PARK BRAKE MALFUNCTION

[killcrap]

Originally Posted by ard

There's been a lot of disussion on this. The issue is two fold- the car needs to know the battery capacity and overall specs...AND the system needs to know where the battery is in terms of it's specific lifecycle. Over time batteries degrade and their charge characteristics change-and the BMW system takes this into account (why, and if this added complexity is justified, is an unanswered question) so even wen you just replace the old with new, you need to 'tell' the car there is a new one installed. If you change the overall battery type or capacity, that also needs to be programmed.

I beleive it is called 'coding' if you change battery type or capacity, and 'registration' if you just replace the battery.

I am of two minds- under warranty, or when you are paying $140 an hour, we dot Is and cross Ts. They need to do everything properly and when they don't they pay the price- after all, they justify the fee with "we are the dealer and stand behind our work" (The whole "we charge book time, which is always less than actual, to make up for the times it cost more or takes longer".)

AFTER the warranty, screw it- put in a fresh battery, skip the registration. Even if you get 1/2 the life, the $200 saved by not going to the dealer buys the new battery next time.

AND, I am 99.999% certain you will be able to do this yourself once these warranties begin to expire and there is a market for 'battery reset widgets'

A

The reason to register a battery replacement is to prevent a new battery from being overcharged and sulfate the plates.

Example: the battery is 5 years old. It no longer holds a charge, and the battery warning lamp is on. It is diagnosed that the battery needs to be replaced. You bring it to an aftermarket shop lets say autozone. They replace the battery for you and send you on your way. The engine computer still thinks there is a bad battery in the car, so it over charges it to allow you to re-start the vehicle. 2 years go by and the battery is dead.

That new battery is now sulfated and no longer holds a charge. The engine computer or power module need to be told that a new battery has been installed so it can reset the State of charge and state of health. This will tell the engine computer or power module how to regulate the alternator.

[dakoX5]

Originally Posted by dakoX5

I've had the parking brake malfunction 3 times in the last 2 months. When it first came on, i took the car to the dealership service center and they claimed under voltage caused by faulty battery. Replaced the battery (under original warranty) and the issue went away... for a few weeks. When the error message reappeared I took the car back and the SA told me the issue was now being caused by over voltage. More specifically, when they replaced the battery, they did not register it properly in the car computer and that is why it was sending higher voltage. They registered the battery, reset the codes and told me I was all set. 3 weeks later (this past weekend) the error message came back on! I dropped the car off at the dealership this morning and just got a call from the SA, stating that there's an issue with the wiring in the center console and that it will take a few days to fix. I don't even know what to expect at this point. Will keep you guys posted on progress.

Quick update - just received a call from the SA. He indicated that they found nothing wrong with the center console wiring which led them to believe that the issue was caused by a faulty control module so they just replaced the control module. The problem should be resolved now but we'll see when i pick up the car later today. The interesting thing is that this time around the SA said he wasn't sure why the car was producing under and subsequently over voltage messages and that his best guess is the faulty control module was to blame. This makes me nervous because the last time i spoke with him he indicated the battery was to blame for both the under and over voltages. Needless to say, I've lost all confidence in those guys.

What do you guys think - should i take the car to another service dept and have them inspect the whole under/over volgate issue? I haven't had any other error messages come up apart from the parking brake malfunction so assuming the parking brake issue is resolved should i just assume the under / over voltage issue has been resolved as well?

Any suggestions will be much appreciated! Thanks.

[pokemon]

Parking brake malfunction light came on again, dealer said that the actuator is no good this time. Total cost of repair is $2169.00, luckily, I only have to pay $200 and extended warranty takes care of the rest.

[Noodle555]

So my brakes parts are on order and in the meantime I get the infamous "Parking Brake Malfunction". After reading all the posts I could on the issue, I am thinking I will do the following in the order written:

1. I usually engage the parking brake before turning engine off and now understand that this could cause errors. i will release the parking brake manually, drive it around for a bit and then engage the parking brake once the engine is off. Wait at least 30 minutes to see if yellow dash warning has disappeared. Apparently 30 minutes or so is required to allow all on-board computers to reboot/reset.

2. Examine the connector to the parking brake control module and actuator. If looks suspect try to repair this.

3. Install new brake rotors, pad and sensors all round. Was going to do this anyway and parts are already ordered.

4. Replace the control module.

Please let me have any recommendations or suggestions?

I have a few questions:

1. Where is the control module (EMF) located?

2. I have read that if the control unit is replaced that it needs to be "reprogrammed". Is this true? has anyone attempted this themselves? I have NCS expert for my E46 M3, can I use this if I need to reprogram the control module on the X5?

3. Anyone have part number for the control module that was replaced?


In the interests of sharing valuable information with the community I will post back my findings and do a DIY if I replace the control unit.

[Noodle555]

Good document on the EMF that I thought I would share

[Noodle555]

Couldn't wait till weekend so I manually released the parking brake, took the x for a drive and then left the vehicle locked fr an hour. On return I found that the error was still there plus the parking brake does not engage when button is raised.

I crawled underneath to locate the emf control module and actuator. All seemed dry and the connector looked fine with no signs of shorting. I will wait until the weekend and attempt to remove the module to take a closer look.

As the parking brake button is not doing anything at all including re-engageing the parking brake. This makes me question if the module is even getting power. If the pins on the connectors are fine when i remove them this weekend I am thinking it must be the control module/actuator or a fuse. Just searching for a fuse to the EMF.

[pokemon]

I think once you have pulled the manually unlock lever, the parking will no longer working until the problem is fixed. Someone had posted a repair procedure of the parking brake actuator in the forum while ago, do the search and hope it helps you.
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...-actuator.html

[Noodle555]

Originally Posted by pokemon

I think once you have pulled the manually unlock lever, the parking will no longer working until the problem is fixed. Someone had posted a repair procedure of the parking brake actuator in the forum while ago, do the search and hope it helps you.
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...-actuator.html

Thanks pokemon! I swear I had read all post on the issue and not sure how i missed this one. I was planning on taking the actuator apart this weekend and this really helps

[Noodle555]

Well had the actuator/control unit out and dismantled and didn't see any issues there with loose connectors or burnt pins. Fuses all looked fine. I added some feedback to the thread pokemon provided.

I think I need a new unit which for which I am forced to go to dealer as I am not sure if I can program the new one.

Very sure this isn't the software glitch as despit haveing battery removed for 4 hours the malfunction was still there

I think elctronics that add safety like ABS, traction control etc are awesome but parking brake, glove box open electronics are so unneccessary. with the peeling trim on the steering wheel, light switch worn out, glove box plastic curling up I am fast going off BMWs. They drive great but quality just doesn't seem to be there any more. End of rant.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by Noodle555

I think electronics that add safety like ABS, traction control etc are awesome but parking brake, glove box open electronics are so unneccessary....

I loved my E53. You are describing the reasons I didn't buy an E70. I bought an E60 but sold it before the warranty expired. Still driving the E83. Out of warranty, and not worried.