[bradleyland]

Busted Cruise Control Switch

On pre-facelift F25 X3 models, BMW used a rubber coated switch for the cruise control setting. Over time, the oils from your skin cause this rubber to degrade and detach from the switch underneath. When this happens, you'll (eventually) see something like this:



The fix is to replace the switch, which is only sold in a pair with the switches from the other side. The part cost is just under $300 if you search online. Through BMW it's a bit more.

Tools Required

• T20 Torx Driver (note, bit drivers do not work!)
• T6 Torx Driver
• Flat-head screwdriver
• Stubby flat-head screwdriver (optional)
• Tiny flat head screwdriver
• Sharp razor blade (optional)
• 10mm socket

Parts Required

Call a BMW service advisor / parts department to get the correct part number for your car. Our X3 is a pre-facelift model with nav (manf 07/2012). I'm providing the number below for your use AT YOUR OWN RISK. The part is $260-ish, so don't complain to me if you get the wrong one.

BMW Part No. 61-31-9-230-229 SWITCH MF, STEERING

Step 1: Disconnect the battery

Tool list: 10mm socket, stubby flat-head screwdriver

You'll be working with the airbag, and you really don't want it going off in your hands, so be safe and disconnect the battery.

Head to the rear of the car and open the trunk.

Inside you will see a panel with two flat-head fasteners at the edge closest to you. Use the stubby flat-head to turn them one-quarter turn counter clockwise. These aren't actual screws, so use care not to over-twist them.



Once you're inside, note the battery terminals. Don't mess with anything covered in red. You only need to disconnect the black negative terminal.

Grab your 10mm socket and loosen the 10mm nut on the terminal just a couple of turns. You don't need to take it completely off, just loosen it.

With the nut loose, pull the terminal off and stow it down on the right side of the battery. Don't worry if it touches any metal (other than the negative battery post). The negative cable is completely safe.



Step 2: Remove the airbag

Tool list: flat-head screwdriver, sharp razor

Everything should have gone dark when you unplugged the battery, but go grab a glass of water and relax for 5 minutes to be sure all the safety systems are good and dead.

Removing the airbag involves puncturing the steering wheel. Don't worry, it's on the sides, and we'll take steps to minimize the damage.

Start by looking at the side of your steering wheel. You'll notice a small circular area. I cut a horizontal slit in this hole so that when I stuck the screwdriver in, it didn't tear the material. You can see in the photo that the slit is barely noticeable. This was taken after the job was done.



Once you've cut the slit, it's time to take the airbag out. There are two steps here: 1) release the clips, and 2) disconnect the airbag. When you release the clips, hang on to the airbag, because it will want to fall out.

Releasing the clips is a bit of a trick. You stick the screwdriver straight in from the side. This presses a metal retainer rod out of the way. This is what it looks like with the airbag out. You'll be going in blind, but you'll notice there are some grooves in the wheel that kind of guide you. Just feel it out.



Time to disconnect the airbag. Behind the airbag you'll see the plug; it's the one on the left. Use a flat-head screwdriver to press the little retainer tab and gently pry the plug out.

Note: Don't start disconnecting anything else yet! You don't need to mess with any other connectors/screws in here.



Step 3: Remove the controls

Tool list: T20 driver

Set the airbag aside for now. Next, remove the three T20 screws on the back of the steering wheel. The approximate locations are marked on the photo below.



With the screws disconnected, pull the controls and trim piece loose. They'll come out all together, but will be connected. Detach the controls by removing the plug marked below.



Step 4: Replace the controls

Tool list: T6 torx driver, tiny flat-head screwdriver

With the controls disconnected, you can take them over to a counter for the next steps. You'll need to get some good leverage on them to complete this, so take my word for it and don't try to do the next steps in your lap.

Remove the marked T6 fasteners and pull the cable from it's resting place. The controls slide off the trim piece, but you have to lift a little retainer clip. I used a tiny flat-head screwdriver for this. Don't break them or you have to buy a new trim piece.



With the old ones off, slide the new ones into place, being careful to lift the retainers once again.

Step 5: Reverse gears

From here, it's a simple matter of following the steps in reverse. A quick summary:

• Re-attach T6 fasteners to trim piece / controls
• Tuck the wire back in where it belongs
• Re-connect plug from steering wheel to controls
• Re-install controls on steering wheel with three T20 screws (note that two have machine threads and one has wood threads; the wood threads go in the bottom)
• Re-connect the airbag connector
• Push the airbag back into place (it will snap in)
• Re-connect the negative battery terminal (it will spark, but don't worry)
• Tighten the 10mm nut, but don't go crazy
• Button up the panel
• Restore your profiles

A Special Note on Profiles

Because of the battery disconnect, your comfort access profiles will be all janked up. I couldn't select my profile, so I had to do some poking around. Here's what I had to do to fix it:

• Go to Settings, Profiles
• Select the guest profile
• Press the Options button (it's below the click-wheel) and choose the option to "Display user list on startup"
• Turn the car off, then turn it back on
• Select your profile
• Go back and disable the "Display user list on startup" option
• Turn off the car and press the lock button on the FOB (locking the car with a FOB stores the active profile to that key)
• Your profile is now associated with your FOB (others should be unaffected)

[Roup1]

Wow, awesome post! Thanks for the detailed steps and photos.