Hi all,
My first post, and unfortunately its not under the best circumstances.
I bought my pride and joy last July, a 2005 e90 325i SE auto with idrive pro and black leather sport seats at 53,200 miles. I'm totally in love with her, and having upgraded from a basic 2008 Ford KA, you can imagine the smile on my face when I was driving her home for the first time
I'm currently having a complete nightmare with the traction control system, which is quite frankly ruining "the ultimate driving experience", and I was hoping someone could shed some light on the subject...
Here's a hopefully not too longwinded history on the problem...
Started back in September time, was doing around 85-90 mph on the motorway (dry conditions) with cruise control on. 30 miles in I get a bong and the ABS DBC and brake warning lights, cruise control has failed, drive off assist inactive and run flat monitor failed. I pull over to a service station and and perform an emergency stop to test the breaking. Hey presto the faults all clear and everything is back to normal.
Cut to late November, i'm at Centerparcs with the family and leave the car sitting in very cold conditions for 5 days, when go to collect her, the DSC is flashing around slow corners and at low speeds going straight, condition btw are wet but not raining. This is all inside the parks premises where the speed limit is 5mph... I think nothing of it... Then on the motorway its a repeat of September. This time the emergency stop trick doesn't work and the lights don't disappear. So, I called the RAC to see if see if they could shed any light on the subject, I also wanted the lights clearing as I was very nervous about driving another 150 miles with no ABS. RAC reads the codes and comes up with rear right wheel speed sensor power supply intermittent. RAC clears the codes and everything is back to normal for the journey home (bar a few flashes of the DSC light at low speeds). I book the car into my local Indy...
That week the car goes into garage, unfortunately the RAC cleared all the fault codes, so there was nothing the Indy to diagnose. They kept it for a day and surmised that the battery was on its way out, which made sense as speed sensor issue was power related. An OEM battery is fitted, as well as two new rear tyres. Car drives fine with no probs for approx. one week.
Following weekend, all hell breaks loose. The DSC is flashing like crazy, at one point causing the car to come to a complete stop! I get so sick of this I hold down the DTC button and turn the DSC off completely and drive fine and smoothly for 3 miles, and bong! ABS DBC and break lights on again, this time I can turn them of with an emergency break. The drive home is accompanied by the flashing DSC light, this time its particularly severe over humps. Back to the Indy, this time with stored codes...
That Monday, they diagnosed that the rear left speed sensor has completely failed and replace with new one, they test drive it for me and all seems fine, they do warn me however that I have a slow puncture on my front drivers side wheel. Whats interesting here is that they found the rear left sensor to have failed, back in November, the RAC had seen problems with right... Its now mid Dec 2013.
Cut to Boxing day and the car has been driving better than ever thanks to the new sensor, however, when I was doing 70mph on the motorway the DSC flutters again, this time, I choose to ignore it.
Since then the DSC has been flashing intermittently, and I've put it down to the new tyres bedding in, also i've factored in that fronts are a different brand to the back (back are conti sport contact 2, fronts are firestone). However its well over 500miles since I got the backs, and with the exception of the slow puncture the fronts are fine with plenty of tred.
This weekend the DSC has gone completely mental again, rendering car undrivable, flashing DSC at both high and low speeds, and also on slow cornering, so, again, I switch off the DSC resulting in the bong, with the ABS, DBC and break warning lights, this time cured by restarting the car and not the emergency break trick. By now this these warnings have only been triggered independently once, the only time these warnings come on is when I turn the DSC off. This brings us to the present and I have the following questing to those who have felt my pain.
1. By what I have described above do you think its the hydro pump? If it is, whats my best option, BMW repair kit or ECU testing refurb? Do the ABS DSC warning lights have to unremovable/permanent for it to have failed?
2. Does this sound like it could be another wheel speed sensor? Possibly the rear right? I have access to trade price parts, is it easy to fit myself?
3. Is this anything to do with my odd tyre set up? (different back to fronts, plus slow puncture). I'm reluctant to get new fronts and i'm always making sure the slow puncture is topped up with air. Even when it is topped up, the DSC still flashes.
4. Does anyone know any good indys in the London area that has experience in getting this sorted.
5. I've read a lot of very helpful posts relating to the above but have never found anyone to have the same specific symptoms as I have had, if anyone has, I would love to here how you got this sorted!
Sorry for the mega long post, any help would be massively appreciated. Once this is resolved I will finally be able to enjoy this car!!! I really want to start modding but I want the problems to be sorted first!
Cheers
Mo