perhaps you can get some useful information from these previous posts...they may not be asking the exact question you did...but there is a similar problem with the steering wheel column and seat function which you can identify with...the solution may also be the same:

Better go to your mechanic...

He can save a lot of money by just clicking the links already searched for and provided...it's probably just a broken seat switch.

i had the same issue, mine was bad wiring in the seat controls, dont ask me how they are all interlocked, but it cost me 97 for labor, and 1.20 for parts, did the trick

Do you know what the part was that you paid for? It may have been 1 hrs labor to remove the seat cover...and just a replacement push pin (there's 3 of them in removing the seat cover, and one invariably gets broken). The bad wiring may have been that they needed to re-seat the elec harness back into the switch. I wouldn't put that past the stealers to fleece a customer over something VERY simple. :tsk:

If you click those links, you'll see what I mean...and the last one gives instructions on how to remove the seat cover to access the seat switch.

It's a common problem of the seat switch's harness backing out...and either bending some of the pins or just not connecting properly...especially if the seat cover is broken in the front or the side where it attaches. The switch then falls and as the driver(s) get in and out of the car or the seat moves...it drags the switch and breaks the harness out...which then causes the seat and steering wheel to not work properly.

Just a thought. And with just a few minutes of simple DIY work...one can determine if this is the problem. :thumbup:

99WAGON said:

i had the same issue, mine was bad wiring in the seat controls, dont ask me how they are all interlocked, but it cost me 97 for labor, and 1.20 for parts, did the trick

Click to expand...

Fuse 13

I am having a similar problem. I have an E39, 2002 530i, and fuse 13 is habitually blowing. I took the seat controls apart as suggested and I found no damage to the control module or pinched wires. I put everything back together. The seat adjusted without me in it. I carefuly sat down in it, putting my wieght slowly and squarly in the middle. It the seat work fine with me in it. As I got out, shifting my weight to the left and sliding out, fuse 13 blew again. I weight all of 180 lbs and I do not understand why it would have blown as I shifted my weight out of the seat. Any thoughts?

Fuse 13 Blowing

k.missbach said:

I am having a similar problem. I have an E39, 2002 530i, and fuse 13 is habitually blowing. I took the seat controls apart as suggested and I found no damage to the control module or pinched wires. I put everything back together. The seat adjusted without me in it. I carefuly sat down in it, putting my wieght slowly and squarly in the middle. It the seat work fine with me in it. As I got out, shifting my weight to the left and sliding out, fuse 13 blew again. I weight all of 180 lbs and I do not understand why it would have blown as I shifted my weight out of the seat. Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

Ditto this - my seat stopped working about a month ago (and steering wheel). My husband finally got some time to look at it and per threads here removed the side cover of the driver's seat and unpluged/cleaned and plugged in the seat control harness...nothing is cracked...looks fine.

Then he noticed fuse 13 was blown so he replaced it and everything worked fine for one day. We parked the car and the next morning came out to try it again and fuse 13 was blown again...

Has anyone had any experience with this? The earlier posts in this thread suggest that buying a new switch/control module won't help. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Amy