Think about yourself driving peacefully aboard your BMW X5 and abruptly an engine warning light shows up on your dashboard ! The most frequent kind of response is the worry of risking a major trouble. To know what exactly this light refers to, you will have to learn how to read an BMW X5 fault codes, you may have already heard of OBD system, this is exactly what we are going to focus on. Our editors have chosen to publish this article to help you quickly discover the source of this default code and to give you reassurance. To do this, we will first check out the nature of a fault code on BMW X5, then how to read an BMW X5 fault code, and finally how to erase this fault code to be able to turn off the light on your dashboard.
What is a BMW X5 fault code?
A fault code is a generic or standard code common to all manufacturers , they are also called DTC (Data Trouble Code), the goal is to ensure that any diagnostic OBD can read them. They will be symbolized by a standard format, such as example: P0255. Each data will have a precise meaning. Default codes are codes issued by the calculators of your BMW X5. These ECUs will continuously monitor your vehicle’s exhausts, pressures, mixtures and when the values exceed the limits set by the vehicle’s ECU, the fault code will show up. The benefit of knowing how to read a fault code on your BMW X5 is that you will have access to precise data about your car which will let you to figure out what issue you are facing.
How to read a fault code on my BMW X5?
In this second part we will now focus precisely on what brings you on the website, how to read a fault code on BMW X5. To gain access to this precious data you will need to to get a diagnostic tool, also referred to as OBD 2, named after the socket on your BMW X5 to which you will have to connect. These diagnostic tools are freely available in the market, you will be able to find some in Bluetooth version which connects to your phone and some standard versions with a reader associated to the socket, as far as price is concerned, you will be able to find models between 30 and 100 euros. Once you have purchased an OBD2 diagnostic reader, you will have to locate the diagnostic plug on your BMW X5, it is based on the left side of your steering column on the lower part of your dashboard, behind a hatch. It is easy to locate because it is triangular shaped and has 16 pins. All you have to do is connect with your diagnostic tool to read the fault code of your BMW X5.
How to erase the fault code BMW X5
Finally, to conclude this content page, we are going to demonstrate you the manipulation to carry out to erase a fault code on your BMW X5. Once you have navigated through the menus, you will access the list of active fault codes on your car. However, you will have to ask yourself an essential question, is it really useful to erase this fault code on BMW X5? Indeed, erasing a fault code without solving the trouble corresponds to closing its eyes to the fact. In addition, the computer of your BMW X5 is made to take resolutions according to the data it collects, if an important fault code is present, it will likely modify the engine comportment to protect it. So if you erase the fault code, remember to resolve the problem to which it is linked. Some OBD diagnostic tools do not allow you to do this. You have a dedicated navigation menu on most diagnostic tools that should allow you to clear this fault code on BMW X5.
If you wish more tutorials on the BMW X5, go to our BMW X5 category.
