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I jsut brought a Airbag Light reset tool from Ebay...

61K views 30 replies 17 participants last post by  mike1967 
#1 ·
Hi,

I have a 52 plate MCS and about a week ago the Airbag light came on when I moved the passenger seat forward.

Having checked and rechecked the connections under both seats I decided to buy a Warning Light Reset tool on Ebay for £50. It arrived today and I plugged it in, however rather dissapointingly it has not worked.

How can I tell if this is a problem with the car or a problem with the tool? There appears to be nothing wrong with the under seat connectors yet the light will not extinguish.

I read on here that people have spent £££ with BMW trying to fix the same problem, hence I brought the tool myself.

Cheers

Tom
 
#3 ·
I don't think disconnecting the battery makes any difference on the MINI once a SRS fault has been logged in memory.
What airbag reset tool have you bought?
Assumming the tool is suitable for the MINI most will give you a fault code reading which can be decoded to give the faulty component. eg. Left seat airbag firing system, right seatbelt pre-tensioner, etc.
If the fault was only temporary or intermittent, like a bad connection the reset tool should extingush the light, at least for a while. The B200 tool often needs 2 or 3 attempts I have found, and you need to switch on the ignition/start the engine for the SRS system to self check and put out the light afterwards. If this does not work then the fault is likely to be a permanent component failure which may involve replacing something like a seat belt pre-tensioner (cheaper secondhand) or re-soldering some seat wiring connections.
 
#6 ·
Hi there,

I use a tool from the same manufacturer and have had no problems. There is sometimes a knack to reading the code in the first place...just follow the instructions given with the unit.

Are you able to read the fault code? If so it should tell you what component is or was at fault. That should help you narrow down the cause. There should be a table of fault codes against description of fault in the instruction book.


Cheers,

Dave
 
#7 ·
Hi Dave

Thanks for your help - Unfortunately, no the reader that I brought does not display the fault code it simple says 'Reset OK!'.

It does not include a code reading function - Perhaps I should have opted for a better reader.



Im fairly confident that the connector under the seat is at fault, since the light came on when I moved the seat forward - There are two connectors, one yellow and one blue, both with two wires - shall I solder all 4?

Cheers

Tom
 
#8 ·
No harm in soldering all 4, or just do say the yellow first and then try your reset tool, then blue if no result. If I remember right the yellow is for seat airbag and blue is for the seat belt pre-tensioner unit/buckle. Do not switch on the ignition while wires are disconnected as this will register more fault codes, ideally disconnect battery to prevent any static charge firing an airbag while you are working and it is recommended you wait 15-20 minutes after switching off/disconnecting battery before working on SRS system as some electric charge can remain in units for this time in theory.
 
#9 ·
Hi,


Thanks for your help so far


Today I replaced all 4 wiring clips (8 wires) with new spade connectors and re-tried thereset tool to no avail. One thing I note is that the airbag light itself flickers very faintly about once a second (unlike the handbrake warning light which stays on solidly), you have to be very close to notice this.

Just makes no difference - I beginning to think the tool may be at fault...

By the way I ran the reset about 30 times just to make sure and it definately doesnt work! The wires under the seats are not too blame.

Is there anything else I cna do without forking out for proper diagnostic? The light being on is really annoying!

Cheers again

Tom
 
#11 ·
Assuming the reset tool is working.......
The other fairly common fault is the seat belt buckle/pre-tensioner, you can pick these up fairly cheaply secondhand and to replace you need to remove the seat (4 Torx bolts). However, I think you have no choice but to have it checked with diagnostics now to narrow down which component of the SRS system is at fault, but I would use a local independant auto-electrician for this as he will be much cheaper than a BMW dealer. Let us know how you get on.
 
#12 ·
I had this on a R50 Cooper and R53 Cooper S, both times the dealer replaced the wiring under the seat and reset the computer which cleared and fixed the problem.

I didn't get any more info as they wouldn't give any more, but it solved my problem
 
#13 ·
i had similiar issues with my MCS. i undid the connections under both front seats and re-connected them firmly. i then used my peake tool to clear the codes. cleared them about 4 times. then turned off the ignition and then turned on the car. no light since (crosses fingers it stays off!!
 
#14 ·
Barki,

Have you solved your problem yet. I bought the same tool and tried it tonight and it didn't work for me either. I haven't done anything to the wiring under the seats yet though. I will do that and see how it goes.

Does anyone know if these ebay tools work for the mini airbag reset?

t
 
#16 ·
I've used the Memoscan too. It resets the fault light.

I still have an intermittant fault with the cables/connectors under the passenger seat, so the light comes back on after a couple of days, but I can reset the light (so long as the fault is not active at the time of reset).

The tool also shows a code related to the fault.
 
#20 ·
Dunno why yezz all mucking about with these wonkey tools off eBay. Go to your local MINI specialist (i.e. me) and ask them how much to get it properly diagnosed. I do it for £30.00+vat and if it only needs to be reset then that won't cost any extra as a quick delete is part of the diagnosis to make sure the fault is reoccurring and not just a one-off.
 
#21 ·
Ah yes but if parts are needed they will have to pay for the new parts, your labour to fit, then the bill will be many times higher, or if they do the work themselves they will have to pay you another £30+ vat to reset the light, they are buying the reset tools (which do work if the fault is rectified) in the hope its just a poor connection, the tool can be reused after the fault is finally found or re sold.

though in the case of the OP I think he should have gone to you, as he has it in his mind that the reset tool is not working, rather than the fault is not fixed so he will get nowhere.
 
#22 ·
mini air bag warning light fault

Hi I am also having problems with the air bag warning light. I have tried using the reset tool but it could not find a fault to code :( Would this be down to using the wrong tool or would it be some other fault ?
The reset tool I used is like the one advertised on ebay and here for BMW's

your help would be most appreciated :)

Many thanks

Rob
 
#23 ·
If you're anywhere near Bromley in kent then pop into my workshop and I'll reset it for you.

The problem with some of the amateur tools is that they aren't going to tell you where the problem is. Maybe some of them do...

If it won't reset then it is possible that the fault is still present. So every time you try to reset it the fault reoccurs immediately.
 
#24 ·
This is total false economy. Take it to a specialist (as above) and for around £20-£30 they will diagnose what componant is at fault and re-set the light.

Most of these micky mouse chinese tools dont give a firm fault code. How do you know you dont have a faulty seatbelt detonator or a steering wheel clockspring problem etc etc.....

Do it properly and do it once, you will save a lot of hassle in the long run.

Also you are dealing with the SRS system here and while the light is on its not active, so its not really ideal if you smash it up bad and the bags dont deploy.

My SRS light was on, had it reset for £15 by a local specialist and i didnt have to worry because he was able to tell me no faults were logged, it was due to me fitting cheapo L.ED sidelight bulbs from fleabay messing with the canbus.
 
#25 ·
If you get a good one which works and saves a couple of trips to a garage or specialist for what are often very minor faults/glitches triggered in the SRS system it is worth it. Mine was only £50 and reads the fault codes ok, the airbag light cannot be reset or cancelled if the fault is serious or still present so there is not really any danger even with using the cheap tools. If the light goes off and stays off the SRS system is working and self checks every time you first switch on the ignition before the light goes off.
 
#26 ·
Had both the tensioner and the loom go on my old Cooper at great expense, had to be done as the MOT was due and with the light on it's a fail! Appears the fault is caused by the seat being moved back and forward too much... Simple solution once you've repaired the fault? Seat deletes, lets face it who actually uses them?
 
#31 ·
no its a mot failure on any car now any warning on dash for abs or airbag or even a eml is now a fail.. on any age of car, as you moved the seat common is the squib under the seat thats the cable and connector sometimes a switch cleaner and pull apart and then wd 40 it before plugging back in will sort it if not then i remove them solder the wires instead never does it again,, but would need to cut wires and repeat to remove the seats, as for cheap scanner off ebay and some would rather spend £100 at main dealers just to reset a light then must have more money than,,, autocom cdp plus or wurth snooper will do all that and more for £50 off ebay i have had mine for 7 years now used the hell out of it still works perfect
 
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