i have a 2004 mcs. airbag light came on. took it to the dealer because from what i read it was a very good chance that it was the seat harness.

well i got the call from the dealer and he said that its not the seat harness and i have a bad battery cable. they want 1300 dollars to fix.

this is a joke.
just to get my car back i have to pay the 180 diagnostic fee from them plugging a computer in my car. probably took 15 minutes.

Brecht bmw are criminals.

 

has anyone else had a BAD POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE?

 

Nope thats a new one to me. Run away find someone else to look at it

 

Was the car in an accident? If an airbag deplys, another bomb goes off which cuts the power to the motor and fuel pump, but keeps power to the interior and exterior lights. Pm sent on possible replacement.

It looks as if mine will not work for you. Realoem list price is $315. My car was stripped, so removal was pretty easy. Exhaust and heat shields will be in the way at the rear. The cable pass between the halves of the fuel tank, turns to the drivers side and ends up behind a bunch of things under the bonnet. Not a quick install.

 

that's insane for a cable install. sounds fishy.

 

So...how did a bad battery cable turn on an airbag light?
If you can find the "bad" spot...I assume the exterior of the cable is cut/slit/worn through...so a quick bit of some added insulatin, and some anti-chafe sleeve, a zip tie, and you should be good to go!!
If the cable is bad due to beaing cut due to chafeing...I would expect there to be sparks, etc, and other issues.

 

The cable in question has an incendiary devise attatched to it. Similar to the ones that make the airbags deploy. When triggered, usually as the result of an accident, it is rendered useless (just like a deployed airbag). Think of it like the brake pad wear sensors. When they trigger a light, they must be replaced (or shorted out). There is probably a way around this system, but since it is a safety device, I think that I would fix it.

 

Does the car still start/run?
There is a pyrotecnic device, the bomb, in the box that sits next to the battery...it dissconcts the battery in the event of an aibag deployment...there is actually more than 1 positive battery cable in the mini. One is unfused...it goes to the starter...the other goes to the fuse box.
If the pyrotecnic fuse/bomb has failed...I have been told, that the BMW repair kit for the rear battery bmw's will work on the mini...they just don't list a mini repair kit..but the same part is in both cars from what I have told.

 

Is there any more to this story motorhead? It sounds like what bean is saying is what your problem is. You're probably being charged all that money because of the labor involved. I'd find an independent MINI mechanic to do the work at a cheaper rate, or do it yourself, but then you'll still be stuck having to clear the airbag light once you're done.

 

here are some pics of the suspected wiring problem. i dont know what the owner of the car did before me. but it was in an accident.

what do i do with these wires? the wire im holding as some sort of resistor that ties it together. the yellow piece has 2 single wire coming out of it.

thanks any help is very appeciated

 

zippy- yes the car runs starts everything works perfect. all electrical things have power not a single issue.

 

mine threw an air bag code .Had a recall that was fixed out of warranty because it was a safety issue. The wire under the pass seat was too short.

 

Did you ask them WHY/HOW the battery cable was bad ?

Ask questions and keep asking until you get a satisfactory answer.......For 1,800.00 dollar repair I would want to see my car up on a lift and a BMW/MINI tech putting his little index finger on the problem area.

Absent all that, I would do what 03BRG suggested. Don't walk but run away from that dealership.

 

Are you still on your original battery? My 2003 (JUSTACOOPER though) would throw the airbag light but then usually go off again after warming (I thought). Turns out that it was going out after the battery fully charged. Even though the car started fine and no indication of a weak battery apparantly the airbag sensor is very sensitive to receiving full voltage. Light has never come on since replacing the battery. No resets or anything. Might consider...

 

I am thinking from the way it is described, that the pyro-technic device next to the battery has failed... Causeing the airbag light. It might have be bypassed....either way, ask for a better description of the problem, and part. That is $$$$ for a small part.
An independant BMW/mini shop might be a good bet, might save you 50%....and like I said, the box you are pointing, BMW sells a repair kit for other rear battery cars that will repair/replace the innards for a few hundread bucks...for some reason the kit does not appear in the mini parts listing...there was a thread on it a while back...
If it is the part you are pointing at...internaly there is an explosive charge that severs the wire that goes to the starter motor if the aibags are deployed...the wire to the starter motor is unfused...and a possible safety hazzard in an accident if dammaged...the other postive line has a fuse if sorts, and it goes to the regular fuse panel. Fusing a cable connected to a starter motor is difficult due to high amperage, and short duration...on airplanes we use current limiters, but they do start to fail, and require regular replacement as they fail...to avoid this, mini left it unfused.

 

There's a part labeled "B+ wire with SBK repair wire" that I wonder if it might be it: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...49&hg=61&fg=30

The 2 wires from the yellow piece connect to the airbag module. However, I don't know what you should do with it.

 

Has anyone here done the 2 ohm resistor "fix"?

After reading several threads on this and other forums regarding the battery cable - I'm considering trying placing a 2 ohm resistor where the two wires go into the yellow piece on the positive cable at the battery.

That is supposed to trick the SRS system into thinking you have a new cable.

The only downside is that in case of accident the battery won't auto disconnect.

Any thoughts?

 

I installed a 3.2 ohm resistor in place of the blown squib on the pos. battery cable.

That allowed me to reset the light airbag light on the dash.

 

Hello old post...
What wattage resistor are you guys using to trick the computer? I've seen them from .5 to 10 watts. Don't wanna do any more damage by guessing.

 

I used 5 watt 3.3 ohm resistor. That was the advice my father - a car stereo repair tech - gave me. Good luck.

 

coopspeed...how hard was it to replace the resistor?? And any issues since??
thanks

 

Depends on how neat you want it to look.

I soldered the connections and shrink wrapped the wires.

I sold the car with the resistor fix and explained it to the new owner.

 

where can i get the resistor?

 

i would like to know where i would by the resistor also, i have the same issue and the repair shop wants almost $900 to replace the complete battery cable and my car has never been wrecked.

 

I just got the light yesterday but my mechanic got it to turn off. You should be able to get the resister at Radio Shack.