diff --git a/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.h b/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.h
index bcd4e52d9..0aec3e9f2 100644
--- a/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.h
+++ b/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.h
@@ -32,17 +32,6 @@ namespace gtsam {
 
 	struct SharedDiagonal;
 
-  /** unnormalized error
-   * \todo Make this a member function - affects SubgraphPreconditioner */
-  template<class FACTOR>
-  double gaussianError(const FactorGraph<FACTOR>& fg, const VectorValues& x) {
-    double total_error = 0.;
-    BOOST_FOREACH(const typename FACTOR::shared_ptr& factor, fg) {
-      total_error += factor->error(x);
-    }
-    return total_error;
-  }
-
   /** return A*x-b
    * \todo Make this a member function - affects SubgraphPreconditioner */
   template<class FACTOR>
@@ -131,9 +120,17 @@ namespace gtsam {
     /** Permute the variables in the factors */
     void permuteWithInverse(const Permutation& inversePermutation);
 
+    /** unnormalized error */
+    double error(const VectorValues& x) const {
+      double total_error = 0.;
+  		BOOST_FOREACH(const sharedFactor& factor, *this)
+        total_error += factor->error(x);
+      return total_error;
+    }
+
     /** Unnormalized probability. O(n) */
     double probPrime(const VectorValues& c) const {
-      return exp(-0.5 * gaussianError(*this, c));
+      return exp(-0.5 * error(c));
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/tests/testGaussianFactorGraph.cpp b/tests/testGaussianFactorGraph.cpp
index 4e25d954d..ca7f805ac 100644
--- a/tests/testGaussianFactorGraph.cpp
+++ b/tests/testGaussianFactorGraph.cpp
@@ -54,17 +54,17 @@ TEST( GaussianFactorGraph, equals ) {
 }
 
 /* ************************************************************************* */
-TEST( GaussianFactorGraph, error ) {
-  Ordering ordering; ordering += "x1","x2","l1";
-  FactorGraph<JacobianFactor> fg = createGaussianFactorGraph(ordering);
-  VectorValues cfg = createZeroDelta(ordering);
-
-  // note the error is the same as in testNonlinearFactorGraph as a
-  // zero delta config in the linear graph is equivalent to noisy in
-  // non-linear, which is really linear under the hood
-  double actual = gaussianError(fg, cfg);
-  DOUBLES_EQUAL( 5.625, actual, 1e-9 );
-}
+//TEST( GaussianFactorGraph, error ) {
+//  Ordering ordering; ordering += "x1","x2","l1";
+//  FactorGraph<JacobianFactor> fg = createGaussianFactorGraph(ordering);
+//  VectorValues cfg = createZeroDelta(ordering);
+//
+//  // note the error is the same as in testNonlinearFactorGraph as a
+//  // zero delta config in the linear graph is equivalent to noisy in
+//  // non-linear, which is really linear under the hood
+//  double actual = fg.error(cfg);
+//  DOUBLES_EQUAL( 5.625, actual, 1e-9 );
+//}
 
 /* ************************************************************************* */
 /* unit test for find seperator                                              */
@@ -666,7 +666,7 @@ double error(const VectorValues& x) {
   Ordering ord; ord += "x2","l1","x1";
 
 	GaussianFactorGraph fg = createGaussianFactorGraph(ord);
-	return gaussianError(fg,x);
+	return fg.error(x);
 }
 
 ///* ************************************************************************* */