Airbag Occupancy Sensor Bypass Unit
02-14-2010, 02:48 PM
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Just got this off Ebay a few days ago.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-1994-2004-AIRBAG-OCCUPANCY-SENSOR-BYPASS-UNIT_W0QQitemZ170445813942QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item27af5cb8b6
The seat occupancy sensor/mat on my car broke down bringing up the Restraint Systems Failure warning and the Airbag light. Apparently this is an extremely common problem on all BMWs and explains why a bypass unit was invented, allowing resolution of this issue without having to spend ridiculous amounts of money. Stealer wants £400-£500, independent wants £300. The price includes the seat sensor/mat which costs around £80. The problem is they can fail / break again. I heard about someone spending more than £700 for 3 failures and eventually discovering the Bypass Unit! Since fitting the bypass unit, never needed to deal with the annoying problem again.
The instructions http://www.jcautocomponents.co.uk/in...ancybypass.PDF advise disconnecting the battery before installing this. Just wanted to know from folks here why this is necessary? Hoping Bruce or someone would be able to explain. Many thanks. Any members have the bypass unit fitted?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-1994-2004-AIRBAG-OCCUPANCY-SENSOR-BYPASS-UNIT_W0QQitemZ170445813942QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item27af5cb8b6
The seat occupancy sensor/mat on my car broke down bringing up the Restraint Systems Failure warning and the Airbag light. Apparently this is an extremely common problem on all BMWs and explains why a bypass unit was invented, allowing resolution of this issue without having to spend ridiculous amounts of money. Stealer wants £400-£500, independent wants £300. The price includes the seat sensor/mat which costs around £80. The problem is they can fail / break again. I heard about someone spending more than £700 for 3 failures and eventually discovering the Bypass Unit! Since fitting the bypass unit, never needed to deal with the annoying problem again.
The instructions http://www.jcautocomponents.co.uk/in...ancybypass.PDF advise disconnecting the battery before installing this. Just wanted to know from folks here why this is necessary? Hoping Bruce or someone would be able to explain. Many thanks. Any members have the bypass unit fitted?
02-16-2010, 05:58 PM
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My Ride: 2004 545i 6 speed, Silver Gray A08, Gray leather
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I just got mine fixed with the recall here in the USA.
My cousin just had the same problem in her X3 for the 3rd or 4th time, and bmw fixed it for free because it was a safety issue.
My cousin just had the same problem in her X3 for the 3rd or 4th time, and bmw fixed it for free because it was a safety issue.
02-17-2010, 03:43 PM
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Hey thanks for replying 
I found that disconnecting the battery is not essential and more like a 'safety first' thing. Any existing or new (hopefully none) fault codes will need clearing after the install anyway. Hoping the unit works fine on the E60. Still haven't found any E60 drivers with the bypass unit, though plenty of E39s around with it working.
I found that disconnecting the battery is not essential and more like a 'safety first' thing. Any existing or new (hopefully none) fault codes will need clearing after the install anyway. Hoping the unit works fine on the E60. Still haven't found any E60 drivers with the bypass unit, though plenty of E39s around with it working.
05-09-2010, 07:48 AM
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If you're in the UK, You should not need to pay for what is an known manufacturing fault.
I work for Citizens Advice and given that this is a known common fault in the 5 (and other) series arisen from a faulty Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor Mat,(BMW of North America - Recall ID # 08V384000 - Air Bags: Frontal) it follows that it is something you can compel BMW to fix at no cost
Below is an extract from the CAB information system regarding consumer rights.
Satisfactory quality
Consumers have a Statutory right to expect that goods will be of satisfactory quality. When assessing if goods are of satisfactory quality, the following factors are taken into account :-
1) safety of the goods
2) durability of the goods
Unsafe goods
If the goods are dangerous or unsafe, s/he may be able to take action using other areas of law, as well as using her/his statutory consumer rights.
Durability of goods
The goods should last the length of time that a reasonable person would expect for goods of that nature. If the goods stop working properly within this period of time (in general - 6 years) it may be evidence that as such, they were not of satisfactory quality when the item was manufactured and that her/his statutory consumer rights have been breached.
Depending on how far you are willing to push it (it only costs £35 (refundable by BMW wwhen they admit the fault) to apply to the County Court for an Order of Specific Performance i.e. an order that compels BMW to fix a known faulty sensor at no cost to you - using the USA recall as evidence of unsatisfactory quality at the time of manufacture, affecting your safety) you should not have much of a problem getting BMW to foot the bill, because when you win in court, it is a court sanctioned acknowledgement that the sensors were faulty at the time of manufacture and as such, have always been unsafe as well as unsatisfactory quality (therefore breaching your comnsumer rights which they have to rectify at no cost to you). If that happened it would open the floodgates for thousands of similar court actions (that is if VOSA didn't step in and order a nationwide recall of ALL models with the same components - which would cost BMW £millions) - so BMW would settle out of court before any ruling was made.
A letter first (with a heading on it stating "Letter before action") to your local BMW dealer stating this and requesting the sensor(s) be replaced and the car computer reset at no cost is all that you would need to do. If they then don't perform within a "reasonable time (14 days), apply to your local County Court for the Specific Performance injunction.
If you want to verify this advice, get yourself down to your local Citizens Advice Bureau (they'll also advise you on making the County Court application if necessary).
Whether you could get this fixed for nothing by them in a car older than 6 years is worth a try using the same argument. But it would depend on how much older than 6 years it was.
I work for Citizens Advice and given that this is a known common fault in the 5 (and other) series arisen from a faulty Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor Mat,(BMW of North America - Recall ID # 08V384000 - Air Bags: Frontal) it follows that it is something you can compel BMW to fix at no cost
Below is an extract from the CAB information system regarding consumer rights.
Satisfactory quality
Consumers have a Statutory right to expect that goods will be of satisfactory quality. When assessing if goods are of satisfactory quality, the following factors are taken into account :-
1) safety of the goods
2) durability of the goods
Unsafe goods
If the goods are dangerous or unsafe, s/he may be able to take action using other areas of law, as well as using her/his statutory consumer rights.
Durability of goods
The goods should last the length of time that a reasonable person would expect for goods of that nature. If the goods stop working properly within this period of time (in general - 6 years) it may be evidence that as such, they were not of satisfactory quality when the item was manufactured and that her/his statutory consumer rights have been breached.
Depending on how far you are willing to push it (it only costs £35 (refundable by BMW wwhen they admit the fault) to apply to the County Court for an Order of Specific Performance i.e. an order that compels BMW to fix a known faulty sensor at no cost to you - using the USA recall as evidence of unsatisfactory quality at the time of manufacture, affecting your safety) you should not have much of a problem getting BMW to foot the bill, because when you win in court, it is a court sanctioned acknowledgement that the sensors were faulty at the time of manufacture and as such, have always been unsafe as well as unsatisfactory quality (therefore breaching your comnsumer rights which they have to rectify at no cost to you). If that happened it would open the floodgates for thousands of similar court actions (that is if VOSA didn't step in and order a nationwide recall of ALL models with the same components - which would cost BMW £millions) - so BMW would settle out of court before any ruling was made.
A letter first (with a heading on it stating "Letter before action") to your local BMW dealer stating this and requesting the sensor(s) be replaced and the car computer reset at no cost is all that you would need to do. If they then don't perform within a "reasonable time (14 days), apply to your local County Court for the Specific Performance injunction.
If you want to verify this advice, get yourself down to your local Citizens Advice Bureau (they'll also advise you on making the County Court application if necessary).
Whether you could get this fixed for nothing by them in a car older than 6 years is worth a try using the same argument. But it would depend on how much older than 6 years it was.
08-22-2012, 02:09 AM
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Toksik,
If it's a UK Registered BMW, but was bought originally in Belgium by a NATO civilian, Should I send a letter to BMW UK and use the UK Small Claims procedure or to the Belgian supplier and use the EU Small Claims procedure?
If it's a UK Registered BMW, but was bought originally in Belgium by a NATO civilian, Should I send a letter to BMW UK and use the UK Small Claims procedure or to the Belgian supplier and use the EU Small Claims procedure?
If you're in the UK, You should not need to pay for what is an known manufacturing fault.
I work for Citizens Advice and given that this is a known common fault in the 5 (and other) series arisen from a faulty Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor Mat,(BMW of North America - Recall ID # 08V384000 - Air Bags: Frontal) it follows that it is something you can compel BMW to fix at no cost
Below is an extract from the CAB information system regarding consumer rights.
Satisfactory quality
Consumers have a Statutory right to expect that goods will be of satisfactory quality. When assessing if goods are of satisfactory quality, the following factors are taken into account :-
1) safety of the goods
2) durability of the goods
Unsafe goods
If the goods are dangerous or unsafe, s/he may be able to take action using other areas of law, as well as using her/his statutory consumer rights.
Durability of goods
The goods should last the length of time that a reasonable person would expect for goods of that nature. If the goods stop working properly within this period of time (in general - 6 years) it may be evidence that as such, they were not of satisfactory quality when the item was manufactured and that her/his statutory consumer rights have been breached.
Depending on how far you are willing to push it (it only costs £35 (refundable by BMW wwhen they admit the fault) to apply to the County Court for an Order of Specific Performance i.e. an order that compels BMW to fix a known faulty sensor at no cost to you - using the USA recall as evidence of unsatisfactory quality at the time of manufacture, affecting your safety) you should not have much of a problem getting BMW to foot the bill, because when you win in court, it is a court sanctioned acknowledgement that the sensors were faulty at the time of manufacture and as such, have always been unsafe as well as unsatisfactory quality (therefore breaching your comnsumer rights which they have to rectify at no cost to you). If that happened it would open the floodgates for thousands of similar court actions (that is if VOSA didn't step in and order a nationwide recall of ALL models with the same components - which would cost BMW £millions) - so BMW would settle out of court before any ruling was made.
A letter first (with a heading on it stating "Letter before action") to your local BMW dealer stating this and requesting the sensor(s) be replaced and the car computer reset at no cost is all that you would need to do. If they then don't perform within a "reasonable time (14 days), apply to your local County Court for the Specific Performance injunction.
If you want to verify this advice, get yourself down to your local Citizens Advice Bureau (they'll also advise you on making the County Court application if necessary).
Whether you could get this fixed for nothing by them in a car older than 6 years is worth a try using the same argument. But it would depend on how much older than 6 years it was.
I work for Citizens Advice and given that this is a known common fault in the 5 (and other) series arisen from a faulty Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor Mat,(BMW of North America - Recall ID # 08V384000 - Air Bags: Frontal) it follows that it is something you can compel BMW to fix at no cost
Below is an extract from the CAB information system regarding consumer rights.
Satisfactory quality
Consumers have a Statutory right to expect that goods will be of satisfactory quality. When assessing if goods are of satisfactory quality, the following factors are taken into account :-
1) safety of the goods
2) durability of the goods
Unsafe goods
If the goods are dangerous or unsafe, s/he may be able to take action using other areas of law, as well as using her/his statutory consumer rights.
Durability of goods
The goods should last the length of time that a reasonable person would expect for goods of that nature. If the goods stop working properly within this period of time (in general - 6 years) it may be evidence that as such, they were not of satisfactory quality when the item was manufactured and that her/his statutory consumer rights have been breached.
Depending on how far you are willing to push it (it only costs £35 (refundable by BMW wwhen they admit the fault) to apply to the County Court for an Order of Specific Performance i.e. an order that compels BMW to fix a known faulty sensor at no cost to you - using the USA recall as evidence of unsatisfactory quality at the time of manufacture, affecting your safety) you should not have much of a problem getting BMW to foot the bill, because when you win in court, it is a court sanctioned acknowledgement that the sensors were faulty at the time of manufacture and as such, have always been unsafe as well as unsatisfactory quality (therefore breaching your comnsumer rights which they have to rectify at no cost to you). If that happened it would open the floodgates for thousands of similar court actions (that is if VOSA didn't step in and order a nationwide recall of ALL models with the same components - which would cost BMW £millions) - so BMW would settle out of court before any ruling was made.
A letter first (with a heading on it stating "Letter before action") to your local BMW dealer stating this and requesting the sensor(s) be replaced and the car computer reset at no cost is all that you would need to do. If they then don't perform within a "reasonable time (14 days), apply to your local County Court for the Specific Performance injunction.
If you want to verify this advice, get yourself down to your local Citizens Advice Bureau (they'll also advise you on making the County Court application if necessary).
Whether you could get this fixed for nothing by them in a car older than 6 years is worth a try using the same argument. But it would depend on how much older than 6 years it was.
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