air bag light wont go out

[yanik]

hi.guys 1st timer,i drive a 95-520i i changed the steering wheel i unpluged the air bag replaced the steering wheel,plugged back wiring and the air bag light came on and wont go out.is there a reset way out of it,if you can help me would apreciate it.just want to add what a great forum this is.

[Bill R.]

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hi.guys 1st timer,i drive a 95-520i i changed the steering wheel i unpluged the air bag replaced the steering wheel,plugged back wiring and the air bag light came on and wont go out.is there a reset way out of it,if you can help me would apreciate it.just want to add what a great forum this is.

[shogun]

The special tool is made by Peake and will set you back about 130 $.
Will be cheaper to visit the dealer.

[zuzuk212]

What the thud thud means is that this has been done before and like beating a dead horse ... nice huh.
Searching the forum would find that the battery needs to be disconnected first and allow the system to discharge. I disconnected but did not have the electronics fully discharged ... which sucks because if you don't know someone with a rest tool you will be screwed out of money for nothing at the stealer.
Ken

hi.guys 1st timer,i drive a 95-520i i changed the steering wheel i unpluged the air bag replaced the steering wheel,plugged back wiring and the air bag light came on and wont go out.is there a reset way out of it,if you can help me would apreciate it.just want to add what a great forum this is.

[Kalevera]

We really need to get that "read this first if you're a new poster" message back up -- what the heck happened to it?


best, whit

[Jeff N.]

Hmm...I think they have to purchase the tool and put up with ding dongs who think they know how to tinker with stuff.

That's worth some cash, don't you think?

Jeff

[zuzuk212]

That's worth some cash, don't you think?
Jeff
Where they cover the cost of the unit after a couple uses ... yeah, that gives me a warm fuzzy to have more service done ... not to mention having them burning out half of the srs bulb while doing the reset.
Ken

[Kalevera]

Where they cover the cost of the unit after a couple uses ... yeah, that gives me a warm fuzzy to have more service done ... not to mention having them burning out half of the srs bulb while doing the reset.
Ken
Ken, I don't get it -- how do they burn out half of the bulb when resetting it?

I'm not an advocate of not DIYing stuff, but just to put this in perspective: the SRS system was designed to work in a specific manner. Principles for operating that system are reasonably standardized, having been invented by Volvo and adopted in suite by most euro car companies, yet people still manage to screw them up. A dealer tech is, in theory, supposed to do better than the average of ****ups to working repairs, but they still occasionally defy that assertion. If one doesn't have an understanding of the system, yet delves into it without researching or thinking about it, how can they not expect to pay the potential consequences?

The cost of operating a dealer service department is astronomical. That sub $200 peake tool, which seems expensive to the DIYer, is replaced by a multi tens of thousands of dollars MoDIC or GT1 computer (actually, I think both of the latter list(ed) at about 40k a machine EDIT: actually, they were/are 13.5 and 17k, respectively). Even our most reasonable diagnostic computer, that being AutoLogic, is a 10k machine, with a subscription fee in the thousands of dollars per year, just so I can keep your car running.

...and we're just talking about diagnostic computers here, not to mention lifts, alignment racks, tire balancing machines, shop air, employee pay (actually quite little) and benefits. Then there are the myriad costs of doing business that aren't accounted into that, which add up. On top of that, the dealer likes to make a little money. That's how you get dealer costs. And yes, they do gouge, because they take a lot of losses due to stupidity, and because the service department is how the dealer makes money.

But there's no one to blame for one's mistakes except oneself. And there are reasons why dealer techs hate the customer, which is why having an indy is always the best route: a long term customer can come in and get a light reset for free.

best, whit

[zuzuk212]

Ken, I don't get it -- how do they burn out half of the bulb when resetting it?
best, whit
When I went in the srs indicator was nice and bright … an hour later they tell me that there is an error with the light that half of it is burnt out … it’s a dual filament bulb, for safety, and the only way to know what to replace it with is to take it out and look at the number … they do not have the part number in etk. So, this and being charged $100+ for computers to talk to each other…

I fully believe in doing it my self … because I will know what has been done and will understand my vehicle better. I had a shop do my springs, struts and shocks because I thought that it would involve too much (way back) … well the un-mechanic used vice grips on the shaft of the shock … even though there were plenty of warning stickers all over and there was really no need for them … which I found after doing it myself!

I have a problem paying for somebody who doesn’t care anything about me and has a lack for detail … you may say that it’s my fault for choosing the garage or dealer. Well, it’s not that easy to know where to go when in a new area … so, to sidestep all of that mess … I do it, have pride in my vehicle because I know what makes it tick and keep it ticking.

Also, you are right, service makes the money and parts as well, why else would they produce cars which need to be reset at the dealer … independents are starting to fight this because manufactures are making it proprietary, thus impossible for independents … I’ve worked at a dealership as well so I know that they are not constantly replacing lifts and what not … they are bringing people in for the $$$.

That was way too much ... sorry but I’ve been having a horrible week.

Ken

[632 Regal]

Lowell makes house calls and resets these for us. He is coming up here to Michigan to reset mine soon, maybe you can stop by and he can reset yours at the same time?

[zuzuk212]

Lowell makes house calls and resets these for us. He is coming up here to Michigan to reset mine soon, maybe you can stop by and he can reset yours at the same time?

I appreciate the offer … Yanik is the one in need for it, at the moment.

Where abouts in Michigan are you?

Ken

[Bill R.]

i have changed the bulbs in all use the standard bulb 1.2 watt in the srs airbag socket and that they have a led light linked in parallel to it for backup if the bulb fails, the led doesn't burn as brightly as the bulb though when the bulb fails. As you can see here it specifies the same 1.2 watt bulbs for the airbag in the lower left corner of the pic.http://www.bimmer.info/%7Ebill/airbagbulbs.jpg






When I went in the srs indicator was nice and bright … an hour later they tell me that there is an error with the light that half of it is burnt out … it’s a dual filament bulb, for safety, and the only way to know what to replace it with is to take it out and look at the number … they do not have the part number in etk. So, this and being charged $100+ for computers to talk to each other…

I fully believe in doing it my self … because I will know what has been done and will understand my vehicle better. I had a shop do my springs, struts and shocks because I thought that it would involve too much (way back) … well the un-mechanic used vice grips on the shaft of the shock … even though there were plenty of warning stickers all over and there was really no need for them … which I found after doing it myself!

I have a problem paying for somebody who doesn’t care anything about me and has a lack for detail … you may say that it’s my fault for choosing the garage or dealer. Well, it’s not that easy to know where to go when in a new area … so, to sidestep all of that mess … I do it, have pride in my vehicle because I know what makes it tick and keep it ticking.

Also, you are right, service makes the money and parts as well, why else would they produce cars which need to be reset at the dealer … independents are starting to fight this because manufactures are making it proprietary, thus impossible for independents … I’ve worked at a dealership as well so I know that they are not constantly replacing lifts and what not … they are bringing people in for the $$$.

That was way too much ... sorry but I’ve been having a horrible week.

Ken

[Kalevera]

Lowell makes house calls and resets these for us. He is coming up here to Michigan to reset mine soon, maybe you can stop by and he can reset yours at the same time?


Jeff, I was on 11 mile road outside Detroit on Saturday.

What a mess that was.

Needless to say, I don't like that part of michigan very much. And the car that I was supposed to be picking up turned out to be a POS. So much for ethical ebay sellers.

And you're absolutely correct -- the roads suck up there.


best, whit

[Kalevera]

Ken, I think we're talking past each other at this point and that we mutually agree on everything said, but there are some further notes to make.

The International Association of Independent BMW Service Professionals, IAIBMWSP, is the remedy to the question of "who do I take it to if not the dealer?" While I certainly could be proved wrong, the people that comprise that group are among the most competent, ethical, and caring BMW technicians that I know of. Members of that group have, since many years before the inception of the organization, petitioned to BMW for more dialogue between indys and the company; yet BMW insists on attempting to cartel the repair industry for their cars, ultimately losing them sales. ZF is the perfect manifestation of the ideaology to which BMW is currently ascribed.

Once again, I think we both agree that delving into something without having an understanding of what could go wrong (the point of my earlier....tirade) is a foolhardy proposal, especially with explosive devices.

best, whit