Dark_Knight Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 Hardly have any passenger in the car but the odd time someone sits in the front passenger seat the red airbag light comes on the dash. Looks like it includes a seatbelt too. Any ideas how to fix?? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcjdavis1 Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 Hi. Faulty sensor in the passenger seat. You can get a bypass unit on Ebay for £7 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-E46-E39-E38-E36-Airbag-Occupancy-Sensor-Bypass-Unit-/130579109289?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1e671f15a9 I used one and it sorted my light. I have a new one I bought thinking that I had knackered the one I put on, if I can find it I can post it to you as you live in Glasgow. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark_Knight Posted October 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 (edited) Cheers buddy that would be great. I'd even collect it! I'm in Cumbernauld. Anywhere other than e-bay? I'm not it's greatest fan to be honest. Just a thought could I not get a replacement mat from a scrappie? Thanks again Edited October 28, 2011 by Dark_Knight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcjdavis1 Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 Hi. You have to strip down the seat to get to the pad. The simple way is to fit a bypass unit. If you have read the link you will know what it does. Its a 30min job, very easy to do. I am searching for the second one I bought, give me a couple of days to see if I can find it. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark_Knight Posted October 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 Hi. You have to strip down the seat to get to the pad. The simple way is to fit a bypass unit. If you have read the link you will know what it does. Its a 30min job, very easy to do. I am searching for the second one I bought, give me a couple of days to see if I can find it. Jim Thanks again. Just ordered the part from ebay on the link you sent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcjdavis1 Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 Hi. Easy job, need any tips just ask. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark_Knight Posted November 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 do I need to remove the front seat for access, or tilting it forward as in a coupe be sufficient? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blair Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 You don't even need to move the seat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcjdavis1 Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Hi. I found it easier to remove the seat, just 2 x16mm nuts at the front and 2x16mm bolts at the rear. Take the headrest off, tilt the seat back forward, once the bolts are off just tilt the seat forward and you will have easier access. There is a little black box with a blue wire and a white wire comming from it, you just twist it and it will pop off which makes life easier. Once you fit the bypass unit the black box goes on the way it came off and then cable tie the bypass unit to the seat base. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aly Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Here is my DIY. http://www.e46zone.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=14782&st=0 Any ?'s I'm just up the road... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPYMAN Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Hi guys, Any idea what the by-pass's consist of ? Being rather cynical, I thought it might just 'short out' the blue/white cable. I saw one on e-bay - without a case etc, just looked like a blue & white cable soldered together & hidden in a sheath. thanks folks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suhail97 Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 It's just a resistor in a box I think, but it tricks the car into thinking the passenger occupancy sensor is working correctly so the light on the dash goes out. It's a £200 fix to do it correctly so this is a popular solution. The only problem is the car will always thinks you have a passenger so it will always deploy the passenger airbags in a crash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry1888 Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Can any1 post a pic of the warning light as i think i have the same problem! Mines is to the right hand side of the binnacle and is red! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Can any1 post a pic of the warning light as i think i have the same problem! Mines is to the right hand side of the binnacle and is red! Cheers Its of an airbag lol. Its only got one, so will be it. If you push down really hard in the centre of the passenger seat, it should go off. Then go back on when you release it. But its ballsed basically Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry1888 Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Cheers chris for the info, was reading up an it seems most ppls light comes on and off as ppl sit in the passenger seat, but mines remains on all the time! Could this be the same problem or something different? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Mine was constantly on in the end, and pretty much the only faults are seat sensor and the seat belt tensioner unit. But my guess would be the seat sensor. If you have anyone near you with inpa, or similar. Get the code read first, as the seat sensor takes about 5 mins to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPYMAN Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 Thanks for the help guys. I made my own unit today & done a small write-up & images at: http://www.e46zone.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=32263&st=0&gopid=454243& I hope that the info that I gleaned from these pages will help others too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
