# 335d 2009 computer module problem



## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)

Was wondering if you have any issues or having any issues with you or 335D computer module 
and when I say issues I mean either your check engine soon light comes on
and or complete meltdown etc. etc. etc. thanks


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## d geek (Nov 26, 2008)

have you taken it to the dealer to scan for codes? is it drivable?


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## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)

Yes and you won't believe this
there having to replace the onboard computer module apparently it kept giving false readings
But the real problem is that they have not tracked one down yet

some more confusing stuff has happened when they tried to do the update apparently the 2009 computer module was not able to take the 2010 updates I love this car but now it's making me paranoid and only had it since March 2 and my dealer assures me that it will be taken care of so far a week has passed and I'm not getting that warm and fuzzy


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## d geek (Nov 26, 2008)

I hope they're getting support from BMWUSA. I hope they are troubleshooting the right thing and not just chasing their tail


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## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)

I consider myself a diesel fanatic living in the US
grand Cherokee with a Mercedes diesel 3.0 
Ford F250 .TURBODIESEL 6.4 2008
vw Jetta diesel 2010
Hummer H1 1999


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## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)

I have actually two dealers working on it right now one of the dealers is one I purchased the vehicle from any other dealer is the one which is actually getting serviced at
the problem is is they're trying to find the computer module they've actually given up on chasing anything around 

what is scaring me is that it might not be manufactured yet


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## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)

By the way I apologize about the wording


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## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)




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## Chrisdridley (Jun 29, 2009)

Firefighter....Sorry to hear about your problem. I have put 43,000 miles on my '09 335d and I am getting the SES light every once in a while.....no problem with the way the cars runs though.
Keep us posted.


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## magbarn (Jan 28, 2003)

It's probably because there's so few of us here and I'm pretty sure our DME/computer is a different module than the euro 335d.


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## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)

I am hoping that this is just a fluke thing
since no one else has posted a similar situation it gives me the peace of mind that this might just be a fluke issue
that being said it is still inconvenient to have your car at the shop for going on two weeks now


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## magbarn (Jan 28, 2003)

FIREFIGHTER1022 said:


> I am hoping that this is just a fluke thing
> since no one else has posted a similar situation it gives me the peace of mind that this might just be a fluke issue
> that being said it is still inconvenient to have your car at the shop for going on two weeks now


How's your state's lemon laws work? You could be counting down the days from the time you left the car at the dealership.


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## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)

I am very aware of the guidelines of the lemon Law in Virginia
if the vehicle is in the shop more than 30 days within a 365 day. Of course I AM talk about while it's under warranty and or goes back to the shop three times for the same issue within one calendar year it's considered a lemon in Virginia

don't get me wrong my dealer which I purchased the vehicle from has assured me that he's going to take care of the issue I spoke directly to the general manager. So trust me when I say I will keep you all informed on the quality customer service and the just plain doing you write as a person let alone a customer.

Once again I want to reiterate I love this car I do not have buyers remorse what I do have IS withdrawals ...............


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

magbarn said:


> It's probably because there's so few of us here and I'm pretty sure our DME/computer is a different module than the euro 335d.


You do not think it is not the same computer just with different programming on it?


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## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)

Yes and no.
I'll know more by Monday or Tuesday of this week. 

Here's actually how'd all started
1. The service engine soon light came with no real fault
2. Then after contacting the District rep they were told it would possibly need a update to the software
3. Then after they updated the new software for some reason or another it said it was not compatible with 2009 computer system go figure
4. And then that's when they've dropped the bombshell. They told me that the Main computer which runs the whole car crapped out or something like that
5. The fix would be replace the onboard computer but the solution was actually the problem,
6. Could not find the computer in the US or Germany. 

So I have to wait until Monday or Tuesday to get confirmation on whether or not they actually are going to be able to ship it out and or if it even exists yet.
Did I mention that the dealer said it would take up to 5 to 7 days from the time they ship it to the time they are able to put it in the car than I'm able to come pick it up and drive it away. 

Take tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock take tock tick tock tick tock


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

Sadly my experience with this car and parts has been horrible. Every single time they need a part, well outside an oil filter, it has taken forever to get the things from the father land. Has not left a good feeling with me at all. It also seems like half the time something goes wrong on the car they can't figure it out and means consulting with someone higher up in the chain in BMW. That too does not leave a good feeling in me at all.


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## 62Lincoln (Sep 26, 2004)

FIREFIGHTER1022 said:


> Yes and no.
> 
> 4. And then that's when they've dropped the bombshell. They told me that the Main computer which runs the whole car crapped out or something like that
> 5. The fix would be replace the onboard computer


This makes me suspicious that the dealer's shop techs somehow managed to toast your computer, and aren't telling you that part of the story. Given that your car was apparently running fine before you gave it to them, it's hard to think of a reason for the computer to just "die", other than the fact they were messing with it.

I guess the outcome will be the same - you'll have the car repaired under warranty - but if indeed the fault lies with the dealer, they should own up to it, as it reflects poorly on BMW.


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## d geek (Nov 26, 2008)

Joseph said:


> This makes me suspicious that the dealer's shop techs somehow managed to toast your computer, and aren't telling you that part of the story. Given that your car was apparently running fine before you gave it to them, it's hard to think of a reason for the computer to just "die", other than the fact they were messing with it.
> 
> I guess the outcome will be the same - you'll have the car repaired under warranty - but if indeed the fault lies with the dealer, they should own up to it, as it reflects poorly on BMW.


ditto. very suspicious that it would die right after they tried to load the update


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## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)

Okay things are looking up it looks like I'm going to get my car back tomorrow or the next day which means a lot they have been able to get the computer module I need programed and is being shipped to my dealer possibly sometime tomorrow morning the service department which is handling my vehicle repairs has been fantastic I can't say enough about *how grateful I am that they have taken care of me this well Casey BMW has provided me a loaner car during this entire time it's been in the shop for repairs and in case I forgot to mention I did not even purchase the car from them but I guarantee you one thing my next purchase will be .......


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## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)

The reality is is that the dealer which I purchased my vehicle from Sterling BMW was put in a bad spot along with the dealership which was doing all my maintenance repair Casey BMW has had to deal with a lot of phone calls coming from me directly which hopefully they could understand my frustration due to the fact that I just purchased the vehicle three weeks ago overall I would have to say everyone from the general manager all the way down to the service guy which I've had to deal with over the past couple weeks has really stepped up to the plate and taking care what they needed to do to get me back into my car *


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## tlak77 (Aug 5, 2009)

FIREFIGHTER1022, did you get the problem resolved finally?


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## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)

I am happy to say yes my BMW is home


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## d geek (Nov 26, 2008)

congrats. keep us posted...


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## autoJeff (Oct 1, 2009)

Glad it's OK now.

I'm not sure I believe the bit about 2009 hardware being incompatible with 2010 software. My Jan 2009 build date car was updated to newer software in November of 2009. I'm pretty sure the shop foreman told me that the new software is the same software that the first 2010 cars shipped with.

He also told me that occasionally a software update doesn't go well and the remedy is to replace the computer. He said that the dealer doesn't get reimbursed for the new part and install labor unless corporate signs off on updating the software ahead of time. The dealer would be stuck eating a non-trivial repair bill or would have to pass it on to the customer. He said his dealership would never pass it on to the customer, but they also don't want to be in a position to potentially eat the cost. So they never do a software update without corporate's approval.

Maybe your update was one of the unlucky ones. I wonder what the failure rate is.

FWIW, in my case the the regional field tech happened to be on site that week so I got to sit down with him and the local service manager, discuss the issue I was having, and the field tech agreed to approve the update. I wrote about my experience here:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=412459


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

Interesting, I am so used to software updates on my truck(seems like anytime it goes to the dealer a new update is out and they load it) just being a part of routine service that it is kind of foreign to me to hear that software updates on these are only done with such approvals.


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## FIREFIGHTER1022 (Mar 18, 2010)

I have had many different diesel vehicles which have required onboard computer updates my most recent experience has been with my Ford F250 which required frequent updates in regards to the particulate filter and the regeneration process the BMW service manager told me that every time you take *your car in for an oil change or if your service engine soon light comes on etc. etc. etc. they will actually check to see if there is any new updates for your particular model that being said I'm not sure how much of sticklers they are to checking whether it actually needs it or not these machines are very complex but one of the nice things about having a computer which controls pretty much everything on your car is that when they have a new model that comes out or if they're able to tweak the system to make it better they can just update the software of the 2009 model which is pretty much no different than the 2010 model **I am not a big fan of the onboard computer system which controls everything on the car a matter of fact it leaves a big opportunity for catastrophic failure to pretty much make your vehicle useless and to be so dependent on one device is just mind-boggling but along with everything else there are certain advantages that you have because of this device lets face it just like most jet fighters out there today and or helicopters. They're pretty much all fly by wire sure the old-school cars out there like the old 300d Mercedes diesels would run forever but come on they just do not touch the fit and finish along with all the other creature comforts that you get out of a car today so I guess it is truly a *love hate relationship we have with these devices*


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

Now come on now the old Mercedes diesels don't run forever unless you constantly fix things on them or ignore a lot of stuff. But if you are going to go that route at least do the SDL so you can avoid having to adjust the valves multiple times a year. If they did run forever then I'd not bought this BMW. I got it because was tired of having a car always needing something fixed and in the shop a good bit. Now considering how much my BMW has been in the shop since I got it, well guess I can say my relationship with it has lost the love. My F250 and the constant computer updates always bothered me, I never quite understood why in 6-7 years they could not get the programming correct. I bet if I took my F250 in today for something, there would be a flash update for the computer and it just had an update back in November when it was last there.


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## railroader (Apr 12, 2010)

My local SoCal dealer has a 2010 335d sitting in the service bays, with a completely disabled,
or shorted out main computer. I heard about it from some of the employees "chatting about it" among themselves. Sheesh..what a minefield it is out there.:tsk: I can only imagine what the owner of that particular 335d is going through...

Mine must be a very late '10-- the builder's plate on the door jamb says 2/2010. I wonder when the line shifted to 2011 model year, and do all the 335d's emanate out of Munich? My old 328i was an African car, but it did not experience any problems. My new "d" has been flawless so far, knock on wood...

Firefighter, glad you got your baby back and that she is hopefully running better than ever!

I'm a new compression-head, but am thoroughly hooked on these marvelous vehicles that don't need _spark plugs!_ :thumbup:


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