[TJPark01]

Anytime I engage any of the camera features of the car I receive a malfunction warning.
1. Back up Camera
2. top view assist
3. Side view
The strange thing is that all the cameras visually seem to be working fine. Have any of you guys gotten this warning?

 

[laser]

TJ I had exactly this upon delivery of my car.

Dealer just ordered a new camera and installed it no problem.

Took a few days at the dealer and seems to have been quite a disassembly / assembly process.

 

[TJPark01]

TJ I had exactly this upon delivery of my car.

Dealer just ordered a new camera and installed it no problem.

Took a few days at the dealer and seems to have been quite a disassembly / assembly process.

which camera was replaced? I am getting malfunction warning on all of them but they seem to be working fine, which leads me to believe it's something software or code related

 

[laser]

I only have the backup camera, it was working fine but was getting the dash warning and the audible alert every time I put the car in reverse.

They just replaced the camera, i'm not sure they could or tried to diagnose any software issues.

 

[TJPark01]

I only have the backup camera, it was working fine but was getting the dash warning and the audible alert every time I put the car in reverse.

They just replaced the camera, i'm not sure they could or tried to diagnose any software issues.

When you say it took a few days, did the delay come in the installation or in waiting for the parts to arrive?

 

[laser]

1) took from Nov 10 until Jan 19 for the dealer to have the camera and 4 replacement Goodyear RFTs. Sorry I don't know for sure which was the holdup since I needed to have both replaced on the same service visit.

2) took them a week to install the camera, gave me a loaner thankfully!

 

[TJPark01]

1) took from Nov 10 until Jan 19 for the dealer to have the camera and 4 replacement Goodyear RFTs. Sorry I don't know for sure which was the holdup since I needed to have both replaced on the same service visit.

2) took them a week to install the camera, gave me a loaner thankfully!

A week to install a camera? The humanity. From what I can tell I have 5 cameras on my car.

 

[laser]

Schedule at your convenience and for sure go for a nice loaner!

 

[TJPark01]

To the surprise of no one, the malfunction warning has now gone away by itself. The prospect of keeping this car past the warranty period is looking precarious at best. Thanks for all your help laser. Hopefully this is the last I see of this. I'm busy, and as much as I'd like to take the a test drive of the X3, I don't feel like going to the dealer what so ever.

 

[kmac1980]

I have gotten this same "camera malfunction warning" for my reverse camera (none of the other ones)...only when I engage reverse. It seems to be intermittent as well. It also seems to coincide with the car being a bit dirty. Wonder if it is the car's way of saying the image may not be reliable because of the dirt obstructing it? Nothing the in owners manual suggests this though, however, it does suggest this for other camera based sensors in the car (i.e. lane departure warning)

 

[TJPark01]

I have gotten this same "camera malfunction warning" for my reverse camera (none of the other ones)...only when I engage reverse. It seems to be intermittent as well. It also seems to coincide with the car being a bit dirty. Wonder if it is the car's way of saying the image may not be reliable because of the dirt obstructing it? Nothing the in owners manual suggests this though, however, it does suggest this for other camera based sensors in the car (i.e. lane departure warning)

water got into one of the camera wiring harnesses for the driver mirror. The camera and wiring harness were replaced under warranty.

 

[Stealth.Pilot]

water got into one of the camera wiring harnesses for the driver mirror. The camera and wiring harness were replaced under warranty.

I'm getting a bit disturbed about our BMWs after I read all these stories, and then I am also having issues with the brief drive malfunction on Saturday and the auto headlight sensor malfunctioning today.

I wish Lexus had got their act together and launched a GSF by now. They may not have the brand cachet, but they may be the only hope for a reliable car that handles well.

 

[laser]

I'm getting a bit disturbed about our BMWs after I read all these stories, and then I am also having issues with the brief drive malfunction on Saturday and the auto headlight sensor malfunctioning today.

I wish Lexus had got their act together and launched a GSF by now. They may not have the brand cachet, but they may be the only hope for a reliable car that handles well.

Sharing your concern ....... I think we are driving computers now .... like tech support always asks ..... why don't you try and reboot it ...... or ..... is it plugged in? :dunno:

 

[kmac1980]

water got into one of the camera wiring harnesses for the driver mirror. The camera and wiring harness were replaced under warranty.

I'm skeptical that this is my problem as its very intermittent in mine and the cameras are function fine despite the "malfunction warning"... I also now get it on the sideview cameras in the front fenders... seems like a software problem?

 

[Stealth.Pilot]

Sharing your concern ....... I think we are driving computers now .... like tech support always asks ..... why don't you try and reboot it ...... or ..... is it plugged in? :dunno:

I don't think it is that though. You never hear stories of a camera failure or a headlight sensor failure on the Lexus board. You only hear those stories here.

I would understand computer related bugs like iDrive crashing, but not bugs in basic electronic components which have been in use for 10-15 years by other brands.

 

[jimefam]

I wanted to get that option for the surround cameras and was scared off by the salesman. He stated that if they break they are a pain and $$$ to replace and have a way of failing, I'm surprised that they apparently do fail as noted above this is old technology.

 

[alex_c]

I wanted to get that option for the surround cameras and was scared off by the salesman. He stated that if they break they are a pain and $$$ to replace and have a way of failing, I'm surprised that they apparently do fail as noted above this is old technology.

If they are a pain and $$$ to replace, it is (mostly) NOT your time and your money. For 4 years it will be fixed under warranty.

By getting them, at least you will use them for at least 4 years. If they fail after that, is just like if you never had them...

I think that a lot of times we make a big issue out of small issues that in other areas of our life are taken as "normal". Water heaters have been around for over 100 years, and I still have had them failed in my home over the years, same for AC units, garbage disposals, toasters, vacuum cleaners, etc. You name it, whatever it is, it will fail at one point. What you should be thankful is that when your BMW fails for whatever reason, it will be fixed under warranty, at no cost for the next 4 years. Try that with almost any other stuff around your home.

As vehicles get more complex, there are more things that can go wrong. Do you realize that there are several computers running almost non-stop in your car, nearly 20x faster than any computer you have around, communicating nearly at the speed of light (that's why they use fiber optics instead of regular wiring on the main computers in your car), and still, our cars work flawlessly nearly all the time. With the number of components in the car, that means that to get a 99% reliability, the individual components need to be flawless 99.999999% of the time.

If you ask me, it is EXTRAORDINARY how incredibly precise and reliable these cars are in spite of all they do all the time. Maybe I've been lucky, but my 2011 535 worked perfectly for 14 months and 14,000 miles until I traded it in. Same for my 2008 328xi, which I had for 3 years and over 40,000 miles (other than a fuel sensor replacement under warranty).

Comparing the reliability of my BMW's with cars I had before (Mercedes Benz, Porsche and Audi), BMW's have been waaaay better. No comparison. And if you start comparing with lesser brands (Chrysler, GM, Ford, etc.) it's not even remotely close.

Heck, even my kids bicycles have had more issues than my BMW's, and they are way simpler... but still have had to adjust the chain, fix the brakes and tighten the kick stand! :rofl:

 

[kmac1980]

I wanted to get that option for the surround cameras and was scared off by the salesman. He stated that if they break they are a pain and $$$ to replace and have a way of failing, I'm surprised that they apparently do fail as noted above this is old technology.

The funny thing is, they don't appear to be failing all that much, just producing a false "camera malfunction warning" check control message..

 

[jimefam]

If they are a pain and $$$ to replace, it is (mostly) NOT your time and your money. For 4 years it will be fixed under warranty.

By getting them, at least you will use them for at least 4 years. If they fail after that, is just like if you never had them...

I think that a lot of times we make a big issue out of small issues that in other areas of our life are taken as "normal". Water heaters have been around for over 100 years, and I still have had them failed in my home over the years, same for AC units, garbage disposals, toasters, vacuum cleaners, etc. You name it, whatever it is, it will fail at one point. What you should be thankful is that when your BMW fails for whatever reason, it will be fixed under warranty, at no cost for the next 4 years. Try that with almost any other stuff around your home.

As vehicles get more complex, there are more things that can go wrong. Do you realize that there are several computers running almost non-stop in your car, nearly 20x faster than any computer you have around, communicating nearly at the speed of light (that's why they use fiber optics instead of regular wiring on the main computers in your car), and still, our cars work flawlessly nearly all the time. With the number of components in the car, that means that to get a 99% reliability, the individual components need to be flawless 99.999999% of the time.

If you ask me, it is EXTRAORDINARY how incredibly precise and reliable these cars are in spite of all they do all the time. Maybe I've been lucky, but my 2011 535 worked perfectly for 14 months and 14,000 miles until I traded it in. Same for my 2008 328xi, which I had for 3 years and over 40,000 miles (other than a fuel sensor replacement under warranty).

Comparing the reliability of my BMW's with cars I had before (Mercedes Benz, Porsche and Audi), BMW's have been waaaay better. No comparison. And if you start comparing with lesser brands (Chrysler, GM, Ford, etc.) it's not even remotely close.

Heck, even my kids bicycles have had more issues than my BMW's, and they are way simpler... but still have had to adjust the chain, fix the brakes and tighten the kick stand! :rofl:

I drive alot and will reach the mileage limit way before the 4 years are up(probably 2 years) besides I will keep the car beyond 4 years so for me reliability is important. And while cars are most certainly amazing vehicles some have less issues than others. Still I'm loving me 550i but there are some things BMW can tighten up.

 

[TJPark01]

I wish Lexus had got their act together and launched a GSF by now. They may not have the brand cachet, but they may be the only hope for a reliable car that handles well.

I hear you, but there's no guarantee that the Lexus will be free of their own issues. I really liked the interior of the GS, but the exterior styling isn't for me, and the fact they used the carry over engine is a bit disappointing.

I'm skeptical that this is my problem as its very intermittent in mine and the cameras are function fine despite the "malfunction warning"... I also now get it on the sideview cameras in the front fenders... seems like a software problem?

Mine was intermittent as well. I would get the warning with the cameras functioning fine. I just hated the dinging so I had them check it out.