Ambient lighting not working in doors after getting tints done

[ENDEE666]

Ambient not working in doors. Happened after getting tints done. Pulled door cards, no visible or obvious wires or plugs issues. Getting these codes. Any help is appreciated!

I know many will suggest bringing it back to that ting shop. I know they pulled door cards off, but I am not happy with anything they did, so I don't really want to go back to them. It worked fine before they touched it though, so I was hoping just a plug not connected, but not the case.

[Chilled]

Is it all the Ambient lighting or just the doors? I'm guessing the dash still works?

Have you tried picking diff colours? if you have the door cards off, is there any power on the plugs?

[ENDEE666]

Dash ambient is all that works. Tried other colors and turning it on and off in idrive. Doors are back together, I didn't know what wires should read what, so I didn't do any testing with a meter. Was just checking for a damaged wire or plug not done.

[ENDEE666]

Anyone have a good diagram of the ambient light system? Or at least some info on locations of modules, etc?

[Chilled]

I don't have any better advice, but i found this wiring guide. Looks like the colour activation/toggle is daisy chained (the LIN errors that you are seeing). The first hop that goes to the doors is 19(Door pocket lighting, driver's door).

So if the plugs on the front doors are messed up. Could be causing you issues?

• Is it worth removing the cards again and trying to connect LED module by module. See where it messes up.
• Is it possible to change the order of the LED modules or will the wiring harness only go in one way?

I am kinda blindly guessing.

[ENDEE666]

Very helpful, thank you! Sometimes just understanding the system helps me figure it out. So this should be helpful. I've never done any troubleshooting for ambient lighting systems, had no idea what LIN codes or slave codes were, but I had a feeling it was daisy chained. Kinda like old xmas lights.

Plug wise, everything looked fine. I really had hoped that was it, but no dice. And the actual plugs to the fiber optics are all clipped to the panel, and unplugging them isn't needed to remove the panel, so that shop should not have touched them. Just the larger main plug that comes out of the door itself and ultimately connects all the optical ones.

So, the problem should be in the drivers door? Is that safe to say?

Thanks again

Originally Posted by Chilled

I don't have any better advice, but i found this wiring guide. Looks like the colour activation/toggle is daisy chained (the LIN errors that you are seeing). The first hop that goes to the doors is 19(Door pocket lighting, driver's door).

So if the plugs on the front doors are messed up. Could be causing you issues?

• Is it worth removing the cards again and trying to connect LED module by module. See where it messes up.
• Is it possible to change the order of the LED modules or will the wiring harness only go in one way?

I am kinda blindly guessing.

[Chilled]

Did more digging.

Looks like it. Something about your drivers doors its not liking. (note*. The fuse box that is under your glove box, is under the steering wheel for a RHD. So it may be the other door). Found the pinout and mirror lin.

The fact that's is complaining about the mirrors and the central switch. Makes me thing that the LEDs are the by-product of something else going wrong.

That one big door connecter that the LED harness plugs into, how does that look? The LIN network is not a loop like the fibre(MOST).



Also, any chance to take some photos of these connectors/how to take the door cards off. In a not too distant future I maybe looking to take mine off and would be good to have some real pics to go off.

[Chilled]

How did you go?

[ENDEE666]

Went from bad to worse. So I noticed my mirrors didn't fold and drivers door window and Tailgate switch wasn't working. They were all good a week ago. So I assumed I was dumb enough to forget to plug them in. Took panel off again hoping for that. Nope. Everything was plugged fine, and now I don't have mirror adjustments, folding mirrors, or power windows from drivers door...

Interior window switch on pass door works fine. Rears do not, but I think that could be tied with child lockout. All windows open and close with the key fob.

A friend said it could be the FRM or light module. All the ones I see are for the E70, so I'm not sure our platform still uses one. But I'm definitely suspecting a module issue.

[WZS_M]

ENDEE666 just out of curiosity, what was the reason for removing door panels to do tint? Getting ready to have my front two windows tinted.

What % tint did you go with up front and do you know what the rear % was from factory?

[ENDEE666]

Originally Posted by WZS_M

ENDEE666 just out of curiosity, what was the reason for removing door panels to do tint? Getting ready to have my front two windows tinted.

What % tint did you go with up front and do you know what the rear % was from factory?

It's the correct way to do the tint

[Bobby_Drake]

I would add that excess liquids from the spray they use during the tinting process will save your merino leather door panel from bubbling. A quality tint shop will remove the door panel for a proper tint job. Mine was removed as well.

[WZS_M]

I appreciate the feedback and it makes sense. I just wasn't aware they were always removed.

[LOW4LYF]

Disconnect the battery for 1 minute or so.

LIN needs to be resetted sometimes when disconnected.
There is also a job to reset the LIN in ISTA.

[ENDEE666]

Can I just unplug the Lin for a few minutes? I hate unplugging the battery, and there's two, which one?

[Chilled]

Just the big battery, don't unpluck the little one.


If I am reading the wiring diagram correct, the info(control module) comes from the LIN line. So the main control module is the BDC, in the passenger footwell. If this was busted I would guess you would have allot more issues.

It looks like that windows/mirror/ buttons/control unit(S35) is busted. Do the window and lock/unlock buttons have the green LED lights on? Does that module get power?

This module and the mirrors get power from the same fuse from the front fuse panel. Under the glove box, passenger side. F22 its a 7.5Amp.


The issue has to be something simple that they touched. The most common thing they would of touched is that S35 switch module.

Get yourself a copy of ISTA, and reset all the error. (do take not of them tho)

[ENDEE666]

First, that's very helpful, and I thank you! The switches on the drivers door for the windows, mirror, and child locks do not illuminate. They do not work either, so this helps isolate the issue further. The hatch release button DOES illuminate, but doesn't work to open the hatch.

I'm going to check that fuse, since this is starting to look like a no power issue, and hope it's that. I honestly hate unplugging the battery and having to reset, resave, and restore settings etc. I've also never had that actually solve any problem in the past. So it's my own projecting and reluctance, I know.. So I was hoping to unplug the BDC or one of the harnesses to it instead.

Originally Posted by Chilled

Just the big battery, don't unpluck the little one.


If I am reading the wiring diagram correct, the info(control module) comes from the LIN line. So the main control module is the BDC, in the passenger footwell. If this was busted I would guess you would have allot more issues.

It looks like that windows/mirror/ buttons/control unit(S35) is busted. Do the window and lock/unlock buttons have the green LED lights on? Does that module get power?

This module and the mirrors get power from the same fuse from the front fuse panel. Under the glove box, passenger side. F22 its a 7.5Amp.


The issue has to be something simple that they touched. The most common thing they would of touched is that S35 switch module.

Get yourself a copy of ISTA, and reset all the error. (do take not of them tho)

[ENDEE666]

Also, just went back to my older screen shots, and compared. The one from Aug was shortly after the tints, when only ambient light was the problem. Windows and mirrors worked. The one from the other day now reflects the window problems. Just sharing in case this helps see how this evolved.

Also a suspicion I have is that I tried to test things while the panel was off, and didn't have all the other things plugged in at the time. So I wonder if that's what upset things and forced errors and protection modes?

[Chilled]

So get yourself a copy of ISTA, ASAP (this is where the wiring diagrams are coming from).

Looks like LOW4LYF was on something with the LIN reset procedure.

Found this whist looking through the removing/installing door trim panels.

*EDIT* Connect up all the plugs fully, but leave the door cards off(so you can mess with it easier). Unplug the main batt for like 20min and then plug it back in.

[ENDEE666]

I will see if a few local friends have ISTA. I don't have that, just Bimmerlink, Bimmercode, Carly, and BM3 Diag. I assume none of those will work? Bimmerlink won't clear these codes, I know that. But maybe coding and saving in Bimmercode?

Those ambient cables in the diagram don't need to be touched to remove the panel, so they should not have been tampered with. Just that bigger plug that clips onto the panel towards the front, the window switch plug, and the cable for the door handle..

[ENDEE666]

Got some good news.

Windows and mirrors work again, as well as the hatch release! It was fuse 22, thank you Chilled very much!

However, still no ambient except dash.. Relieved to at least have working windows and mirrors though.

[ENDEE666]

Update. Windows and mirrors work. Most codes cleared, these still exist

Really appreciate you all.