can anyone help me getting these lights out? I have a service due notification and flat tire notification that comes up on the screen in my 04 530i. I would appreciate any advice on how to get these notifications off my dash. thank you

 

After you have confirmed that your tires are inflated to the proper psi the FTM should be "reset" - the instructions are on page 81 of your owner's manual. You can download a pdf of the manual for your car here: https://5series.net/information/2004..._Manual_US.pdf


As for resetting service indicators this post describes that process : https://5series.net/forums/topic/177...e/page__st__15

 

While i was driving the 10 miles to reset the tire pressure the "drive control sys malfunction" light came on. what does this mean? is it expensive to fix?

 

Hmmm... could be ABS wheel speed sensor? Just trying to think of something that would affect drive control systems and FTM (your car has the "indirect" system that measures changes in the rotational speed of the wheel to indicate a flat tire). Not sure on the cost to replace, but sounds like something worth getting looked at

 

There are many reasons for iDrive alerts apart from specific sensor and sender failures ... including battery issues. But it seems, since the FTM system reads inputs from the ABS system there is something going on that requires a trained and experienced BMW tech. There are several forum members in North/Central Jersey who might be able to recommend independent shops that might be gentler on your wallet - if that's where you are located.

 

thanks for the help, all the alerts are gone now. besides service due.

 

The "specific" service needed will be in iDrive; If you are sure that all necessary services (like oil, brake fluid flush, microfilter changes, etc) are up tp date the link I posted will show you how to reset the indicator and reset the appropriate timing for the specific service item.

 

Same is happening to me but it seems to be just an overt sensitivity. I had to peel out of my driveway today... no squeeling but it went from 0-60km/h in half a second while making an immediate left... 30 seconds later, the warning come on.. First time (owned it for a week), came on when driving about 90km/h and hitting the shoulder because of an oncoming tractor (...yeeehaw).. anyhow it came on then too. It seems the differential speed sensitivity is just very high. Don't ignore the warning, always check your tire pressure if you get an alert, but this does seem to be a fault and I wonder..maybe why the '05's have TPMS and not FTM?

One other thing, these Bimmers are great but what's with all the problems! I'm not going to start hating but this is my second BMW.. only owned 4 cars and I've only had issues with the BMW's. It gets disheartening when they have such a brilliant driving experience.. and the comfort... like riding on a lazyboy..

 

'05's still have the indirect FTM system. The active sensor TPMS was introduced for MY07's.

If you're finding the warning overly sensitive, you may want to ensure you reset the system the next time your tires are cold and you've set the pressure. I have the FTM system on my X3 and the only times it gives "false" warnings is when we've forgotten to reset the system after adjusting tire pressure.