Quote:
Originally Posted by rantarM3
I am 99.99% sure it is a T20 and not a hex. I did this recently (to correct the horrible recall work done by my local dealer) and looked at all the screws that came out.
The dealer's handiwork:
Attachment 1740473
There were several things the dealer failed to do in accordance with BMW's instructions for the recall. They did not use the zip tie to hold the repair cable to the fuse box, they kinked the battery cable (as seen in the photo), they did not insert the battery-end of the cable sufficiently into the crimp, etc. It was quite appalling.
Recall Redone:
Attachment 1740475
Because the dealer cut the cable too short, I was unable to make a loop as per the instructions. However, straightening out the cable before going into the crimp removes any stress on the crimp. FYI, I bought the BMW crimping tool to make sure the crimp was done correctly. It's a really nice crimper, but very expensive.
I was going to replace the entire cable as well but...take a look at the date of manufacture of the replacement cable. Both of the "new" cables I inspected (from 2 different dealers) were manufactured in 2012, which precedes the date of the first recall, I believe. Also, if you inspect the fuse box side fitting on the new cables and your old cable, they are the same. Compare them with the fitting provided on the repair kit, and it is very different. It has a bolt that you need to tighten, which moves a wedge against the fuse box connector, making it impossible to work loose.
I concluded that the "new" battery cables that dealers are supplying have to have the repair kit installed on them anyway. Because of that and because it was going to be very difficult to remove the old cable and install the new one, I decided to just install a new repair kit. |
I have an unrelated electrical issue but found this post looking for info about taking out the fuse box. Are these grounding connections under the fuse box? Or is that in the trunk? I wanted to check centralized ground points like this first. Thanks!