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Thread: Questions about tire size/rubbing possibly triggering DSC/handbrake lights

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    Belgium
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    2005 BMW 118D (E87)

    Questions about tire size/rubbing possibly triggering DSC/handbrake lights

    Hello, everybody! Been a long time lurker, but still haven't managed to figure this thing out, so I've decided to join the club and hopefully gain some insight and share experiences.


    Three years ago I bought my '05 118D. I had never owned a BMW before, but the price was right and she seemed to be in pristine condition despite her age (little did I know). I think I've dealt with every problem this car can possibly have, but I can't solve this seemingly simple tire thing. I bought the car with 18'' rims on it (225/40 tires). Two years ago I the back tires didn't have a lot of tread left so I decided to buy a couple of used tires (high tread, good quality). I was eventually going to replace all 4 tires anyway so I figured a couple of used tires wouldn't hurt for the time being. However, I started noticing slight rubbing in the back when going over speed bumps etc. (wasn't the case before). But it wasn't that big of a deal. Fast forward another year when I get all 4 tires replaced for new Continentals, alignment included. All tires would rub, no matter how slow I was driving. Even on the highway, if the road wasn't entirely flat, the tires would rub. If two grown ups sat in the back, the tires wouldn't stop rubbing. I went back to the tire shop and they basically shruggered their shoulders telling me it was probably due to the suspension and the size of the tires. Ok, 18'', I know, but this isn't a suspension problem. Eventually I got a partial refund. A couple of days after I had the new tires fitted the yellow DSC and the handbrake lights would come on (the ABS light stayed off, but if I flipped through the menu on the dashboard it was there, as well as the light for tire pressure). The rubbing isn't as extreme as in the beginning but the DSC error remains. Sometimes the lights go off, but when they come back on I hear a strange sound coming from the front off the car (possibly the left brake?) accompanied with a brief power loss.


    The shop I frequent doesn't know at this point. A local BMW indy was convinced that smaller rims would solve all my problems. I downloaded BMW tools to see what pops up: fault code for DSC, all the glow plugs and the aux-water pump. The glow plug fault codes didn't make sense and I managed to clear those, but DSC and aux-water pump remain (is there a connection?).


    At this point I'm pretty much convinced it has got something to do with those tires... but I didn't change the size of the tires and the car should be able to handle 225/40/18, so why are new tires a problem? Changing the rims + tires simply isn't worth it. Eventually I went to the stealership and they were extremely cautious stating that the DSC module could be the culprit, while also telling me that they could only know for sure after replacement/inspection. They quoted me 700-800 euros for this 'inspection', without any assurances whatsoever. So that's definitely not going to happen.


    The funny thing is traction control and ABS still function when the lights are on. I'm considering getting some tires with low tread and have everything coded off (if that's even possible), but maybe someone here experienced the same thing in the past and got it sorted out..

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Chicagoland area
    Posts
    4,372
    My Cars
    EXOTICS
    Here are the proper tire sizes:
    BMW 1 Series 2005 118d

    – Generation: I (E87) [2004 .. 2007]
    – Market: EUDM
    – Power: 121 hp | 90 kW | 122 PS
    – Engine: M47D20, I4, Diesel


    – Center Bore: 72.6 mm
    – Wheel Fasteners: Lug bolts