Tailgate wiring harness replacement??
10-12-2012, 03:12 PM
#141
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My Ride: 2010 535 xi - M Sport Pkg & other goodies
Just to follow up on my remote locking issue. I searched around for a second hand diversity unit, breakers either had already sold theirs or were offering them for £150+ not exactly the knockdown price I was expecting. So just got one from Cotswold BMW around £215 with foam pads. Fitted tonight and all working :-) I tested the range too, I went 30metres down the street and was still working, prob could go further, much better than being less than a metre from the car.
Curious, since it seems you went on a hunch and didn't have solid proof your diversity module had gone bad (I think you said you saw no water damage), would you have been able to return the part to your dealer for a refund, if it hadn't fixed your problem after fitting it in?
Just wondering how people go about troubleshooting and replacing modules, when they're not sure if that's what is the cause, and their backup plan if it doesn't fix it... Do you end up with a brand new unit on your hands then, when the old one could have been working just fine?
10-15-2012, 04:45 AM
#142
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Hi,
Can you buy a repair harness for the E61 Touring tailgate number plate lights/wiring problem that goes through the hinge? If so, what is the part no. and how much/where from? Many thanks.
Can you buy a repair harness for the E61 Touring tailgate number plate lights/wiring problem that goes through the hinge? If so, what is the part no. and how much/where from? Many thanks.
Last edited by berniem; 10-15-2012 at 04:47 AM.
10-15-2012, 04:55 AM
#144
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Signed up just to say this post was extremely useful, saved me £££s from sending it off to be diagnosed/repaired.
I found out my defroster stopped working on my 525D (E61) and my searches online sent me to this post.
Followed the instructions and it was a broken wire too, patched up and put it all back together and all if fine now.
I didn't have to touch batteries etc, just went for the repair btw.
Things to look out for:
- Make sure you tie the cables with some string before you feed them from the spoiler, through the hinge, out of the speaker slot. That way you can use the string to tie the repaired cable and feed it back through.
- Make sure the glass does not shut close at any point (cover the hole/lock)... once it is all disconnected, that thing will not open.
- Make sure you you have enough slack fed through to reconnect everything
- When the post mentions that the hinge is spring-loaded, when removing the bolts, be very careful, you could injure yourself, I was sure to put a lot of pressure holding it down when I undid the bolts, but even then the thing nearly sprung up and took my fingers with it! When I reattached the bolts, I just did it with the glass open, so I didn't have to force it back down.
Thanks again for the guide!
I found out my defroster stopped working on my 525D (E61) and my searches online sent me to this post.
Followed the instructions and it was a broken wire too, patched up and put it all back together and all if fine now.
I didn't have to touch batteries etc, just went for the repair btw.
Things to look out for:
- Make sure you tie the cables with some string before you feed them from the spoiler, through the hinge, out of the speaker slot. That way you can use the string to tie the repaired cable and feed it back through.
- Make sure the glass does not shut close at any point (cover the hole/lock)... once it is all disconnected, that thing will not open.
- Make sure you you have enough slack fed through to reconnect everything
- When the post mentions that the hinge is spring-loaded, when removing the bolts, be very careful, you could injure yourself, I was sure to put a lot of pressure holding it down when I undid the bolts, but even then the thing nearly sprung up and took my fingers with it! When I reattached the bolts, I just did it with the glass open, so I didn't have to force it back down.
Thanks again for the guide!
What wire did you use to effect the repair? Some of the wires appear thicker than others?
10-15-2012, 11:56 AM
#145
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My Ride: E61 530d M Sport
Happy to hear you figured out what the problem was and fixed it. Searching for electrical issues can sometimes take forever...
Curious, since it seems you went on a hunch and didn't have solid proof your diversity module had gone bad (I think you said you saw no water damage), would you have been able to return the part to your dealer for a refund, if it hadn't fixed your problem after fitting it in?
Just wondering how people go about troubleshooting and replacing modules, when they're not sure if that's what is the cause, and their backup plan if it doesn't fix it... Do you end up with a brand new unit on your hands then, when the old one could have been working just fine?
Curious, since it seems you went on a hunch and didn't have solid proof your diversity module had gone bad (I think you said you saw no water damage), would you have been able to return the part to your dealer for a refund, if it hadn't fixed your problem after fitting it in?
Just wondering how people go about troubleshooting and replacing modules, when they're not sure if that's what is the cause, and their backup plan if it doesn't fix it... Do you end up with a brand new unit on your hands then, when the old one could have been working just fine?
After my loom examination proved fruitless, I quickly tested the power connector to check got a reading (read 5V), so on that note I decided to go for it. If I was wrong, I could always ebay it, judging by the response/prices from breakers it's a popular item!
I toyed with the idea of buying a scantool aswell.. but it seemed the decent ones are quite pricey and high chance of buying the wrong thing.
So to answer your question.. i just gambled! Though a calculated risk thanks to the good people on these forums
10-16-2012, 01:15 AM
#146
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RealOEM.com BMW E61N 523i Rep. wiring harness, hinge on trunk lid
buy that and an crimp tool, and in 5 hours you are up running again
buy that and an crimp tool, and in 5 hours you are up running again
10-18-2012, 11:38 AM
#147
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My Ride: BMW 525dA 2007 pre-LCI.
Model Year: 2007
on Ebay :
http://www.ebay.de/itm/KABELBAUM-REP...item23184af717
KABELBAUM REP.-SATZ HECKKLAPPE LINKS BMW 5ER E61 TOURING 06.2004- | eBay
http://www.ebay.de/itm/KABELBAUM-REP...item23184af717
KABELBAUM REP.-SATZ HECKKLAPPE LINKS BMW 5ER E61 TOURING 06.2004- | eBay
Last edited by tom_il; 10-18-2012 at 11:40 AM.
10-24-2012, 04:04 PM
#148
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More wiring issues
Thanks for all the good discussion above. It comes at a good time for me. My 2007 530xi wagon (87K miles) started showing "right backup lamp malfunction" warning a couple months ago. Then last week, the remote locking buttons on the key fob stopped working (a new key did not solve the problem). Then for the last couple days, when I turn the car on, the radio has defaulted to OFF and the station to one particular FM station.
I took it to my BMW dealer yesterday. They said it would take about 14 hours (run new wires, take out the roof liner, disassemble the tailgate) and about $2,000. They made it seem like this was a new problem to them. Maybe they should have stopped counting their money long enough to Google the problem. In 1 second they would have found this forum and this great thread.
I'm planning to take it to an independent mechanic next week. And I will direct him to this forum for your advice.
Here's my question. Do the wires for the right backup lamp and for the remote locking run in the same harness or does this sound like it might be both right-side harnesses? And what color are those wires?
Thanks.
I took it to my BMW dealer yesterday. They said it would take about 14 hours (run new wires, take out the roof liner, disassemble the tailgate) and about $2,000. They made it seem like this was a new problem to them. Maybe they should have stopped counting their money long enough to Google the problem. In 1 second they would have found this forum and this great thread.
I'm planning to take it to an independent mechanic next week. And I will direct him to this forum for your advice.
Here's my question. Do the wires for the right backup lamp and for the remote locking run in the same harness or does this sound like it might be both right-side harnesses? And what color are those wires?
Thanks.
10-25-2012, 08:49 AM
#150
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Which harnesses?
From reading this forum, it seems likely that the wires causing my problems all come through the right-side harnesses. But there are two of those. I expect we will find multiple wires damaged when we take this apart (as so many of you have). But for my two main problems (failed R backup light and failed central locking from the key buttons), do you know whether those wires are in the right-side harness that is more toward the middle of the car or the one toward the side of the car (These have been labeled #3 and #4 in a previous post with photos). And do you know what color those wires are?
Thanks again.
Thanks again.