Could aftermarket Tail lights cause the "EDC Malfunction"?

Bikerjoy · 06-10-2009, 02:23 PM

With this quote from this http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...t=271140thread in mind:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noodlefoxes

CRAZY UPDATE!!!

So I got a call from my service advisor-
He says they ran an electrical test and it read that there was a draw from outside the battery that was sucking out power-

He starts drilling me about all the aftermarket stuff I've done to the battery (stereo, headlights, radar detector) NONE of which I have...

Then while we're talking the technician comes in and says he pulled out the battery and found a couple of wires fused onto the battery, perfectly wrapped and METICULOUSLY hidden behind the rest of the cable bunches, completely non-OEM...

I recently installed these lights http://www.parts4euro.com/DCShop/pro...roducts_id=671 that claim to be "OCD Compliant, will not trigger any error messages"

However being an engineer I do not believe in coincidence, I have had my car for 11 months and have about 8500 miles on it, not a single problem with electronics. Only days after installing the tail lights I start up the car and Idle is VERY rough and low about 300 RPM, after a second or so the iDrive lights up with all the error messages "Engine Malfunction, EDC Malfunction" and so on. I shut the car off, wait a minute or so, start it up again and all is well. Over the course of the past two weeks this has happened two more times. Made an appointment for this coming Monday to take it to the dealer.

To me this sound like a pretty cut and dry case of "Idle Valve, Fuel rails" service bulletin, that so many others have reported, just wondering about the lights if BMW will give me any heat over these!? Anyone else with aftermarket electrical / electronics installed had problems with the dealer giving them a hard time over it?

Also I assume that anytime an error message like that is displayed, that information is logged and stored and can be extracted at a later time by the technician even if the error is no longer present?!

rav7ks · 06-10-2009, 06:27 PM

It happened to me with a loose connector when I installed my performance wheel. Once I fixed the broken connector, the errors went away. I was getting EDC, ABS, DSC etc failure. I would get the car checked just in case it has nothing to do with the lights.

Bikerjoy · 06-10-2009, 07:20 PM

Did you have the rough Idle also?

BMWM.D. · 06-10-2009, 08:07 PM

I would not worry about your aftermarket lights, they had nothing to do with your engine malfunction. The dealer is not going to give you a hard time unless you had a failure that was directly linked to your modifications ( bulb warnings, etc.). Now, if you had a supercharger installed then you would be raising some red flags.

And to answer your other question, yes, the fault codes will be stored in the DME, DSC and other modules so the technician can find out what the cause was. Really does sound like the idle valve issue. Good luck,

Noodlefoxes · 06-11-2009, 04:34 PM

As the guy who is having that problem right now (I don't have aftermarket lights)- I will say that my service advisor did say that aftermarket lighting can cause this issue!

If it was improperly installed to the main battery terminal it can casue a slight draw that will weaken your battery and therefore shut off the EDC! Get it checked out!!! You DON'T want to have to buy a new battery

BMWM.D. · 06-11-2009, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noodlefoxes

As the guy who is having that problem right now (I don't have aftermarket lights)- I will say that my service advisor did say that aftermarket lighting can cause this issue!

If it was improperly installed to the main battery terminal it can casue a slight draw that will weaken your battery and therefore shut off the EDC! Get it checked out!!! You DON'T want to have to buy a new battery

Coming from a guy who actually fixes these cars (not just bullshits people about them

) , that is not really true.

It is true that you don't want any aftermarket accessories attached directly to terminal 30 at the battery. This can prevent the vehicle from entering "sleep mode" and will result in a high closed-circuit draw. When you start the car (assuming it does start), you will get a battery warning message but the EDC system should not be affected. The car is smarter than you might think. If it detects an excessive draw, it will shut off power to almost every electrical consumer to help save the battery charge so you can start the engine.

I'm not sure exactly what aftermarket accessory the OP has and how it is installed. My statement was referring to someone installing aftermarket bulbs or even tail light lenses. Once you start adding additional wiring to the battery or power module, all bets are off. Either way, I really don't think his lights are causing his rough running condition.

Noodlefoxes, while I understand you are having a similar problem, there are a ton of things that can trigger an engine/DSC/EDC warning. I know your problem ended up being water in the EDC module from a poor body shop repair. This damaged module was most likely disturbing the PT-CAN bus and resulted in the vehicle not entering sleep mode. I

06-10-2009, 06:27 PM	#2
rav7ks First Lieutenant 38 Rep 387 Posts Drives: e92 M3 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: MD iTrader: (0) Garage List 08 M3 [0.00]	It happened to me with a loose connector when I installed my performance wheel. Once I fixed the broken connector, the errors went away. I was getting EDC, ABS, DSC etc failure. I would get the car checked just in case it has nothing to do with the lights. __________________
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06-10-2009, 07:20 PM	#3
Bikerjoy Private 11 Rep 95 Posts Drives: 2008 M3 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: OK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 E90 M3 [0.00]	Did you have the rough Idle also? __________________ 2008 M3, Jerez Black, Premium Package, Technology Package, Moon Roof, Heated Seats, iPod adapter, SAT radio, Enhanced Premium Sound.
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06-10-2009, 08:07 PM	#4
BMWM.D. Stupid Idiot 134 Rep 827 Posts Drives: E90 335i & 6th Gen ZL1 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Santa Barbara iTrader: (1)	I would not worry about your aftermarket lights, they had nothing to do with your engine malfunction. The dealer is not going to give you a hard time unless you had a failure that was directly linked to your modifications ( bulb warnings, etc.). Now, if you had a supercharger installed then you would be raising some red flags. And to answer your other question, yes, the fault codes will be stored in the DME, DSC and other modules so the technician can find out what the cause was. Really does sound like the idle valve issue. Good luck, __________________
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06-11-2009, 04:34 PM	#5
Noodlefoxes Your Father 12 Rep 130 Posts Drives: '08 E92 M3 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The Wild West iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 M3 [0.00]	As the guy who is having that problem right now (I don't have aftermarket lights)- I will say that my service advisor did say that aftermarket lighting can cause this issue! If it was improperly installed to the main battery terminal it can casue a slight draw that will weaken your battery and therefore shut off the EDC! Get it checked out!!! You DON'T want to have to buy a new battery __________________ '08 E92 M3- MR- Tubi Style Exhaust- HRE P90 19's Powder Coated Black
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