Lights won’t turn off 2011 sDrive35i

[indulj]

The lights on my 2011 Z4 sDrive 35i have been refusing to turn off when shutting the car off, meaning the headlights, halos, taillights. I found a post on a different site that said this was a known issue with my z4 model, but searching here didn’t yield any results. The other site merely suggested disconnecting the battery for several minutes, which unfortunately didn’t work for me. I tried changing the coding for the lights with Carly just to try something, but no luck. I can eventually turn them off by pressing the start button without the fob inserted, checking, then repeating if necessary until they’re off. Sometimes it only takes one try, but usually I have to do this for 30 minutes or so. Seems like maybe a faulty control unit somewhere…? Does anyone have any suggestions for a non professional non-mechanic modestly intelligent DIY owner? I can generally do things myself with good instruction. I’ve done a lot myself already. I’ve done complete tuneups, oil changes, brakes, replaced and programmed my fuel injectors, replaced my down pipes, turbo inlets, bypass valves, replaced my charge pipe with a billet pipe, installed a smart top… at some point wanna do a walnut blast myself. But these lights are driving me mad. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[MRCW]

Have your tried replacing relays?

[indulj]

No. Have you had this issue before also? Which relay or relays would fix it?

[indulj]

I appreciate any guidance from anyone. My local BMW dealership has proven to be dishonest, so I can't ask them. When I got to work today it took me about 45 minutes to get my lights to turn off. Sometimes they go right off, but often they don't, and it's a real pain.

[MRCW]

Relays are electromechanical devices which can wear out. Firebirds a service manual and you should be able to look at circuit diagrams to identify which relays for lighting.

[indulj]

I appreciate that. I do know what they are. Until I can get my hands on a service manual, I was hoping someone on a forum devoted to my actual car could be of some help and be specific. I appreciate it anyway.

[B21]

Have you been coding with Carly prior to this fault appearing?

[indulj]

Yes I had. A while before this issue, I had restored the settings/coding to original settings before taking it in to the dealership for a different issue, and never changed it afterwards, keeping it stock settings. But I suppose resetting it back was probably inconsequential. That would be my luck. So maybe Carly caused the issue?

It's gotten worse lately. The past two days I've had to let the lights stay on upon arriving at work, and just let my car battery die while working, and have someone jump me off at end of shift. I went against my better judgment and called the local BMW, and as I predicted, they said they never heard of that happening and could be a hundred different things, and I would have to bring it in for the $200 diagnosis fee. I would then probably end up having to pay them a few grand even if it was a $50 part and took an hour. That's been my experience with them. And I know this because I've ended up doing work to it myself after getting a ridiculous quote, and learning they would quote $500 labor or more for something that ended up only taking me 45 minutes to do. But I'm a bolt up guy mostly. I know nothing about electronics.

[indulj]

FYI, I did a general reply, so maybe I didn't reply directly to you correctly...?

[B21]

These days cars are such complex things electronically..

As someone who did hobby electronics back in the 70s, studied Solid State Physics at University, and spent 40+ years in hardware and software engineering I struggle at times..

FWIW it has been known for Carly specifically to brick certain cars..

Generally these coding tools can caused issues either through misuse, incorrect assumptions and coding on a discharged battery.

My best guess is that the FRM module has been compromised in some way..they are known to corrupt themselves when being coded.

It’s a 5th Dan level problem …a really good BMW Indy or a top dog car electrician would be best recommendation at this distance..

Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful..

[indulj]

No apology necessary. I appreciate the reply. I might be exposing my ignorance, but the OBD port runs to the FRM, and is directly behind the OBD port, correct? And would replacing it be your first guess? And replacing it, I would have to have some programming/coding done, correct?

Your guess makes sense to me. Aside from using Carly, I had a tune put on the car about 2 years ago. I'm guessing that might have possibly compromised the FRM also...?

When I shut the car off, I hear a random clicking noise for a few seconds while the infotainment screen hides, as if somewhere in the dash. Kinda sounds like something is shorting.

[B21]

Yes FRM is where you stated…FRMs have to be coded to the car as it’s used across all BMWs..the issue you have is that a fault in one system often propagates phantom or real faults in other sub systems as they all talk to each other via the numerous busses that link them.

The tune shouldn’t have affected the FRM.

There is a known issue with some older FRMs where repeater writes to it cause an EEPROM / checksum error which then needs a guru with special tools to address..so called bench write..

There are numerous shut down systems..could be the HVAC system stepper motors..

With these things a decent fault code reader is your best friend.

[Drummer$Dude]

I would suspect a faulty relay. Either the contacts in the relay are sticking closed or the coil within the relay is bad. I was a manufacturing electrician and worked with relays all the time. All that being said without an electrical diagram it will be hard to diagnose. I’ll see what I can find.

[Dumaurier7]

Originally Posted by indulj

The lights on my 2011 Z4 sDrive 35i have been refusing to turn off when shutting the car off, meaning the headlights, halos, taillights. I found a post on a different site that said this was a known issue with my z4 model, but searching here didn’t yield any results. The other site merely suggested disconnecting the battery for several minutes, which unfortunately didn’t work for me. I tried changing the coding for the lights with Carly just to try something, but no luck. I can eventually turn them off by pressing the start button without the fob inserted, checking, then repeating if necessary until they’re off. Sometimes it only takes one try, but usually I have to do this for 30 minutes or so. Seems like maybe a faulty control unit somewhere…? Does anyone have any suggestions for a non professional non-mechanic modestly intelligent DIY owner? I can generally do things myself with good instruction. I’ve done a lot myself already. I’ve done complete tuneups, oil changes, brakes, replaced and programmed my fuel injectors, replaced my down pipes, turbo inlets, bypass valves, replaced my charge pipe with a billet pipe, installed a smart top… at some point wanna do a walnut blast myself. But these lights are driving me mad. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Are you having any issues with your key fob and accessing your car as well ? I started having such experiences then the lights "forever on" issue started, turned out to be a bad CAS module! had it sorted now all is well again.

[indulj]

Originally Posted by Dumaurier7

Are you having any issues with your key fob and accessing your car as well ? I started having such experiences then the lights "forever on" issue started, turned out to be a bad CAS module! had it sorted now all is well again.

Hey Damaurier7, I haven't had access to a computer for a while. And sorry in advance for the long reply. But lots has happened.

To answer, the key fob seems to be good. But, I started having trouble with the ignition eventually. Sometimes the car would crank, and sometimes it wouldn't. Sometimes I would have to take the key fob out, wait about 10 minutes, and try again. And then it would usually start. But before long, it wouldn't start at all. The very last time I had tried to start the car, all the dash lights would flicker as if there was a short, then it just wouldn't start at all.

So I ended up having it towed to a nearby shop that claimed they worked on BMWs. The BMW dealership was very far away from where it broke down. And, they have overcharged me in the past. My original guess was it may have needed a new FRM. But the indi-shop diagnosed it to need a new body control module, which BMW called it the JBE, or junction box E. I had to have the mechanic send me pictures of the module so BMW could tell me what it was. Well eventually after getting the runaround for months from this independent shop, they finally said my car was ready. They had installed the JBE and claimed they had it programmed. I went to get it, and now it's in the worst shape it's been since I've owned it. The car will now start, but now a lot of things don't work anymore, worst being the cooling fan. So far, the engine cooling fan, the windshield wipers, and the car horn doesn't work anymore. And maybe other things as well. I had to have it towed back home so it wouldn't overheat. There was another issue, but had nothing to do with the JBE.

After getting it home, I've checked all the fuses, and they all seem to look good. It seems HIGHLY unlikely that all those things suddenly went bad all at the same time (wiper motor, engine fan, car horn...). They all functioned fine before the car wouldn't start and before having it towed to them.

I did see a YouTube video that explained if the cooling fan switch was bad, you could tell by pulling out the fan switch (located top front of the engine head) while the car was running, and the fan will kick on. I tried this, and the fan did NOT kick on. But since other things aren't working, I'm hesitant to say the fan motor itself is bad. A fan is pretty expensive.

My thinking is that they didn't program the JBE properly. I don't know anything about that. If not programmed properly, could some things work while others do NOT work? I just don't know what to do now, short of taking it to the nearby BMW dealership, which has over-quoted me way too much for things I ended up doing myself in the past. That's why I didn't take it to them initially. They usually want to at least charge double for labor, if not triple. And also mark the parts up pretty high sometimes.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Carl Annessa]

Originally Posted by indulj

The lights on my 2011 Z4 sDrive 35i have been refusing to turn off when shutting the car off, meaning the headlights, halos, taillights. I found a post on a different site that said this was a known issue with my z4 model, but searching here didn’t yield any results. The other site merely suggested disconnecting the battery for several minutes, which unfortunately didn’t work for me. I tried changing the coding for the lights with Carly just to try something, but no luck. I can eventually turn them off by pressing the start button without the fob inserted, checking, then repeating if necessary until they’re off. Sometimes it only takes one try, but usually I have to do this for 30 minutes or so. Seems like maybe a faulty control unit somewhere…? Does anyone have any suggestions for a non professional non-mechanic modestly intelligent DIY owner? I can generally do things myself with good instruction. I’ve done a lot myself already. I’ve done complete tuneups, oil changes, brakes, replaced and programmed my fuel injectors, replaced my down pipes, turbo inlets, bypass valves, replaced my charge pipe with a billet pipe, installed a smart top… at some point wanna do a walnut blast myself. But these lights are driving me mad. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hi,

Since battery disconnect and coding changes didn't resolve it, consider checking the light control module or related wiring. It's possible there's a faulty relay or sensor causing the issue. Given your DIY experience, inspecting connections and using diagnostic tools might help pinpoint the problem. If all else fails, seeking advice from a BMW specialist or the community forums could provide additional insights. Good luck with resolving this annoyance!

[javis20]

I second the defective relay suggestion. Relay contacts can burn closed. Eventually when they cool, they can then re open. At some point they will stay closed forever.

https://fuseandrelay.com/bmw/z4-e89.html

[MRCW]

Another possibility coitus be the headlight switch. Many issues on other models of this vintage...I recently had to replace a headlight switch on my 2013 X1 35i that had some light issues