Weird Electronic Issue (Locks & Courtesy Lights)

[bd3500]

Hello,

I just got home from a week and a half vacation and when I returned I found my 2002 X5 3.0 battery was dead. I tried to jump with another car to no avail, and finally called BMW Roadside Assist. AAA came out with a box and plugged into posts and the X5 started right up.

Now the strange part, the central locking system works when I put the key in the door and turn to the left or right, all locks go up or down as they should and the alarm beeps. If I hit the button on remote, it does nothing. Also, when I push on the central lock button near the gear shifter, the locks do nothing.

Even stranger, now when I open my doors my central lights won't come on. If I press the courtesy light button, they won't come on regardless if the X is on or off. The X starts fine too now.

Finally, the last weird thing is I used to only see a little light next to the P on the gear shifter. It looks like the entire P, D, 2, 1, etc are all lit up dimly. I didn't notice this before, and feel I would have.

Has anyone seen anything like this before or know what I should look for? I checked alot of fuses, and they all look fine, I'm at a loss.

Thanks!

- Brent

[bd3500]

I found this thread, but there is no resolution listed:

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...ighlight=locks

[bd3500]

I found through the messages the park LED stays on by design.

Has anyone found a resolution to the problem about courtesy interior lights and lock button not working after battery drain though?

Thanks!

[torontofcfan]

I am having the same problem with my X, any luck on finding a solution?

[bd3500]

No luck finding a resoution yet. The others who have experienced this issue seem to no longer be active on the board.

THe one gentleman that had the issue said he simply disconnected the battery and reconnected it and it resolved the issue, however that has not worked for me. I am taking it to the dealer on Monday and will let you know what they do. I believe this stuff is covered under the CPO warranty.

[torontofcfan]

Thanks, I'll try the battery disconnect as well. My CPO warranty just ran out and my dealer is a nightmare to deal with, even when I had warranty!

[bd3500]

Dealership called and said that the problem was with a relay inside the central locking module. All of the issues (central lock button, interior lights, and remote) are all related the the broken relay.

He said it would be $675 (USD) to replace the module with a new one as just the relay couldn't be replaced.

They didn't know my car was CPO, so when I told him that, he said it would be covered by the CPO warranty.

Not sure what an indie would charge.

[paulymano]

Hi,

I'm having the same exact issue. My battery went out and had to be replaced. The only thing that does work after the battery replacement is the central lock button in the car. The lock and unlock button on the key fob doesn't work. The tail gate button on the key fob works. I had tried reprogramming the key fob using the direction posted on the thread that I have found but that didn't do anything. I could however, lock and unlock all of my doors when inerting the key into the door. I'm going to try reset the computer by disconnecting (for 30 min) my new battery and see what that does. Otherwise it might just be the relay inside the central locking as you had experience.

thanks,
Paul

[butundo]

I would leave the battery disconnected for longer than 30 minutes. I actually left my battery unplugged for a few hours before reattaching it. Everything has worked fine since then. I had the same problem when my battery needed replaced.

[xthunder]

My 2003 X5 4.4i is experiencing the same problem. I just checked every fuse in the glove compartment and the passenger rear compartment(?) - thinking that it must be a fuse~ they were all good~

I will try the disconnecting battery tomorrow and see if that helps.

If not, I will talk to my mechanic and see if he can help before I make an appointment with dealer