Did my car just randomly fix itself?

I had a SEL light on my car for as long as I could remember. I havn't been able to check my codes for a long time, last time I did was like 5 months ago. I had P0128, P0174 and P0171. Now I don't have my own OBD scanner but I think its time to buy one. But thats not the question, how could my car possibly fix its own SEL?

yes the car can fix Exhaust Camshaft Position Sensor codes by itself.

It's possible but they will eventually come back. Look into the Bmw scanner 1.4 since it can read specific codes, clear airbag codes and you can code the car like turn on the alarm etc. costs about $40

Originally Posted by Solidjake

It's possible but they will eventually come back. Look into the Bmw scanner 1.4 since it can read specific codes, clear airbag codes and you can code the car like turn on the alarm etc. costs about $40

Where can I buy this scanner?

Check the BMW scanner thread a few threads down. Can't miss it.

I don't think it's unlikely that after 'as long as you can remember' that the light just burned out. I'm sure it's an led and probably lasts a real long time, but I wonder if it's made to burn for months at a time.

Usually, you know, when people have codes like your indicating an air leak (clogged fuel filter), they fix the problem and clear the codes...and the light stays off.

Get your codes read from Autozone for free...ask them to clear the codes...fix car...get codes scanned again.

You might also try the cluster test cluster test...to see if maybe that light is burned out...that's just a theory of mine.

If you did fix your codes problems and didn't clear codes, there's a very small chance that it took this long for the car to realize it's better...but that's a very small chance. You'd needed to have not driven too much...or not driven on the highway...i.e., that you didn't complete the proper number of drive cycles. As I said, not too likely...but there's a slim chance.

My local autozone said that I would have to buy a scanner to get my codes read -___- The LED is fine, it lights up when the key is on the 2nd position.

Often codes are intermittent, they go away only to reappear later. That check engine light will be back. You need to fix the root of the problem.

had the same problem but lot more frequent with my brake pad wear sensor light. it was always going off and coming on. just fix the issue and no more worries!

I had one that would only come on in cold weather. It started in early spring, and went away when the weather turned warmer. But then it came back in the fall. It was a hose connector on a vacuum line to the SAP valve. I guess when it was warm, the rubber expanded enough to seal the leak. But when it got colder, the leak would open up again.

Damn, the light came back on right after I filled my car up lol.

Don't buy car from OP

LOL^ No worries, I made the mistake of buying it myself too. Got an idea of what the problem may be though? Maybe this is something common, idk.

a bmw scanner is $30 on ebay from China. How cheap can you get