E46 drivers side seat belt tensioner

[e46_325i]

Hey all, some help needed here...

My airbag light recently came on, upon plugging the car in at a mates workshop, it showed up as the drivers side seat belt tentioner error, we reset the fault and the light went off... Happy times or so i thought, its come back on after 3 weeks and now trying to clear the fault does not work it just stays on...

So the tentioner needs to be replaced, can anyone give me an idea of what im in for here, price of part, is it a huge mission to sort out... does it need to go to a BMW dealership?

I hate any red lights permanently on!... so i wanna sort it out quickly!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Sankekur]

Its not that hard to get used to the red light being on all the time :mmm:

You might be able to find a decent one from a scrap yard (but is is not always the best idea to electrical items especially these kind from a scrap yard).

I don't think it will be too much of a mission to replace it (I have never done this myself), but I would recommend removing the old one and inspecting it before buying a replcement, as there might just be a small problem with it like a loose wire or something that can be fixed.

 

[netercol]

this is a common fault in bmw systems apparently, because the wiring runs under the seat, and moves every time the seat gets moved.

check the wiring first, might be open circuit or shorted, or connectors not making contact. i fixed an exact fault like this on my gf's mini cooper by cleaning the plug under the seat's contacts and replugging..

i would put money on it being a connector not making contact, especially since the fault came and went before..

PS!! just thought of this, remember not to put power on the ignition side of the circuit, (the tensioner itself) , even a multi meter might supply enough current to trigger it!

 

[e46_325i]

awesome thanks for the help... will look at those things first!

Hopefully its just something simple like that!

 

[e46_325i]

hey there, some feedback,

i had this fixed last week and Netercol was right, apparently in the plug under the seat resistance builds up and causes the fault code to be thrown, the guy who fixed is an ex E46 mechanic @ BMW and said it was a typical problem. Quick something something under the seat, plug in the code reader and bang... no more air bag light! no parts replaced etc etc :excited: :thumbsup:

I often get into E46's at work and see that little red bas%*rd proudly showing itself off on the cluster... wonder how often it is those damn plugs under the seats!

Hope this helps some of you!