Couple of days ago, I got increased emissions light along with check engine ( this is the 3rd time within last 6 months) and this time the light doesn't want to disappear like it was before after staying on for a day or so. I checked the gas cap but it is firmly attached so this is not it.

I am concerned that something serious might be wrong with the car that because I believe car makes more noise when accelarating and I do not feel "the power" I used to. It is not about ticking tough, just louder engine or something. Any ideas?

Anyway, can someone recommend me reliable and affordable ( comparing to steeler) indy shop or a good BMW mechanic on the northern side of Chicago (suburbs)?

Thanks guys!

Buy the scanner, check the codes, go from there. Without knowing what is wrong with the car, nobody here could give you any meaningful suggestions, except take it to the dealer.

What's this scanner you speak of?

How many miles? Checkout my recent post " Dealer experience...."

You can buy them. Used by the dealer and independent mechanics to read the codes thrown by the car's computer when there is a problem. While we simply see the check engine light on, the scanner will tell what exactly the problem is.

EDIT: Bavarian AutoSport (bavauto.com) has several different models for sale, roughly $150-$180...

It has 63K now.

Something that potentially serious

i'd take it to the dealer asap to get a diagnosis

it could be something simple, like perhaps an O2 sensor

why spend 100-200 on a tool that you are likely uncomfortable using

once you know what it is, you can make an informed decision on how to fix

if it is something small, i have a guy i use, but he's by me in the southwest suburbs

In the USA, if it's an emissions related issue/failure that is covered longer than the 4yr / 50k miles. Read your warranty!!

Go to Costco or local Harbor Freight tools and get OBD2 or OBDII sensor:
http://search.harborfreight.com/cpis...BDII&Submit=Go

Costco has one for $30 I think.

Plug it into your OBDII port to check the P Codes.
The code will give you an idea of what problem you have before handing $100 "diag" fee to dealer.

Read my prior post about emissions warranty in the USA.

If you want to see for yourself it may not be necessary to but a code reader - Autozone stores will also do a "free" code reading ... but the codes they pull may be too generic for BMWs and I just wouldn't let them "fix" anything!