Air Bag And Seat Belt Light & Maintenance Questions

geokilla · 12-19-2018, 10:49 AM

My friend has a 2011 328i xDrive which currently has 65k km on the odometer. The vehicle was bought used last year and there was no service history. We took it to the BMW specialist and so far we replaced the BMW iDrive controller because it was damaged from the rain, the battery, and engine oil.

Yesterday, she got some bad news. The passenger air bag and seat belt tensioner is malfunctioning and the codes won't go away. They currently light up the dash right now and there's a message in the iDrive system for this. The shop says most likely the seat will need to be replaced and in the event of an accident, the air bag won't deploy. This is a huge safety concern. Is replacing the seat the only option? The vehicle has never been in an accident as far as she knows.

The shop also said there are outstanding recalls which will be handled by the dealer. But another issue is that the AC belt needs to be replaced or it'll damage the engine when it snaps? I can safely assume the car has never had the air filter replaced or spark plugs replaced either. Aside from these things, would I be missing anything to bring the car back up into good working condition? The engine pulls hard and there's no weird or abnormal noises when I drove it hard so that's good.

lowrydr310 · 12-19-2018, 04:36 PM

Double check the connections under the seat and make sure they didn't get disconnected. I haven't heard of bad pretensioners. It may be more likely that there's an issue with the wiring. How did rain damage the iDrive controller? If rainwater leaked in there, it's possible that rainwater made its way down to the seat wiring. It's not likely that the passenger airbag is malfunctioning. If the pretensioner is not functioning correctly or not connected, you'll get the airbag warning along with it.

Also, there's only one accessory belt which runs your AC compressor, power steering pump, and alternator. If you were told by a reputable mechanic that it needs to be replaced, then you should absolutely listen to that advice. There have been a few reports here of some pretty nasty results when they snap, such as wrapping around the crank pulley and doing some serious damage to the crankshaft pulley seal. Also ask about the belt tensioner. There are a handful of reports around here of tensioners that get twisted/misaligned over time which can cause the belt to slip off. It's not too common, but I know I had the issue and a replacement part is only $50 or so and took me 10 minutes to replace.

Any time you buy a used car with unknown maintenance history, it's always a good idea to change all the fluids and filters that you can, in order to establish a baseline so you know when to change them next. You got a new battery and a fresh oil change, which is an excellent start. I would at least look at the air filter to see if it's OK, but if you have the time and money, it wouldn't hurt to replace that along with the cabin air filter, and also drain the coolant and refill with fresh new coolant.

65K km is relatively low so it's probably a bit early to recommend changing the transmission fluid. I would personally recommend replacing the spark plugs because it's close enough for replacement time and when they fail they can cause starting issues or misfires. You may want to consider replacing the coils too but that's probably overkill as it may be too soon. Maybe some others can share their opinion of that, but based on my experience with OEM coils and the fact that replacements are around $20 (USD) each I'd rather just replace them and have one less thing to be concerned about.

geokilla · 12-19-2018, 10:16 PM

I'll check that out next time I see her. The funny thing is that prior to taking the vehicle to the mechanic, there were no air bag and seat belt light on the dash. I wonder if something randomly got disconnected as you said.

The sunroof was left open over the summer which according to my friend damaged the iDrive controller. Her own mechanic removed the controller from the car and forgot about it, and since I know Bimmex is very reputable in the GTA, I took her BMW to them. She herself doesn't know much about cars so I'm helping her out and teaching her.

I'll get the dealer to take a look at the AC belt and belt tensioner as well when the car goes in for the recall. It doesn't hurt to get a second opinion as long as we don't have to pay an inspection fee.

I'm currently downloading the latest version of the navigation maps for the vehicle and I see CIC and NBT get mentioned. What's CIC and NBT? I'm still browsing around forums during my spare time at work so that's going to be of my next thing to do on her vehicle. There seems to be an iDrive update too on the BMW USA website, but this is a Canadian car. Would there be an issue? The update is VIN verified.

Thanks for your advice!

mecheng77 · 12-20-2018, 07:26 AM

Don't worry about the spark plugs, they are good for 160,000km. If you check your turn signal stalk there is a button to review the service schedule. I have 115,000km on my original plugs and the car runs perfectly. It is better to wait so that if a coil fails you can do both at the same time, no need to overmaintain these cars.

There is also a service reminder for the oil which lists the interval at 20,000km, IMO that is too long, I would use 12-16,000km. You have to be idling to view the service menu.

As for the belt, as the previous poster stated, the belt is prone to breaking but only if it has been soaked with oil at some point. It also doesn't track properly because of weak tensioner so replace the tensioner and bolt too.

Yes I would change the air filter and break fluid if the menu indicates, at 100,000km change the trans fluid. other than that, Drive and have fun!

geokilla · 12-20-2018, 07:49 AM

Just called the BMW specialist and told them that the air bag and seat belt light didn't come on till after the car was picked up on Saturday afternoon. I remember because I drove the car on Friday for a good hour and there were no lights on the dash. Unless the previous owner managed to hide the codes and now they came back?

geokilla · 12-20-2018, 09:26 PM

Got the code scanned and it's a 93B2. I guess when they replaced the battery something went wrong.

PhaseP · 12-21-2018, 04:22 PM

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1077369

geokilla · 12-26-2018, 11:14 PM

Hmm looks like the transmission isn't shifting too smoothly sometimes at low speeds. I haven't driven it lately so I can't really remember at what gear this occurs but I wonder if the transmission fluid needs to be replaced? I read spark plugs and coils may have an effect too.

unrulyteach · 12-26-2018, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geokilla

Hmm looks like the transmission isn't shifting too smoothly sometimes at low speeds. I haven't driven it lately so I can't really remember at what gear this occurs but I wonder if the transmission fluid needs to be replaced? I read spark plugs and coils may have an effect too.

Reset throttle adaptation

12-19-2018, 10:49 AM	#1
geokilla New Member 2 Rep 21 Posts Drives: 2018 Volkswagen GTI Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada iTrader: (0)	Air Bag And Seat Belt Light & Maintenance Questions My friend has a 2011 328i xDrive which currently has 65k km on the odometer. The vehicle was bought used last year and there was no service history. We took it to the BMW specialist and so far we replaced the BMW iDrive controller because it was damaged from the rain, the battery, and engine oil. Yesterday, she got some bad news. The passenger air bag and seat belt tensioner is malfunctioning and the codes won't go away. They currently light up the dash right now and there's a message in the iDrive system for this. The shop says most likely the seat will need to be replaced and in the event of an accident, the air bag won't deploy. This is a huge safety concern. Is replacing the seat the only option? The vehicle has never been in an accident as far as she knows. The shop also said there are outstanding recalls which will be handled by the dealer. But another issue is that the AC belt needs to be replaced or it'll damage the engine when it snaps? I can safely assume the car has never had the air filter replaced or spark plugs replaced either. Aside from these things, would I be missing anything to bring the car back up into good working condition? The engine pulls hard and there's no weird or abnormal noises when I drove it hard so that's good.
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12-19-2018, 04:36 PM	#2
lowrydr310 Robot 1685 Rep 2,190 Posts Drives: 2006 330i, 2007 E93 335i Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Souhtrne Califniora iTrader: (0)	Double check the connections under the seat and make sure they didn't get disconnected. I haven't heard of bad pretensioners. It may be more likely that there's an issue with the wiring. How did rain damage the iDrive controller? If rainwater leaked in there, it's possible that rainwater made its way down to the seat wiring. It's not likely that the passenger airbag is malfunctioning. If the pretensioner is not functioning correctly or not connected, you'll get the airbag warning along with it. Also, there's only one accessory belt which runs your AC compressor, power steering pump, and alternator. If you were told by a reputable mechanic that it needs to be replaced, then you should absolutely listen to that advice. There have been a few reports here of some pretty nasty results when they snap, such as wrapping around the crank pulley and doing some serious damage to the crankshaft pulley seal. Also ask about the belt tensioner. There are a handful of reports around here of tensioners that get twisted/misaligned over time which can cause the belt to slip off. It's not too common, but I know I had the issue and a replacement part is only $50 or so and took me 10 minutes to replace. Any time you buy a used car with unknown maintenance history, it's always a good idea to change all the fluids and filters that you can, in order to establish a baseline so you know when to change them next. You got a new battery and a fresh oil change, which is an excellent start. I would at least look at the air filter to see if it's OK, but if you have the time and money, it wouldn't hurt to replace that along with the cabin air filter, and also drain the coolant and refill with fresh new coolant. 65K km is relatively low so it's probably a bit early to recommend changing the transmission fluid. I would personally recommend replacing the spark plugs because it's close enough for replacement time and when they fail they can cause starting issues or misfires. You may want to consider replacing the coils too but that's probably overkill as it may be too soon. Maybe some others can share their opinion of that, but based on my experience with OEM coils and the fact that replacements are around $20 (USD) each I'd rather just replace them and have one less thing to be concerned about.
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12-19-2018, 10:16 PM	#3
geokilla New Member 2 Rep 21 Posts Drives: 2018 Volkswagen GTI Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada iTrader: (0)	I'll check that out next time I see her. The funny thing is that prior to taking the vehicle to the mechanic, there were no air bag and seat belt light on the dash. I wonder if something randomly got disconnected as you said. The sunroof was left open over the summer which according to my friend damaged the iDrive controller. Her own mechanic removed the controller from the car and forgot about it, and since I know Bimmex is very reputable in the GTA, I took her BMW to them. She herself doesn't know much about cars so I'm helping her out and teaching her. I'll get the dealer to take a look at the AC belt and belt tensioner as well when the car goes in for the recall. It doesn't hurt to get a second opinion as long as we don't have to pay an inspection fee. I'm currently downloading the latest version of the navigation maps for the vehicle and I see CIC and NBT get mentioned. What's CIC and NBT? I'm still browsing around forums during my spare time at work so that's going to be of my next thing to do on her vehicle. There seems to be an iDrive update too on the BMW USA website, but this is a Canadian car. Would there be an issue? The update is VIN verified. Thanks for your advice!
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12-20-2018, 07:26 AM	#4
mecheng77 Colonel 1006 Rep 2,243 Posts Drives: 2007 328i / 2014 M235i Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Ontario Canada iTrader: (0) Garage List [0.00] [0.00]	Don't worry about the spark plugs, they are good for 160,000km. If you check your turn signal stalk there is a button to review the service schedule. I have 115,000km on my original plugs and the car runs perfectly. It is better to wait so that if a coil fails you can do both at the same time, no need to overmaintain these cars. There is also a service reminder for the oil which lists the interval at 20,000km, IMO that is too long, I would use 12-16,000km. You have to be idling to view the service menu. As for the belt, as the previous poster stated, the belt is prone to breaking but only if it has been soaked with oil at some point. It also doesn't track properly because of weak tensioner so replace the tensioner and bolt too. Yes I would change the air filter and break fluid if the menu indicates, at 100,000km change the trans fluid. other than that, Drive and have fun!
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12-20-2018, 07:49 AM	#5
geokilla New Member 2 Rep 21 Posts Drives: 2018 Volkswagen GTI Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada iTrader: (0)	Just called the BMW specialist and told them that the air bag and seat belt light didn't come on till after the car was picked up on Saturday afternoon. I remember because I drove the car on Friday for a good hour and there were no lights on the dash. Unless the previous owner managed to hide the codes and now they came back?
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12-20-2018, 09:26 PM	#6
geokilla New Member 2 Rep 21 Posts Drives: 2018 Volkswagen GTI Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada iTrader: (0)	Got the code scanned and it's a 93B2. I guess when they replaced the battery something went wrong. Last edited by geokilla; 12-21-2018 at 08:52 AM..
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12-21-2018, 04:22 PM	#7
PhaseP Colonel 1007 Rep 2,108 Posts Drives: 325XI Join Date: May 2010 Location: Earth iTrader: (0)	https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1077369
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12-26-2018, 11:14 PM	#8
geokilla New Member 2 Rep 21 Posts Drives: 2018 Volkswagen GTI Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada iTrader: (0)	Hmm looks like the transmission isn't shifting too smoothly sometimes at low speeds. I haven't driven it lately so I can't really remember at what gear this occurs but I wonder if the transmission fluid needs to be replaced? I read spark plugs and coils may have an effect too.
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