Junger

From what my mechanic told me this has been an issue with all wagons in the past and some sedans as well.

I know mine was close to this as well. I didn't like paying the bill but after seeing what they went through to replace both harnesses in the rear I am happy I didn't take the time to do it myself, it would have taken me a week to get that much time to work on it.

Kbc

just for reference - a very thorough DIY guide here: tcbf62.blogspot.com/2016/01/bmw-535xi-touring-e61-tailgate-wiring.html

Kbc

hey guys - i'm in the final stages of this harness replacement but i'm stuck on the coax crimping step. anybody know what the proper tool is to do the crimping the right way?

pic attached.

Kbc

well after about a dozen hours of tedious wiring i've managed to fix the defroster and wiper. all functions in the tailgate area work *BUT* my remote still doesnt work!!!

my last resort is to replace the diversity module but it really doesnt appear to have any issues. i've got 5v on the diversity module pin 2 where the remote wiring plugs in with blue/white.

pretty depressing.....

mitchgixer6

Hi KBC

Sorry to hear about your diversity issue. From what I can gather they seem to be really temperamental. Have you tried another unit in there?

And did you manage with the coax crimping? I had some info on that in the guide I did.

sshobby

Hi guys. I just repaired the harness on my wife's E61 2008 535xi. This link was very useful. I got the defroster working again. Found 1 broken wire on the left side (defroster) and 6 insulation-cut-but-not-yet-broken wires on the right side (to antenna).

The Fix-it Blog - Sorting Things Out: BMW 535xi Touring E61 Tailgate Wiring Harness - SenCom Repair Kit Installation

The remote key will not work still. I found corrorsion on the underside of the antenna board, so the board must be kaput.

The E61 board part number is only available new. However, there are e60 antennas on ebay, that have a different part number. Anyone know if the e60 board will work, and which year's e60 part will work, as I believe the key design changed somewhere along the way.

Thanks, Samir (in CT).

Kbc

i haven't yet tried a new diversity antenna. i'm looking for a replacement now. it's difficult to cough up $300 not knowing if it will actually fix the problem, especially when you cant return it...

i'll let ya know what i decide. Thanks!

sshobby

An update - I fixed my wife's e61 remote. As I mentioned before, e61 diversity antennas are not on ebay. I found an e63 diversity antenna on ebay ($40!), that looks identical. I moved the board over to the wagon, and it works! An added benefit, probably from the harness repair, is that the range is now 'normal' - about 30 feet. Previously, I had to be right next to the car to open it with the remote.

The part number of the e63 antenna is 6934485-02. I bet E60 antennas work as well.

Make sure the connectors look identical.

An important note: I had to have the AM antenna hooked up - the Black connector - for the remote to program.

Hope this helps someone in the future.

Samir.

cobber77

On my 4th BMW - I'm always amazed at the "unique issues" that come up on all of them. So I've had my E61 535 touring for a few months and just realized that my rear wiper, washer and defroster are not functioning. Just happy that there's a resource to help me through it.

sshobby

cobber77 - three more things to keep in mind
- I broke the tabs of the speaker cover when reinstalling it. Make sure the speaker is aligned before pushing the cover on.
- I had spliced one of the wires on the left side, and I think it has broken again - my FM radio reception has gone to the dogs again. Add more wire to these repairs, with 2 splices, so you dont have stress on the wires, and they can stretch when the hatch is moved.
- the plastic rivet holding the wire cover in the hatch can be popped out using a wire hanger. The dealers cannot easily find these, so better to reuse the ones you have. I ended up having to buy more, I'll post the part number later if I can still find it.