Airbag light is on due to this Passenger Seat Mat Occupancy Sensor and was quoted $1500 from the Mini Dealer to replace! This really sucks because i just bought this Mini and i totally messed up! Is there an easier fix for this problem? I know on ebay theres a dude that sells a bypass unit and it says its for the R50 model but i have 2007 R56. I messaged him and he said it will work for the R56 as well so i just wanted to see if anyone else has done this repair or any suggestions!?

Ebay Link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110986540521...S:1123&vxp=mtr

Also found these guys that offer a remedy for this issue:

http://www.bimtronics.com/index.html

 

Why are you wanting to bypass an arguably needed safety device?
Get it repaired right the first time.

If you bought the car used from a dealer, do you fall into their return or unsatisfied stipulations?

- Erik

 

This bypass sensor is to let the seat think there is always a passenger sitting so it deploys in an accident. It supposedly can fix the fault for the airbag light but just wanted to see if anyone here has done it on a r56. It does the same purpose as replacing the sensor but its 70% cheaper. I bought it as is, the seller moved to freaken canada.

 

Plenty of people have. There are quite a few minis on other forms with aftermarket seats. The same thing is used to run without a light.

 

$1500!?

I suggest you search local ads in your area, and find replacement seat(s) for your MINI... I got a full JCW leather/cloth set (front and rear) on KIJIJI for $600, in hope to do the custom modification and swap, only to sell them 2 months after for a profit of $250...
Trust me, just look for the used seat and do the swap of the whole seat or just the sensor assembly in the seat. Any reputable upholstery shop can do that for a fair price...
All together, with "new" used seat, and sensor swap at the pro shop it should be waaaaaaay cheaper than $1500. And you will have OEM set up, with no bypass sensors...

Greeting from "freaken" Canada!

 

This assumes the sensor is even bad.
The first step in debugging is to "wiggle the wires".
I am actually a professional debugger lol

The dealer said I needed a new airbag, $800.
It just needed the wires wiggled, and the light reset.

Undo the sensor and clean the contacts and make sure you
have good contact when you put it back on. I often use
that electric grease just a dab.

Reset the light. I keep saying on this forum - this is not a car
to own (any German/English car) without the ability to reset
the warning lights. Get the bavtech tool.

This might solve your problem and if it does not you still have the tool.

I've had/my wife had now four German/English cars in six years.
These lights go off ALL the time over nothing.

 

Thanks for input guys! I am going to make an attempt for the "wiggle approach!" Is there any vendors out there that do sell this bypass sensor for specifically the R56?
Thanks

 

This passenger seat sensor is obviously a design flaw. The seats purpose is to house a passenger and as well to activate a safety feature should an accident occur. If Cooper's stance is to make the repair a financial nightmare, then perhaps a few deaths will awaken its conscience. As long as a bypass does not jeopardize the safety of any passenger, then it is the best solution for all. I will take this route once I've checked the wiring via my wiggle tool. Luck to all!

 

I did some research and this guy on ebay says his unit will also work on the R56 models even tho his ad says R50. He has pretty good feedback so maybe i should take the gamble? This is all i found, unless someone else knows a different model somewhere?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110986540521...S:1123&vxp=mtr

 

Do not buy that. Waste of money.

 

You think its fake or something!?

 

No it is a waste of money because the part you need is probably less then ten bucks.

 

No. The 2005+ passenger mat has an embedded microcontroller and communicates with the airbag module over a digital bus.

 

Yep and all you need to do is fool it into thinking there is someone it the seat at all times

 

Then what is your alternative solution? I don't anybody will develop a digital emulator and sell it for under $10.

 

Go search other mini forms that have more modified minis. It's on there. I'm too busy to look.

 

I won't let you off that easy. This issue has gone on for years and I've been following it.

The only successful solutions I've seen are program it out in the computer, or connect a working sensor mat. Some installing aftermarket seats have even resorted to removing the mat and putting it under the seat. The emulator mentioned here is the first I've seen that claims to work with the 2005+ US spec OC3 mat.

Seriously, if you know a solution, a lot of people are interested.

 

I cant find the thread that had the info in there. Let me go look at my car. it will be a bit.

 

ok so here you go. This little box is the controller for the seat stuff. One of the wires goes to the seat sensor. Now get a couple resistors and a diode and you will make it look like someone is sitting in it. Have fun figuring out what ohm the resisters need to be and which way the diode goes.

 

LOL im guessing the dude i found on ebay figured it out one day and decided to cash in on his findings! He wants $130 and said that since his device is tricking the system to believing someone is sitting it will also trigger the seatbelt indicator to come on, he said he is including the device to bypass that as well. Sounds too good to be true...

 

Well his little box could plug into the main harness you see there are convince the seat of everything.

 

No, it is known that resistors and diodes won't work for the sensor mat. A digital signal comes out of the sensor mat. That's why everybody has had problems trying to bypass it.

Here's a photo of an actual sensor mat, by firehawk618 from this thread: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t-no-more.html

Unfortunately the original photos in that thread are no longer available. I was able to grab the thumbnail from Google's cache.

You can see that the mat has an electronic circuit. It has a microcontroller that sends digital information to the airbag module. You must emulate this circuit to bypass the sensor mat.

The box under the seat you are referring to is just a junction box for connectors, not a controller module.

 

Then that is the circuit that you have to connect stuff to. I don't know what or how but I saw a thread about it. I don't really do electronics. But if that guy did it its possible. Buy that box. Open it and see whats inside.

 

I think rkw is right, this emulator may just work for the older Coopers even tho the seller is claiming it will work on the R56. Im pretty sure he has no idea about the US Spec Mat Sensors. It would be nice if we knew anyone that had attempted to use his emulator but doesnt look like anyone has bought it.

It looks like it would work if you emulate the circuit with that NCS Software. Less expensive than buying that emulator anyways. Have you done this before rkw? Im in the East Bay and would loooooooove it if someone could help me!

 

The picture I saw was a circuit board with a couple wires coming off it that has stuff soldiered to it. Who knows what is is now.