what's up guys!

dealer told me today i have to replace air bag control unit/module, they're trying to charge me an arm/leg, but i found a used unit on ebay for $70 so i figured i'd do it myself, any great tips to get to it would be great..do i really need to remove both front seat/rear to get to it? i read somewhere that its in front of the e-brake? Thanks in advance

 

You might not like my method, but here goes: I removed the driver's seat, the handbrake surround and the front shifter surround/cup holders. I then cut the carpet in a straight line right down the center from the shifter edge to the handbrake edge. I pulled it back until I could get my wrench on the nuts and swapped it out. I then used weatherstrip adhesive to glue the carpet back together. 2 years later the cut is nearly invisible.

 

Yup, slit the carpet down the center from the console to shifter, then just peel it back to get the 3 nuts.

You might not like this....but i'm almost 100 percent certain that a used airbag module will throw codes because they're not married to the rest of the car. AKA vin mismatch......

The ONLY way around it is either a new one, or find a place that specializes in refurbishing your old one.

 

I used a service I found via eBay to reset my module. Very happy with the results.

 

hi all,

my airbag unit is defected and needs to be replace andthe dealer is charging me over $700 to replace it. I bought a used unit for $70 and would to do it myself. any tips? or do i really need to tear out all the seats and carpet?

thanks in advance for any feedbacks!

 

but can't the unit be reset by the dealer? after all, the tech that told me the wrong also advised me that i can find a used one from a junk yard so i'm assuming it is resettlable? since he did give me the option of finding a used one?

 

NOTE: all of the following is only in my humble opinion: I don't know if the module is tied to the car's VIN. Yes, the dealer should be able to reset the module. In fact, I think you can do it yourself, by getting the proper OBD cable and Ediabas or other program. There is also a BMW airbag-specific diagnostic and reset tool called "Memoscan" which I used to turn my light off after discovering a deployed seatbelt tensioner.
AFAIK, the module will accept 3 resets, storing those codes, before it becomes inoperable.
No animals were harmed in the making of this reply.

 

Um

 

Duplicate threads merged.

 

yea sorry about that, i didn't realized i posted it...i just finished swappin the motor which got my head spinning from the $_$ i was losing hahahaa..but thanks all for posting, i'm going going the route of slitting the carpet, i don't car for it much...i'm sure its minimal as you guys mention.