E93 window failure...systemic problem?

droptop335 · 07-18-2007, 01:30 PM

I was driving home from work yesterday (top down), and all of a sudden I start smelling the dreaded burnt electrical smell. At first I thought it was coming from another car near me, or perhaps I just drove through an area where a business was emitting the smell. After a couple of miles though, the smell didn't go away, and I thought, "oh shit, now what?"

Then I got a warning message on my i-Drive: Warning: Power Window Anti-Trap Function. This warning, with an accompanying "ding", repeated every 20 seconds all the way home.:mad: While driving, I tried opening and closing my windows, and they all worked except for the passenger rear window. It was stuck all the way down.

I drove straight to my dealer, and we confirmed that the smell was coming from that window mechanism. I dropped the car off, and they promised to look at it the next day (today).

A while later, I got a call from my CA, and he says that a few minutes after I left, another E93 came in with the exact same problem! In checking further, he also found out that 2 other E93s came in with that problem in the past few weeks, making 4 total at that dealership. Based on this, he says it's a systemic isssue.

Still waiting on a diagnosis...

BMW335icDDS · 07-18-2007, 01:51 PM

Interesting... keep us updated.

bfung · 07-18-2007, 02:26 PM

wonder if urs and mine r related...

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64020

droptop335 · 07-18-2007, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfung

wonder if urs and mine r related...

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64020

Hey, looks like we have near twins! Mine has Sports Pkg w/18's, AT/Paddles, Prem, no Active Steering or Cruise.

Well, it looks like your problem is/was intermittent, but mine was dead immediately. The smell was a dead (no pun intended) giveaway!

They've got my car apart as I write this.

bfung · 07-18-2007, 04:49 PM

on color choice man!

haha i also hate ppl making turns b4 signalling...

my way: signal -> break -> turn

a lot of ppl: break HARD -> signal while they've started turning

re. ur prob, smell and warning sound scary...hopefully urs will be all good after they fix it...i just called my dealership after reading ur post, and they still haven't heard ath abt this issue.

droptop335 · 07-18-2007, 05:18 PM

Update:
SA called and reported that the motor is burnt out. They are overnighting a new (new part number) motor, and it'll be installed tomorrow. In addition, they need to update my software (in the body control unit, not i-Drive) to handle the new motor.

Apparently, the factory is aware that this is happening too much, and actually revised the motor. I asked if my other window motors are subject to the same thing, and he said no, because the passenger rear window motor is a unique motor, different from the others. He didn't say why.

Anyway, I should be good as new tomorrow afternoon! I'll report if anything else happens...

droptop335 · 07-18-2007, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfung

on color choice man!

haha i also hate ppl making turns b4 signalling...

my way: signal -> break -> turn

My biggest peave is lane changing without signaling, especially when I am getting cut off!

msimon18 · 07-18-2007, 05:25 PM

I am an engineer ... just gotta find out why in heavens name they would use a different moror for ONE window !!!

droptop335 · 07-18-2007, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msimon18

I am an engineer ... just gotta find out why in heavens name they would use a different moror for ONE window !!!

I know, it doesn't make sense, unless he was just yanking my chain so I wouldn't insist on the other motors being changed out.

Wonder if there's a way to find out...

Park2670 · 07-18-2007, 09:08 PM

The software is what is burning up the motors. Thus they replace the motor, and the new software doesnt keep pushing it down. Thats why it burned up.

vaportech · 07-18-2007, 10:50 PM

Informative. Good post! Will keep an eye on mine someday soon

droptop335 · 07-19-2007, 12:07 PM

Car will supposedly be ready this afternoon...my CA pushed to get this fixed extra fast...he's really worried his "rating" will be affected by this.

Stinger · 07-19-2007, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by droptop335

my CA pushed to get this fixed extra fast...he's really worried his "rating" will be affected by this.

In that case postpone giving him a rating for a couple years.

328droptop · 07-19-2007, 01:32 PM

lol well thanks for making me worry!! the other day my rear passenger window was stuck in the down position....i had to power on & off the car like 5 times before it kicked in & started working again...that was a week ago it hasnt done it since then...should i jus go to service now or wait for the burning smell? LOL..

droptop335 · 07-19-2007, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 328droptop

lol well thanks for making me worry!! the other day my rear passenger window was stuck in the down position....i had to power on & off the car like 5 times before it kicked in & started working again...that was a week ago it hasnt done it since then...should i jus go to service now or wait for the burning smell? LOL..

Go to service now. There's apparently a service bulletin on the problem, and they may replace the mnotor, or at least update the software to prevent it from happening to you again.

Once I get my car back, I'll try to find out the number of the service bulletin, and will post it here.

BMW335icDDS · 07-19-2007, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by droptop335

Go to service now. There's apparently a service bulletin on the problem, and they may replace the mnotor, or at least update the software to prevent it from happening to you again.

Once I get my car back, I'll try to find out the number of the service bulletin, and will post it here.

Keep us updated! Hopefully its all good when you get it back.

droptop335 · 07-20-2007, 11:50 AM

Got it back last night, and all is good!:rocks:

No rattles, squeaks, and window works perfectly. I have the SIB number covering this, and as soon as I can go out to my car to get the service invoice, I'll post it.

John Pettit · 09-05-2012, 10:21 PM

Here it is over 5 years later and I read about your e93 window problems. I bought my 2007 e93 as a CPO car in July 2010 with 23K miles on it; now it has 31k. On a recent trip we let the top down and immediately smell burned electrical wiring (as an EE I knew the smell all too well) and the rear windows could not be raised. What made it worse, it started to rain! We made a mad 140 mile dash home without getting soaked, though we had to listen to the "ding" every 30 seconds for the "window anti-trap protection" fault warning.

Fortunately, we still had 7 month on the CPO warranty. The Nashville dealer claimed to have never seen this problem, though found SIB 51-17-07. The repair wording said they found both rear window motors shorted internally. Motors were replaced and system reprogrammed per SIB. Everything works fine upon return, though I am still nervous every time I lower the windows. At least I have a 2 year warranty on the parts.

Definitely a systemic problem, to lose both rear window motors at once. Would like to know the cause of the fault, which is probably software related.

07-18-2007, 01:30 PM	#1
droptop335 Captain 39 Rep 709 Posts Drives: '07 335i (E93) Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Back in SF Bay Area (Tri-Valley), WooHoo! iTrader: (1)	E93 window failure...systemic problem? I was driving home from work yesterday (top down), and all of a sudden I start smelling the dreaded burnt electrical smell. At first I thought it was coming from another car near me, or perhaps I just drove through an area where a business was emitting the smell. After a couple of miles though, the smell didn't go away, and I thought, "oh shit, now what?" Then I got a warning message on my i-Drive: Warning: Power Window Anti-Trap Function. This warning, with an accompanying "ding", repeated every 20 seconds all the way home.:mad: While driving, I tried opening and closing my windows, and they all worked except for the passenger rear window. It was stuck all the way down. I drove straight to my dealer, and we confirmed that the smell was coming from that window mechanism. I dropped the car off, and they promised to look at it the next day (today). A while later, I got a call from my CA, and he says that a few minutes after I left, another E93 came in with the exact same problem! In checking further, he also found out that 2 other E93s came in with that problem in the past few weeks, making 4 total at that dealership. Based on this, he says it's a systemic isssue. Still waiting on a diagnosis... __________________ Alpine White/Coral Red/Gray Poplar Convertible Sport/Prem/Step/Comfort/Nav/Sirius MHD Stage 1 Flash, M-Factory Helical LSD By the way people: USE YOUR F&*#ING TURN SIGNALS! Pass the word.
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07-18-2007, 01:51 PM	#2
BMW335icDDS Doctor 32 Rep 634 Posts Drives: RRSport, 335vert, 997 S, Sc430 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Los Angeles and New York iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 Porsche 997S [0.00] 2007 Porsche 997S [0.00] 2007 BMW 335 E93 [9.00]	Interesting... keep us updated. __________________ 2002 Lexus Sc430 2007 BMW 335i Convertible Space Gray on Coral Red 2007 Porsche Carrera S 2011 Range Rover Sport HSE Lux UCLA D.D.S. Columbia University Dental Specialist
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07-18-2007, 02:26 PM	#3
bfung First Lieutenant 29 Rep 355 Posts Drives: 07' e93 335i Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver, BC iTrader: (0)	wonder if urs and mine r related... http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64020 __________________ 07 E93 335 6MT / Alpine White / Coral Red / Poplar Grey / Sports with 19" style 230 / NAV / AS / CA / Bluetooth & TeleAssist /
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07-18-2007, 04:49 PM	#5
bfung First Lieutenant 29 Rep 355 Posts Drives: 07' e93 335i Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver, BC iTrader: (0)	on color choice man! haha i also hate ppl making turns b4 signalling... my way: signal -> break -> turn a lot of ppl: break HARD -> signal while they've started turning re. ur prob, smell and warning sound scary...hopefully urs will be all good after they fix it...i just called my dealership after reading ur post, and they still haven't heard ath abt this issue. __________________ 07 E93 335 6MT / Alpine White / Coral Red / Poplar Grey / Sports with 19" style 230 / NAV / AS / CA / Bluetooth & TeleAssist /
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07-18-2007, 05:18 PM	#6
droptop335 Captain 39 Rep 709 Posts Drives: '07 335i (E93) Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Back in SF Bay Area (Tri-Valley), WooHoo! iTrader: (1)	Update: SA called and reported that the motor is burnt out. They are overnighting a new (new part number) motor, and it'll be installed tomorrow. In addition, they need to update my software (in the body control unit, not i-Drive) to handle the new motor. Apparently, the factory is aware that this is happening too much, and actually revised the motor. I asked if my other window motors are subject to the same thing, and he said no, because the passenger rear window motor is a unique motor, different from the others. He didn't say why. Anyway, I should be good as new tomorrow afternoon! I'll report if anything else happens... __________________ Alpine White/Coral Red/Gray Poplar Convertible Sport/Prem/Step/Comfort/Nav/Sirius MHD Stage 1 Flash, M-Factory Helical LSD By the way people: USE YOUR F&*#ING TURN SIGNALS! Pass the word.
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07-18-2007, 05:25 PM	#8
msimon18 Retired 19 Rep 868 Posts Drives: Z4 s30i Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: The Villages, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 1965 Isetta 300 [0.00] 2004 1/5 Scale M3 GTR [10.00]	I am an engineer ... just gotta find out why in heavens name they would use a different moror for ONE window !!! __________________ M3 GTR - 1/5 scale - 4.2 HP w/ Collari hydraulic brakes - would you believe ~80 MPH on straightaway !!
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07-18-2007, 09:08 PM	#10
Park2670 General 355 Rep 18,218 Posts Drives: Tesla Model 3 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UTAH iTrader: (8)	The software is what is burning up the motors. Thus they replace the motor, and the new software doesnt keep pushing it down. Thats why it burned up. __________________
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07-18-2007, 10:50 PM	#11
vaportech Private 4 Rep 98 Posts Drives: e93 on order Join Date: May 2007 Location: Pleasanton, CA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 335 e93 [0.00]	Informative. Good post! Will keep an eye on mine someday soon __________________ e93 Monaco Blue & Saddle. Step, ZPP, ZSP, ZCW, CA, PDC, Nav, 6FL. Woohoo, I finally have her!!!!!
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07-19-2007, 12:07 PM	#12
droptop335 Captain 39 Rep 709 Posts Drives: '07 335i (E93) Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Back in SF Bay Area (Tri-Valley), WooHoo! iTrader: (1)	Car will supposedly be ready this afternoon...my CA pushed to get this fixed extra fast...he's really worried his "rating" will be affected by this. __________________ Alpine White/Coral Red/Gray Poplar Convertible Sport/Prem/Step/Comfort/Nav/Sirius MHD Stage 1 Flash, M-Factory Helical LSD By the way people: USE YOUR F&*#ING TURN SIGNALS! Pass the word.
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07-19-2007, 01:32 PM	#14
328droptop Private 3 Rep 66 Posts Drives: 07 328i Convertible MT Join Date: May 2007 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	lol well thanks for making me worry!! the other day my rear passenger window was stuck in the down position....i had to power on & off the car like 5 times before it kicked in & started working again...that was a week ago it hasnt done it since then...should i jus go to service now or wait for the burning smell? LOL.. __________________ - 2007 328i Convertible MT-Spark. Graph. w/ Gray Interior-Gray Poplar Trim-Heated Seats-Navigation-SmartTop
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07-20-2007, 11:50 AM	#17
droptop335 Captain 39 Rep 709 Posts Drives: '07 335i (E93) Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Back in SF Bay Area (Tri-Valley), WooHoo! iTrader: (1)	Got it back last night, and all is good!:rocks: No rattles, squeaks, and window works perfectly. I have the SIB number covering this, and as soon as I can go out to my car to get the service invoice, I'll post it. __________________ Alpine White/Coral Red/Gray Poplar Convertible Sport/Prem/Step/Comfort/Nav/Sirius MHD Stage 1 Flash, M-Factory Helical LSD By the way people: USE YOUR F&*#ING TURN SIGNALS! Pass the word.
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09-05-2012, 10:21 PM	#18
John Pettit Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: 2007 e93 328i Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Brentwood, TN iTrader: (0)	Two rear window motors burned at once..... Here it is over 5 years later and I read about your e93 window problems. I bought my 2007 e93 as a CPO car in July 2010 with 23K miles on it; now it has 31k. On a recent trip we let the top down and immediately smell burned electrical wiring (as an EE I knew the smell all too well) and the rear windows could not be raised. What made it worse, it started to rain! We made a mad 140 mile dash home without getting soaked, though we had to listen to the "ding" every 30 seconds for the "window anti-trap protection" fault warning. Fortunately, we still had 7 month on the CPO warranty. The Nashville dealer claimed to have never seen this problem, though found SIB 51-17-07. The repair wording said they found both rear window motors shorted internally. Motors were replaced and system reprogrammed per SIB. Everything works fine upon return, though I am still nervous every time I lower the windows. At least I have a 2 year warranty on the parts. Definitely a systemic problem, to lose both rear window motors at once. Would like to know the cause of the fault, which is probably software related.
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