I'm confused....
 

I recently posted that my X5 SES light came on. (Saturday) We'll I didn't drive the car yesterday or today except tonight when I went to go the grocery store and NOW THE LIGHT ISN'T ON? Why is that?

What should I do? Should I still take it to the dealer?

I know you (the experts) can help!!:iagree:

Is it time for service? How are your green bars?

my bars were at yellow, but i reset them so now they are back at green and i'm having an independent mechanic (trustworthy) do any routine maintenance.

So you have not had the service. Must be reminding you.

But the SES is separate from the green lights isn't it? Im lost... I read on here most of the time the SES came on for some random reason, I had the error code checked and it say "Bank 2 runs lean" or something like that. Yet now the the SES light is gone?

No I think SES comes up for regular service also.

but considering that I reset the lights and inspection?? Does that count any?

gas cap not tight? maybe.

Mine was doing the same thing.
Now the lights been off for a month.
I have a buddy whos a bmw mechanic and he said its probably a O2 sensor or something minor.
He said for me to bring it in if there are red lights on the dash or the driving performance changes.
Might be something different for yours but i thought id let you know.

The SES light and inspection lights are completely different systems. The SES light is for any type of emisssions issues.

Could be an intermittent problem. I would log how often it comes on and the code, if you can get it. Then talk with your SA the next time you go in, or if will not reset itself.

The "Service Engine Soon" or "Check Engine" light has to do with anything emissions related (exhaust, ignition, fuel evap, vacuum leaks, etc). The car constantly checks itself. If it detects a fault, and depending upon the severity and number of occurences, will set a light and log the event in the computer's memory. If the fault goes away for a while, the light will turn itself off after a number of run cycles, but the fault will still be stored in the computer with the number of occurences and at what time (running hours) they occurred.
The Oil Service/Inspection lights are based upon an algorithim BMW came up with based upon fuel injector cycles and duty (amongst other parameters). I guess the only correlation could be if your Inspection II has been overdue by months in severe driving conditions, then the poor running conditions (old oil, bad plugs...) could set a check engine light.

Thanks for your advice, I know my car needs an oil change (7500 miles already) and from reading on here it's best to do it at that interval vs. the BMW recommended 15k.

I am also going to be changing the spark plugs on the car, best to get from dealer?