thcapeman

Took to BMW and was advised fatigued and broken wires in tailgate harness causing electrical malfunction. Service bulletin SI B61 07 10. Was told cost will be $3900. Terrible. Any other similar problems? This is a sport wagon bases in USA>

Has anyone negotiated with BMW on repair costs

kguarnotta

I had a similar problem in my 2008. I looked at wires, I ended up splicing them myself. When inspecting them - they did not appear to have been stretched/snapped. I think they get cut on a sharp edge inside the top of the roof.

It is a PITA to change, but if you have the time. There is a write up somewhere on how to do it.

windnsea

BMW has had a problem with wiring going to tailgates and trunk lights since the mid 80's - the wires fatigue due to being cold worked and break continuity within the plastic outer cover. So, you cannot discern a wire without continuity by visual inspection. I just had all of my tailgate wires redone ($700), the broken hose for the rear window washer replaced, and the sunroof inner panels reupholstered with a light brown alcantara suede which perfectly matches my interior. Everything is fine now and when a new body module comes in (from Germany) after Christmas, we'll reprogram it and the car will be 100% functional. Total cost? $2100 US - in Southern California by an independent shop. Merry Christmas

PeteNZ

The reason the keys stop working when the wires in the hinges break is that the antenna for the key remote signal is under the spoiler at the top of the glass. It's a relatively straight forward fix if a little time consuming. There are instructions posted here in the forum and elsewhere on the web and the simplest method is to splice new wires in across just the hinge joint rather than feed a complete new harness section in. I picked up a few sections of BMW wiring loom from a local wrecker for $2 so as to match the BMW wire colour & sizes. I'm just mildly OCD.