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Thread: Lights flickering slightly, random door ajar, and alarm

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Buffalo, NY
    Posts
    39
    My Cars
    2011 328i xDrive 6 speed

    Lights flickering slightly, random door ajar, and alarm

    I encountered my first issue with my 2011 328xi in 1.5 years. Pressed unlock on the fob on my way out the door this morning and the alarm immediately went off. Took a few button presses for the alarm to shut off, then got into the car and everything was fine. Start backing out of the driveway and I get a door ajar (driver front) so I stop, open and shut the door. Continue down the drive and get a truck open message. Checked the truck and it was shut. Now I'm about 1/8 mile down the road and *ding rear driver door ajar*. That warning immediately clears and a few seconds later *ding front driver door ajar*, *ding front passenger door ajar*. I pull over, shut the car off, open and shut every door and nothing seems out of the ordinary. While this was going on while driving, I could hear the door locks try to lock (already locked). I heard the locks do this a few more times seemingly at random and only while moving.

    When I start driving down the road again, I notice the interior lights oscillating between fully on and halfway off and flickering while they do so. More dinging with door ajar warnings, each time with a different door. I continue the 2 miles to work and let it sit for the day. I leave at five, car unlocks and disarms like it should, starts fine, and no flickering interior lights. I make it one block down the road and I get a door ajar warning but it immediately goes away and don't have any more issues the entire way home.

    Once home, my first thought was a low battery/non charging alternator. The battery was replaced in February 2018 by the dealer but I check anyway and the voltage is where it should be while the engine is off. Voltage stayed steady around 14v while the engine was at idle, which leads me to believe that this is not a low voltage issue from a charging problem.

    Tonight I decided to go on a highway cruise to see if things improve (I've been driving short <5 mile trips the last two week). Before starting the engine, I notice the interior lights slightly flickering. Start the engine and the interior lights are still slightly flickering at the same intensity as when the engine was off (increasing revs didn't make any difference). In addition, the headlights (stock halogen) are slightly flickering as well as the angle eyes (also with stock bulbs). Tail lights and plate lights are fine, but the led welcome lights on the exterior door handles are also flickering.

    Went out to trouble shoot again a few minutes ago, hit unlock and the alarm goes off again, this time with a different fob. Has anyone experience this issue? I've read that aftermarket headlight bulbs and/or angle eyes will cause this but the car is bone stock.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Buffalo, NY
    Posts
    39
    My Cars
    2011 328i xDrive 6 speed
    Thought I’d give everyone a quick update. No alarm going off today and no unwanted door ajar warnings. This morning, the interior dome lights were pulsating before and after starting. However, they weren’t pulsating when I got in the car to leave the office at 5, but started doing so after starting the engine. I was able to replicate this tonight as well. Everything worked as it should before starting the engine. Headlights and interior lights didn’t pulsate. Turn headlights off, start engine, and interior lights are fine until I switch on the running lamps and now only the footwell lights pulsate but not as noticeable as yesterday. Headlights seemed to be working fine and not pulsating.

    The footwell lights continued to pulsate with the headlights and running lights off, and after shutting off the engine. I got out and the welcome lights on the door handles weren’t pulsating like yesterday so there’s improvement there too. I shut the door and waited for the interior lights to shut off (without locking) and after reopening the door, no more pulsating footwell lights?

    My initial thought is that moisture got into the frm module from the high humidity we’ve been having and that it’s drying out now. But perhaps this is an issue with a headlight ground?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Ca
    Posts
    6,981
    My Cars
    2001 525it
    Always start with the basics charging system check, age of battery, battery terminals tight, then move to fault codes. How does one conclude that it's humidity?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Buffalo, NY
    Posts
    39
    My Cars
    2011 328i xDrive 6 speed
    I checked the battery and charging system again and everything is working as it should. This problem seems to have sorted itself out in the meantime but I'm still going to get someone to look into fault codes. As for the humidity, it was a bit of a stretch but my thought was that perhaps condensation had gotten in somewhere it shouldn't have. If that's the case, it opens a whole new group of problems.

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