E39 Wheel sensor help please

Dergside wrote: it highlights the pettiness and unhelpfulness of the dealer in not entertaining such a route.

A BMW dealer, being petty or unhelpful, surely not!

Glad you got it sorted Nigel.  Pity it's still a pricey job.

Was reading that with great interest. It can be so annoying how electrical gremlins can be such a pain.

Being honest though, if a customer bought something like that and came to my place to have it fitted, chances are we'd refuse or at least get them to sign a disclaimer saying we cannot be responsible for any failure due to the fitment of the part so I can sort of see where they are coming from but like you said, if you have a good relationship I don't see why they'd be obstuctive like that, it's a shame.

At least its sorted now though.

Mike

I got the new one today.

Bad news is it needs coding to the car, and I'm very sorry to have to report, my local dealer refuse to code it ........ because I didn't buy it from them (they wanted £890.00 for the unit, £108.00 to code it, and £106.00 to fit it).

 

I bought it from a bosch dealer for £339.00, fitted it in under 15 minutes, from start to finish, including getting my tools out and putting them away, but I can't code it.

None of my mates can code it, but ..... the bosch dealer who sold it to me has arranged for someone to do it tomorrw for £41.00

The good news is, instantly the speedo works, and the abs fault light is out, I am just left with the orange "take me to a dealer" triangle lit on the display ..... I assume because it isn't coded.

It is very very sad news regarding my local dealer, they used to be Robert Sterns, and I've had a fantastic relationship with them for the last ten years, back in the days of the bmwcc gb (spit), they even gave us a tech e-mail helpline,there was the E60 M5 lauch day outing we had there, and they were despatching parts at a good discount to the Irish lads and anyone else that wanted them.

I've never been able to afford a car from them, but I've bought all my service items from them, and a lot of other parts for the last ten years.

They were taken over by Rybrook late last year, and instantly things went downhill, I was no longer able to just ring up and order bits , paying for them when I collected them, getting parts now involved two trips, one to order and pay, one to collect (the parts lads were as bothered by this as I was, but it was the new "regime")

After todays experience, I will write a letter to the dealer principle, but I fear apart from dropping a tin of biscuits in to the parts lads, for all their help over the years, that'll be my last visit, it would appear they've gone the same way as the car club !

You are correct Andrew.

I have looked at as much of the loom as I can (I did this last sunday) without stripping the car.

I could still be wrong.

It could be part of the loom I cannot see, it could be the instrument cluster, or its loom. or even the main cpu, or its loom.

The brains I'm talking to/working with, using the diagnostic software (genuine BMW) and two different fault code readers, one plugs in under the bonnet, one plugs in just above the drivers right knee, all say "nearside rear wheel sensor circuit".

The modulators do also seem to fail quite often ....... try and locate a 2nd hand one (not that you'd want a 2nd hand one).......try and locate someone with an exchange unit sitting on the shelf !

Even the chap at fab said "no chance mate, a working one of those is as rare as hens teeth here"

Assuming it does turn out to be the fault, I'm talking to BMW techie people as to why it fails on the 5 series "very often" and on the 7 series "very rarely", when it is in fact exactly the same unit.

In my mind, assuming it is the fault, it can only be its location, like on the Volvo T5's.

We have one small complication too, the ASC version 0 265 223 001, is what's fitted to my car, along with the ASC button on the dash, all the BMW systems, whether searched by vin number or redg number say 0 265 223 002, which is the DSC version.

Okay dokey

I'm supposedly going touring the highlands of scotty land ...... again, next week, so I don't have time to do the repair route

So, I'm off here tomorrow :

http://www.unitedautoparts.co.uk/

£339.00 for a brand new unit.

People are expressing concern (one woman in particular), regarding me wandering around the unit with a soldering iron, and then driving her across the applecross mountain road etc.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Some more info for you lads ...... mines the 265 223 001

http://www.ecutesting.com/bmw_5_series__e39__abs_pump_mo.htm l

I'll get a quote, and let you know how much

So how does a soldered joint break?  Drys out and a shock from a pothole breaks it off?

I take it Nigel you are thinking that it is a knackered ABS unit rather than a wheel sensor?

Have you checked the wiring on the car side of the ABS wheel sensor plug/socket?  It is not unheard of for a ABS wheel sensor to show up as failed on a diagnostic check when it is actually a wiring fault, the insulation chaffs on something creating a short throwing on your warning lights.  Can be a pain in the sit down bits to find but may be easier and less scary than looking at the inside of your ABS unit!

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=226810

OK lads ..... an update

So far it's not good news, both the diode check, and my scope says the sensors are well (one is showing slightly over on the silicon junction check, but its pulse train output on the scope is perfect).

My local main dealer confirms that the nearside rear does indeed control the functions I'm having trouble with, having been for a drive with a loaned diagnostic box ( to get it to fail), the diagnostic box says "rear near side abs sensor circuit faliure".

I've obtained a sensor, a genuine BMW one, fitted it, 2.6 miles later, same problem (the problem is intermittent, like all good problems) !

I've spoken to the dealer I bought the car from today (they are a few miles away from me, just south of Bristol), so if it was a sensor it would've just been easier to do it than bother them.

They are going to ring me back tomorrow.

I'm going to do some internet research tonight, I don't yet have the bently manuals for the E39, and I cannot find the effing modules, lol, the krauty gits have moved them from where they were in the E34 !

Edited by Nigel