[RufussCkingston]

Got a 2019 X3 where the parking brake will not engage and the red light on the switch will not light up, nor on the cluster. I do not get any warning lights/messages. Tried removing the F28 and F32 fuses for 5 min but all that did was generate a parking brake warning message until I put the fuse back. Under 20k miles.

Any ideas?

[RufussCkingston]

Bumpty Bump!!

[g11hoonigan]

Did you recently acquire the vehicle? What's recent history or work done on it?

[RufussCkingston]

Originally Posted by g11hoonigan

Did you recently acquire the vehicle? What's recent history or work done on it?

Nope, have had it for just over 4.25 years, leased new, then bought at lease end. Has no service issues in the past.

[g11hoonigan]

Originally Posted by RufussCkingston

Nope, have had it for just over 4.25 years, leased new, then bought at lease end. Has no service issues in the past.

Are you handy enough to disassemble the rear caliper, remove and inspect the parking brake for any obvious issue? Or spend ~$150 for an OBD tool to try and exercise it? Hard to tell if it's the switch, the motor or something in between.

[RufussCkingston]

I'm not going to make the effort to take apart the caliper since I need to remove the wheel first. I have a ethernet ODB hookup I used for Bimmercode... What can I do with that since the car isn't throwing up any errors in the check control? Thanks for you help.

[g11hoonigan]

Originally Posted by RufussCkingston

I'm not going to make the effort to take apart the caliper since I need to remove the wheel first. I have a ethernet ODB hookup I used for Bimmercode... What can I do with that since the car isn't throwing up any errors in the check control? Thanks for you help.

I don't think Bimmercode can help, but Bimmerlink may be able to issue the parking brake service function on/off. That may not fix your problem but at least would give you further insight whether or not it's responding to inputs other than coming from the switch.

Anyways, at this point I'd suggest just have the shop do it since it might get too involved to troubleshoot and fix. You can also try visually inspecting if there's any obvious sign that something broke, like cable etc.

[pej7445]

Following. Good luck on this.

[AllBlackBimmer]

Its electronic, and not mechanical - so it could be a few things - you can check the connections/wiring, or check the actual mechanism in the rear brakes to ensure it's getting power/signal

[RufussCkingston]

Originally Posted by AllBlackBimmer

Its electronic, and not mechanical - so it could be a few things - you can check the connections/wiring, or check the actual mechanism in the rear brakes to ensure it's getting power/signal

Any links to a diagram or take apart to check this wiring in the brake area? I can't see how the wiring in the cabin could be an issue.

[NYRangers79]

Most likely motor seized or wire frayed. It’s two bolts to remove the motor on each caliper. I would try the bimmerlink parking brake service mode and see if you can hear anything actuating.

[RufussCkingston]

Finally took the car in for some routine service. They said it was a faulty switch on the center console. They wanted $300 for the part ($130 online) and like $650 for 2.5 hours of labor! F that!! I bought a used one on ebay for $30...., figure I'll just need to pop the trim, unscrew 4 screws by the shifter and replace it. Bet a technician would take less than 30 min to do it! What a racket!

[RufussCkingston]

Rediculous.... took me 1 minute to pull this up and disconnect it from the car. Probably took me longer to order the part than when I do the repair!