545i Flooded... worst day in my short BMW life...
12-22-2010, 11:23 AM
#31
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Just a quick update... I am going to pick up my car today!!! I am excited and cant wait to get her home. The cost of the repairs was just over $5k and included new carpets and padding, control module, clearing the storm drains, socket terminals, cable connectors, initializing ARS/AFT/Steering Angle Sensors, Adaptive Headlights, reprogramming and 22 hrs of labor. For me that equals a deductable only. And while it was in, the recall on the brakes was completed.
I know there may be long term effects as a result, but I have to hope for the best.
I know there may be long term effects as a result, but I have to hope for the best.
12-22-2010, 11:27 AM
#32
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12-22-2010, 11:49 AM
#33
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My Ride: 08 528I Sport/Prem
Just a quick update... I am going to pick up my car today!!! I am excited and cant wait to get her home. The cost of the repairs was just over $5k and included new carpets and padding, control module, clearing the storm drains, socket terminals, cable connectors, initializing ARS/AFT/Steering Angle Sensors, Adaptive Headlights, reprogramming and 22 hrs of labor. For me that equals a deductable only. And while it was in, the recall on the brakes was completed.
I know there may be long term effects as a result, but I have to hope for the best.
I know there may be long term effects as a result, but I have to hope for the best.
Goodbuy resale value after the flooding though.
12-22-2010, 08:31 PM
#34
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My Ride: 04' 545i, Sport Package, Black, Active Xenon, ARS, Aux Input
'10 Tahoe, Black on Black, leather, Nav/XM, 20" tires, full body kit, power 2nd row, loaded
'93 Jeep Wrangler, lifted 4.5", 33" meats, Rampage Recovery Bumper w/Tire Swing, etc
25' Aquasport Osprey, Center Console,2012 200 HO Etec
As an added bonus I had the brake recall done there at the same time and they did the recall along with the booster(I think) and master cylinder for free under the recall - I will post a copy of the invoice. I see a lot of people here complaining that the other stuff hasnt been covered but mine was.
I didnt spend that much... I only paid my deductable of $500. As for resale value, the car will have so many miles on it when i look for a new one that it wont matter - its an 04 with 75k now and I do 100 a day.
10-09-2011, 10:20 PM
#35
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My Ride: 2004 bmw 530i
just had your exact same issue man.identical. active steering been acting up for about a year, i think you even warned me of this a while back but drain clogged,few inches in the entire passenger side.pulled the seat poped a few drain hole quick pulled the carpet then set 2 dehumidifiers in there,got almost a gallon in 2 days out of the foam and carpet.she started fine the day it was submerged untill i heard the sloshing.so keeping it off the next few days till nothing is wet and hoping nothing effects the modules. crossin my fingers..
10-10-2011, 12:37 AM
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My Ride: 2008 535i
I think this would be a good time for the rest of us to ensure our drain tubes are not clogged. Any ideas as to exactly where to look to check this?
10-10-2011, 08:42 AM
#37
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My Ride: BMW 550i M Sport
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Good point! Please take some pics for us or give us some detailed instructions to find and clean these drain tubes. Definitely don't want to go through this fiasco! Thanks in advance.
10-10-2011, 04:10 PM
#38
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My Ride: 04' 545i, Sport Package, Black, Active Xenon, ARS, Aux Input
'10 Tahoe, Black on Black, leather, Nav/XM, 20" tires, full body kit, power 2nd row, loaded
'93 Jeep Wrangler, lifted 4.5", 33" meats, Rampage Recovery Bumper w/Tire Swing, etc
25' Aquasport Osprey, Center Console,2012 200 HO Etec
Hey guys, it was quite the ordeal! guysk8r1717, one thing to consider is that most of the sensitive modules and sensors are under that passenger floor carpet. That includes that main wiring harness... the connectors will eventually corrode of they are not taken apart and dried one by one... it will take time but when it starts to corrode each module will eventually give error messages. After many supplemental claims when all was said and done it was a $13k job (the list of parts, modules and sensors is incredible)... good luck with it! The insurance company was my best friend on this one.
Regarding the drain that was the culprit for me, if you open the hood and remove the passenger side microfilter container, directly underneath it is an electronics box with a fan and a couple modules in it. The water is made to drain around that box and through a drain tube under it. When the drain is clogged it backs up into that ebox and into the passenger part of the vehicle. The part that clogged for me is the little flapper at the end of the drain tube - it was packed with a black sludge made from leaves and pine needles etc... To access this drain tube you have to remove the front passenger side wheel, and then remove the shields in the wheel well by pushing in the plastic rivets. Once you do that you can access the tube itself. It looks like this: It has blue washer fluid dripping from it - I used blue to show what the drain was.
You can see the little flapper... Its not an easy fix but once you get in there I can guarantee you will find that it is so packed no water is draining out. There are other drains - I think like 20 in all from the sunroof down, but this is the one that screwed me. A friend of mine is a BMW tech and he said believe or not, many dealers and techs aren't even aware of this particular drain... go figure... Here is what came out on the garage floor:
All of that stuff (and it doesnt look like much here - but that opening is small) was so packed in there... literally NO WATER WAS DRAINING.
Sorry guys this is the best I can do regarding the step by steps... I didnt detail the cleaning for a DIY because I needed to clear that drain asap!
Regarding the drain that was the culprit for me, if you open the hood and remove the passenger side microfilter container, directly underneath it is an electronics box with a fan and a couple modules in it. The water is made to drain around that box and through a drain tube under it. When the drain is clogged it backs up into that ebox and into the passenger part of the vehicle. The part that clogged for me is the little flapper at the end of the drain tube - it was packed with a black sludge made from leaves and pine needles etc... To access this drain tube you have to remove the front passenger side wheel, and then remove the shields in the wheel well by pushing in the plastic rivets. Once you do that you can access the tube itself. It looks like this: It has blue washer fluid dripping from it - I used blue to show what the drain was.
You can see the little flapper... Its not an easy fix but once you get in there I can guarantee you will find that it is so packed no water is draining out. There are other drains - I think like 20 in all from the sunroof down, but this is the one that screwed me. A friend of mine is a BMW tech and he said believe or not, many dealers and techs aren't even aware of this particular drain... go figure... Here is what came out on the garage floor:
All of that stuff (and it doesnt look like much here - but that opening is small) was so packed in there... literally NO WATER WAS DRAINING.
Sorry guys this is the best I can do regarding the step by steps... I didnt detail the cleaning for a DIY because I needed to clear that drain asap!
10-10-2011, 05:55 PM
#39
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yeah it was really simple to access after pulling the wheel and fender liner off,then its really like a 5 minute job,that can seriously save you thousands of dollars and crazy down time.
id love to find a DIY on cleaning all drains,
i was able to get a much out as possible with pulling carpets up,took seat out,drained my sub woofer lol set in dehumidifiers and now the carpets and foam is all dry including the foam surrounding the main computer on the passenger floorboard, i would have done a DIY but like Jaycal3 said,your in such a freak out mode you dont think of anything but get this water out of my car!
my active steering has been poping up for the last 8 months or so simple cycle of the key and it goes away but your saying i should pull the computer open it and dry the internal sensors individually?
only thing i suggest to people about to clean this drain,take your cabin filter out and its lower housing you will see the electrical box then below that is where the drain is and when your drain is cleared out from accessing it from inside your fender.pour a few bottles of water to the side of the electrical box or down your windsheild if you prefer .to get anything else stuck in the lower portion of the box out.
id love to find a DIY on cleaning all drains,
i was able to get a much out as possible with pulling carpets up,took seat out,drained my sub woofer lol set in dehumidifiers and now the carpets and foam is all dry including the foam surrounding the main computer on the passenger floorboard, i would have done a DIY but like Jaycal3 said,your in such a freak out mode you dont think of anything but get this water out of my car!
my active steering has been poping up for the last 8 months or so simple cycle of the key and it goes away but your saying i should pull the computer open it and dry the internal sensors individually?
only thing i suggest to people about to clean this drain,take your cabin filter out and its lower housing you will see the electrical box then below that is where the drain is and when your drain is cleared out from accessing it from inside your fender.pour a few bottles of water to the side of the electrical box or down your windsheild if you prefer .to get anything else stuck in the lower portion of the box out.
10-10-2011, 10:12 PM
#40
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Hey guys, it was quite the ordeal! guysk8r1717, one thing to consider is that most of the sensitive modules and sensors are under that passenger floor carpet. That includes that main wiring harness... the connectors will eventually corrode of they are not taken apart and dried one by one... it will take time but when it starts to corrode each module will eventually give error messages. After many supplemental claims when all was said and done it was a $13k job (the list of parts, modules and sensors is incredible)... good luck with it! The insurance company was my best friend on this one.
Regarding the drain that was the culprit for me, if you open the hood and remove the passenger side microfilter container, directly underneath it is an electronics box with a fan and a couple modules in it. The water is made to drain around that box and through a drain tube under it. When the drain is clogged it backs up into that ebox and into the passenger part of the vehicle. The part that clogged for me is the little flapper at the end of the drain tube - it was packed with a black sludge made from leaves and pine needles etc... To access this drain tube you have to remove the front passenger side wheel, and then remove the shields in the wheel well by pushing in the plastic rivets. Once you do that you can access the tube itself. It looks like this: It has blue washer fluid dripping from it - I used blue to show what the drain was.
You can see the little flapper... Its not an easy fix but once you get in there I can guarantee you will find that it is so packed no water is draining out. There are other drains - I think like 20 in all from the sunroof down, but this is the one that screwed me. A friend of mine is a BMW tech and he said believe or not, many dealers and techs aren't even aware of this particular drain... go figure... Here is what came out on the garage floor:
All of that stuff (and it doesnt look like much here - but that opening is small) was so packed in there... literally NO WATER WAS DRAINING.
Sorry guys this is the best I can do regarding the step by steps... I didnt detail the cleaning for a DIY because I needed to clear that drain asap!
Regarding the drain that was the culprit for me, if you open the hood and remove the passenger side microfilter container, directly underneath it is an electronics box with a fan and a couple modules in it. The water is made to drain around that box and through a drain tube under it. When the drain is clogged it backs up into that ebox and into the passenger part of the vehicle. The part that clogged for me is the little flapper at the end of the drain tube - it was packed with a black sludge made from leaves and pine needles etc... To access this drain tube you have to remove the front passenger side wheel, and then remove the shields in the wheel well by pushing in the plastic rivets. Once you do that you can access the tube itself. It looks like this: It has blue washer fluid dripping from it - I used blue to show what the drain was.
You can see the little flapper... Its not an easy fix but once you get in there I can guarantee you will find that it is so packed no water is draining out. There are other drains - I think like 20 in all from the sunroof down, but this is the one that screwed me. A friend of mine is a BMW tech and he said believe or not, many dealers and techs aren't even aware of this particular drain... go figure... Here is what came out on the garage floor:
All of that stuff (and it doesnt look like much here - but that opening is small) was so packed in there... literally NO WATER WAS DRAINING.
Sorry guys this is the best I can do regarding the step by steps... I didnt detail the cleaning for a DIY because I needed to clear that drain asap!
Thanks for the write up
, This is extremely helpful. We just started getting quite a bit of rain here so im making this a priority. The only problem is i still need to find the remaining 18. The SA at my local dealer wasnt able to help me with any sort of diagrams but he recommended forcing air through the drain holes located by the sunroof. I would much rather see the drain end points with my own two eyes and ensure they are clear so the research continues....