acorradi87

A few weeks ago while driving, the iDrive screen displayed "TPM Malfunction" and a yellow wheel symbol showed up on the instrument panel. I then went to the TPM screen and it showed that it was not measuring the pressure for any tire, it was simply malfunctioning altogether. I figured that although I should get it fixed soon because I would like to know if I get a flat, it was ok to drive with it malfunctioning (there were days before TPM systems, right? =P)

So a couple days later I am driving through Berkeley (TPM malfunction light still on) and hit a MAJOR pothole... enough to seriously jar the car. I know that with the firm M-Sport ride and 19 inch rims I am bound to feel road bumps more than in other cars, but this was far worse than any other pothole I've hit thus far. The friend I was driving home lives about 2 miles from where I hit the pothole so I figured I could check my tire then. On the way to her house I noticed the steering wheel pulling slightly to the right (the pothole was on the right as well) so when I got to our destination I immediately got out and saw that my right front tire was indeed flat. It was 10:30 pm and with no light I decided to park it and wait until the morning to change the tire. For those of you who are not sure, tires on 550i Ms are not run-flats.

I'm talking to my roommate the next morning who's driving me back to the scene of the 'crime' and talking about how I wish the TPM had been working because then I would have known immediately if my tire was flat. I get back to my car before work and to add insult to injury I have a parking ticket (f*ckin Berkeley, I tell ya... shitty roads with an extreme lack of car enthusiasts!!). As I take the tire off I realize that there's a nail smack dab in the middle of the tread. So my first thought is that it's not the pothole that caused the flat, it was the nail. My roommate had gotten a nail in his tire the week before (although he has a 335i with run-flats) so I figured it was an easy patch. I take the tire to the nearest tire place and they call me soon after to tell me that there's a cut in the sidewall because I drove on it for too long after it was flat. Keep in mind since I'm not assuming the nail caused the flat I have no idea how long it was actually flat for but I didn't notice the steering wheel pulling to the right until after the pothole. So they order a tire and by the next day I go back and they put it on... only to inspect the rest of my tires and point out that now the right REAR has a huge bubble in the sidewall (and this I'm rightfully assuming was from the pothole). A couple days later I go to BMW Concord to have them replace the tire as well as fix the TPM Malfunction warning.

Later that afternoon I start my car and, low and behold, TPM Malfunction comes on. WTF!? And now it's like a 50/50 thing... some of the time it'll come on at startup, and other times it wont and if I go to the TPM screen it's working completely fine and measuring all the pressure. Sometimes it won't be on at startup but will come on while driving, and others it will come on at startup and then go off while driving.

Sorry for the long story but you can see why I'm so frustrated. I have an appt this Friday at Concord BMW and they are giving me a loaner while they take care of the problem. Because it does work occasionally I'm led to believe that there's nothing wrong with the sensors and it's just a loose connection somewhere. Has anyone else had TPM issues? Hoping mine will be solved soon!

turboawd

have you checked the all tire pressures with a hand gauge?

acorradi87

Yessir, I have. All checked out ok.

DrLev99

When the TPMS warning came on the second time, after the supposed fix from the dealership, did you check all four tires again on the i-drive to see which was causing the warning??? If so, what did you see?

acorradi87

Yes, I did check the screen. But the warning that's coming up is not due to low tire pressure, it's just a full TPM malfunction because it will not measure the air in any of the tires. Where it would normally show green (or some other color) for the tire pressure the tire areas are black and it just says malfunction. Hence the frustration.

Diamond

are you that surprised? do you know how many sensors and computer systems are involved in the TPM system as a whole-not only each individual sensor but the relay sensor and the computer programming in the main computer-many little things to go wrong-they probably changed one, and checked it once-and that was it-probably another piece of the puzzle broken.

With technology comes a pain in the butt.

I love the TPM's-more so necessary if you have run-flats due to the fact you cannot detect a flat from driving or looking all the time-especially if it is slow-however a normal tire you can usually feel or see immediatly.

By the way if you hit that big of a pot hole-and your car started pulling-I mean why would you keep driving and not assume even worse like a broken control arm or suspension piece that you definetly would not want to keep driving on-at the VERY least it seems obvious your tire was flat without a TPM having to tell you-hit pot hole----car pulls to right- Seems we have become to reliant on technology if this is not a red flag in your mind to pull over immediatly

melimel

do you have wheel and tire insurance from the stealership? i have it and i have had 2 flats and bubbles and had them both replaced by the dealer. even a rim once because they damaged it while changing the tire!

on topic i hope they fix the problem for you cause it seems like one malfunction seemed to cause another to worsen. i see where your coming from. good luck

Veight

I had tpm warnings just like you describe. Turned out I had a water leak in my trunk and it had shorted out the tpm module. The dealer replaced the module and replaced the weatherstripping around the trunk. I think BMW has issued something on this problem. Have them check the base of your trunk where the module is sitting

Btw. If this is the problem. They should cover your tires too since the module failure resulted in your tire damage beyond the simple nail problem.

Good luck