PARK BRAKE MALFUNCTION

[Noodle555]

New update

Well after resiging myself to go to the dealership i thought I would borrow a freinds $8,000 Snap On scan tool. There were 4 codes, one was that there was a sporadic malfunction and another that said error comminicating with DSC. I cleared all EMF codes and everything is back to normal. Been driving for two days with no errors.

I was waiting for my new cable so I could do this myself with NCS Expert. I bet anyone can do this with NCS Expert which is what I would do if I get the error again.

PS. The scan tool is able to initialize the EMF so no one should feel the need to go to dealer to do this. When I get my cable to link ot NCS/DIS/Carsoft etc I'll see if you can do this yourself.

[PAX5]

Noodle555,

Did you ever get your cable and try to do this with NCS Expert?

Here's what/how the dealer did this job recently. Note cost and time:

[jeremym]

Hm, mine kept chiming and altering me and I dropped it off and they just charged the battery up, cleared the code, and I've been fine ever since...it cost me a $50 CPO deductible, but even still, it wasn't covered under CPO but they threw it in free. Sorry to see the price tag.

[jlam86]

i thought CPO doesn't cover electrical stuff... at least that is what my dealer said.

[jeremym]

Originally Posted by jlam86

i thought CPO doesn't cover electrical stuff... at least that is what my dealer said.

Don't know. I paid about $128 for an oil change and the CPO deductible. Within that service, I had the headliner fixed (was sagging in the rear), the parking brake malfunction fixed, a vibration/rattle behind the dash, and a couple other small things fixed.

[Noodle555]

Sorry for the late reply.

While I was waiting for my cable I actually got a freind to clear all codes with a snap-on scan tool (the expensive $8k one) and have had no problems since.

I am sure the same can be done with NCS.

[dakoX5]

Has anyone in the DC/MD/VA area had the parking brake malfunction properly fixed? If so, please share the name of the place (indy or dealership).

I've been to 2 of the area dealerships and neither one was able to resolve the issue. It got to the point where the last SA said "We should call a priest!"

Below is a short recap of all the failed attempts to date (thankfully all covered under original warranty).

Dealer 1 (I've outlined in detail my experience there in an earlier post on this thread):
1) Cited under voltage as the problem and replaced the battery
2) Cited over voltage as the problem (due to failed new battery registration) and registered the newly placed battery
2) Replaced EMF control module

The brake worked properly for a week or two and then failed again so i stopped using it. And when I say failed, i don't mean just the yellow warning coming on. I mean brake failing to disengage and me having to manually release it.

A year later I took the car to a different dealership for a brake booster recall and asked them to look into the parking brake issue. Below is a recap of their attempts:
1) Re-routed parking brake harness (per BMW bulletin).
2) Charged battery (not sure why since I'd never had any issues with it)
3) Replaced EMF control module (I told them that the module had been replace a year earlier at a different dealership)
4) Jokingly suggested that we should call a priest

That was the tip of the iceberg for me and I drove my car home, with the parking brake still not functioning.

So if anyone knows of a place in the mid-Atlantic states that can properly resolve the parking brake malfunction, please do tell.

Thanks in advance.

[Noodle555]

If I recall correctly there is a software issue that causes the EMF to malfunction, causing it to lock. You would then need to manually release the parking brake. The issue is that the ABS module and EMF module have conflicting data when the parking brake is applied. There is a TSB on this so I would have expected that the first remedy your dealer would have implemented was that software update.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ure-again.html