Airbag light on - Have you been affected? (UK)
- Thread starter sp3ctre
- Start date
Dr _Rod said:
I just bought and fitted one of these. Do you know if the 'no seatbelt' warning alarm is supposed to come on when this is fitted and the seatbelt not buckled?
I know its easy to rewire the buckle to make the warning go away, but i am more concerned with weather or not the bimtronics box is actually working or not.
Cheers
sp3ctre said:
Oh Bloody hell, i just doubled checked and you're right. What a complete joke. They bang on about safety but the passenger airbag won't work when you use it, thats just unacceptable and its well hidden in the text.
Why oh why didnt they build the unit to simulate the seat being occupied? Than you can simply hotwire the buckle and all of the airbags work.
Does anyone know if such a system exists?
tomTVR said:
As far as I know there is something on ebay (was mentioned by another member, but I cant remember who) that does exactly that, the problem being the alarm goes off as if the passenger was sat in the seat. I imagine you could hotwire the buckle, which would be the best solution, but not sure how you would do it.
You're right, it takes careful reading of the test to realise exactly what they are saying. To be honest why they can't just have the passenger airbags fire anyway and not bother with the convoluted system of pressure pads etc is beyond me, it's just one more (expensive) thing to go wrong.
Utterly agree - the passenger occupancy mat is a PITA and by all accounts seem to be rather fragile. And at around £90 a pop not exactly a cheap (or easy) fix. I'm a fan of the KISS principle when it comes to cars as complex things always go wrong eventually.sp3ctre said:
tomTVR, have you traced the fault that's causing the airbag light to come on? (sorry if i've missed this somewhere else). FWIW I feel it's always worth fixing properly rather than using a module to trick the light. The module that tricks it into deploying ALL airbags in a crash is certainly better than the one that makes none of them deploy, but when I came to swapping me seats I didn't consider the "easy" option. If it's your passenger occupancy mat then it's not as bad a job as I first imagined (I recently removed my seat covers and swapped mats over) and IMO is worth the time/effort to get a fully functioning airbag system.
a11y said:
The warning light came on at the end of last summer and i decided i'd live with the light on the dash, but i recently read that NONE of the airbags will fire if i have a crash. So i have been spurred into motion. :!: I haven't been to the dealer yet, so it may well be a totally unrelated problem. I decided that i'd buy the module anyway and if its another problem then i can always keep it until it's needed. Also my dealer is a fair drive away so wanted to reduce the potential for having to make a 2nd journey back (to get it reset).
What sort of price are we looking at for the mat fully fitted or supply only? I'm lucky that my dad can get me 10% off parts and 50% off labour if i get the work done at the main dealer he works at. But even then i'm very tempted by an alternative occupany bypass module, if it works then it should be a fix for life. If this is the problem.
Thinking about it. Currently, if i put a heavy box on the passenger seat and drive the car then the warning alarm still goes off until you buckle the seatbelt. Does this mean it's not the sensor mat, or could it still throw a fault code despite being functional?
Hi, I retro fitted the cruise control stalk this afternoon to my Zed. I disconnected the negative terminal and plugged in the connector as described in the various How To guides. I reconnected the negative terminal and started the car. To my dismay, the Airbag warning light came on and stayed on. 
The battery was only disconnected for about 2 minutes. I dissed the battery again and unplugged the CC, reconnected, but the warning light has stayed on.I reconnected everything and test drove the car. The CC works perfectly but the Airbag light is still on. Oh dear. I am now at a loss as to what to do. Any suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks in anticipation. Andy G
The battery was only disconnected for about 2 minutes. I dissed the battery again and unplugged the CC, reconnected, but the warning light has stayed on.I reconnected everything and test drove the car. The CC works perfectly but the Airbag light is still on. Oh dear. I am now at a loss as to what to do. Any suggestions would be welcome.Thanks in anticipation. Andy G
It seems to me that the bypass box is a good alternative to having to replace the whole mat. The problem is the seatbelt warning chime coming on.
I dont think its a simple case of being able to hotwire the two wires going into the buckle to complete a circuit. I believe there is a switch inside the buckle inself which changes the voltage when pressed-in by the buckle.
If someone with a multimeter can measure the resistance between the two wires when the belt in buckled compared to unbuckled then it may be possible to select a ressistor which could be used to bypass the switch.
I have been googling and searching BMW forums for the answer. It seems plenty of people are using these occupancy bypass modules and with much success. But i cannot find one other person who is complaining of a warning chime as a result, which seems strange because if the module is really working then it should sound..
I dont think its a simple case of being able to hotwire the two wires going into the buckle to complete a circuit. I believe there is a switch inside the buckle inself which changes the voltage when pressed-in by the buckle.
If someone with a multimeter can measure the resistance between the two wires when the belt in buckled compared to unbuckled then it may be possible to select a ressistor which could be used to bypass the switch.
I have been googling and searching BMW forums for the answer. It seems plenty of people are using these occupancy bypass modules and with much success. But i cannot find one other person who is complaining of a warning chime as a result, which seems strange because if the module is really working then it should sound..
I have had this issue with my 2003 2.5i. I just took car to BMW dealership, who advised that seat-belt tensioner is the culprit. Replacement part: 72-11-9-119-539 L-LOWER BELTP
Dealer wanted to charge me $220 for the part, on-line sellers carry the party for approx $120. One hour shop labor for install.
Dealer wanted to charge me $220 for the part, on-line sellers carry the party for approx $120. One hour shop labor for install.
ZED_NOT_ZEE
Member
I had this issue on my Z4 when I purchased it. The warning was stored in the computer for the passenger seat occupancy sensor. I reset the warning and it hasn't come back since. However my drivers seat belt buckle tensioner also needs replacing, I had to replace it before on my e46 as well. Once that is done hopefully the warning will go away.
I wonder if the recall would apply to me too. I'm in Canada but my car was originally purchased and imported from the U.S.
I wonder if the recall would apply to me too. I'm in Canada but my car was originally purchased and imported from the U.S.
Yo Russ Dude
Member
Hi
Red Airbag Warning Light Came on Last Week whilst driving the vehicle with my Wife Seated in the passenger Seat. Contacted Blue Bell BMW (Crewe) and it is being checked Thursday 7th July.
Model Z4 3.0 se - Build Date January 2004
Will let you know the outcome of the investigation.
Regards
Russ
Red Airbag Warning Light Came on Last Week whilst driving the vehicle with my Wife Seated in the passenger Seat. Contacted Blue Bell BMW (Crewe) and it is being checked Thursday 7th July.
Model Z4 3.0 se - Build Date January 2004
Will let you know the outcome of the investigation.
Regards
Russ
Hi,
I have the same problem on my car.
Red Airbag light is on all the time.
still get the alarm to say something is in the passenger seat without the belt on..
help!
have tried disconnecting and reconnecting the battery but no dice.. guess i will have to take it to BMW?
thanks
D
I have the same problem on my car.
Red Airbag light is on all the time.
still get the alarm to say something is in the passenger seat without the belt on..
help!
have tried disconnecting and reconnecting the battery but no dice.. guess i will have to take it to BMW?
thanks
D