Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

I havent used my M5 (E60 Model) for a while so found it had a flat battery, so i jumped it as said in the manual and have found the airbag and seatbelt light stay on with a red airbag light in middle and a warning on the idrive say airbag safety restraint system faulty......never had this before! My odb code reader says there are no faults so i cant reset...any ideas before i go to the stealers lol??? I read in america the airbag system has a 10 year warranty but not UK after speaking to my local stealer.

carlo

iTrader: (4)

it will be due to undervoltage mate seen it happen a few times charge the battery fully ! you will most likley have to have the lights reset at bmw we would charge £60 + vat for this. Also because the battery demand is high on these cars sometimes the heated rear screen etc might not work they shut all the high drain things down so the engine managment has as much power it can get for as long as it can get to keep the car mobile.

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

Hi mate i put a new battery on but still does it so i guess a reset is due...infact i think the rear screen isnt working too...LOL.

carlo

iTrader: (4)

Yes mate ! but im sure that car might have to have a registering battery ! all cars with ibs battery cables need a special battery if you have just fitted a normal battery that will cause trouble as well

SiZT

Have you fitted a new battery or just jump started it? The batteries are a cunt to get to if there anything like the ones we have here (underneath the relays, amp etc..) and as Carlo said, it'll need registering that it's got a new battery

carlo

iTrader: (4)

The batterys from bmw themselfs are called registered batterys ! we have a x5 yesterday that didnt have the correct battery fitted it kept losing the date & time etc

dojj

iTrader: (3)

it really is something when you have to register a battery to the car

what next? you've got to be wearing corporate bmw merchandise in order to drive one?

they can't fix their indicators but batteries that won't work until they have been programed to the car, well

carlo

iTrader: (4)

Dojj you have no idea with bmw we cant fit a part under warranty untill the diagnostic test plan tells you to , you also need to write a diagnostic code down & most cars now for missfires you dont put a spanner near them they get reprogramed first with the latest version , that most of the times writes the missfire out or such likes ! then you start replacing parts. They are so complex now its not true i petty anyone that serves their time in a back street garage & has to come into a bmw dealership it would be a whole new world to the best of tech's. Even tho you know whats wrong with the car untill the computer tells you in black & white you cant replace anything .

dojj

iTrader: (3)

that's like being back at school, or living with your folks

saying that, my transit is at ford because it needs a software update to sort the hunting at idle, but how the van knew it needed an update and starting playing up, i have no idea

carlo

iTrader: (4)

I know bm's are the same they run fine for ages & you work through a test plan it says reprograme car ? fucking crazy

James @ M Developments.

iTrader: (2)

its amazing how cars have progressed, gone are the days when you could fix almost anything on a saturday afternoon with a screwdriver,

now you need a big hammer

dojj

iTrader: (3)

or a box of matches

Benni

Aha.

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

Mate of mine's new shape transit did this, software update didn't fix it, had to have a couple of valves or something replaced on the fuel rail!

I think it's pretty bloody terrible really about things such like registering a new battery with the ECU. Just leads to massive over-complications which can only be sorted by main dealers. Give it a few more years and there will be no such thing as an independant 'back street' garage IMO.

foreigneRS

is it such a bad idea that vehicles will need to be worked on by properly trained people, rather than any charlie with a set of spanners? ok, you can go too far with certain things that are only setup by the manufacturer to make sure that their dealer network is looked after, but there is a european law that says that independant garagres are entitled to get the same tools as a franchised dealer.

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

Carlo, is there a similar thing on the e39, i had a flat battery, since then i have had the airbag light on, or is it just a coincidence?

dojj

iTrader: (3)

funnily enough, they are going to replace a valve on the fuel rail, a valve in the heater system, and fix the power steering pipe

FAL

No, the E39's don't have the intelligent battery sensor, so you don't have to register the battery.

carlo

iTrader: (4)

as above , e39's with battery faults mostly the heater resistor is foooked draining it

Miller 3

iTrader: (4)

That is most likely to be the top solenoid on the high pressure pump.

dojj

iTrader: (3)

It's at 117k miles so we've got to pay for it, might ask hinge to look up what they did to it if they don't give me a few sheets of paper to tell me what they are billing us for, £120 for "exploration work" and I said "it's not like you are going to be drilling for oil is it"

Chip

iTrader: (3)

It's amazing just how tied in cars are getting to the main dealer, quite scarey really!

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

...yes it fucking is....but i had to tell the BMW workshop bloke it needed a reset to clear the lights and that it had to be registered..."oh ok hope thats the problem then"

carlo

iTrader: (4)

they already knew that mate they were just playing dumb to hit you with it a couple hundred quid later

carlo

iTrader: (4)

p.s make sure the car is in regular use or get a trickle charger for it if its not moving much

naturally aspirated

CARLO. (or any BMW techs) I need your BMW technical advice here. I was thinking of buying my other half an older style BM just to get her to work and back. I was thinking of a 2001/2 3 series, probably a 4 pot, or a 2.0 s/six if I saw one at the right money. Do these year cars have the same issues with the dealers?

FAL

No, you should be okay with an older E46 3-Series. Fairly simple to work on, and any in-depth work/electronics, should be able to be done at a good indy (Being my line of work, i know for a fact that BMW haven't released any software updates for the 46, since June 2008 - another reason not to take it back to a main agent).

naturally aspirated

Thanks FAL. The advice is appreciated.

carlo

iTrader: (4)

The valvetronic 4 cylinder engine is a bit of a pain in the arse if it goes wrong ! they have eccentric camshaft & electronic valvetronic motor we have seen loads with wear on the shaft causing missfires etc but no cheap fix i wouldnt go near a valvetronic ever ! the 6 cylinder is far better imho hard as nails.

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

it will cost £102 inc vat max depending on how long it takes...of course i expect the full figure

carlo

iTrader: (4)

Thats not that bad mate

Physio

That's fucking mad stuff!

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

Digital cameras etc have had these batteries for many many years chaps, its good that they are also being used in the auto industry.

dojj

iTrader: (3)

My iPhone tells me that my car charger isn't registered and so won't charge the battery in the phone

The bastard.

naturally aspirated

Are we talking 316 or 318 here? Which to go for, which not to? Although I would probably hold out for a 6 pot tbh.

Less.

ima why not try bigmotoringworld on the A20 might be cheaper than a main dealer

James

ford is also like this, except i'd hope the bmw version works better than ours as at times it can be a total nightmare telling you to check this, check that and check the othere when you know straight away what the fualt is as you can see where the power steering pipe is leaking from yet it still wants you to run through all kinds of random pointless checks, sadly there isn't a option "i've identified the failure without the help of the fucking computer" & sadly every warranty job needs to go on the diagnostic machine and run through the diagnostic procedures it suggest regardless!

dojj

iTrader: (3)

years ago one of our vito's blew off it's intercooler pipe

30 seconds to put hte pipe and clip back on, nearly an hour to clear the fault codes

there is a boost leak
there is not enough fuel pressure
there is too much air
the injectors aren't opening
it's in los mode
etc

Ima Racing

iTrader: (1)

.....hey i just thought is it going to be a problem i put an aftermarket battery on my car? (our company sells them so unlikely to go to the dealer lol!)

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Is it a VRLA / Dry / Spiral Cell battery Phil?

If so I believe you should be able to register it ok, but if its a normal lead acid battery then you wont.


You can get a tool to chat to the on board diagnostics but Ive not personally used it so cant comment on how well it works:
http://www.bavariantechnic.com/buy.aspx