K-Bus down !!!

[kanewesley]

Marti,

Not heard of that one with the steering column....heard of plenty of LCM replacements. which seems to be the favourite

Greydog

The kid at the garage didnt get anywhere.....every time he tried to access the LCM module, he got so far into it then it threw him out. (£60)

His last words were to get a 2nd hand LCM and He would replace it and try again to program it up to the car.

Has anyone had the same issues as me and had success by replacing the LCM....
IS it do-able to replace it with a 2nd hand module and get it programmed up?

Thanks

[Greydog]

Well it seems you have at least narrowed it down to the LCM. I believe that when BMW say "coding" to the car they mean entering the Vin (last 7 digits) and Mileage to be stored in the LCM. BMW will tell you you can only do this with a shiny new unit from their stores, they of course say you can't re-use a second hand unit. They are wrong, assuming you're using a second hand one if you don't correct the Vin and Mileage t you will get a tamper dot in the mileage window, just make certain you get the right one for your car.
Not all LCM units allow all functions that your car may have

[kanewesley]

Would you believe it !!!

So today, I thought I would rip up the carpets and get the number off the LCM to chase up a replacement.
That done and photographed, I thought I'd just have a final look around with BMW scanner.

Switch on ignition, start scanning,. . . almost towards the end of the first page and the radio and video screen burst into life !
Checked indicator etc all flashing green arrows on the binnacle again !
When the scan was complete there were still all the modules missing as at the beginning of this trail.
I clicked on each one individually and almost every one was back in communication again.
Strange thing, the LCM (which we thought was buggered) WASN'T !!! back in communication...still module not found.

At this point everything packed up again.

Started BMW scanner up and did a full scan and a full "clear errors"
Most modules now back online , including LCM and just about everything working.
And thats where its remained all day .

Two modules are now not found, ABS and VID.
Things now missing are the TV (no telly) but have got radio, sat nav. etc.
Television has completely disappeared off the screen listing.
Also missing is the data displayed when you press and scroll through with the end of the indicator stalk.
i.e. no consumption, stopwatch, time, fuel miles left etc etc.
there is none of that information on the Vid. display nor is it displayed on the 2nd line of the Binnacle under the mileage.

Lastly...on the BMW scanner page, every module has numbers after it for example :

DDE 7.8000.131 hw: 10 sw: 172
EWS 6.988. 104 hw: 05 sw: 02
ABS <not found> ***** (and greyed out)
IKE 6.979.580 hw: 27 sw: 23

LCM F.FFF.F42 hw: 05 sw: 77 < < < < LOOK At THIS*****

RAD 6.976.963 hw: 04 sw: 43
TEL 6.963.758 hw: 50 sw: 28
VID <not found > ****** (and greyed out)

ETC.
ETC.
ETC

Why would ABS and VID be greyed out and not found?
Why has the LCM got these hexidecimal FFFF's in place of numbers (coincidentally it was this module the the guy at the garage was trying to access and reprogram)
And what is hw and sw ???

[kanewesley]

...and what are the numbers what are listed immediately after each module title

e.g DDE 7.8000.131 hw: 10 sw: 172

??

[Greydog]

OK so the lad at the garage achieved something, I am wondering if there is something in the wiring in the area of the LCM that given a "shake up" is in contact again. Having suffered weird behavior I would check the earth point near the LCM
The numbers are Part Number then HW hardware version and SW software version

Well a little step not sure if your forward or sideways though

[kanewesley]

Yes I also thought perhaps I had wiggled a wire and remade a connection.

But because the TV signal has gone,....I wondered if it was owt to do with the video module.
Looking on NewTIS, the vid module is located very close to the battery.

When I first removed the battery to take it off the car, there was quite a pool of smelly dark / black liquid under the battery.
It may have come from the battery because the overflow pipe from the battery was not in position and this water generated by the battery didnt drain away.

I wondered if this has affected the video module as it is located so close to the battery.

If the vid module went down it would probably have taken with it all that is shared on the I-Bus.

With this recent very hot weather and with my boot carpet still out, I wondered if things on the vid module were starting to "dry out" and gradually allow the modules to be restored.

The LCD display screen does momentarily flicker now and again.

Also, as Marti mentioned earlier in this trail, the passenger vanity light is not lit up !!

[X5Sport]

Water in that area can also be a sign of blocked roof drains or a leaking rear light. Unfortunately there are a lot of key electrics in that area too, none of which go well with water. If the PCBs get corroded then that generally means they need replacing as power on a module can cause internal shorts. Getting them all out and drying them may help, as can application of waterproofing sprays, but no guarantees. A lot depends upon how long they were dunked for and how deep the water was.

[Greydog]

+ 1with X5 Sport
Any water in that area is a potential disaster TV/Video unit Radio BM54, PDC
After the wet winter if there are any leaks or drains blocked it will have found them out.

[kanewesley]

I agree but plugged into the battery there is a 4mm plastic drain pipe which leads to outside the car.

The pipe had come out of the battery side and so any moisture generated by the battery (whatever that might be) seems to have come out of the hole in the battery side and just run down the battery side and stewed under the battery.

I dont think there is a inlet water leak.

As the vid module is so close to the battery I wondered if any humidity from this leaked battery dischrge could have contaminated the vid module.

Bit picky I know but these x5's are so delicate and fragile

It's the worst car I've ever had TBH.

As soon as it's right it's going.

I had a 2002 Frontera Olympus Ltd. Edition for 12 years and it was great never a moments bother even though bucket mouth Jeremy Clakson give them a bad name.

This X5 isnt even in the same league for reliability.

I've must agree with many others that while a brand new one may be great for a while....(and expensive) buy a 2nd hand one and your buying trouble (and expensive)

[Greydog]

The vapor from the battery is acidic and explosive !! So much better the vent is connected.
If it has been off for awhile it could well be the culprit.
The X5 E53 was BMW's first stab at the SUV 4x4 market and as with many manufacturers I fear that what started with good design and engineering was compromised by the bean counters. So many parts come out of the 5 series bin but are on a car twice the weight?
However, my experience is that most "fragile" areas can be improved for little additional cost over standard parts. Some areas chain guides in the V8 engines need special additional help but can be supported.
First weak point suspension bushes they can be upgraded to Poly bushes front and rear as standard stuff only lasts about 50 or 60k.
Rear air suspension is simple and if serviced, reliable with plenty of parts available (Range Rover use the same system)
V8 chain guides (i have suffered a major fail here) So I fitted a pre oiling system to give oil pressure at key turn, and to tempt fate am now over 150k.
The car is used daily it occasionally tows a horse trailer and is in the muddy stuff quite a lot in the winter. Last MOT 1 advisory chipped windscreen. So my feeling is once you take care of the fragile bits which you have done it seems you will have. You should have a reliable car. The entertainment system radio/nav/TV/bluetooth was never BMW's best effort and after putting a Dynavin in my 4.4 if any of the OEM bits in the 4.6 go that is the route I will go again and sell the good parts to re-coup cost