ABS, BRAKE, DSC lights resolved!
 

hey everyone.
So when I purchased my E53, I had those three lights on.

The owner told me it was because of abs sensor that needed to get dusted off. BS!

So I finally brought it to my friends shop in Springfield MA. He mostly fixes high end vehicles. I seen a few Land Rovers and Mercedes Benz being diagnosed there at that time.

So anyways he tried to diagnose the problem by clearing the codes. But as soon as he clears them, the abs shuts off and brings lights back on.

So he checked the speed sensors, abs module. and than found out it was the Steering angle.

So he calibrated the sensor and that took care of the problem.

This probably happened when the battery died. I had the X parked outside for about 2-3weeks in the sun and the battery had a low crank rate to begin.

So I purchased a new battery. Bosh with higher crank rate.

So now, I have no lights on the dash, and my ABS brakes work.
Person brake tested me while I was driving it home from the shop.
The X has good stopping power...and ABS kicked in for 3-5 seconds.
It feels nice to see the dash being clear.

I have a few dead pixels on both LCD screens. Anyone Know where to get them fixed?

Also I bought a K&N drop filter from bimmerboy12 from bimmerfourms.
Awesome seller, quick shipment.

Good to have those sorted out.
For the pixels, you can replace the ribbon yourself if you're confident enough (I did :D.) The ribbon cost about $30. Or you can contact BMWNA for a Goodwill Replacement. It will be cas-by-case. They offer 50% part for me since my X5 and my E39 have never ever seen a $tealer for service. That came out about $700 with labor :thumbdown The third option is to contact VODO repair in CA. They will do it for you with lifetime warranty for about $250~$300. They are pretty fast with their service but you will be driving w/o the cluster for a few day. You will be able to drive the X w/o the cluster but you MUST keep it under 100mi (IIRC) or the tamper dot will appear on the cluster when you have it back in (It shouldn't matter in your case since you have it on already)

Wow. Yeah I will do it myself than. Any write ups here on how to get that ribbon cable on? And I seen a tool to do ribbon cable on eBay? Would I need that? How complicated is it?

I'd let the guy do it for ya, I've seen the instruction and you'll need that soldering tool to make it easir (even that still risky).

Have you asked the dealer for goodwill?, it considered safety issue by BMWNA. in my case BMWNA give me a new cluster and I paid 1-hr labor (and the labor rate is BMWNA rate not retail so $95 + tax for me). It was the best route.

Ok that sounds like a good resolution. I already contacted
Bmwna customer relations and they just asked a bunch of questions on the vehicle.
So I will reply to them and see.

Yeah, sometimes BMWNA will do good will and sometimes no. Last year I contacted BMWNA for goodwill on my cluster. They said they couldn't do anything even though I said I couldn't read the mileage or warning indicators on the OBC.

Funny thing was the rep asked for my mileage 3 times and I kept telling her, "I don't know, I can't read it."

And their final answer was still, can't do anything. Awesome!!!

Okay, so you got the trifecta of lights and resolved it by re-calibrating the steering angle sensor.

A few questions for clarity please.

1) Did you install a new steering angle sensor and calibrate it or just re-calibrated the existing?

2) When you realized it was the steering angle angle sensor, did you try resetting it by turning the steering wheel lock-to-lock?

3) When you say-recalibrate, you mean with the GT1 or dealer system , correct?

Thanks for sharing your results.

I had the same problems, I replace the battery and all the symptoms went away. I went with NAPA battery cheap but got more juice.

I did not replace the steering angle sensor,
The guy who owns the shop recalibrated the sensor with a Gt1 I believe.
But very serious diagnosis went in finding the problem, all fuses, wiring was checked.
And the steering angle reset did not work if it's not calibrated.
So far 300 miles and no lights. Passed state inspection.

Thanks for the info.

Maybe people who get the same problem, and the reset doesn't work for them, can just try getting the steering angle sensor re-calibrated first before replacing it.

Yes that's the point of the thread I started. Because this is a wide topic and I feel like there is not enough info on this common problem.

When you speak of Steering Angle Sensor recalibration... Did you get an reading at all?

I took mine in for the codes to be read. steering angle sensor popped up but was not reading anything? Even while we turned the wheel, no data from the sensor.

Trying to decide if I'm going to try the recalibration trick first before trying to replace it. But if its not reading anything then the sensor may be out of commission completely.

Which will start my next thread. How to replace the sensor lol

If your friend has a GT1 system with DIS software, why did he just diagnose the fault code and solve the problem directly? No need to check anythng elso, DIS can bring you directly to the problem pointing out the steering angle sensor had the problem. Why did your friend still need to check other sensors and wirings?

I got these three lights. After I corrected the right front tire pressure to become 32 instead of 15 the lights went away! Yes this is what happened and I still can not believe it.

yeah these lights are dumb dumb dumb it can be anything and you can only find it with a GT1 or dealer come on seriously BMW(Break my wallet). could be any of the four speed sensors,tire pressure, anything abs related including the unit, bold tire, alternator, tranny oil sensor, selector lever and way too many other reasons. For me it was a battery replaced it and now after 2 weeks the same lights are coming back on and the GT1 said its the steptronic switch.

welcome to BMW, its a pain in the ass to own, but chicks dig it and the driving is always a pleasure.
I drive with a full mechanics set of tools, and my diagnostic laptop with all possible programs and etk, oh and a jumper box w/airpump... Because BMW :)

Theres also a few sellers on ebay (one I am considering from TN) who do the cluster repair for approx 175 or so, lifetime warranty, etc, with shipping included.

I considered VDO repair but they are pricey considering the price of the service has gone down in recent years.

Just search "e53 cluster repair" and you'll find some sellers offering the repair service, for me I dont have the balls to do it working with the delicate ribbon.

E53 DSC ABS BRAKE light
 

2003 X5 4.4i w/ 98k miles. DSC/BRAKE/ABS light came on. Code indicated left wheel speed sensor failed. R/R WSS, lights still on. Swapped WSS from left to right. DSC read under-voltage condition as well (12.5v). Multiple mechanics scratching heads. Local BMW dealer/service center quoted $3.5k to R/R DSC. Another mechanic quoted $1.5K for rebuilt BOSCH OEM although believes that arcing / failing electrical line may be to blame. Car is currently in shop.

2 things. Have you tested your alternator voltage?

Secondly, you may need to have your ABS module rebuilt or get a new ABS module, the modules themselves are notorious for throwing false wheel sensor codes.

try www.boschabsrepair.com for repair service, or buy a new module from a Bavarian parts supplier for around 450. If you get a new module, it will need to be coded to the car as well, good luck!

The ABS/DSC module has bonding wires in it that open up. When they open, no power gets to the hall sensor in your wheel. The module then throws a code your way saying its a faulty wheel sensor, when really it's the module under your hood.
The module looks for pulses, if it doesn't see any from a sensor, it will point to it. There are a lot of reasons the module may not be receiving pulses, so no guessing games allowed here, or there is a big chance that you will be throwing your money away. The abs/dsc module is really a crude device... "It's not very smart", so it doesn't take a whole lot of skill to trouble shoot it with a digital volt meter. If your mechanic can't do this, you may want to find someone competent.