Does anyone know how to reset an airbag light?

[onrails]

Hi guys,

Sorry for what I'm sure is a duplicate message here, but I need some help. I've got an '03 MCS that is out of warranty and have an airbag light that popped on (for the 4th time...). I've seen a lot of complaints, but no solution as to how to fix it yet, short of going to the dealership. I contacted bimmerworld.com and their BMW airbag reset tool will not work for the MINI, all the terminal connections and wires look good, and a long term battery disconnect was fruitless as well.

Can anyone help me out? Is there a tool for the MINI that I could borrow/rent from anyone, or are there any other tricks that I can try?

Thanks.

[Profpatpending]

well I dont know of anything to do the job of resetting the airbag light except the dealers software, im pretty sure BiM COM will be able to do the job when it is released,
but seriously if there is a fault you should probably get it checked out instead of just trying to reset it, its on for a reason, without a proper diagnosis on the airbag system it could fail to deploy in an accident,
just out of curiosity you haven't changed the seats recently?????

[Rakey]

Quote: Originally Posted by Profpatpending

well I dont know of anything to do the job of resetting the airbag light except the dealers software, im pretty sure BiM COM will be able to do the job when it is released,
but seriously if there is a fault you should probably get it checked out instead of just trying to reset it, its on for a reason, without a proper diagnosis on the airbag system it could fail to deploy in an accident,
just out of curiosity you haven't changed the seats recently?????

correct, sounds like a break in the system, which could cause it to fail in an impact. If this occurred during warranty and was supposed to be resolved by the dealer then I would go back and raise this with them

[Squire]

When i took my MC out for a test drive before i bought it the airbag light was constantly on as well...they said they needed to plug their little box of tricks in and reset it...which they did and its been fine since....so basically you need to take it to a dealer to get em to do the same

[onrails]

The reason I'm asking around is that I've had it to the dealership a few times already, with the same problem each time. Just a quick break in contact from the connection because the seat has been moved around. The system itself is fine, but now that it's out of warranty I'd rather not be lining the dealer's pockets each time the light pops on.

[MiniService]

there are to connections under each seat, when they move is spreads the contacts slightly, there is a bullentin on this problem, the connectors need to be replaced and secured in a specific fashion,, i find a lot of dealers do not perform the repair right and they come to me and i rip out someones half ass job and do it right, this is not definetly your problem but a very likely cause for the light, i am unaware of a way to reset the light otherr than with a gt1, then again never had a reason to find another way, also if the fault is currently present you can reset it all day long and that light aint gonna go out

[Malin Dixon]

The safety facists have got to the airbag warning light. The airbag light cannot be reset, except by the dealer.

At first sight, that seems a good idea. If there has been a fault, it could recur, so you should know about it.

The problem is, if the fault is intermittent, all you know is that there was a fault. You don't know when, or what induced it. It makes fault finding nearly impossible if the fault is intermittent. If the fault isn't intermittent, then there is no need for the stupid system, because the light would stay on anyhow.

There is also no indication that the system is working once there has been a fault.

Loads of effort goes into making intermittent faults less of a problem. Some cars have electronic switches for the lights which are made so that a shorted bulb doesn't even blow a fuse. However, because the airbag is a safety system, it is made difficult to fault-find so less likely to be kept working.

I'm not against having a monitoring system, or fault logging. However, you have to ask which is more dangerous, a typical intermittent fault that might stop the airbag working for a few seconds in total, or 10 trips to the dealer to get it sorted. As ever there seems to be no arguing against safety, however dangerous the safety feature is.

[MiniService]

Quote: Originally Posted by Malin Dixon

The safety facists have got to the airbag warning light. The airbag light cannot be reset, except by the dealer.

At first sight, that seems a good idea. If there has been a fault, it could recur, so you should know about it.

The problem is, if the fault is intermittent, all you know is that there was a fault. You don't know when, or what induced it. It makes fault finding nearly impossible if the fault is intermittent. If the fault isn't intermittent, then there is no need for the stupid system, because the light would stay on anyhow.

There is also no indication that the system is working once there has been a fault.

Loads of effort goes into making intermittent faults less of a problem. Some cars have electronic switches for the lights which are made so that a shorted bulb doesn't even blow a fuse. However, because the airbag is a safety system, it is made difficult to fault-find so less likely to be kept working.

I'm not against having a monitoring system, or fault logging. However, you have to ask which is more dangerous, a typical intermittent fault that might stop the airbag working for a few seconds in total, or 10 trips to the dealer to get it sorted. As ever there seems to be no arguing against safety, however dangerous the safety feature is.

Maybe im not understanding what your trying to convey but how is a trip to the dealer dangerous, if car manufacturs didnt put the warning lights in the car, then thered most likely be thousands of lawsuits saying, "how was i supposed to no it wasnt working properly, you should have ttold me
'

[cristo]

Peake Research makes an airbag reset tool for BMW's up to 2004 (R5/SRS-16), but I don't think it's compatible with the MINI. (I just asked them by email and am awaiting a reply).
They do make a MINI Cooper specific OBDII reader and reset tool (R5/EMX) that works
quite well, ... but doen't do airbags.

[cristo]

here's peake's reply to my email:

"Dear Chris,

Does the SRS tool work on the Mini? Basically no. We've had some customers use it and it worked, but others have found that it did not work. We can not guarantee that it will, so you would be buying it at your risk. At this time there are not plans to release an airbag tool for the Mini in the near future. We do appreciate your input.

Kind Regards,

Carol
Peake Research
www.r5tool.com "

[Profpatpending]

Quote: Originally Posted by Malin Dixon

The safety facists have got to the airbag warning light. The airbag light cannot be reset, except by the dealer.

At first sight, that seems a good idea. If there has been a fault, it could recur, so you should know about it.

The problem is, if the fault is intermittent, all you know is that there was a fault. You don't know when, or what induced it. It makes fault finding nearly impossible if the fault is intermittent. If the fault isn't intermittent, then there is no need for the stupid system, because the light would stay on anyhow.

There is also no indication that the system is working once there has been a fault.

Loads of effort goes into making intermittent faults less of a problem. Some cars have electronic switches for the lights which are made so that a shorted bulb doesn't even blow a fuse. However, because the airbag is a safety system, it is made difficult to fault-find so less likely to be kept working.

I'm not against having a monitoring system, or fault logging. However, you have to ask which is more dangerous, a typical intermittent fault that might stop the airbag working for a few seconds in total, or 10 trips to the dealer to get it sorted. As ever there seems to be no arguing against safety, however dangerous the safety feature is.

this dude has issues,