[BMW FOREVER]

i have a 08 E92 325i with 71k miles on it. Yesterday I spent about 3-4 hrs cleaning the interior and during this time the boot was open most of the times and the doors were open depending on which side I was cleaning. I also used a vacuum cleaner using the car s 12v port with the engine off.

After which I did a few extremely short commutes within the city. Jump to today...started the car and got ABS malfunction warning (the 3 lights were on..ABS, DTC and brakes). I switched the car off and on and the error was still present. I then read online about the wheel speed sensor going bad or abs module going bad. Decided I needed to take it to a workshop to get it checked out. The workshop was about 20 miles away and mostly freeway. The malfunction lights were on throughout. Once I got there, the workshop connected the diagnostic tool and said it showed ABS module failure and it would cost me $2800. I decided to go home and think over it. To my surprise when I started the car the errors were gone and I have driven about 50 miles or so since then and it hasn't come back.

I got this car about 6 months back and haven't cleaned the interior since then. Kind of a coincidence that the errors pop up just 1 days after I decided to clean LOL.

My question is, could this have happened due to Low battery caused by my cleaning the car for 4 hours( the car does not have comfort access but the interior lights and boot light were on pretty much the entire 3-4 hours)? And that the battery got sufficiently charged on my freeway run to the workshop? I did not get any Low battery message though.

for whoever has read this far. THANKS A LOT!

[doru]

Originally Posted by BMW FOREVER

Stuff deleted


My question is, could this have happened due to Low battery caused by my cleaning the car for 4 hours( the car does not have comfort access but the interior lights and boot light were on pretty much the entire 3-4 hours)? And that the battery got sufficiently charged on my freeway run to the workshop? I did not get any Low battery message though.

for whoever has read this far. THANKS A LOT!

Could very well be possible. Hook up a charger, charge completely (a charger will charge the battery to around 80% when it shows "full charge") then hook up a battery tender that has MAX 2Amps charging. This one will charge the battery close to 100%. Then monitor if the issue re-occurs. I would also scan the vehicle and the codes (and clear them) before driving it, to give it a fresh start. Low battery charge does lots of bad things to these cars.

[tlow98]

Using the 12v with a vacuum while engine off would certainly suck the battery dry pretty quickly.

Also, if the ABS unit has actually malfunctioned it can be rebuilt for ~$300 plus install. It's not a $3k issue, unless of course you go to the dealer.

[BMWs4ever]

Originally Posted by BMW FOREVER

i have a 08 E92 325i with 71k miles on it. Yesterday I spent about 3-4 hrs cleaning the interior and during this time the boot was open most of the times and the doors were open depending on which side I was cleaning. I also used a vacuum cleaner using the car s 12v port with the engine off.

After which I did a few extremely short commutes within the city. Jump to today...started the car and got ABS malfunction warning (the 3 lights were on..ABS, DTC and brakes). I switched the car off and on and the error was still present. I then read online about the wheel speed sensor going bad or abs module going bad. Decided I needed to take it to a workshop to get it checked out. The workshop was about 20 miles away and mostly freeway. The malfunction lights were on throughout. Once I got there, the workshop connected the diagnostic tool and said it showed ABS module failure and it would cost me $2800. I decided to go home and think over it. To my surprise when I started the car the errors were gone and I have driven about 50 miles or so since then and it hasn't come back.

I got this car about 6 months back and haven't cleaned the interior since then. Kind of a coincidence that the errors pop up just 1 days after I decided to clean LOL.

My question is, could this have happened due to Low battery caused by my cleaning the car for 4 hours( the car does not have comfort access but the interior lights and boot light were on pretty much the entire 3-4 hours)? And that the battery got sufficiently charged on my freeway run to the workshop? I did not get any Low battery message though.

for whoever has read this far. THANKS A LOT!

Vacuuming and cleaning the car has nothing to do with this problem. I had the same problem. My ABS, DTC and brake lights would come on then go out after a while. I started checking into this problem and turns out the bushings on the Hydraulic pump are failing causing you to get this problem. Eventually the lights will stay on and you'll need to get the pump fixed. BMW doesn't sell just the pump but the whole module which is why you were quoted $2800. The other guy was right you can have the pump rebuilt at Module Masters https://modulemaster.com/rebuilds/. Here is the same problem on another forum http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=725821

[NiNeTyOne]

There are a number of things that can cause this, and the first thing you should do is pull codes on the car. Until you do this everyone here is just guessing. Could it be the battery? Yes. Could it be the bushings on the pump? Maybe. Could it be the transfer case actuator motor? Yes.

Pull codes.

[BMW FOREVER]

I already pulled the codes (as I have mentioned in my opening post) and it said ABS pump failure. The question is that if that code came up due to Low battery. Didn't get the battery checked for codes unfortunately so don't know if the car had recorded a Low battery code.

[BMW FOREVER]

Originally Posted by BMWs4ever

Vacuuming and cleaning the car has nothing to do with this problem. I had the same problem. My ABS, DTC and brake lights would come on then go out after a while. I started checking into this problem and turns out the bushings on the Hydraulic pump are failing causing you to get this problem. Eventually the lights will stay on and you'll need to get the pump fixed. BMW doesn't sell just the pump but the whole module which is why you were quoted $2800. The other guy was right you can have the pump rebuilt at Module Masters https://modulemaster.com/rebuilds/. Here is the same problem on another forum http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=725821

I have read on a number of places in the forums that Low battery shows all kinds of errors. So hoping this is the case for me.

[BMWs4ever]

Originally Posted by BMW FOREVER

I already pulled the codes (as I have mentioned in my opening post) and it said ABS pump failure. The question is that if that code came up due to Low battery. Didn't get the battery checked for codes unfortunately so don't know if the car had recorded a Low battery code.

Yes low voltage can cause the problem. For me after I replaced the battery I still had the same dam problem. It was the bushing on the pump which really sucked as the car only had 20K miles on it

I think BMW should have recalled the pump because it seems a lot of people had problems after only 15K miles

[Saberdave]

I can tell you I had the EXACT symptoms each and every time I cleaned the interior of my car with all four doors open followed by a wash. When i went to move it out of the garage to clean the floor it would start weakly and then not start at all when trying to move it back into the garage. I would charge the battery for a half hour and all would be well from then on.

It definitely was a weak battery as I have not had one issue after replacing it.

[NiNeTyOne]

Originally Posted by BMW FOREVER

I already pulled the codes (as I have mentioned in my opening post) and it said ABS pump failure. The question is that if that code came up due to Low battery. Didn't get the battery checked for codes unfortunately so don't know if the car had recorded a Low battery code.

Missed that as I was looking for the actual codes. But yes, your low battery was the likely culprit. You can have the batteries tested, and it's worth doing.

If you have an AGM one of the things worth investing in is a trickle charger with a desulfinator program built in. It will do a lot to bring an aging battery back up to snuff.

[BMW FOREVER]

Thanks guys! Actually the battery is fairly new and I park my car in a condo basement which doesn't have an electrical outlet. So don't think I can use the charger. What I will probably do next time is that open all the doors and press the lock button on the key fob. That will put the car to sleep and the car doesn't have an alarm system so shouldn't be a problem.