Traction Control Turning Itself OFF!

[Cavey]

Hi folks....so i've been having a traction control issue with my 2015 gen 3 bike since new.....TC keeps turning itself off (solid TC light) ....It's been happening randomly, but more often recently (4-5 times during a 150 mile ride out) so i've asked my dealer to investigate. The bike has been booked in with them 3 times now and they still haven't managed to find the fault?? They've replaced LH switchgear and checked for fault codes etc but the issue remains. A PUMA has been raised and BMW are currently investigating this same issue on another UK bike. I'm waiting for some feedback and hopefully a fix, but in the meantime i've lost all faith in the bike's electronics. My questions to you all:

1. How long is reasonable for me to keep taking the bike back and forth to the dealer for them to investigate before demanding a solution? (new bike if they can't fix?!) This issue is starting to drag on and meanwhile the bike isn't fit for purpose. I paid a premium for a bike with great electronics so don't feel it's unreasonable of me to expect the TC to work as it should? Some may even argue that TC is a must on a 200bhp bike?! I definitely won't be booking any track days until this is resolved and i'm riding the bike as i would an "analog" bike for now just in case!

2. The dealer i originally bought the bike from quickly proved themselves to be incompetent (long story!) so i've been dealing with another dealer. As far as i'm aware, i think i'd need to give my original dealer the opportunity to fix this before demanding a solution, but i really don't want them touching it tbh! Can i deal directly with BMW UK to resolve this or would i need to go back to the dealer i bought it from? Or do i just need to continue with the new dealer and wait for a fix that may never come??

I absolutely love the bike but i've had a multitude of problems with it so far (two failed ignition switches, various strange random software/dash issues, bike veering right and this TC fault) ....I seem to spend more time riding back and forward to the dealer rather than enjoying the bike....is this really what to expect when buying a bike like this or have i just been unlucky? Sometimes i just wish i'd kept my Fireblade and spent the extra ?5k on something less stressful??!

Anyway, rant over...would be interested to hear everyone's thoughts?

Cheers, wish me luck!

 

[Cavey]

Oh i forgot to ask the most important question: Does anybody know what the hell could be causing my TC to turn itself off all the time!:moody:
LH switchgear has been replaced to no avail, BMW dealer computer not detecting any fault codes, dealer now suspects possible break in wiring loom but yet to investigate?? Unsure why they failed to investigate the loom theory during the 3 separate visits, but i'm guessing maybe due to the time/cost involved?? Any thoughts? Cheers

 

[soofsayer]

Cavey - are you the guy doing mega miles on the bike?

Regarding dealers you can use any authorised bmw dealer. You don't need to go to the one you bought it from, they didn't manufacture the bike so it's not their fault the bike has issues from the factory.

TC turning off would suggest either a faulty sensor / gyro or more likely a wire in the loom trapped or worn through. It can happen and is fixable once found. It can be time consuming to find some of these issues.

Get a loan sthou from the dealer while they investigate and crack on imo. As a case has already been raised with bmw uk you will need to play the waiting game and see if the dealer fixes it. If not after this visit then you could reject the vehicle and request a replacement.

 

[Beavis]

Sorry Cavey can't help with your problem but , traction control saved my arse today. I was coming home from Tyndrum and was passing a car at Loch Lubnaig ( road was wet as it had been raining ) and it slid , cut the power and kept on pulling all in the space of micro seconds probably. Brilliant bit of kit , not rubbing I it in though !

 

[davidmccord]

I remember reading in my manual (it is a gen 2 so may not be true in this case) that the tc can choose to turn itself off if it senses something that it cant rectify. I.e. Wheelieing over the prescribed amount, burnouts etc. That's the way I understood it anyway. I assume you'd know if you were doing this but it could be one of these sensors is at fault and default seems to be to turn off. Not much help I know as basically means it could be anything. Best I can suggest is give the dealers as much as possible to go off. Does there seem to be a pattern to it at all when you notice its gone off? Completely random? Have you ever had the tc or anti wheelie intervene to know it even works at all? Have you tried to knock it off at a standstill by bouncing on the suspension and shaking the steering etc?

 

[Cavey]

thanks folks...... @soof - not mega miles (11k) ...thanks for the great advice...will give the dealer another crack at fixing and go from there I've really struggled to get a decent loan bike from BMW UK or dealers in the past, they took my bike back fro 6 weeks last summer waiting for a replacement ignition switch (i'd only owned the bike 4 weeks!) and i literally had to beg BMW UK to send me a loan bike while the dealer refused point blank saying they were not obliged to provide a loan bike??! Disgusting really after me dropping ?15k on a new bike that breaks after a few weeks?! .....Any idea if we have a right to a loan bike or is it their choice? @David - thanks for the info, there's no real pattern to when it switches off, but seems to be happening a lot recently when sitting around 40mph 2nd gear. I have had the TC activate at times (e.g. hump back bridges, slippy raod surface etc) so i know it works but i can't 100% rely on it when it keeps turning off?! ....Cheers, will update here once the dealer has had another look

 

[soofsayer]

Sorry if you have covered this somewhere already, have you ever noticed the TC not physically working when the light is on (like rw spin without intervention) ?

 

[bananaman]

Sorry state of affairs.... I would go ape at the fob off you have had. Yes, I know faults do happen but, 16k and treated like sh*t, especially safety related? Really not acceptable.....

 

[Budgie]

Has the dealer who has had your bike took it on a prolonged road test and experienced the same issues?

 

[scooby]

try cleaning the front traction pick up sensor,my bikes purely track and the tc light started to stay on every once in a while,cleaned the pick up sensor as it was full of rake dust,not had an issue since.sometimes the simplest ways are best

 

[Cavey]

Sorry if you have covered this somewhere already, have you ever noticed the TC not physically working when the light is on (like rw spin without intervention) ?

Hi Soof, when you say "when the light is on" i'm guessing you mean when the light is flashing? If so, then all i can say is i've felt the TC physically kick in everytime the light has flashed. When the TC deactivates itself the light is solid not flashing so i'm guessing the TC then wouldn't physically work? Although i'm a bit scared to test that theory?! lol ....hope that makes sense? What we're your thoughts in asking? Cheers

 

[Cavey]

Has the dealer who has had your bike took it on a prolonged road test and experienced the same issues?

Cheers Budgie.....Apparently they've ridden the bike a few miles but haven't managed to replicate the fault. They did the test ride a few months ago when it was only deactivating every couple of hundred miles so they really would need to do more testing. It's now happening approx 5 times every 150 miles so maybe next time the bike goes in they will be able to replicate the issue?? Although having said that i'm not sure i really want them putting hundreds of miles on the bike if at all avoidable??

 

[Cavey]

try cleaning the front traction pick up sensor,my bikes purely track and the tc light started to stay on every once in a while,cleaned the pick up sensor as it was full of rake dust,not had an issue since.sometimes the simplest ways are best

Cheers Scooby....will defo give this a go! ....do you know if this would flag up any fault codes? The dealer has told me there are no fault codes stored??

 

[soofsayer]

When the TC deactivates itself the light is solid not flashing so i'm guessing the TC then wouldn't physically work? Although i'm a bit scared to test that theory?! lol ....hope that makes sense? What we're your thoughts in asking? Cheers

This bit... Because there are no fault codes I'm wondering if the fault isn't the TC at all but something to do with the ecu and the light on the dash. The only way to test the theory would be to try and get it to intervene when the solid light is on. I was thinking the safest way would be to find some gravel area and see if the rear spins up without any intervention in something like rain mode?

 

[Cavey]

This bit... Because there are no fault codes I'm wondering if the fault isn't the TC at all but something to do with the ecu and the light on the dash. The only way to test the theory would be to try and get it to intervene when the solid light is on. I was thinking the safest way would be to find some gravel area and see if the rear spins up without any intervention in something like rain mode?

Brilliant plan Soof! .....i like your thinking....will test the theory asap and report back

 

[Cavey]

This bit... Because there are no fault codes I'm wondering if the fault isn't the TC at all but something to do with the ecu and the light on the dash. The only way to test the theory would be to try and get it to intervene when the solid light is on. I was thinking the safest way would be to find some gravel area and see if the rear spins up without any intervention in something like rain mode?

Hi Soof....i can now confirm that the TC is actually deactivating (rear wheel spins up) ...not just a faulty TC light. Dealers was getting a rear wheel sensor fault so replaced the rear wheel sensor and road tested for 150 miles....they were convinced they'd found the problem this time (5th attempt)...... they gave me the bike back and TC light came back on within 100 miles!! ****! .....i've had enough, want a new bike or my money back....WAY too many problems from day one with this bike! It's been a stressful year of ownership....not what i had planned at all!

 

[powders]

Don't blame you complete nightmare and not good enough for a brand new top of the range bike
What other problems have you encountered ?

 

[Cavey]

Don't blame you complete nightmare and not good enough for a brand new top of the range bike
What other problems have you encountered ?

aside from the TC issue most of the problems have been failed switches/sensors (ignition switch has failed twice/ LH switchgear replaced/wheel speed sensor/lean angle display intermittent/) also bike veers to the right which BMW now say is a "feature" of the RR??!! .... both front and rear wheel bearings and cush drive rubbers failed. Also the bike is burning a considerable amount of oil (500ml per 1000 miles) which is within BMW's "tolerances" but a bit of a joke?? Surely the oil should stay in the ******* engine?! ....overall very disappointing for a brand new ?16k bike!

 

[alex]

Yeah I think its best to detail this to the helpful dealer, appreciating their efforts to date...but saying the faults have been too numerous and some seem to be beyond BMW to fix. Its time for a new bike...


- Sent from Mobile

 

[powders]

Agree enough's enough