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I think the front PDCs are playing up....sometimes....and your help would be welcome

Symptoms

Engage reverse gear and the PDC light comes on as expected.

Sometimes..(to be expected) .if a car or object is in front of me I get the FRONT TONE as a solid which turns to beeping as I back away

Somtimes....if there is no object in front of me when I engage reverse I get the FRONT TONE as a solid which stays on until I hit the button or drive away forward. Switching button on or off makes no difference as the note just comes back...when stationary that is

Somtimes....if there is no object in front of me when I press the button the light comes on as a solid front tone which stays on until I hit the button or drive away forward. Switching button on or off makes no difference as the note just comes back...when stationary that is

I have tried
Switching off and taking keys out (sometimes works but this may have been a fluke)
Wiping front sensors with clean wipes. I did back to black the bumpers but sure I didn't get any gel on them
Walking behind rear whilst offending signal is on...(it was tripped and in park) where i got alternating rear front tones

Only thing of note...front number plate is mildy flexed bent with a tiny bow due to whoever screwed it on before

It is dry too

Stumped....its the front too

With the sensors on put your ear close up to each one and listen for a ticking sound.If one is not ticking that is usually the faulty one.....i say usually as i have replaced them before and then thay have worked fine however mine are on the blink at the moment and have been for a while and other than changing the pdc module i have tried everything to get them sorted but have yet to do this

[quote=""x555""]With the sensors on put your ear close up to each one and listen for a ticking sound.If one is not ticking that is usually the faulty one.....i say usually as i have replaced them before and then thay have worked fine however mine are on the blink at the moment and have been for a while and other than changing the pdc module i have tried everything to get them sorted but have yet to do this [/quote]

seems I've joined the club....and it's the impossible front bumper too


So...even when it's making a solid tone inside the car I should be able to hear clicking from each one even if it thinks something's there?

Is the ticking very quiet>?

Its very odd as I'd have thought it just wouldn't work at all if one was a dud....but what do I know

[quote=""storminmike""][quote=""x555""]With the sensors on put your ear close up to each one and listen for a ticking sound.If one is not ticking that is usually the faulty one.....i say usually as i have replaced them before and then thay have worked fine however mine are on the blink at the moment and have been for a while and other than changing the pdc module i have tried everything to get them sorted but have yet to do this [/quote]

seems I've joined the club....and it's the impossible front bumper too sorry to hear that fella


So...even when it's making a solid tone inside the car I should be able to hear clicking from each one even if it thinks something's there? yes

Is the ticking very quiet>? yes but with your ear up close you can hear it (even if the neighbours think your nuts )

Its very odd as I'd have thought it just wouldn't work at all if one was a dud....but what do I know[/quote]The fronts and backs are two seperate set ups but if one front isn't working all fronts don't work but the sensors that still work will still tick/pulse

[quote=""x555""][quote=""storminmike""][quote=""x555""]With the sensors on put your ear close up to each one and listen for a ticking sound.If one is not ticking that is usually the faulty one.....i say usually as i have replaced them before and then thay have worked fine however mine are on the blink at the moment and have been for a while and other than changing the pdc module i have tried everything to get them sorted but have yet to do this [/quote]

seems I've joined the club....and it's the impossible front bumper too sorry to hear that fella


So...even when it's making a solid tone inside the car I should be able to hear clicking from each one even if it thinks something's there? yes

Is the ticking very quiet>? yes but with your ear up close you can hear it (even if the neighbours think your nuts )

Its very odd as I'd have thought it just wouldn't work at all if one was a dud....but what do I know[/quote]The fronts and backs are two seperate set ups but if one front isn't working all fronts don't work but the sensors that still work will still tick/pulse[/quote]



Okey dokey....saturday morning prowler mode engaged...at least on my drive anyway

Will remove front number plate too on the miracle off chance there is a shadow being cast.

Bet it works fine tommorow for a while (which it has done before). Guess if it's not conclusive (as it may be fine for a while) then its drive till it faults and the suffer the embarrasment of being a safe cracker with the ear at the roadside.

Shame there aint no sonic vibration sensor you can touch it wth to prove working other than the embarrasing ear

Thanks....will report back

forgot to follow

damn thing has worked perfectly ever since

I did take the precaution though of making sure the front number plate was falt against the mount as the previous owner had screwed it on. There was a tiny bulge before

[quote=""x555""][quote=""storminmike""][quote=""x555""]With the sensors on put your ear close up to each one and listen for a ticking sound.If one is not ticking that is usually the faulty one.....i say usually as i have replaced them before and then thay have worked fine however mine are on the blink at the moment and have been for a while and other than changing the pdc module i have tried everything to get them sorted but have yet to do this [/quote]

seems I've joined the club....and it's the impossible front bumper too sorry to hear that fella


So...even when it's making a solid tone inside the car I should be able to hear clicking from each one even if it thinks something's there? yes

Is the ticking very quiet>? yes but with your ear up close you can hear it (even if the neighbours think your nuts )

Its very odd as I'd have thought it just wouldn't work at all if one was a dud....but what do I know[/quote]The fronts and backs are two seperate set ups but if one front isn't working all fronts don't work but the sensors that still work will still tick/pulse[/quote]

UPDATE and a few pointers please if poss?

Everything was fine....for a while but the solid tone (the noise you get for the front) keeps on coming back

Never got the chance at the time to crawl around but messed with the number plate on another day

The problem sort of went away but came back intermittent again

I can't remember if it was raining but it was after some motorway miles

Well now that it's working again....I've just been crawling around listening to the ticking

WOW....you can hear them

REARS all four sound as loud as each other

FRONT - Centres sound loud, passenger a smidgen quieter, and drivers a little quiter still....not very scientific but that's what I heard


Base on the above The fronts and backs are two seperate set ups but if one front isn't working all fronts don't work but the sensors that still work will still tick/pulse

I will crawl round the front again as I think based on the front tone being solid when it goes wrong being the culprit(s) Still will go round the back too

Being a tad/smidgen quieter (opinons?) makes me ponder whether it's a corner one too

Can the front corners be got at without the bumper coming off??

PS it's a facelift


Thanks....Mike''''looking for the answer

Update on update

Well....backed off the drive...no problem....solid tone...to beeping to clear.....all good

Arrived at work drove forward into space...bushes to front and passenger side. Engaged reverse to adjust and of course beep beep beep tone due to presence of bushes....but the beep beep beep turned to beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

The solid beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep continued as I backed away from bushes.....damn

Jumped out of car

To front.....ALL FOUR were making clicking noises as described earlier.....strong middles....slightly weaker outsides

To the back....ALL FOUR were making clicking noises.... in fact as I got near the solid tone alternated between the FRONT NOISE and that which would be heard when near the back.

This to me says that the fault must be with the front system if the solid tone is the FRONT tone and can be added too or alternated by walking near the backs.

What is odd is that I expected to find a DUD....but I didn't...save for slightly weaker outsides

Damn thing worked fine when I got in it to go home

Is this moisture?
Is this the weaker edge sensors at the front?
Is this the control module?
Is this some sort of dead short?

Now getting annoyed.......any pointers welcome

[quote=""storminmike""]Update on update

Well....backed off the drive...no problem....solid tone...to beeping to clear.....all good

Arrived at work drove forward into space...bushes to front and passenger side. Engaged reverse to adjust and of course beep beep beep tone due to presence of bushes....but the beep beep beep turned to beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

The solid beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep continued as I backed away from bushes.....damn

Jumped out of car

To front.....ALL FOUR were making clicking noises as described earlier.....strong middles....slightly weaker outsides

To the back....ALL FOUR were making clicking noises.... in fact as I got near the solid tone alternated between the FRONT NOISE and that which would be heard when near the back.

This to me says that the fault must be with the front system if the solid tone is the FRONT tone and can be added too or alternated by walking near the backs.

What is odd is that I expected to find a DUD....but I didn't...save for slightly weaker outsides

Damn thing worked fine when I got in it to go home

Is this moisture?
Is this the weaker edge sensors at the front?
Is this the control module?
Is this some sort of dead short?

Now getting annoyed.......any pointers welcome [/quote]
Welcome to my world
BTW if it is the fronts you will have to take the bumper off or at least ease it forwards.
If i ever get around to updating my intravee so's it will scan the pdc's i will try that to see which one's at fault failing that i am going to replace my module at some stage and try that.

[quote=""x555""]If i ever get around to updating my intravee so's it will scan the pdc's[/quote]

Oi! That's top secret at the minute! Or was!

[quote=""Sanj""][quote=""x555""]If i ever get around to updating my intravee so's it will scan the pdc's[/quote]

Oi! That's top secret at the minute! Or was! [/quote]

May i remind you of your earlier chirpings

New features include, lock on placing auto in Park and new PDC info on OBD (all 8 PDC's show distance to obstruction in cms or inches). If you have folding mirror option as OEM, you have otions on folding and unfolding.

otherwise i would have kept shtum
Now when are you gonna pull your finger out and get this sorted for me old man

[quote=""x555""][quote=""storminmike""]Update on update

Well....backed off the drive...no problem....solid tone...to beeping to clear.....all good

Arrived at work drove forward into space...bushes to front and passenger side. Engaged reverse to adjust and of course beep beep beep tone due to presence of bushes....but the beep beep beep turned to beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

The solid beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep continued as I backed away from bushes.....damn

Jumped out of car

To front.....ALL FOUR were making clicking noises as described earlier.....strong middles....slightly weaker outsides

To the back....ALL FOUR were making clicking noises.... in fact as I got near the solid tone alternated between the FRONT NOISE and that which would be heard when near the back.

This to me says that the fault must be with the front system if the solid tone is the FRONT tone and can be added too or alternated by walking near the backs.

What is odd is that I expected to find a DUD....but I didn't...save for slightly weaker outsides

Damn thing worked fine when I got in it to go home

Is this moisture?
Is this the weaker edge sensors at the front?
Is this the control module?
Is this some sort of dead short?

Now getting annoyed.......any pointers welcome [/quote]
Welcome to my world
BTW if it is the fronts you will have to take the bumper off or at least ease it forwards.
If i ever get around to updating my intravee so's it will scan the pdc's i will try that to see which one's at fault failing that i am going to replace my module at some stage and try that.[/quote]

Now I know your pain

Why then can't BMW (as they can detect bulb faults) just have it (the car) say PDC fault....and it's this one that's bust
Having to guess which one is faulty or what a solid tone could mean is crackers......

Maybe BMW themselves should have a FAQ....like a squeaky @rse suspension and PDC faults

I guess the front outers can not be got at by peeling the wheel gaurd away?

[quote=""Sanj""][quote=""x555""]If i ever get around to updating my intravee so's it will scan the pdc's[/quote]

Oi! That's top secret at the minute! Or was! [/quote]

Is there not a PC bit of software and cables available to diagnose faults like this?

[quote=""x555""][quote=""Sanj""][quote=""x555""]If i ever get around to updating my intravee so's it will scan the pdc's[/quote]

Oi! That's top secret at the minute! Or was! [/quote]

May i remind you of your earlier chirpings

New features include, lock on placing auto in Park and new PDC info on OBD (all 8 PDC's show distance to obstruction in cms or inches). If you have folding mirror option as OEM, you have otions on folding and unfolding.

otherwise i would have kept shtum
Now when are you gonna pull your finger out and get this sorted for me old man [/quote]

I'm such an old twat...

Bet you I posted that when I was pished (as usual)... Sorry Mitch

Come up with the ultimate "This PDC is fecked" and a 2 minute fix and you'd be minted