SRS light & Inspection

[rendoll911]

I need to get a NY inspection for my Ti by the end of the month, and of course my SRS light is on... Will i get any trouble for the light or will i be fine? Also i was just thinking about taping the light inside the dash, how difficult is the procedure and what does it entail?

[1996 328ti]

Since a SRS is a safety warning I doubt you will pass.
Maybe if you tape the light with a $20 bill. :)

You can pull the bulb. Two screws and the cluster slides out. It's easiest to do with the steering wheel off.

[rendoll911]

well this is intresting... i pulled the bulb and the light still shows, just not as bright. So then i taped the bulb with electrical tape so no light would show, still the srs light is visable. What to do!?

[Tyler]

Place electrical tape over the back of the panel.

[rendoll911]

Place electrical tape over the back of the panel.

yeah i guess ill have to try that... how hard is it to take apart the cluster?

[Tyler]

yeah i guess ill have to try that... how hard is it to take apart the cluster?


No clue haven't done that before. Someone on here has but can't remember who did it last.

[1996 328ti]

yeah i guess ill have to try that... how hard is it to take apart the cluster?How did you pull the bulb without removing the cluster?

[clex2]

rendoll911,

So you are up near lake george? I'm down in delmar, just south of Albany. As far as your SRS light, does it always stay on? Or does it go out after a few minutes. I can tell you that I get my BMW's inspected at Capital Cities in Glenmont and I have the SRS light issue from the passenger seat belt/and or seat pad. It is a very well known e36 entity that causes the SRS light to come on, but it should go off after a few minutes. The techs at Capital cities know this and ignore the SRS light when inspecting. They have reset my light many times, but it keeps coming back. No biggie, the bag will deploy in an accident.

If you decide to go there, call them and ask for Brad. Tell him you know Chris with the red 330ti, and you can explain your SRS light thing to him and he'll just say ok, whatever, come get your inspection...blah, blah, blah. All the guys there are nice.

[rendoll911]

How did you pull the bulb without removing the cluster?
i meant splitting the cluster in half so you can see the internals and actaully tape the panel... but i ended up figuring everything out so more srs light

Clex i actaully go to school at suny albany so thanks for the reference... But the light doesnt turn off after a couple of minutes it always stays on, bad?

ps: ive always been jealous of your car hah

[clex2]

i meant splitting the cluster in half so you can see the internals and actaully tape the panel... but i ended up figuring everything out so more srs light

Clex i actaully go to school at suny albany so thanks for the reference... But the light doesnt turn off after a couple of minutes it always stays on, bad?

ps: ive always been jealous of your car hah

rendoll911,

I would be careful if the light doesn't go out. It may mean a more serious problem with the SRS system, possibly your steering wheel airbag. I know that when my slip ring went bad on my stock ti, the horn stopped working and my SRS light came on and stayed on. To me, this meant that the electrical connection from the car to the steering wheel was bad, and that the airbag would probably not deploy in an accident. I'm not sure that is worth risking.

[rendoll911]

rendoll911,

I would be careful if the light doesn't go out. It may mean a more serious problem with the SRS system, possibly your steering wheel airbag. I know that when my slip ring went bad on my stock ti, the horn stopped working and my SRS light came on and stayed on. To me, this meant that the electrical connection from the car to the steering wheel was bad, and that the airbag would probably not deploy in an accident. I'm not sure that is worth risking.

Yeah good point, the thing is i went in to try to get the code read.. and they tell me that they have to take apart carpet and the seats... just to tell me whats wrong and its gonna cost in the hundreds. Is this true because i was under the impression that they just had to plug it in to pull a code?

[Gunnails]

In the Portland metro area we have to pass a Dept. of Enviromental Quality emmision test in order to renew are tags, with older cars they use a dyno and put a sniffer in the tailpipe, on 96 and newer cars they plug into the cars computer and read the codes, if there is a error code you fail, but since the srs is a air bag code not related to emmisions you would pass here.
The way I see it the SRS code is no big deal untill you are driving down the freeway and your airbag deploys (it is possible).
You do not have to pull out the carpet to read the airbag code it is read under the hood at the computer diagnostic plug in, same as any other error code, however to fix the problem you may infact have to pull all kinds of things apart.

[rendoll911]

You do not have to pull out the carpet to read the airbag code it is read under the hood at the computer diagnostic plug in, same as any other error code, however to fix the problem you may infact have to pull all kinds of things apart.

yeah thats the impression i was under, I mean if it was just the passenger sensor then i dont really care... but i guess the dealer was BSing me

[bettys boy]

My SRS light went on last week. Today it was diagnosed as an igniter sensor short in the driver's seat belt receptacle; the mechanic reports this is a common failure. R&R estimate: $200.

I wanted to do the repair myself over the weekend, but my wife was insistent that a safety-related failure like this be repaired immediately. As our lives are at stake I can't really argue.

[318ti_IL]

I used to have problem with SRS light. Every time when someone on passenger side buckle up seatbelt light come on and stays on all the time. After i went to mechanic 4 reseting light, light was staying off until someone used seatbelt on passenger side...again. That used to cycle like that for like two months and after that light goes off by yourself and thanks to god never come back. Mechanic told me that seatbelt switch (inside of plug) on passenger side is problem, but light was gone and i never did anything about it.