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      05-25-2015, 10:11 AM   #1
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Rear axle differential lock error

Anyone else experienced this error code on their F8x? Rear axle differential lock. It happened once at 300km and the dealer replaced the GHAS controller unit and now it happened again at around 15,000km. Dealer did some test and diagnostic and said they have a new differential on order for me now and I will have to wait 3 weeks.
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      05-25-2015, 11:21 AM   #2
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That sucks. Hope they get it sorted out.
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      05-25-2015, 11:38 AM   #3
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it seems like every dealer just replaces the part instead of fixing it. It's like the tesla approach and it's not a good thing.
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      05-25-2015, 11:48 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevens21234 View Post
it seems like every dealer just replaces the part instead of fixing it. It's like the tesla approach and it's not a good thing.
I hear ya, but on a diff it makes the most sense just to replace it.
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      05-25-2015, 12:14 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MaynardZed View Post
I hear ya, but on a diff it makes the most sense just to replace it.
If they are always going to replace, why not carry some inventory locally? 3 weeks is a long time to wait.
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      05-25-2015, 01:10 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevens21234 View Post
it seems like every dealer just replaces the part instead of fixing it. It's like the tesla approach and it's not a good thing.
This is a great point. It's also why BMWs have a semi-undeserved reputation for being super expensive to maintain. Unlike a good independent mechanic, dealer service departments aren't paid to do any hardcore troubleshooting. They just replace large, expensive assemblies until the problem goes away and then bill BMW or the customer.

Case in point is the old SMG III transmission in the previous M5/M6. It has a well-deserved reputation for being unreliable and requiring $10k+ replacement/repair bills. However, once the cars started dropping out of warranty in 2010 or so, indie mechanics started doing real troubleshooting on these gearboxes. In the end, it was determined that the vast majority of the issues were with improper lubrication of the clutch release bearing and/or improper hydraulic fluid levels in the SMG pump. Both fixes obviously cost significantly less than replacing the entire unit.
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      05-25-2015, 01:16 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevens21234 View Post
it seems like every dealer just replaces the part instead of fixing it. It's like the tesla approach and it's not a good thing.
I'd rather have a new part instead of a fixed part. Especially if dealer is performing the work.
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      05-25-2015, 01:31 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arcoril View Post
It's also why BMWs have a semi-undeserved reputation for being super expensive to maintain.
Complexity and parts cost on BMW, I think its actually pretty deserved.

And if the car is under full warranty, why not get a brand new part from the manufacturer?
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      05-25-2015, 01:48 PM   #9
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That stinks.

First I think I've heard of this error so....uhh.....lucky you

As for replace instead of repair, while under warranty I prefer a new part to having someone mess around to 'maybe' fix it (or make it worse). Doesn't cost the dealers to get new parts under warranty so why would they take on the liability that their service techs screw it up or make it worse?

I think it is inevitable as cars get more complex that warranty repairs will usually be done by replacing.

...and as another noted, after the warranty is done, there are lots of good, dedicated, professional mechanics who can dig and figure out problems a little more.
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      05-25-2015, 04:46 PM   #10
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I know this may be overstating the obvious but man these cars are complex.

I never got "alerts" like this in my 1971 AMX or 1974 Corvette ragtop and both have the original posi rear diff
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      05-25-2015, 05:27 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevens21234 View Post
it seems like every dealer just replaces the part instead of fixing it. It's like the tesla approach and it's not a good thing.
On such a new model, I would imagine they want that unit back to do much more in depth testing on what went wrong to see if this is a bigger problem or a one off issue. If they keep the entire unit, they can take as long as they want to go over just what went wrong and why.
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      05-25-2015, 05:47 PM   #12
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I have read that some of the M5 were having the same problem but couldn't see any other m3/m4 with this problem
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      05-25-2015, 06:21 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nicknaz View Post
Complexity and parts cost on BMW, I think its actually pretty deserved.

And if the car is under full warranty, why not get a brand new part from the manufacturer?
Oh, absolutely. I'm not arguing that he shouldn't get a new part. He definitely should since it's still under warranty. My argument was just that people are scared of owning a BMW out of warranty because they look at cost of the in-warranty work at a dealership and assume that that's how much they'd need to pay to fix the issue out of warranty. In reality it's usually far less than that since a good independent mechanic can often diagnose the real issue and minimize repair costs.
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      05-25-2015, 09:24 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AIRPOWER
I know this may be overstating the obvious but man these cars are complex.

I never got "alerts" like this in my 1971 AMX or 1974 Corvette ragtop and both have the original posi rear diff
Yes, half the problem takes place when you begin to monitor something that was never monitored before via sensors and data acquisition.

Initially, the paper chasers implement sensor thresholds that appear valid on paper. But, the real life real time sensor readings can go far beyond the initial spec.

This leads to false alarms and nuisance alerts.

Only time (and patience) can get all of these issues corrected. That's why it's so important to report any errors.

The good news: Once a manufacturer gets through the issues then the resulting parameter adjustments will last for years and the competition still has a lot of catching up.
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      05-25-2015, 09:47 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kanuck View Post
If they are always going to replace, why not carry some inventory locally? 3 weeks is a long time to wait.
Its probably a rare part to fail and I would think these being M cars would have more than a few parts that are low production and M specific. Keeping in mind total production and sales I would think the Ms make up a very small percentage. Probably more cost effective to just have the parts on demand from the motherland as needed.
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      07-19-2015, 06:13 PM   #16
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This happened to me today at the track. Any updates?
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      07-20-2015, 12:42 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by chillindrdude
This happened to me today at the track. Any updates?
It happened to me twice. First time they replaced the GHAS control unit and everything back to normal. The 2nd time which was around 12,000km after, they diagnosed the problem and replaced the whole differential. I had to wait around 4 weeks because it had to be shipped from Germany.
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      07-20-2015, 07:39 PM   #18
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Ugh. Gutted...

So much for troublefree ownership.
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      07-23-2015, 07:04 PM   #19
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got my car back...

the master M tech at my local BMW dealership has never seen this fault before. So troubleshooting escalated up to BMW Corporate. the GHAS differential control module was directly interrogated. fault code present. confirmed to be heat related. M tech instructed to check electronic and mechanical connections for signs of heat damage. All visually appear to be undamaged and secure. the control module itself was reinitialized (rebooted). came back on-line as usual, output signals verified, fault codes cleared. Service manager took the car out for a test drive, I assumed he pounded on it pretty good (in mid-day 85 degree temperatures). No issues.

so that's it. i asked the service advisor if the fault could happen again in similar track conditions as before. he admitted it's certainly possible, but the service was performed as instructed by BMW corporate. I surmise, if it happens again then a control module replacement or worse, differential replacement would be the next course of action.
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      09-03-2015, 06:19 AM   #20
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This just happened this morning on cold start up.. Car shut off on me quickly but after second restart the fault went away and car started normally.

Last edited by sA x sKy; 09-03-2015 at 08:07 AM..
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      09-03-2015, 06:35 AM   #21
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Ugh...

Ownership has been less than what was expected. I don't like this lingering worry about whether my car is gonna limp mode / throw codes on a road trip or track day

*sigh*

1st world problems....I know.
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      09-03-2015, 08:09 AM   #22
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Yeah I just talked with my tech at BMW, and he said this problem has occurred to more than just one person. If it happens again I'll be taking it to the dealer. Just don't want to take off the downpipes and JB4 for this :/

I can understand if the fault came up during a track session but mine was at cold start lol
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