BMW Airbag light

Deliberator

Hi, I picked up an old 1999 BMW 528i a couple of months ago. I bought it from an independent dealer, and as the airbag light was always on, he took it to "Hamilton AutoElectrics"? in Dublin to get it seen to. Recently, the light has come on again, and I'd like to get it sorted.

A few questions for those in the know...

I've spotted another thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055017336that referred to problems with a later 3 Series BMW, I'm wondering if this also applies to the 5 Series?

The guy I bought the car from is taking a winter holiday in the sun, and I don't want to disturb him if I can avoid it. Has anyone heard of "Hamilton Auto Electrics? I'd like to follow up with them, seeing as work has already been done on the car by them.

Lastly, any recommendations for non-dealer Dublin servicing? Also, auto-electrician?

I appreciate any help

Fey!

It could be the cable going under the drivers seat. Cable is €15 (IIRC) + fitting and decoding (probably another €80). Multiple threads on bavarian-board (link in my sig) about this.

For servicing (and your airbag light), AC Car Sales on Bloomfield Road (Avenue?) off SCR is highly recommended by both Irish BMW enthuasiast sites. I've dealt with them a few times for parts, and have found their service to be excellent, as are their prices (a lot cheaper than the dealers, IME). 01-4531433 - ask for Alan or Richie (tell them Fey sent ya!)

Good luck with the car (would love a 528 myself). Have a look at the 2 sites in my sig. We have regular meets around the country, show and shine competitions every now and again, weekends away... All a bit of craic. Oh, yeah - there's great technical help there, too!!!

Lex Luthor

It is almost likely to be the connector under the passenger seat for the seat belt tensioner has come loose and this causes the fault light to come on. VERY COMMON issue.
I have had that happen to me a few times. Normally the harness gets snagged on the rails and the pins in the connector come a bit loose and it appears like a fault to the system. Getting it reset will not fix it permanently.

I got the connector on mine removed (cut out) and the wires soldered together for a permanent fix. Its what any dealer/mechanic should be recommending.

It could be something else, but almost likely to be the connector. A mechanic with the right equipment will be able to diagnose it for you straight away. Mr. Diagnostic on here did the retrofit on mine a few months back. He's in Sallins.

For Dublin servicing most of the BMW drivers I know go to AC Cars in Bloomfield

DublinDilbert

Hi,

Yep, more than likely you'll need to get it to someone with diagnostic tools that can read the fault out of the air bag control unit.... As the modern SRS system has so many interconnected components it can be hard to fault find using the traditional methods.

I have heard alot of people talking about passenger occupancy sensors going faulty, or becoming disconnected, some of the lads on here will be able to advise on this one...

On my last E36 the "slip" ring contact coil in behind the steering wheel failed. The air bag circuit would go open when the steering wheel was fully locked to the right... I found the fault using a multimeter, replaced the air bag with a 1K resistor, and monitored the resitance of the circuit at the SRS control unit, and when i would get to the fully locked position the circuit would open up... replaced the slip ring contact coil (€114 euros worth), and it was fine. On the E36 at that time there was no passenger air bag, side air bags so it was a fairly simple system to trouble shoot....

Regards,

crosstownk

Lex Luthor wrote:

It is almost likely to be the connector under the passenger seat for the seat belt tensioner has come loose and this causes the fault light to come on. VERY COMMON issue.
I have had that happen to me a few times. Normally the harness gets snagged on the rails and the pins in the connector come a bit loose and it appears like a fault to the system. Getting it reset will not fix it permanently.

Yeah very common on some BMW models I had one where this problem showed up every few months. A head wrecker to say the least.

As for Hamiltons, they are excellent auto electricians and I wouldn't hesitate in recommending them.

crosstownk

After 3 and a half years :eek:, I'd say it's well sorted!

bazz26

The mods don't take too kindly to resurrecting old threads though.