On New Years day after my crazy partying and driving back through a rainstorm the previous day in San Francisco, I awoke to see a SELFLEVEL SUSP. INACT message on my X5 screen. I am like wtf is this.
I am thinking this is random, so I check the manual and it says contact the nearest dealer asap. So that is no help. So I go searching on trusty Google
nd looking for information on this message. Well let me tell you this is a popular message for the X5 as I have come to find out and most people say they end up having to replace the module with controls the air suspension or having the car reprogrammed, something on this line. However, I have seen the range of supposed solutions to this problem. However mine was accompanied with a list of other problems.
Main Problem: SELFLEVEL SUSP. INACT message. This lead to a very stiff and uncomfortable ride and also a really annoying message constantly blinking on the gauge display.
Problem 1: None of my interior lights in my car would come on. None!
Everything was black, the glove department, dome lights, the rear dome lights, and trunk lights were dead. So I am like this is really wierd. So immediately I am thinking "fuse". But at first the dome light would come on extremely dim for a brief second and then die out. I checked the dome light fust everything seemed good. After a couple times of opening and closing the door the light never came on again. So I checked the dome light fuse again. This time it was blown. So I replaced it. It almost solved the problem. The trunk light, the rear dome light, and the side front dome lights would come on in the car fine, but the main front dome light was still dim. It would come on and die out and the stupid error was still on the screen.
Problem 2: The PDC stopped working. So accompanying problem 1 and the main problem, I realized that the PDC would not work. I would go into reverse and I would here initial beeps from the PDC then it would stop and the light on the PDC indicator would blink. I tried turning off and on the PDC manually, same problem. So now the PDC is dead. Well now I am going to have to learn how to park the old fashion way.
So I am fustrated and about to make my quest to the BMW dealership, but for some reason I felt it was a fuse problem or something. So I did what any engineer would do when something is broke and they can't find the solution. Check everything. So I went through the fuse box and checked every single fuse. I go through the whole fuse box and found out that the cigarette lighter fuse was blown too. So I replace it. So I have now in total replaced the dome light fuse and the cigarette lighter fuse. Guess what audience. The car return ed to normal.
Solution: After replacing the cigarette lighter fuse. The SELFLEVEL SUSP. INACT. message left the dash. My ride returned to the smooth old X5 ride. The PDC worked again and ALL my interior lights worked perfectly. NOW TELL ME BMW how did you freakin wire this car. How does the cigarette lighter and dome light fuse break the PDC and air suspension. Please someone tell me?! I am really starting the question the German engineering techniques.
Sooo if you start getting this weird message try checking all your fuses. If you get any weird message start with checking all the fuses. :-P At this rate BMW is just going to need one fuse for everything.
On a happier note. I just picked up a 2006 Infiniti G35 Coupe 6MT. Yummm!!! Maybe my X5 was jealous of my new love and decided to go crazy on me. Anyways everything is back to normal.
01-20-2009, 10:29 AM
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