When you're talking about fixing the wires, are you all talking about soldering?

I don't have a soldering iron, and haven't done any soldering since school, so would be unsure whether to trust my skills. But having seen the quotes mentioned, certainly wouldn't take it to BMW for an £800 'fix'.

For the record, we've had problems with the rear demister, rear wiper and, now, the remote locking/unlocking. Car's a September 2005 530d with around 75,000 miles on it. Tailgate gets weekly use, but not daily.

 

Oh - and the rear glass window was playing up at the weekend.

Looks like another visit to the friendly independent.

 

Hello to all from Finland.

I have a 12/2005 e61 525d.
I've already replaced the antenna module in the tailgate spoiler - with that I got fixed the remote door locking.

Now the radio channels are disappearing for some reason.
I already repaired the FM-wire from the left hand side wire harness (in that harness there goes only 2 cables and a water hose for rear window). 1 of those wires was cut (brown) and i replaced it. This brown wire is connected to antenna module's upper connector (round coax connector or something similar).
But the radio channels are still disappearing...some times all channels are available for 10-30 minutes, but then they all vanish in thin air. :/

So, my question is: how the antenna is built and what other cables effect on FM radio signals? Is this brown wire going to CCC module for radio signal? Where does the antenna module get the signal from the antenna itself? Are cables, that are connected to this antenna module from the right hand side wire harness, connected to this problem somehow?

Thanks in advance!

 

Ok, got the info already...
I made a user error when repairing wires. The brown wire is for rear glass heater not for radio.
The other wire that goes with this one is correct one and now I need to repair that one too.

Supposedly there is very thin copper wire inside this FM-wire and it has a shield also - it's like normal coaxial cable but much more thinner.

 

Hi all,excellent forum
I have a 2007 E61 520D,had now for just over 3 months.2 weeks after I got it,the right rear fog light fail warning came on,also the softclose on the bootlid kept opening.I noticed when opening the boot,the lock actuator kept moving randomly,and the foglight flashed on/off - obviously broken wires.The dealer took a look and repaired 4 broken wires in the righthand hinge - this also fixed the rear wiper.
Last week,after heavy rain overnight,I started the car - the bootglass unlatched,and I got the Excess Battery Drain warning,which reset the trip and clock.I shut the lid,but it opened the next time I started it,ok the next time,and the next day,but opened every time I used the car yesterday.
Looking through this thread,I believe the switch has given up??
Also I have had the rear screen heater not working - found a broken thick Brown wire in the no2 l/h hinge - its now working,but the screen wash pipe had burnt - does anyone know repair for this?
thanks
mjh1302

 

I am the next victim.

Right reverse light and rear window heating isn't working anymore. Mine is a 2007 E61 525d pre-LCI.

Its my first BMW, previous only had Ford for 18years without much problems. Its chocking to rear that BMW didn't fix this properly and isn't doing anything about it. Can't say at all that i impressed by BMW quality.

Apart this i have also the rust marks on the tailgate below the window on the left side. Now i wonder since reading about the rust elsewhere its under warranty they might replace the whole tailgate and while doing this they can fix the wiring ? Although i want the wires to be fix properly and not using the old crap construction again.

This forum has given me loads of info about possible issues :

on my list to check is :
- Compressor hose. It runs fine at this moment.
- Flaps removal (car has 130.000km).
- While doing the wires of the tailgate also fix the water ingress into the diversity module.
- Luckily this forum stopped me from buying a E61 with the panoramic roof as it has just to many problems.

Doesn't seem the E61 is the best choise when buying a 5 series as most is related to the wagon specific.

 

Firstly thanks to Chesney 72 for this very informative and helpful fix for this BMW E61 design fault.
My car is 2006 and the tailgate gets opened regularly - Central locking stopped working - found 1 broken wire and 4 that were close on breaking.
I think it's important to lengthen these wires when repairing - I have fixed mine but plan to taken it apart again and lengthen the wires by a few cms as when the tailgate is open the wires are pulling tightly. Taped joints will break again I suspect - especially with the tension.

I also had some problems with PDC and found a broken wire near the bulkhead - seems the wiring loom in this model is short in more than one place as the loom was pulling tightly and wire was nipped along the edge of the front drivers wing infront of the strut.

Again thanks for your help - saved me a fortune!

Edward.

 

Well, let's not overdramatise the issue. I'm currently on my second E61 with panoramic roof and I have no problems whatsoever - it just needs some basic maintenance. It's a lovely feature that I can recommend looking for if you would like to buy an E61 or an F11 next time.

 

The panoramic roof is such a cool thing, it completely transforms the interior of the car.
I would take up the maintenance effort anytime for the gain in pleasure.

 

Between being stuck in a Ford for 18 years...



...and taking the issues that MIGHT come along with a Panoramic roof while driving a beautiful 535 wagon, I'll take the Bimmer with the Pano roof, thank you!
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