SRS Reset Options

[benhanson]

So I just replaced all of my cluster instrument bulbs in my 1990 318i. The good news is I now know how to pull the instrument cluster out without removing the steering wheel. The bad news is I didn't know how this morning, nor did I know that hooking the battery up with the steering wheel off trips the SRS light. Anyone had any luck getting this reset without a dealer? I'm 154 miles from the closest BMW dealer.

I've done the service light reset before, I was hoping there might be something similiar for the SRS / Airbag light.

On a side note, anyone know where to find th cover for that SRS light up by the mirror? I've seen it referred to as the "Check Control" thing, or Tell-Tale lights. I've got the lights, just no cover so I don't know which is which.

[ak96ss]

Good luck getting that reset, even at a dealer. As I understand it, most dealers don't have the equipment to reset those anymore, something about the baud rate being too low on our cars.

IIRC, there was a thread elsewhere about someone trying to reset it, but I don't recall if they had any luck. I just let my bulb burn out... :)

We normally only have the warning lights on that panel - seat belts, SRS... I don't recall what else, but there are only 4 of them there and I don't know that they are all connected. Unless someone has added a check panel, you won't have any buttons or anything else up there. You could always try disconnecting the connector behind the panel, although I don't know what this will do as far as operation of the SRS system.

Where in the Great Land are you? I left Alaska in '95 and have been trying to go back since. Unfortunately, my wife has no such inclination. :(

[bmwman91]

I looked for the longest time for a solution. I never did figure anything out. Eventually I just got a non-airbag MTech steering wheel and gutted all the airbag controls. That worked pretty well too :p There was a big discussion on here about the safety of that, and it was generally concluded that by now, it is less safe to have the 1st generation airbag in the car than to have none at all.