BMW Z3 Power Seat Controls Dead, Help Needed

Hey there! I had a similar issue with my 2004 BMW Z4 last year (I'd say I have some experience working on BMWs, also owned a 3 Series). The power seat completely stopped working one day, both adjustment and memory. Turned out it was just a loose connection in the wiring harness under the seat. My mechanic found that the main plug connector had corroded pins and wasn't making proper contact. They cleaned the connections, secured the plug properly, and it's been working fine since then. The whole thing cost me 95 Euro including labor. Could you share more details about when this started happening? Did it stop working suddenly or gradually? Also, what's the exact fault code you're getting? This would help narrow down if you're dealing with the same issue I had.

Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm dealing with similar symptoms on my Z3 (123026 KM). Mine actually started acting up gradually over the past few weeks, first the memory settings became unreliable, then the whole system stopped responding. I'm getting fault code P1624 from my diagnostic tool. I'll definitely check those connections under the seat first before spending big money at the shop. I've been pretty good about maintenance but haven't had anyone look specifically at the seat wiring before. Good to know it might just be a connection issue rather than needing to replace the entire mechanism. How long did the repair take for your car?

Hey again! Thanks for the follow-up about your Z3. Yeah, my Z4's repair only took about an hour, most of that time was actually spent accessing and checking all the connections properly. My mechanic was really thorough about cleaning every contact point since these seats have multiple connectors. That gradual failure you're describing sounds very familiar, that's exactly how mine started acting up too. The memory function went first, which makes sense since it's more sensitive to poor connections. The fault code you're getting (P1624) is different from what I had though, but still points to an electrical issue rather than a mechanical one. Since you're at 123k km, I'd say there's a good chance it's just normal wear and corrosion on those connectors, just like mine. Have you noticed any other electrical quirks? In my case, I also had occasional issues with the power windows around the same time, which turned out to be related to the same type of connection problem. One tip from my experience, make sure whoever works on it checks all the ground connections too. My mechanic said these older BMWs can develop ground issues that cause all sorts of weird electrical problems. Just something to keep in mind!

Thanks for the detailed response! That's really helpful information about the ground connections, I hadn't even thought about checking those. Now that you mention it, I have noticed my driver's side window sometimes hesitates when going up, but I figured it was unrelated. Sounds like I should have that looked at too. An hour repair time doesn't sound bad at all. I was worried I'd be without my car for days. I'll try to get it into my regular mechanic next week and specifically mention checking the connectors and ground points. Really appreciate your tips about what to look for, it's given me a much better idea of what I might be dealing with. I'll let you know what they find when I get it checked out. Thanks again for sharing your experience!