door carrier problem and now alarm issue...related?

[Professor]

Hello all. My front driver side door carrier seems to be done. It doesn't open from the outside. I also get a "door open" message when the door is clearly shut. My alarm is going off (after a few minutes/hrs.) when it is armed.

My question is, is the alarm going off because the door is "open" because the carrier is bad??? Does that make sense?

Thanks all!

Also, leaving the car unlocked for the time being should keep the alarm from going off right?

[bagpype]

The same thing is happening to me. Are these problems related?

[Professor]

Yes. There is an alarm sensor in the door. When the carrier is broken it sets that off. I had to unplug the alarm till I fixes the carrier or else my alarm would go off all the time.

[bagpype]

Thanks professor! Looks like I'll be replacing the carrier tomorrow.

[bagpype]

Well as it turns out these issues dont seem to be related. I replaced my door carrier and my alarm still goes off. The hood switch apparently has been disconnected prior to my ownership so that isnt the culprit. What else could this be?!?!

[Qsilver7]

I replaced my door carrier and my alarm still goes off. The hood switch apparently has been disconnected prior to my ownership so that isnt the culprit. What else could this be?!?!

If your alarm is false triggering...I would try to isolate what is causing an issue with the DWA (anti-theft alarm siren system). Make sure that you have an understanding of the multiple systems that are involved with the remote key and the locking/unlocking & arming/disarming of the car. Many owners mistakenly confuse DWA & FZV & EWS (since they all are features activated by the remote key) which are all separate/independent systems that work in conjunction with each other. This may also help distinguish if you have more than one issue occuring.

• DWA - anti-theft alarm siren system (monitors all doors/tail gate/hood/interior/vehicle tilt)
• FZV - central locking system (locks & unlocks doors/tail gate/fuel filler door with key or keyless remote or release buttons inside cabin)
• EWS - immobilizing system (shuts down fuel/spark/ignition until key is recognized by other EWS components)

DWA has monitors in the doors, tailgate, hood, & fuel filler door...as well as an interior motion & vehicle tilt sensors. It also has a red LED status light (the clown nose beneath the rear view mirror) that indicates the DWA system's status. See the chart below to see how to check if the DWA (alarm system) is okay or has one of the monitors (like your door) still not working correctly:

If nothing is wrong with any of the DWA "monitors"...then perhaps the alarm siren itself is the culprit. It contains a rechargeable battery that can fail...especially if your X's battery is beginning to fail. What happens is...a failing car battery (low voltage/deep discharge) will not keep the ALARM SIREN's internal battery charged. When this occurs, any drop in voltage signals the alarm siren to go off...assuming that an attempt is being made to cut power to the car in a theft attempt. So make sure that the health of your car battery is good...as this may be the first indications of your X5 trying to tell you that it's battery voltage is dropping dangerously low:

[bagpype]

Qsilver thanks for the info! My battery was new when i bought it and i just had it checked out a few months ago. The hood switch has been disconnected already. This may be a dumb question, but where are the door switches located?

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by bagpype

Qsilver thanks for the info! My battery was new when i bought it and i just had it checked out a few months ago. The hood switch has been disconnected already. This may be a dumb question, but where are the door switches located?

That's not a dumb question at all...and I'm sure there's many owners out there that are just as puzzled.

There really isn't a push-style contact switch like you see on some other cars...BMW has designed a Hall-effect effect switch that is built (incorporated) into the door latch which senses an open or closed state.

The info below is from the BMW WDS - System Lock:

System lock

The system lock contains the following components

• Mechanical safety rotary latch
• Door contact
• Central locking drive
• Lock switch (front doors only)

Electrical components

Switches

The switches are designed as contactless switches with Hall-effect elements. All switches feature a common ground (terminal 31) connection.

• Door contact
  The position of the rotary latch detected by a switch in order to determine the door position (open or closed).
• Door lock switch
  The door lock switches determine the position of the lock cylinder (locked or unlocked)

Drives

The central locking drives are linked to the lock mechanism. The following settings are possible:

• Unlocked:
  In this position, the rotary latch can be opened both via the inner door handle as well as the outer door handle. The locking button is up.
• Locked:
  In this position, the rotary latch can be opened only via the inner door handle; the locking button is down.
  After the inner door handle is pulled the first time, the locking button is pushed up and the rotary latch unlocks. The rotary latch opens the second time the inner door handle is pulled.
  This setting can be achieved both electrically (via the ZV drive) or manually by pressing the locking button.
• Armed:
  The rotary latch cannot be opened in this position. The inner and outer door handles as well as the locking button are mechanically uncoupled.
  This setting can only be achieved electrically with the central locking drives.

The general module is equipped with a repeat inhibit function in order to protect the drives from thermal overload as the result of frequent use.
Mechanical components

Door lock

Only the front doors are equipped with door locks. The door lock on the front passenger's door is also dispensed with if the vehicle is equipped with remote control.
The door can be locked and unlocked mechanically via the door lock. Mechanical unlocking is also possible when the central locking is in armed status.
Child safety lock

The system locks of the rear doors are equipped with a mechanical child safety lock. The doors cannot be opened from the inside when the child safety lock is engaged.
Lockout protector

A mechanical lockout protector which prevents the door locking with the rotary latch open is integrated in the system lock on the driver's door.

[bagpype]

Well as it turns out, it was the carrier. After i replaced it, i didnt reset thensystem. Today i disconnected the battery for 30 minutes, reconnected, now no false alarm!