ESP Failure, limp home, then it's half-ok with CEL on... DIY fix tomorrow?
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 587
Likes: 13
From: The Windy City
'02 C32, '10 135i M-Sport, '10 E63, '17 GLE63S
ESP Failure, limp home, now it's fine with CEL. Possible causes?
So i'm coming home from a friends house, 15-20 miles on the highway and maybe 5 miles each side street driving (no hijinks, was driving pretty normally), and all of a sudden as I'm leaving a stoplight I have no throttle at all, CEL comes on, and "ESP Failure, Visit Workshop!" pops up (kooky Germanians 
) Car was idling fine, thank god, since it's 25F outside...
After learning that with my new roadside assistance I'll have to pay $120 up front and then even only get reimbursed $100 of that
, and THEN 1/2 hour later when I finally receive a call saying that I'll have a flatbed coming in about an hour, I decide to hit the flashers and limp it home.
Back home, backing into the driveway anticipating the tow to the stealership tomorrow morning, and the car hauls *** backwards! Hmm... I decide to eschew my common sense. Put it back in drive, pull out of the driveway and goose it - lo and behold, VROOM, back up to normal speed, WTF!?
Anyways, I searched and found some early issues on C32's with grounding relating to the ESP; anybody know of any other issues I should look at before taking it to the dealer? I have an extended warranty that's pretty comprehensive, and the dealers around here seem to know their s***, but my deductible is $250, and I'd assume this might even be less if it's just a wiring issue or something.
I'd really like to poke around myself tomorrow before taking it to the dealership, and between my mechanical inclination, experience, and the tools I have, if I don't have to replace any parts I should be in the clear. The problem is that I don't have a clue as to what to look for, since I haven't even had a chance to put my Greens in yet, let alone check out where everything is in the engine bay...
And for the record, all the fluids are fine, the belt is on nice and tight, and I couldn't find anything loose/hanging/dangling when I was waiting for the call back.
Any help is MUCH appreciated so I don't have to blow my Christmas shopping money on labor at the dealer
On a side note, if/when I do get it into the dealer, about how much "time" would be reasonable for them to charge to disable the speed sensitive volume and the Lifelink or whatever it's called, the European version of OnStar? The beeping when I start the car makes me want to dig out my eardrums with a rusty spoon...
) Car was idling fine, thank god, since it's 25F outside...After learning that with my new roadside assistance I'll have to pay $120 up front and then even only get reimbursed $100 of that
, and THEN 1/2 hour later when I finally receive a call saying that I'll have a flatbed coming in about an hour, I decide to hit the flashers and limp it home.Back home, backing into the driveway anticipating the tow to the stealership tomorrow morning, and the car hauls *** backwards! Hmm... I decide to eschew my common sense. Put it back in drive, pull out of the driveway and goose it - lo and behold, VROOM, back up to normal speed, WTF!?
Anyways, I searched and found some early issues on C32's with grounding relating to the ESP; anybody know of any other issues I should look at before taking it to the dealer? I have an extended warranty that's pretty comprehensive, and the dealers around here seem to know their s***, but my deductible is $250, and I'd assume this might even be less if it's just a wiring issue or something.
I'd really like to poke around myself tomorrow before taking it to the dealership, and between my mechanical inclination, experience, and the tools I have, if I don't have to replace any parts I should be in the clear. The problem is that I don't have a clue as to what to look for, since I haven't even had a chance to put my Greens in yet, let alone check out where everything is in the engine bay...
And for the record, all the fluids are fine, the belt is on nice and tight, and I couldn't find anything loose/hanging/dangling when I was waiting for the call back.
Any help is MUCH appreciated so I don't have to blow my Christmas shopping money on labor at the dealer
On a side note, if/when I do get it into the dealer, about how much "time" would be reasonable for them to charge to disable the speed sensitive volume and the Lifelink or whatever it's called, the European version of OnStar? The beeping when I start the car makes me want to dig out my eardrums with a rusty spoon...
Last edited by evilsaint; Dec 15, 2007 at 03:13 PM.
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Joined: Apr 2007
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300E a couple 1994 w124wagon E320 Wagon/,1971MGB Track/Rally, MG Midget Autocross ,2000 E320 wagon.
CEL still
on?If not the code will still be stored as pending.Go to
http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/...te.do?state=IL
pick up the 94169 scanner,they will if you ask nicely sell it to you for the internet price of 40 bucks or so.Read the codes after plugging it in under the dash,post them here or p.m. me if I don't drift by.The code will help point the direction to a solution and at 40 bucks you need a scanner in your tool kit,if only to avoid the $250 ded and getting rolled by the dealer if they claim it is not a covered item.
http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/...te.do?state=IL
pick up the 94169 scanner,they will if you ask nicely sell it to you for the internet price of 40 bucks or so.Read the codes after plugging it in under the dash,post them here or p.m. me if I don't drift by.The code will help point the direction to a solution and at 40 bucks you need a scanner in your tool kit,if only to avoid the $250 ded and getting rolled by the dealer if they claim it is not a covered item.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 587
Likes: 13
From: The Windy City
'02 C32, '10 135i M-Sport, '10 E63, '17 GLE63S
on?If not the code will still be stored as pending.Go to
http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/...te.do?state=IL
pick up the 94169 scanner,they will if you ask nicely sell it to you for the internet price of 40 bucks or so.Read the codes after plugging it in under the dash,post them here or p.m. me if I don't drift by.The code will help point the direction to a solution and at 40 bucks you need a scanner in your tool kit,if only to avoid the $250 ded and getting rolled by the dealer if they claim it is not a covered item.
http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/...te.do?state=IL
pick up the 94169 scanner,they will if you ask nicely sell it to you for the internet price of 40 bucks or so.Read the codes after plugging it in under the dash,post them here or p.m. me if I don't drift by.The code will help point the direction to a solution and at 40 bucks you need a scanner in your tool kit,if only to avoid the $250 ded and getting rolled by the dealer if they claim it is not a covered item.
In the meantime, before I go to VatoZone to get the code pulled and see what it is, does anybody have any ideas what would cause the car to gimp up like that last night with the ESP error? It's snowing today, so DIY isn't gonna happen really, but even though I could only find about five relevant threads, all vague and from 2004-ish, I hoped somebody could shed some light
