BMW E91 335i Touring, Le Mans Blue
Discussion
What. A. Bloody. Day. Today.
Auto locksmith 1. Said he'd be out 3-4. 4 passes, not a whisper. Text. Call (twice) 6 comes and goes, text him to say not to bother. FINALLY find someone who can come out. Odds of getting in diminishing the longer he's out, Car has deadlocked itself. Finally, taped the key to a rod, airbag prized the door ajar, gets key in ignition, gets one window open. WE'RE f
kING IN!!!!!
9.00. Due at friends for 6.45am tomorrow to head to Malvern for PH Morgan day. 5.30am alarm for 6.15 depart to get to his. Beer opened, sleeping tablets taken. Wondering what the juddering fk to do next to sort out this bd central locking.
Oh well, it was after all the cheapest 335i Touring in the land. In the best colour. Keep telling yourself that Robby, when you think of the £2600 you've put in to the bloody thing so far.
Auto locksmith 1. Said he'd be out 3-4. 4 passes, not a whisper. Text. Call (twice) 6 comes and goes, text him to say not to bother. FINALLY find someone who can come out. Odds of getting in diminishing the longer he's out, Car has deadlocked itself. Finally, taped the key to a rod, airbag prized the door ajar, gets key in ignition, gets one window open. WE'RE f
kING IN!!!!! 9.00. Due at friends for 6.45am tomorrow to head to Malvern for PH Morgan day. 5.30am alarm for 6.15 depart to get to his. Beer opened, sleeping tablets taken. Wondering what the juddering f
k to do next to sort out this bd central locking.Oh well, it was after all the cheapest 335i Touring in the land. In the best colour. Keep telling yourself that Robby, when you think of the £2600 you've put in to the bloody thing so far.
I feel your pain with this one, seems like a real rabbit hole of dead ends trying to solve it.
Did you ever get the manual lock working off the key? I wonder if it would be worth temporarily disconnecting the driver's door lock motor and just use the key on that one while you're trying to get to the bottom of the issue. A bit of a pain but at least you won't need a locksmith to get into the car!
Did you ever get the manual lock working off the key? I wonder if it would be worth temporarily disconnecting the driver's door lock motor and just use the key on that one while you're trying to get to the bottom of the issue. A bit of a pain but at least you won't need a locksmith to get into the car!
CAS and FRM are both involved in central locking. CAS deals with all the security side, remote control etc, and sends the signal to the FRM to perform the unlock (the locking motors in the doors are connected to the FRM).
CAS tends to be quite reliable from what I can tell, the downside is that if you need to replace it it's a lot more complex than the FRM as the security codes etc are synchronised to other modules like the DME. You can just swap a new one in and default code with NCS Expert.
CAS tends to be quite reliable from what I can tell, the downside is that if you need to replace it it's a lot more complex than the FRM as the security codes etc are synchronised to other modules like the DME. You can just swap a new one in and default code with NCS Expert.
pmorg4 said:
CAS and FRM are both involved in central locking. CAS deals with all the security side, remote control etc, and sends the signal to the FRM to perform the unlock (the locking motors in the doors are connected to the FRM).
CAS tends to be quite reliable from what I can tell, the downside is that if you need to replace it it's a lot more complex than the FRM as the security codes etc are synchronised to other modules like the DME. You can just swap a new one in and default code with NCS Expert.
Fair enough. Sounds like it needs to be plugged into ISTA / INPA to have a good ferret around to see what’s going on. CAS tends to be quite reliable from what I can tell, the downside is that if you need to replace it it's a lot more complex than the FRM as the security codes etc are synchronised to other modules like the DME. You can just swap a new one in and default code with NCS Expert.
Court_S said:
Fair enough. Sounds like it needs to be plugged into ISTA / INPA to have a good ferret around to see what’s going on.
If it was my car that's definitely what I'd be doing, reading sensor inputs, activating components and potentially also isolating individual components by disconnecting them one by one etc. It can be a real slog trying to track this kind of issue down but you have to be methodical and persistent in your approach Fermit said:
Thanks all, some useful points raised. I'll reply further tomorrow, I'm shattered after a 6am start, for the 2 hour drive to Morgan. Luckily the friend is fully comp any car, so he drove mine on the way down.
Good stuff. Hope you had a good day; I really enjoyed my visit there last summer.
Right, an update. Firstly, TY all for the advice RE the module to look to replace, to hopefully sort the lights not turning off/windows operating without being told to. Will 100% refer back to this info in due course. And at Sam/Court_s, yes, we all enjoyed Morgan, especially so my friends 10 year old lad (who also had a ride out in a three wheeler)
The auto-electrician came out yesterday, to finish a previous job. Basically there is a very small nipple which meets the boot release button which had come away. All now secured in place, and we have a working boot, and split tailgate. But, on occasions the split tailgate is opening when we operate the rear wash wipe. I installed a new release button myself (the button on the rear of the wiper) not long after purchase, so could the answer be that I need to re-visit this, checking no wires are touching etc, and maybe solder them in place?
Also, whilst we have central locking now, I'm distrusting it. On occasions It will lock, but during/just after the process there will be a firing type noise, the noise you'd expect a lock/unlock/lock/unlock taking place in quick succession. Will this mean that in all likelihood the second hand actuator I bought is a duff, and I need to look for a new one? As it stands we're leaving the car unlocked overnight, which is hardly ideal, but neither is having to pay someone to break in to the car, standing around in the freezing cold waiting to get in to it.
This car is beginning to test my patience now, it has to be said!
The auto-electrician came out yesterday, to finish a previous job. Basically there is a very small nipple which meets the boot release button which had come away. All now secured in place, and we have a working boot, and split tailgate. But, on occasions the split tailgate is opening when we operate the rear wash wipe. I installed a new release button myself (the button on the rear of the wiper) not long after purchase, so could the answer be that I need to re-visit this, checking no wires are touching etc, and maybe solder them in place?
Also, whilst we have central locking now, I'm distrusting it. On occasions It will lock, but during/just after the process there will be a firing type noise, the noise you'd expect a lock/unlock/lock/unlock taking place in quick succession. Will this mean that in all likelihood the second hand actuator I bought is a duff, and I need to look for a new one? As it stands we're leaving the car unlocked overnight, which is hardly ideal, but neither is having to pay someone to break in to the car, standing around in the freezing cold waiting to get in to it.
This car is beginning to test my patience now, it has to be said!
Court_S said:
I think you need to see someone with ISTA / INPA to check that all of the modules are working properly. It will hopefully pin point where the issue is.
Zed can do that as can the other chap in Brum. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone closer to you.
Ah, sorry Sam. I'd considered that the windows doing their own random thing/ headlights not reverting to off was going to be caused by something different to whatever ensure that when you lock it it stays locked. Zed can do that as can the other chap in Brum. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone closer to you.
I have given Zed a shout, have been waiting him getting back to me. If in the mean time I don't hear from him, would these people likely be up to the task?
https://martinwrightltd.co.uk/bmw-mini-specialist-...
http://bmwspecialistuk.com/
Fermit said:
The auto-electrician came out yesterday, to finish a previous job. Basically there is a very small nipple which meets the boot release button which had come away. All now secured in place, and we have a working boot, and split tailgate. But, on occasions the split tailgate is opening when we operate the rear wash wipe. I installed a new release button myself (the button on the rear of the wiper) not long after purchase, so could the answer be that I need to re-visit this, checking no wires are touching etc, and maybe solder them in place?
I'd check the wires from the switch to be sure you don't have a short that is resulting when the wiper moves. You shouldn't need to solder anything, assuming you bought a new switch with the connector attached, it should just plug straight in. As long as the wiring is routed correctly I can't see how the wiper would affect it, but it's definitely worth checking for any signs of chafing. The other possible cause of such strange behaviour is damage to the wiring in the boot hinge, but I believe you've already had this sorted?Fermit said:
Also, whilst we have central locking now, I'm distrusting it. On occasions It will lock, but during/just after the process there will be a firing type noise, the noise you'd expect a lock/unlock/lock/unlock taking place in quick succession. Will this mean that in all likelihood the second hand actuator I bought is a duff, and I need to look for a new one? As it stands we're leaving the car unlocked overnight, which is hardly ideal, but neither is having to pay someone to break in to the car, standing around in the freezing cold waiting to get in to it.
That does sound like an actuator that might be struggling a little. The system can sense when an actuator hasn't fully completed its travel, which then results in a "bounce". Does it only happen with that actuator connected? I assume you still don't have the key working, otherwise I'd recommend using it as a fall-back option.Fermit said:
This car is beginning to test my patience now, it has to be said!
I think I'd be quite similar to be honest, and I'm quite comfortable working with electronics, wiring, volt/current/resistance meters and INPA/ISTA! Unfortunately these are quite complex cars despite now being 15+ years old, and it can be tricky pinpointing the root cause of sporadic issues. I can only imagine newer stuff is going to be significantly worse when it gets to this age.Fermit said:
Ah, sorry Sam. I'd considered that the windows doing their own random thing/ headlights not reverting to off was going to be caused by something different to whatever ensure that when you lock it it stays locked.
I have given Zed a shout, have been waiting him getting back to me. If in the mean time I don't hear from him, would these people likely be up to the task?
https://martinwrightltd.co.uk/bmw-mini-specialist-...
http://bmwspecialistuk.com/
No experience of them but they both mention FRM repair / replacement so definitely worth a shot. I have given Zed a shout, have been waiting him getting back to me. If in the mean time I don't hear from him, would these people likely be up to the task?
https://martinwrightltd.co.uk/bmw-mini-specialist-...
http://bmwspecialistuk.com/
Might be worth posting in the BMW / Midlands sub-forums to see if there are any real world experiences of them both.
The easiest and cheapest fix was sorted today. For some reason, god knows why, last week I thought that I'd never sounded the horn. Ergo, I pressed it, no sound, just a faint 'click click' from the fuse box. I did a bit of research, and concluded fuse 57/5amp controls the horn, and pictured below is my fuse box, with the slot which carries fuse 57 (circled in pink, lower left rows) empty.
one fuse bought from the local auto parts store for 50p, some of my wifes tweezers used to perform placing the tiniest fuse in to the tiniest gap, and voila, 'beep beep!'
one fuse bought from the local auto parts store for 50p, some of my wifes tweezers used to perform placing the tiniest fuse in to the tiniest gap, and voila, 'beep beep!'
Edited by Fermit on Tuesday 10th October 19:04
Edited by Fermit on Tuesday 10th October 19:20
SJfW said:
New to the thread, just wanted to say: Le Mans blue touring with style 193s, delete the chrome grill and that’s close to perfect 
Do you mean MV3? (alloys) These need a straighten and refurb, but I love them. The grill won't be changed for a black one or similar, my intention is to keep the car (stylistically) standard. It's a slippery slope, change one thing, then another etc etc, and before you know it you're featuring on the 'badly modified' thread 
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