 7 Series cars in E60, E61, E65, F01 models, there is sometimes an “increased emission” error message visible on the center display. At the same time, the car symbol on the center clock also appears.
The error signifies that the vehicle’s emission limits have been exceeded, and is usually related to faulty operation of the exhaust system. Operation of the car with the displayed error can consequently lead to permanent damage to the catalytic converters.
The error is most often generated when the lambda probes or the exhaust manifold are damaged or malfunctioning. It can also appear in the case of using fuel that deviates significantly from the norm.
A visit to the service center and a thorough diagnosis of the combustion and exhaust system is necessary.
BMW 5 E61 | By Rudolf Stricker (Own work)[GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
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Catalytic converter on the example of a MINI car (produced by BMW)
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BMW 7 E65 | By Terence Ong [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY 2.5]
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