this question is for all those car 'gurus' out there..i am interested in this 1998 BMW that has it's air-bag light on while driving. The seller told me that he would reset the OBD, that way the air-bag sign would not light up while driving. Does this quick-fix solve the issue or is it just a way of hiding a messy air-bag??I am a novice driver and don't wanna mess with 'safety'..Any useful comment on this issue would be appreciated.

6/26/2006 9:03:38 PM

who knows

[Edited on June 26, 2006 at 9:15 PM. Reason : .]

6/26/2006 9:13:21 PM

^thanks for the reply. Suppose, resetting the OBD does make the air-bag light 'not turn on', does that mean the air-bag may still not work??..excuse the stupidity, if there is any here. like i said, i don't know much abt cars.

6/26/2006 9:23:26 PM

do you have a bookbag or something sitting in the front passenger seat?

6/26/2006 9:24:42 PM

Quote :

"thanks for the reply. Suppose, resetting the OBD does make the air-bag light 'not turn on', does that mean the air-bag may still not work??..excuse the stupidity, if there is any here. like i said, i don't know much abt cars"

well i replied, but i didnt know if i was correct so i editied it out

someone else here will know

6/26/2006 9:34:14 PM

could go either way, taking it to a BMW place would be the only way to know for sure... or find a mechanic u can trust, especiallt other then the guy your buying it from

6/26/2006 9:38:00 PM

If the air-bag's really bad, shouldn't the light go on again even after resetting the OBD??

6/26/2006 9:56:32 PM

yes if there is really an issue with the airbag the light will return as the computer runs a diagnostic on all its sensors when you crank the car.


as for the question of the airbag being good or bad i dont know, get it checked by someone professional...

6/26/2006 10:18:51 PM

probably a bad seatbelt latch sensor
what model car is it?


[Edited on June 26, 2006 at 10:27 PM. Reason : .]

6/26/2006 10:26:24 PM

you need a special SRS reset tool to reset the light. a regular OBDII tool will NOT reset it

6/26/2006 10:32:16 PM

^^it's a '98 BMW 528i

6/26/2006 10:35:56 PM

seat belt sensor most likely. having your air bag light on is just part of owning a bmw.

6/26/2006 10:39:32 PM

is it a cheap(in BMW terms) fix??

[Edited on June 26, 2006 at 11:03 PM. Reason : y]

6/26/2006 11:02:31 PM

in the middle of a bad accident, do you really want to wonder if your airbag is going to go off? maybe, maybe not.

6/27/2006 1:19:42 AM

yeh i agree. there are two stages of problems, if its minor the airbags will still work, but if its not they wont. and thats not so good.

i need to have mine scanned too. hrmm

we need to find the tool. ill call around today

6/27/2006 8:50:33 AM

thanks for all the replies guys. i really appreciate yr time and effort

6/27/2006 9:38:05 AM

mine comes on for about a min. after i crank the car and then turns off. it;s been like this since i bought the car.

6/27/2006 12:31:48 PM

We have the proper tool to scan you guys' BMWs and tell you what the problem is. Call for more info, RCH Automotive (in Durham) 682-5063 be sure to say Joel sent you so I know you arent some random person.

6/27/2006 6:01:29 PM

Could be the tensioner as mentioned.......which is more common that anything. Also could be the occupancy sensor mat in the passenger seat......which is common. Chances of it actually being a fault related to an airbag is highly unlikely. It also could be on due to someone disconnecting it previously for a repair....

6/27/2006 7:39:51 PM

or a dead clockspring, or rotary cassette or whatever they call it

6/28/2006 8:09:46 PM

I've this problem twice in my M3, both times it was a faulty sensor in the seat belt latch

6/28/2006 8:35:16 PM

as long as people keep using seat belts, i guess it will remain a common problem.

6/28/2006 9:47:33 PM

nvm

[Edited on June 28, 2006 at 10:35 PM. Reason : asdf]

6/28/2006 10:33:20 PM

thanx guys..well, the guy took it to a BMW repair shop and the light doesn't turn on anymore and guess what???...i bought it...it drives really great, much better than some of the much newer cars..this is a really great forum...arnd 30 serious replies in 3 days... couldn't ask for more...keep up the enthusiasm and count me in next time....

6/29/2006 1:16:19 PM

Quote :

"this is a really great forum"

ehh i wouldnt go that far

i assume youre aware of bimmerforums.com?

6/29/2006 1:35:11 PM