"CHECK BRAKE LININGS/LIGHTS" "BRAKES"

The "check brake lining" and "brakes" lights on my 2002 530I recently
came on and I replaced all the brake pads and sensors myself due to
having some knowledge of doing that. I thought that would make the
lights go away but they are still there. Is there something that needs
to be reset?If so, how do I go about resetting it?

Also, the "check brake lights" light came on. I replaced the lights and
checked the fuses and it is still on. The lights seem to be working
fine. What could be the cause. Maybe water got in?

Please help. Thanks.

Ro--

In article .com>,
Ro > wrote:
> The "check brake lining" and "brakes" lights on my 2002 530I recently
> came on and I replaced all the brake pads and sensors myself due to
> having some knowledge of doing that. I thought that would make the
> lights go away but they are still there. Is there something that needs
> to be reset?If so, how do I go about resetting it?

Switch on the ignition without starting the engine and wait until the
light goes out. Assuming the wear sensors are in good condition and
properly plugged in.

> Also, the "check brake lights" light came on. I replaced the lights and
> checked the fuses and it is still on. The lights seem to be working
> fine. What could be the cause. Maybe water got in?

On my E39 it's always the centre light that goes and I forget to check it.
;-)

--
*What happens when none of your bees wax? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Thanks Dave!! Good stuff. Switched on car and so said so done - Brake
warning lights went off.

When you say the center light, is the same as the 'Rear lamp/side
marker lamps'? (that's what it's called in the diagram in the manual).
All the other lamps are working fine except for the middle ones on each
side. It doesn't easy to change either because it's not one of those
quick release bulbs that's easy to manouever. It looks like it'll need
some tools. Please advise. Thanks again!!!


Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
> In article .com>,
> Ro > wrote:
> > The "check brake lining" and "brakes" lights on my 2002 530I recently
> > came on and I replaced all the brake pads and sensors myself due to
> > having some knowledge of doing that. I thought that would make the
> > lights go away but they are still there. Is there something that needs
> > to be reset?If so, how do I go about resetting it?
>
> Switch on the ignition without starting the engine and wait until the
> light goes out. Assuming the wear sensors are in good condition and
> properly plugged in.
>
> > Also, the "check brake lights" light came on. I replaced the lights and
> > checked the fuses and it is still on. The lights seem to be working
> > fine. What could be the cause. Maybe water got in?
>
> On my E39 it's always the centre light that goes and I forget to check it.
> ;-)
>
> --
> *What happens when none of your bees wax? *
>
> Dave Plowman London SW
> To e-mail, change noise into sound.

I am having similar issues with my E39 (1999 528i)... I had the dealer
check lots of stuff, for the "Check Brake Lining" error, they wanted $470
to do rear brake rotors, pads, sensor - I installed the rear parts myself
and reset the error. It stayed off for about 20 minutes then came back on
while I was bedding the brakepads. Assuming my front brakes are good (and
all the new parts I bought for the rear are good), what else could be
causing it? I did put new rotors, pads, and a new sensor on - everything
went very smooth. Anyone have any ideas why the error came back?

Can anyone explain how the wear sensors work? I looked at them and don't
see how or what they actually measure!



I also had the "Check Rear Lights"... the dealer said they put new bulbs in
(no charge), but the error came back 2 days later. One of the tail lights
was appeared intermittent even though the bulb looked good (new). I
cleaned/tightened the socket, applied some electrical jelly and still had
some issue. I switched the light to the other side to see if the problem
followed, but hasn't been a problem since. Weird.




"Dave Plowman (News)" > wrote in
:

> In article .com>,
> Ro > wrote:
>> The "check brake lining" and "brakes" lights on my 2002 530I recently
>> came on and I replaced all the brake pads and sensors myself due to
>> having some knowledge of doing that. I thought that would make the
>> lights go away but they are still there. Is there something that
>> needs to be reset?If so, how do I go about resetting it?
>
> Switch on the ignition without starting the engine and wait until the
> light goes out. Assuming the wear sensors are in good condition and
> properly plugged in.
>
>> Also, the "check brake lights" light came on. I replaced the lights
>> and checked the fuses and it is still on. The lights seem to be
>> working fine. What could be the cause. Maybe water got in?
>
> On my E39 it's always the centre light that goes and I forget to check
> it. ;-)
>

In article >,
BMW Guy > wrote:
> Can anyone explain how the wear sensors work? I looked at them and don't
> see how or what they actually measure!

They are basically just a plastic coated wire. When the pad wears thin the
plastic part wears through also and the wire makes contact with the disc,
creating a ground. The warning circuit then latches on. It has to latch
otherwise the light would flicker due to poor contact. The other
refinement is the sensor is part of a loop and if that loop is broken in
any way - like the sensor connector not making good contact - the warning
circuit will also latch on - this is to prevent running without a sensor.

--
*Who are these kids and why are they calling me Mom?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 02:52:38 GMT, BMW Guy > wrote:

On the E38 there was a problem with the wiring running under the front fender
(wing) liner from the brake sensors and other parts.

It might be worth checking by pulling the fender (wing ) plastic liner and
inspecting the run of cables - the clips, apparently, rubbed the insulation away
in places and in some extreme cases the wires were broken.

Just a thought!

Hugh

>I am having similar issues with my E39 (1999 528i)... I had the dealer
>check lots of stuff, for the "Check Brake Lining" error, they wanted $470
>to do rear brake rotors, pads, sensor - I installed the rear parts myself
>and reset the error. It stayed off for about 20 minutes then came back on
>while I was bedding the brakepads. Assuming my front brakes are good (and
>all the new parts I bought for the rear are good), what else could be
>causing it? I did put new rotors, pads, and a new sensor on - everything
>went very smooth. Anyone have any ideas why the error came back?
>
>Can anyone explain how the wear sensors work? I looked at them and don't
>see how or what they actually measure!
>
>
>
>I also had the "Check Rear Lights"... the dealer said they put new bulbs in
>(no charge), but the error came back 2 days later. One of the tail lights
>was appeared intermittent even though the bulb looked good (new). I
>cleaned/tightened the socket, applied some electrical jelly and still had
>some issue. I switched the light to the other side to see if the problem
>followed, but hasn't been a problem since. Weird.
>
>
>
>
>"Dave Plowman (News)" > wrote in
:
>
>> In article .com>,
>> Ro > wrote:
>>> The "check brake lining" and "brakes" lights on my 2002 530I recently
>>> came on and I replaced all the brake pads and sensors myself due to
>>> having some knowledge of doing that. I thought that would make the
>>> lights go away but they are still there. Is there something that
>>> needs to be reset?If so, how do I go about resetting it?
>>
>> Switch on the ignition without starting the engine and wait until the
>> light goes out. Assuming the wear sensors are in good condition and
>> properly plugged in.
>>
>>> Also, the "check brake lights" light came on. I replaced the lights
>>> and checked the fuses and it is still on. The lights seem to be
>>> working fine. What could be the cause. Maybe water got in?
>>
>> On my E39 it's always the centre light that goes and I forget to check
>> it. ;-)
>>

On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 09:01:29 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)" >
wrote:

>In article >,
> BMW Guy > wrote:
>> Can anyone explain how the wear sensors work? I looked at them and don't
>> see how or what they actually measure!
>
>They are basically just a plastic coated wire. When the pad wears thin the
>plastic part wears through also and the wire makes contact with the disc,
>creating a ground. The warning circuit then latches on. It has to latch
>otherwise the light would flicker due to poor contact. The other
>refinement is the sensor is part of a loop and if that loop is broken in
>any way - like the sensor connector not making good contact - the warning
>circuit will also latch on - this is to prevent running without a sensor.

Not quite Dave - it appears the circuit is continuous until the wear brakes the
circuit and then the warning bells ring. this is to make sure that the warning
is still alive when the brakes are released.

"BMW Guy" > wrote in message
...
> "Check Brake Lining" error, ....It stayed off for about 20 minutes then
came back on
> while I was bedding the brakepads.

On my E36 once this light has been activated you need to reset the computer
to switch it off. BMW dealer will charge you mega bucks but try this -
Switch ignition on to position 2 (all lights on) and leave the drivers door
open for three minutes. I didn't believe it at first but that's what you
pay all that money out for at a main agent.

In article >, RustY©
> wrote:
> "BMW Guy" > wrote in message
> ...
> > "Check Brake Lining" error, ....It stayed off for about 20 minutes
> > then
> came back on
> > while I was bedding the brakepads.

> On my E36 once this light has been activated you need to reset the
> computer to switch it off. BMW dealer will charge you mega bucks but
> try this - Switch ignition on to position 2 (all lights on) and leave
> the drivers door open for three minutes. I didn't believe it at first
> but that's what you pay all that money out for at a main agent.

On my E39 you simply leave the ignition on 'till it goes out - no need to
have the door open. It will go out without doing this eventually - it adds
up the time the ignition is on without starting the engine.

--
*Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

That's what I thought it might be - b4 I pulled the liner off, I checked
both sensors again - both were intact, the front one was completely caked
(almost to the rotor) with brake dust. I cleaned it off and cleaned the
sensor with brake cleaner. The rear sensor and pads were brand new, but
the pads appeared to have a paint coating where the sensor clips, I used I
screwdriver to scrape the paint away since the sensor had copper connectors
where it clipped (like it needed a good conductor to clip on).

Either way, I reset the code (again) and it hasn't come back on yet (only
need a 50 mins of driving, but much longer than b4).

If it comes back on, the fender liner is coming off - thanks for the
advice!

Mike

"Dave Plowman (News)" > wrote in
:

> In article >,
> BMW Guy > wrote:
>> Can anyone explain how the wear sensors work? I looked at them and
>> don't see how or what they actually measure!
>
> They are basically just a plastic coated wire. When the pad wears thin
> the plastic part wears through also and the wire makes contact with
> the disc, creating a ground. The warning circuit then latches on. It
> has to latch otherwise the light would flicker due to poor contact.
> The other refinement is the sensor is part of a loop and if that loop
> is broken in any way - like the sensor connector not making good
> contact - the warning circuit will also latch on - this is to prevent
> running without a sensor.
>