[mtbnole]

Updated- i got the fault codes, see attached. I took my car in because I had a drivetrain malfunction come up four days in a row. Turns out the fault code is for the waste gate actuator. BMW says to replace the wiring harness and actuator. they want $1890 for the harness and $860 for the actuator. seems quite insane. I have 65k miles on it, and this is the first real issue.

The actuator seems to be a simple replacement, but i'm not sure about the wiring harness cost or purpose.

thoughts?

[Maverickoso]

Not sure about the wiring harness, but I'd just replace the electronic actuator first. ECS has a brand new BMW one for $361. If you're doing it yourself, recommend getting one of those multi-angled hex keys to remove the bolts without having to remove the manifold.

[Maverickoso]

I'm guessing they did a test and the actuator's connections didn't report back in ISTA. They probably put in the wiring harness so that if it wasn't the actuator, their buts would be covered. Also saves them ALL the time on actually troubleshooting anything. Get the new actuator and bring it to an Indy to check the electrical connections if faulty. God, someone could do you up custom wires and re-loom the whole thing for less lol (I say that now...)

[mtbnole]

So, to muddy the water further, they are saying the fault stored was for the waste gate actuator, but the diagnostics state to replace the wiring harness, and recommend replacing the actuator as well. I'm confused. Has anyone ever dealt with replacing the harness and if so, why?

[mtbnole]

can anyone give some guidance on this? see the attachment on the first post.

they are saying to replace the wiring harness - part # 12-51-7-630-864 (but there seems to be a different version of this same part when I search), and the actuator - part # 11-65-7-638-783.

They are stating 5 hours of labor the the harness and 1 for the actuator! Looks like something I can do myself. I have no idea why it would take 5 hours to replace a wiring harness, unless it's damn near impossible to reach some of the connections.

[jsouth]

Originally Posted by Maverickoso

Not sure about the wiring harness, but I'd just replace the electronic actuator first. ECS has a brand new BMW one for $361. If you're doing it yourself, recommend getting one of those multi-angled hex keys to remove the bolts without having to remove the manifold.

This is the plan I would follow. Only deal with the harness if absolutely necessary.

[mtbnole]

Originally Posted by jsouth

This is the plan I would follow. Only deal with the harness if absolutely necessary.

I was leaning towards this, but they gave me 0 confidence either would be the solution, insisting that both needed to be done to make sure it was fixed...

[mtbnole]

2 days after bringing it home and no issues, no warning messages. Could to much driving in the rain have been an issue??

[Maverickoso]

Yes. Water being splashed/sprayed around can cause many different things to go wonky. On my wife's 2017 Ford Explorer Sport, maybe at 25,000KM at the time, was driving through a LOT of rain, semi flooding on the streets etc and the traction control system had a hard fault. Parked the car in the garage, drove it with the code a few hours later once things dried up and then it was fine on the way back.

[mtbnole]

one week later, no issues. very strange. I did notice they put some sort of silicone like substance (that doesn't harden and dry) on the connection to the actuator.

[Maverickoso]

Good ol' dialectic grease! aka Silicone. Non-conductive and helps keep moisture away while being very tacky and flexible. Ideally, any exposed or semi exposed connectors could use the stuff.