KleinCarina
BMW XM Electrical Nightmare: FlexRay Bus Chaos
Fault stored
Failure of various systems in the vehicle
Audio system is not working
No sound of the Audiosystem
4 comment(s)
Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm at 63567 KM and just had my service last month. The issues usually pop up out of nowhere, but I've noticed it happens more frequently when I start the car in the morning. Got multiple error codes, but the most frequent one is the iDrive system completely freezing up. I did have some aftermarket accessories installed about two months ago, wonder if that could be related? Really hoping it's just a connection issue like yours and not something more serious with the main control unit. Would be great to avoid a hefty dealer bill! What specific error codes did you get with yours? And did you notice any warning signs before the system went completely haywire?
Hey again! Thanks for those extra details about your XM. You know what's interesting, my situation was pretty similar with those morning startup issues. My error codes were mainly related to the iDrive system too, and yeah, I actually did notice some warning signs before everything went crazy. About a week before the total system failure, my M5 started acting weird with the audio system, it would out of nowhere cut out and the volume controls would become unresponsive. Then the infotainment started rebooting by itself, especially during cold starts. At first, I thought it was just the head unit being temperamental. Those aftermarket accessories you mentioned definitely caught my attention, that's actually really relevant because my problems started after I had a dashcam professionally installed. The installer must have disturbed some connections while routing the power cables. The error codes I got were mainly communication failures between different modules. Quick question, when you got those accessories installed, did they tap into the main electrical system? Because that could definitely be causing similar issues to what I experienced. In my case, once we traced it back to the disturbed connections near the main control unit, it was a pretty straightforward fix. Have you noticed any correlation between using specific features (like climate control or audio) and when the system acts up? That might help narrow down where the connection issue is.
Thanks so much for the detailed follow-up! That's really helpful about the dashcam installation causing your issues, it's making me think twice about my recent installations. Actually, they did tap into the main electrical system for the dash cam and ambient lighting I had installed. Now that you mention it, I've noticed the system tends to act up more when I'm adjusting the climate control. The screen freezes and sometimes the entire iDrive system reboots itself. I didn't connect these dots before, but hearing about your experience with the dashcam install really makes me think this could be connection-related. I'm going to get it checked out by my mechanic tomorrow and have them specifically look at the wiring around where those aftermarket accessories were installed. Really hoping it'll be a simple fix like yours! You've saved me a lot of worry, I was already imagining having to replace the entire control unit. Will definitely update once I get it sorted. Thanks again for all your help!
Hey there! I've got some experience working on BMWs. Had a pretty similar issue with my 2020 BMW M5 last year. Those electrical gremlins can be super frustrating! Mine started acting up just like yours, unusual system failures and error messages all over. Turned out to be a faulty cable connection near the main control unit. Took it to my trusted mechanic who diagnosed it pretty quickly. The fix wasn't too complex, they had to replace some corroded connectors and re-secure a few loose cables. Cost me about 95 Euro in total. What's your current mileage and have you noticed any specific conditions when these issues occur (like after rain or when it's cold)? Also, are you getting any specific error codes? This could help pinpoint if we're dealing with the same problem. If you want more specific advice, drop some details about any recent work done on the car or when these symptoms first started showing up.