OBD Problem

[LarryG]

Today I took my 2000 893 mile (now 901) Z8 to a CT emissions station near my home. CT wants the emissions verified as well as the VIN prior to registering. At this particular station their equipment wouldn't capture the data from my car.
I called my local BMW service manager who told me that "nine out of ten times" if I go to another emissions station, all would be fine.
Has any one had a similar experience?
Thanks

[macfly]

Yes, I have a memory of some other owners in the north east posting about this before. Do a search for it, there may even have been an OBD update because of it.

[thegunguy]

Are you certain that they were using the right port?

I've seen 2000 and 2001 cars have two ports, and in my case, one was less functional. As I understand it, this was similar on other BMWs of the time, as they were transitioning between two different OBD connectors. There is one under the dash and one in the engine compartment. In my case, the one under the dash has produced mixed results depending on the equipment being used to access the computer. The port under the hood seems to be more standard allowing for almost anything to work with it.

The port in the engine bay is on the passenger side under a round cap.

[Z8Mania]

I know its a pain but maybe the best course of action is to find a CT dealer who could do this for you.

[LarryG]

Thank you for your responses. It does seem that my 2000 Z8 has an OBD port (16 pin) under the dash and a DCL port (20 pin) on the right side of the engine compartment. Does anyone know if the emissions centers have the option to use either port?

[///M Blitz]

Thank you for your responses. It does seem that my 2000 Z8 has an OBD port (16 pin) under the dash and a DCL port (20 pin) on the right side of the engine compartment. Does anyone know if the emissions centers have the option to use either port?

BTW, has your car had the emissions update? There was a recall and the software had to be updated by the dealer. Without the update, our cars would fail.:(

[LarryG]

I don't think anything was ever done to my car. The owner just put it in his warehouse with many other vehicles and drove it 893 miles in 9.5 years. Will BMW still do this update for me?
Thanks

[///M Blitz]

I don't think anything was ever done to my car. The owner just put it in his warehouse with many other vehicles and drove it 893 miles in 9.5 years. Will BMW still do this update for me?
Thanks

This was an official recall, so I would expect that BMW would still do it for free. If you call your local dealer and give them your VIN number, they can tell you whether the update was performed or not. If they give you any static, I would contact Bill Stuart.

[zilver8]

Larry, the obd recall/software update should also be covered by the emissions warranty which is 8 years. Given the history of your car, I don't see any reason for a dealer not to perform the update free of charge.

[LarryG]

Thank you all for your helpful responses. I will contact my local dealer in the morning and hopefully get things corrected. My understanding is that Bill Stuart is out of his office until mid April.

[LarryG]

I just spoke with my BMW dealer and the forum was correct. There remains an open OBD recall for my car. They will do it free of charge at my convenience. With CT winters, it may not happen for the next two months.
LarryG

[///M Blitz]

I just spoke with my BMW dealer and the forum was correct. There remains an open OBD recall for my car. They will do it free of charge at my convenience. With CT winters, it may not happen for the next two months.
LarryG

I can't believe you doubted us.:cool:

Seriously though, I wonder how many second and third owners don't know about this recall. Lots of Z8s will be going through emissions testing this year and next for the first time and I bet there are a bunch of owners not participating in this forum that won't understand why their car won't pass emissions.