kis said:
What’s the issue with the satellite ones?
My central one was fried many years ago (prior to purchase) and I got round the MOT with a strategically placed bit of insulation tape.
Following that I searched high and low, eventually found a used module which I got reprogrammed.
Is the issue similar with satellite? They get fried and then? Can’t be replaced or repaired? I’m assuming they don’t need reprogramming like the central ECU module?
I believe the central one fries if the top is left down and it rains? Although not 100% sure.
Importantly, I am starting to see evidence that some centre modules (SIM85) and possibly the later design (ASCM) in the facelift cars are being affected by too many jump starts. I don't pretend to understand why, but it does seem that cars left over winter then jump started continually until the owner finally succumbs to a new battery are more likely to get airbag module failures.
Satellite ones get wet due to leaks. Then they die. For some reason the left side do it more than the right, possibly due to water spilling over from the roof motor well when the drains block.
They need the same coding (VIN and system time) as the main module. Likewise, they have to be replaced with a compatible one. There is a batch of left side numbers that I've seen fail a lot in the last few months and finding spares is getting increasingly difficult.
So far I've not found anywhere that can repair them.
Options are:
1. Find a repair service.
2. Try to track down more compatible ones (and obviously their value will increase exponentially!).
3. Try to find a way to make other modules work.
This third option will need a breaker car that won't matter too much if it is messed up. I'm looking into that.
There is also a chance that the part numbers only need to be compatible with the other modules, not the car itself, in which case another (more expensive) option is to replace all three as a set. Again, practice on an old car may prove or disprove this.
It does increasingly seem that unless an answer is found that these cars could become very difficult to get through MOTs.
As I have the time, the software and a bit of practice with these modules now, I am starting to invest in units from dismantled cars, in the hope I can at least provide a solution for some people.
