nigel_1981

Let's replace the word airbag with hmmm anything. So if one was to be anal (and I'm sure that's how you like it) 5. "additional equipment that has been fitted that may affect the proper performance of the wheels" 6. "additional equipment that has been fitted that may affect the proper performance of the exhaust" 7. "additional equipment that has been fitted that may affect the proper performance of the glazing" 8. "additional equipment that has been fitted that may affect the proper performance of the brakes" 9... Then we would be living in a country where no-one would be able to work on their own cars, make any repairs or modifications, no after market parts and only BMW dealers could work on BMW's. Take anything to the N..th degree and you just make a cock out of yourself and cause un-due concern. The fact is the airbag system thinking there is someone sitting in the seat (which is a normal operating condition) is not the end of the world. If you wana pay someone like Glen $500+ to fix a design fault that might come back in a week then do it! You can waste your money and be self righteous when it comes to your own car.

Not that you noticed, but I never mention the legitimacy of the repair. I agued that this repair does not “mess with people’s livesâ€. If I was to ague with it’s legitimacy I would ask the question: Must airbag repairs be done by a “certified airbag repairer/technicianâ€? If not; where does it state “by law†it must be repaired in a certain way? Is there a VIRM that I need to be pointed in the direction of? I'm open to this. Now from what I know “by lawâ€, the air bag light must turn on, then back off.

The device CAN NOT stop the air bag from deploying, the sooner you understand that the sooner you'll stop sounding ridiculous chicken little..

I agree. This is why so many of these elegant, well made cars are now getting scraped for parts. It might be $330 for an inner splash guard or $500 to fix an airbag light that will probably come back in 12month. No thanks! If anyone I knew asked me if a BMW was a good second hand car to buy I would say NO!!! If you actually have the money needed to pay service and retail, you’d be better off buying a brand new Mazda. If you’re prepared to work on it yourself, get the parts you need from offshore or a wrecker, get on the forums, receive helpful advice from “open minded†strangers then do it. Otherwise keep walking.

Thank-you. It's now obvious to me you have no idea how the air bag works or why it does what it does, when it does it. FYI the passenger sensor DOES NOT determine "how much" to inflate the air bag based on the specific weight of the occupant. In fact if computer thinks the sensor is faulty the system by (default) will always deploy the air bag. This is a choice BMW and it's lawyers have made in the interest of safety and/or court cases. If someone is putting a small child in a car that SHOULD be in a kiddy seat but are not, then THEY are being NEGLIGENT. Otherwise if they're big/old enough not to be in a child seat you'd hope the airbag does inflate in the event of a massive side impact. If, like myself you have watched side impact crash test videos of the E39 on youtube, and done the research you would have seen the location of where they deploy and how thin and shallow they are. Again may I remind you I have rear air bags and they do not have passenger occupancy sensors, nor does BMW recommend you going to the dealer to have them deactivated if you carry children in the rear.

Well that's your opinion and so well articulated.. If someone can explain to me how a (passenger occupancy sensor bypass) risks someones life then I'm all ears.

There's no point arguing with you though is there?

There are many things that you could worry about, the E39 has an inherent fault that deploys the drivers air bag when you put the key in the ignition! (there was a recall). Bypassing the passenger occupancy sensor and then not putting young children in the seat is fine by me. I'd be more worried about a crash killing someone than an airbag deploying where no-one is sitting.

How can this end up killing people exactly? My car has rear air bags, is it illegal for me to put children in my back seat?

What are the wheels? Penta's?

Great timing! bas!@#ds

Last time I checked that was not the case. If you have a spare it must be located correctly, have enough tread etc.. I could be wrong but no spare, no problem.

Why not repair yours?

I'd wana know the price I'm looking at before hand.

How about... Part: 51712694832 Part: 51168176166