ABS, brake & stability control warning lights all on

[Nigel2016]

Hi all, we have a 2008 Z4 2.5i Si Sport which we have owned from almost new and it's on 36k miles now. On Saturday we had 3 warning lights come on at the same time. The ABS, Brake and DTC/DSC lights all came on in yellow. I have tried to attach a photo but this is my first post so I don't know if I have attached it. The brakes feel ok but obviously it's a worry. We asked a BM dealer who said that the car needs a new ABS component which is a combined hydraulic and electrical component on the 6 cylinder engines which costs approx. £2k! We wonder whether anyone has experienced this and has any advice please?

Thanks for your help.

Nige

 

[GuidoK]

First of all you cant conclude anything on those 3 lights. You need to get the obd2 codes that create those lights.
Could indeed be that the abs pump is toast. It could also be a sensor.
There are companies that refurbish the abs pumps. Its usually certain solderjoints that cause problems in the ecu of the abs pump.

To read the obd2 codes you can get a $3,15 (incl postage!) bluetooth obd2 dongle on ebay and use a free android app called torque on your smartphone.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bluetooth-Mini-ELM327-V1-5-OBD-II-OBD2-Auto-Car-Diagnostic-Interface-Scanner-F5-/112204999159

Simple handheld scanners start at about $15 (incl postage):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MS309-OBD2-OBDII-EOBD-Scanner-Car-Code-Reader-Data-Tester-Scan-Diagnostic-Tool-/192019208244

A refurbished abs pump (usually with lifetime warranty) will probably set you back £400-700 (It still has to be fitted etc, which is another 300 or so.

 

[Marlon]

You need to get it hooked up to an OBD scanner. They will all probably come down to one fault - could be as simple as a senor needing replacing. (EDIT: my post crossed with GuidoK, similar advice)

p.s. don't go to the BMW dealer that quoted you 2k! :thumbsdown:

 

[Nigel2016]

Hi GuidoK and Marlon, thanks very much for your quick replies. We will find out what the fault codes are first!

Thanks again, Nigel

 

[Marlon]

Hi GuidoK and Marlon, thanks very much for your quick replies. We will find out what the fault codes are first!

Thanks again, Nigel

Once you're sorted out why not introduce yourself in the 'Newbies' section and post some pics of your Zed :wink:

 

[pvr]

£2k is more or less the price I paid for the fix on mine (minus some discount as I was on 23k miles ...)

 

[z4pilot]

Nigel, just had my ABS pump rebuilt to resolve the exact same issue. Reading the codes showed that the ABS pump motor was failing. My Indy uses ECU Testing to rebuild these and as Guidok says, the rebuilt unit comes with a lifetime guarantee. Car was off the road for a week, as the unit had to be sent off. Total bill, including a brake fluid change and associated labour to strip off and refit the pump was £517.... A kick in the nuts, but nice to have it back without the dash all lit up.

 

[Marlon]

Nigel, just had my ABS pump rebuilt to resolve the exact same issue. Reading the codes showed that the ABS pump motor was failing. My Indy uses ECU Testing to rebuild these and as Guidok says, the rebuilt unit comes with a lifetime guarantee. Car was off the road for a week, as the unit had to be sent off. Total bill, including a brake fluid change and associated labour to strip off and refit the pump was £517.... A kick in the nuts, but nice to have it back without the dash all lit up.

Good to hear yours is back on the road too Sean

 

[Nigel2016]

Hi all, thank you for your helpful advice. Many more replies than we expected. We have a much better understanding of the issue and hopefully we will be better prepared now.
Thanks again,
Nigel

 

[Nigel2016]

We booked our Z4 in to have the ABS pump & ecu module replaced by a local Independent garage, but today the warning lights didn't come on at all. Now we are thinking is it necessary to change the module given that it's so expensive. We're tempted to leave it a couple of weeks and see what happens.

We wonder if this has happened to any of you guys or whether you have any thoughts please.

Thanks for your help.

Nigel

 

[z4pilot]

Nigel - in my experience, the fault begins as an intermittent issue, but fairly quickly becomes either permanent or happens regularly after every 4th or 5th time that you turn on the ignition. If you haven't already read the codes, it's worth doing as there are a couple of reasons that these warning lights trigger - some more expensive than others to resolve. Mine clearly indicated that the pump motor was failing, so even though the lights weren't constantly lit, I took the hit and had the pump rebuilt. I've had no issues since.

 

[Nigel2016]

We had the codes read by the independent and they said it's the ABS pump and said we could have it sent away and repaired, this would take about 3 weeks, or a new unit just takes about 1 or 2 days to fit once it is in stock. We didn't ask what the codes are though and I haven't bought one of those OBD scanners yet. The warning lights didn't come on yesterday and I took it for another test drive in the evening after reading your comment that it might be intermittent and come back on every few times we start up. I tried switching on and off about 6 times and so far so good. So now I am thinking about postponing the booking for the new pump and seeing whether the lights come back on again. I also wonder whether the fault really is the ABS pump since reading the other threads it seems like sometimes the same 3 lights come on for something less painfully expensive. I am also thinking of buying one of those OBD code reading devices like the MS309 someone suggested to see the codes for myself, but just a little cautious in case I somehow mess the car up. Maybe a stupid question now, is it easy for a non-tech guy like me to use an OBD code scanner, how could I interpret the codes and could I mess the car up by plugging this thing in wrongly or something. Lastly we contacted an official BMW dealer too and they said to bring it in for a diagnostic check with them and that an independent garage would not have the right diagnostic kit to test the issue thoroughly. We are not sure whether this is just a bit of salesmanship to bring it to them. Right now I am thinking if it's not broke then don't fix it. The trouble is that I can't figure out whether it's broke! Thanks for reading and for your help. Nigel