08 550i Auto - Instrument Cluster nightmare! Constant reset while driving - HELP!
05-09-2016 | 03:47 PM
#1
Thread Starter
New Members
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, KY
My Ride: 2008 550i M Sport w/ SAT
08 550i Auto - Instrument Cluster nightmare! Constant reset while driving - HELP!
HELP!! Good evening everyone! I am hoping that someone more familiar with our e60s might be able to give some insight into an on-going problem I am having. I have searched through many forums looking for help with this issue, but I have yet to find someone with the exact same problem. While several have had similar issues, none seemed to mimic exactly whats going on with my car. Here is the skinny...
I have a 2008 550i with Auto trans (ZF) and iDrive. After starting the engine and while idling or driving, all the gauges and lights in the instrument panel seem to "reset" like they are losing power or coming back on. All the needles drop to zero, all the lights pop on, then the needles fly back to where they were and all the lights go off except for the EML. Sometimes after a series of "resets", it will lose the time and date which needs to be reset through iDrive. Sometimes, when it "resets" it will display the odometer reading in kms instead of miles, then sometimes it will switch back to miles after another series of resets.
There is a youtube video that shows exactly what is going on, while I am driving down the road at 50mph.
I took it to the local dealership and after several tests, they advised that I should replace the instrument cluster. They read the codes that flipped the EML and they related to a fault in the instrument cluster (no I don't have the specific code). They took the cluster out and drove the vehicle while hooked to some sort of electronic tester and determined that the power leads going into the cluster were not losing power and had a continual signal, so they suspected the cluster was the issue. Given that this part is $1600 installed from the dealer and they said that they couldn't guarantee that would fix the problem, I began investigating. I took the car to my local indy shop who generally does great work, and they said that it seemed like a cluster problem because it didn't happen in their garage bay (air conditioned) but resumed when they put it out in the sun. They suspected maybe a broken wire or intermittent short in the cluster which would be affected by temperature (warm wires bending more to make contact and short). They introduced me to a company by the name of BBA Reman, which diagnoses and repairs instrument clusters for all sorts of Euro cars. I sent the cluster to BBA and after a 45 minute bench test, they sent it back and told me that they could not replicate the problem and the cluster tested fine. I am at a loss!! The battery has been replaced in the last 12 months, was registered by the dealer at the time of install. The car WILL go to sleep as normal and according to the indy shop the voltage is within range while sleeping, with ignition on, and engine running. Also, I had the indy check to make sure that all the vehicle software is up to date. I am not confident that they checked that, but they told me they did. The only reason I am not confident in that, is because they looked at me crazy and said that wouldn't make a difference, even though one of the OPs on another thread said that an update fixed his issue.
Any help or advice would be so greatly appreciated!!! I am at a loss as to what my next move should be and I am very hesitant to spend the money to replace the cluster when it can't be returned after programming and they can't ensure that will fix the issue. Any ideas??
I have a 2008 550i with Auto trans (ZF) and iDrive. After starting the engine and while idling or driving, all the gauges and lights in the instrument panel seem to "reset" like they are losing power or coming back on. All the needles drop to zero, all the lights pop on, then the needles fly back to where they were and all the lights go off except for the EML. Sometimes after a series of "resets", it will lose the time and date which needs to be reset through iDrive. Sometimes, when it "resets" it will display the odometer reading in kms instead of miles, then sometimes it will switch back to miles after another series of resets.
There is a youtube video that shows exactly what is going on, while I am driving down the road at 50mph.
I took it to the local dealership and after several tests, they advised that I should replace the instrument cluster. They read the codes that flipped the EML and they related to a fault in the instrument cluster (no I don't have the specific code). They took the cluster out and drove the vehicle while hooked to some sort of electronic tester and determined that the power leads going into the cluster were not losing power and had a continual signal, so they suspected the cluster was the issue. Given that this part is $1600 installed from the dealer and they said that they couldn't guarantee that would fix the problem, I began investigating. I took the car to my local indy shop who generally does great work, and they said that it seemed like a cluster problem because it didn't happen in their garage bay (air conditioned) but resumed when they put it out in the sun. They suspected maybe a broken wire or intermittent short in the cluster which would be affected by temperature (warm wires bending more to make contact and short). They introduced me to a company by the name of BBA Reman, which diagnoses and repairs instrument clusters for all sorts of Euro cars. I sent the cluster to BBA and after a 45 minute bench test, they sent it back and told me that they could not replicate the problem and the cluster tested fine. I am at a loss!! The battery has been replaced in the last 12 months, was registered by the dealer at the time of install. The car WILL go to sleep as normal and according to the indy shop the voltage is within range while sleeping, with ignition on, and engine running. Also, I had the indy check to make sure that all the vehicle software is up to date. I am not confident that they checked that, but they told me they did. The only reason I am not confident in that, is because they looked at me crazy and said that wouldn't make a difference, even though one of the OPs on another thread said that an update fixed his issue.
Any help or advice would be so greatly appreciated!!! I am at a loss as to what my next move should be and I am very hesitant to spend the money to replace the cluster when it can't be returned after programming and they can't ensure that will fix the issue. Any ideas??
05-09-2016 | 06:40 PM
#3
New Members
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 477
Likes: 12
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
My Ride: 2004 545i+BT+AUX+Coding
Model Year: 2004
Engine: N62
About 4 yrs ago when I got my 545 it was doing very much the same thing only with me it started when fall and winter temperature occurred.
I did everything you could,think of myself including replacing the cluster.....
Finally after tinkering for 9 months and driving with the cluster doing what yours does went to the dealer and insisted that they reload/update the software after about an hour and a half the service mgr came to tell me that they would have to order a new cluster as it appears that was the culprit, I insisted that the cluster was NOT the problem as I had already "been there and done that", so off he went and their software expert spend another hour plus at reloading the car's software and voila it has been fixed ever since.
Dealer always want to replace $1000 modules as their first solution.....don't let them!
The fix only cost me $250.
If you search for "possessed instrument cluster" here and on the other forum and YouTube you'll find my posts and video.
I did everything you could,think of myself including replacing the cluster.....
Finally after tinkering for 9 months and driving with the cluster doing what yours does went to the dealer and insisted that they reload/update the software after about an hour and a half the service mgr came to tell me that they would have to order a new cluster as it appears that was the culprit, I insisted that the cluster was NOT the problem as I had already "been there and done that", so off he went and their software expert spend another hour plus at reloading the car's software and voila it has been fixed ever since.
Dealer always want to replace $1000 modules as their first solution.....don't let them!
The fix only cost me $250.
If you search for "possessed instrument cluster" here and on the other forum and YouTube you'll find my posts and video.
05-10-2016 | 01:01 PM
#4
Thread Starter
New Members
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, KY
My Ride: 2008 550i M Sport w/ SAT
Thanks a lot for the reply and info cmyachtie. I will lookup the "possessed instrument cluster" posts and do some additional reading and will most likely go to the dealer and ask that they reload the software. In your case, did they just reload the software for the entire vehicle or a specific module or component?
05-10-2016 | 05:22 PM
#6
New Members
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 477
Likes: 12
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
My Ride: 2004 545i+BT+AUX+Coding
Model Year: 2004
Engine: N62
This link might also provide some insight for you
https://5series.net/forums/e60-discu...ntrols-133323/
Also it's been awhile ago and searching YouTube for "possessed cluster" does not turn up anything I posted but search for :"Cluster, cmyachtie" instead on YouTube and you'll get a few of my vids dealing with my cluster issues I had back then.
Good luck
https://5series.net/forums/e60-discu...ntrols-133323/
Also it's been awhile ago and searching YouTube for "possessed cluster" does not turn up anything I posted but search for :"Cluster, cmyachtie" instead on YouTube and you'll get a few of my vids dealing with my cluster issues I had back then.
Good luck
Last edited by cmyachtie; 05-10-2016 at 09:04 PM.
11-20-2020 | 04:32 AM
#7
Probation Members
Joined: Nov 2020
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: South Africa
My Ride: Bmw e60 520d
08 550i Auto - Instrument Cluster nightmare! Constant reset while driving - HELP!
HELP!! Good evening everyone! I am hoping that someone more familiar with our e60s might be able to give some insight into an on-going problem I am having. I have searched through many forums looking for help with this issue, but I have yet to find someone with the exact same problem. While several have had similar issues, none seemed to mimic exactly whats going on with my car. Here is the skinny...
I have a 2008 550i with Auto trans (ZF) and iDrive. After starting the engine and while idling or driving, all the gauges and lights in the instrument panel seem to "reset" like they are losing power or coming back on. All the needles drop to zero, all the lights pop on, then the needles fly back to where they were and all the lights go off except for the EML. Sometimes after a series of "resets", it will lose the time and date which needs to be reset through iDrive. Sometimes, when it "resets" it will display the odometer reading in kms instead of miles, then sometimes it will switch back to miles after another series of resets.
There is a youtube video that shows exactly what is going on, while I am driving down the road at 50mph.
https://youtu.be/KEDzwzwHl7Y
I took it to the local dealership and after several tests, they advised that I should replace the instrument cluster. They read the codes that flipped the EML and they related to a fault in the instrument cluster (no I don't have the specific code). They took the cluster out and drove the vehicle while hooked to some sort of electronic tester and determined that the power leads going into the cluster were not losing power and had a continual signal, so they suspected the cluster was the issue. Given that this part is $1600 installed from the dealer and they said that they couldn't guarantee that would fix the problem, I began investigating. I took the car to my local indy shop who generally does great work, and they said that it seemed like a cluster problem because it didn't happen in their garage bay (air conditioned) but resumed when they put it out in the sun. They suspected maybe a broken wire or intermittent short in the cluster which would be affected by temperature (warm wires bending more to make contact and short). They introduced me to a company by the name of BBA Reman, which diagnoses and repairs instrument clusters for all sorts of Euro cars. I sent the cluster to BBA and after a 45 minute bench test, they sent it back and told me that they could not replicate the problem and the cluster tested fine. I am at a loss!! The battery has been replaced in the last 12 months, was registered by the dealer at the time of install. The car WILL go to sleep as normal and according to the indy shop the voltage is within range while sleeping, with ignition on, and engine running. Also, I had the indy check to make sure that all the vehicle software is up to date. I am not confident that they checked that, but they told me they did. The only reason I am not confident in that, is because they looked at me crazy and said that wouldn't make a difference, even though one of the OPs on another thread said that an update fixed his issue.
Any help or advice would be so greatly appreciated!!! I am at a loss as to what my next move should be and I am very hesitant to spend the money to replace the cluster when it can't be returned after programming and they can't ensure that will fix the issue. Any ideas??
I have a 2008 550i with Auto trans (ZF) and iDrive. After starting the engine and while idling or driving, all the gauges and lights in the instrument panel seem to "reset" like they are losing power or coming back on. All the needles drop to zero, all the lights pop on, then the needles fly back to where they were and all the lights go off except for the EML. Sometimes after a series of "resets", it will lose the time and date which needs to be reset through iDrive. Sometimes, when it "resets" it will display the odometer reading in kms instead of miles, then sometimes it will switch back to miles after another series of resets.
There is a youtube video that shows exactly what is going on, while I am driving down the road at 50mph.
https://youtu.be/KEDzwzwHl7Y
I took it to the local dealership and after several tests, they advised that I should replace the instrument cluster. They read the codes that flipped the EML and they related to a fault in the instrument cluster (no I don't have the specific code). They took the cluster out and drove the vehicle while hooked to some sort of electronic tester and determined that the power leads going into the cluster were not losing power and had a continual signal, so they suspected the cluster was the issue. Given that this part is $1600 installed from the dealer and they said that they couldn't guarantee that would fix the problem, I began investigating. I took the car to my local indy shop who generally does great work, and they said that it seemed like a cluster problem because it didn't happen in their garage bay (air conditioned) but resumed when they put it out in the sun. They suspected maybe a broken wire or intermittent short in the cluster which would be affected by temperature (warm wires bending more to make contact and short). They introduced me to a company by the name of BBA Reman, which diagnoses and repairs instrument clusters for all sorts of Euro cars. I sent the cluster to BBA and after a 45 minute bench test, they sent it back and told me that they could not replicate the problem and the cluster tested fine. I am at a loss!! The battery has been replaced in the last 12 months, was registered by the dealer at the time of install. The car WILL go to sleep as normal and according to the indy shop the voltage is within range while sleeping, with ignition on, and engine running. Also, I had the indy check to make sure that all the vehicle software is up to date. I am not confident that they checked that, but they told me they did. The only reason I am not confident in that, is because they looked at me crazy and said that wouldn't make a difference, even though one of the OPs on another thread said that an update fixed his issue.
Any help or advice would be so greatly appreciated!!! I am at a loss as to what my next move should be and I am very hesitant to spend the money to replace the cluster when it can't be returned after programming and they can't ensure that will fix the issue. Any ideas??
Hi there,Im struggling with the Same issue,any luck with sorting it out?
11-20-2020 | 05:44 AM
#8
Thread Starter
New Members
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, KY
My Ride: 2008 550i M Sport w/ SAT
Unfortunately, I had to replace the cluster with a new one. I found a supplier online that pre-programmed the unit by vin and charged about $800 shipped. I installed and it resolved the issue.
11-23-2020 | 04:05 PM
#9
New Members
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 477
Likes: 12
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
My Ride: 2004 545i+BT+AUX+Coding
Model Year: 2004
Engine: N62
Dealer usually will try to sell you a new cluster rather than reprogram it, but after having my dealer re-program mine and after a few yrs I experienced same issues again, I just re-flashed it myself with WINKFP and it’s as good as new !
here is the link of my story
https://5series.net/forums/e60-discu...-128052/page5/
here is the link of my story
https://5series.net/forums/e60-discu...-128052/page5/
Last edited by cmyachtie; 11-23-2020 at 04:12 PM.
11-24-2020 | 06:10 PM
#10
New Members
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 426
Likes: 21
From: pa
My Ride: 528i
Model Year: 2010 528i e60
Engine: N52k
[QUOTE=cmyachtie;1608167]Dealer usually will try to sell you a new cluster rather than reprogram it, but after having my dealer re-program mine and after a few yrs I experienced same issues again, I just re-flashed it myself with WINKFP and it’s as good as new !
First the dealer updated your system and corrected the cluster problem.
Then you updated the system and corrected the cluster problem.
What is causing the recurring problem (requiring a software update)?
First the dealer updated your system and corrected the cluster problem.
Then you updated the system and corrected the cluster problem.
What is causing the recurring problem (requiring a software update)?