Questions about my new 97 528i gear shifter

[skybeam]

I just bought a 97 528. Next to the gear selector is P R N and so on. My question is, when the car is off will the position the gear selector is placed in still be illuminated? It would seem to me that this orange indicator would not be on when the car is not running.

Next question, as I am looking at this gear selector I can hear what sounds like a little motor running in the dash below the stereo. There are two little vents by the ac fan control. Is there any reason I should be hearing something running?
It is so faint that I did not hear it when I was checking the car to buy it.

Next question, is it common for the alarm to go off for no reason? Happened about 0300 this morning.

Thanks for any help. Just trying to get to know my first BMW better.

[LOS]

The light will stay on for about 15 minutes, it's normal.
The alarm issue has been a problem on earlier models. Some of them are very sensitive to noise or even vibration. Most people have either replaced it with a new unit or disconnected it. There is no way to adjust the sensitivity of the unit, check with the dealer to verify. The unit is located underneath the rear tire on the passenger side.

LOS

[skybeam]

One problem is that the light is on the next morning and I can here what sounds like a little fan running from the lower part of the dash. I would think that this might be an issue for the battery at some point.

[prmoorman1]

I had the same issue! After about 15-20 minutes, look in thru the window,and
you will see that the light is out, when you open the door first, the light will
come on, and you will think it has been on all the time.

[skybeam]

you were right about the light. Thanks

[winters97E39]

same thing with the little fan, it goes off after about 15 minutes as well. I had the same thoughts when I first got my 97 528..

And the alarm - yep mine does the same thing. It is super sensitive to some things. If I leave my blackberry in my car and I get an email, the alarm will go off. Sometimes it does go off for just no reason..

Also could be someone trying the doors - it has happened here in my neighborhood a few times. People getting ripped off because they didnt lock their doors. But, most likely its just goes off for no reason, just like mine does occasionally.

[winters97E39]

Originally Posted by LOS

The unit is located underneath the rear tire on the passenger side.

LOS

damn, dont you think you would run it over if it was located there? j/k...

[Dirty_Tool]

a few things you can try on the alarm...
first of all it cant be disconnected as the alarm is built in the the ZKE general body electronics module. what you can do is try to eliminate a few things.
1st night try pressing the lock button on the remote 2 times instead of 1... this will disable the interior sensor and the tilt sensor for the system. Tilt sensor is a rare failure but the interior sensor is quite common... if you narrow it down to this it is easy to disconnect it and just leave it disconnected if you dont want to buy a new 1.

2nd night if option 1 doesnt work... disconnect the hood switch. It is also a very common failure. It also can be left disconnected permanently if you dont mind not having your hood monitored or its a cheap replacement part if you want it functioning.

if no luck with either of those then be sure to check your vehicle battery and make sure it is not low on charge or on its way out. This can cause intermittent alarms.

Worse comes to worse you can take the car to the dealership and have it diagnosed. The dealers equipment can read out the "alarm counter" which tells which sensors triggered the alarm and how many times. Makes it really easy to figure out what the culprit is.
DT

[winters97E39]

sweet, thanks DT! Do you know if its some special scanner they use at the dealer, or can any scanning tool read the "alarm counter"? A buddy of mine who runs a shop has a really sweet scanner that I have used in the past.

[Dirty_Tool]

Dealership uses GT1 which will read every module on the car and do advanced testing.
If your friends shop has an autologic or a BMW specific scanner then it may do the job. generic scanners like snap-on or OTC usually will not go in to that much detail especially on the Body modules. Perhaps a Launch would do it.. I know the launch has some pretty good functions.
Good Luck,

[winters97E39]

Yeah, im not sure what kind it is, but I know it is a pretty nice one - large hand held with a large screen and lots of functions. I'll check with him Monday on that.

[LOS]

Originally Posted by winters97E39

damn, dont you think you would run it over if it was located there? j/k...

Good point! ha ha. You know what I meant....

LOS