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Thread: Question about buying "As Is" and Airbags

  1. #1
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    Question about buying "As Is" and Airbags

    Hey all you lawyer people... I need your help now.

    When I first purchased my car in July of 2001, the airbag light was on and the passenger window was off it's track. We agreed to purchase the car (at a lower price) if the owner of the car lot (just one guy) would get both the airbag light sensor fault and the window fixed. Picked up the car, all was well. Paid, left.

    3-6 months later, the airbag light comes on. Eh, no biggie, I'll eventually take it back to the car lot, which now has a guy that moved his repair shop there, but it's no biggie, a bunch of people on here have their lights on.

    Well.

    I take it to Harrison Motorsports (trumpets, triumphant music here) today to get them to help me get the right rear wheel off and take the shock out to slip the rear bumpstop/dustcover on it. David (owner) is a really nice guy and basically lets me do my own work (even with the air impact tools). He gets my baby up on the lift and has to hammer the wheel off (we sanded down the hub area, hopefully that won't be a problem anymore). He noticed when pulling my car into the shop that my airbag light was on.

    He offers to check it with his diagnostic tool. Well well well, both tensioner/latch sensors (drivers and passenger) have faulted and are not working. That's right, my airbags don't work as of right now, according to David. I need to replace both latches, at $100 a pop. Plus an hour or two of work, he said I'd be running around $400 worth of work.

    Now. My question is, since I bought the car "As Is", but the "As Is" was with functioning airbags, and since the guy didn't fix the initial problem as we agreed upon, can I get him to pay for the work? Is he required too? If not, am I screwed out of $400?

    Don't these latches go bad all the time?

    OR

    Is David @ Harrison Motorsports wrong and you all out there running around with your lights on have functioning airbags just like me?

    Edit : I'd also like to give mad props to David and Harrison Motorsports. He allowed me to do ~$150-300 worth of work on my car, for free! So take your car there if you're in GA.. I drove an hour and a half to get it there!
    Kevin
    2000 Toyota Land Cruiser [2020-Present]
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  2. #2
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    before you can safely say that the sensors are bad you need to check and see if they got loose, happens a lot, as far as the sensors going bad the light would have not reset itself if they were not working when you bought the car

  3. #3
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    butterm3- How do I check to see if they are loose? I don't have my Bentley handy.

    About the light.. do you mean if they were bad, when the used car guy originally reset it, it wouldn't have reset it would've stayed on?

    Because the Harrison guys reset mine and it didn't come back on.
    Kevin
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  4. #4
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    adjust your seat as high as possible and disconect battery, then unplug and plug everything back, if the light went off then I think he got a false reading, if the light is on because a sensor is bad it wont reset itself.....probably you have aloose plug that lost contact, when he diagnosed it the fault was a bad sensor but the plug is making contact now so he was able to reset the code, computer thinks you changed the faulty part....

  5. #5
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    butter - I doubt it's a false reading. The light has been on for a good 6 months now. Consistently. I start the car up, the light comes and stays on for exactly two minutes, then goes off. I would buy the loose contact part except we didn't move the seat at all. Why would after six months and a reading the light not come back on for the first time without moving anything?

    Unless the fault from a long time ago was a loose plug and caused the light to come and stay on even though the plug received contact again?

    Could someone scan the page[s] out of the Bentley telling me how to get to my seat and all the plugs underneath? I'd rather not be wasting time in the Georgia heat.
    Kevin
    2000 Toyota Land Cruiser [2020-Present]
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  6. #6
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    I had the same problem in my car and 4-months later and 2-months out of warranty the same @#@$# part failed again....

    And from what I understand the airbags will deploy by default. The SRS system doesn't need feedback from the sensors to deploy.
    '87 325is - 220k
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  7. #7
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    the airbag light does not "reset" itself, so if you didnt have the system reset for 6 months the light will not go away, as far as the plugs just stick your head under the seat and you will see them, also since (I am going by your profile)you have a 95 if it is a early built date there is no passanger sensor just driver,

    the seat belt sensor is the yellow plug, the occupior sensor is the black one they are both similar in size so you wont confuse them with the power or heat plugs.

    Juan

  8. #8
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    "As-is" means no warantee. You cannot go after the seller (especially not one year later) for a part that fails once you sign the bill of sale. That's my understanding, at least.

    As for the latch plugs, use some contact spray. It will inhibit corrosion.

    Also--use anti-seize where the hub center protrudes into the wheel. That will keep it from sticking next time. Use anti-seize on the lug bolt threads, but not on the taper seat.
    James Muskopf
    RRT Racing
    DC Metro's premier BMW service and racing facility

  9. #9
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    So I guess the question remains - with my light coming on for the first two minutes of the car being started, then going off, do my airbags function or not?

    There are a bunch of us running around with this light on, do none of us have functional airbags?
    Kevin
    2000 Toyota Land Cruiser [2020-Present]
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  10. #10
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    The airbags WILL function with the 2 minute start up error. If the light stays on constantly then it indicates a major error and the system may not work. Those latch switches are crap. What was said about the SRS light not resetting itself is correct, once it sees a fault, the light will never reset until you plug in to the system and clear it. One day months ago you might have adjusted your seat, caused the sensors to freak out and the error light has been on ever since even though the sensor was only "disconnected" for a fraction of a second.
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  11. #11
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    Chris, I just want to be absolutely sure: Two minute error = functioning airbags = I don't have to pay $400

    Just want to be positive.

    Should I do as everyone else is saying and crawl up under there and disconnect/connect everything or leave it like it is since it seems to be working?
    Kevin
    2000 Toyota Land Cruiser [2020-Present]
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  12. #12
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    Well it can't hurt to unplug and replug those connections, but it's not gonna clear your light. You'll still have to have it reset.
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  13. #13
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    Well I did have it reset at Harrison Motorsport. It didn't come back on immediatly, but he said it probably would. If I do the unplug/replug will this cause it to go off again? Because if having it reset fixes the light, and you're saying my airbags are functional (i just have to be absolutely sure on this, don't think me an ass, this is to let my parents know I'll be okay), then I could just leave it like it is. And if for some odd reason I move a seat and cause the sensor to go off, then I could try the unplug/replug?
    Kevin
    2000 Toyota Land Cruiser [2020-Present]
    2013 Honda Pilot EX [2018-2020]
    2003 Audi A4 Avant [2012-2018]
    2004 Accord: [2006-2012]
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  14. #14
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    bimmer95,

    thanks for "backing me up" I am sure the bestcow believes me now...lol j/k

    best cow if you already had the light reset than dont worry, if for precaution disconnect your battery wait about 10 minutes and unplug and plug everything back hook up the battery.....like I said before I think it was a faulty code that you got back since you were able to reset the system.....

    I will give you a example that happened to me a some time ago:

    the car 97 M3 4 door.... car tried to stall, no power and car would drive with a erratic idle check engine light comes on, took it in and came back with a bad o2 sensor before the cats, had it replaced, the same day I take the car out same thing happens I get the same o2 sensor fault so we reset the system drive the car and it happens again same fault.....but it is a new sensor, so I take it to the stealer and they hook it up to motric this time I get 3 faults o2 sensor, engine leak, and crankshaft sensor. replaced the crankshaft and everything is fine, why was the faults for the o2 because since the car thought it was misfiring it tried to give more gas/air, therefor messing up the mixture car thought it was the o2,

    what I am really trying to say is that faulty readings are very common, especially depending what tool is beign used to check the faults

    as far as the airbag I had the same thing happen to me that is why I was pretty sure it was just a loose connection

  15. #15
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    Thanks butter. I hope I didn't offend you, but you're one of the only ones that had responded to this thread, and it's always nice to have more than one person saying "this is correct, do this". Chris has helped me before, so I guess I have to believe both of you now Thanks again!
    Kevin
    2000 Toyota Land Cruiser [2020-Present]
    2013 Honda Pilot EX [2018-2020]
    2003 Audi A4 Avant [2012-2018]
    2004 Accord: [2006-2012]
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  16. #16
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    im just pulling your leg......

    Juan

  17. #17
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    Juan,
    Hahaha okay I'm just trying to watch myself, apparently I've been annoying some people lately, and I hate to offend so... as long as it's all good
    -Kevin
    Kevin
    2000 Toyota Land Cruiser [2020-Present]
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  18. #18
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    SO HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR PLUGS YET???????

  19. #19
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    Haha, no. I'm in college! Got stuff to do (like post here..?). As long as the airbags function, I'll probably avoid it for as long as possible.
    Kevin
    2000 Toyota Land Cruiser [2020-Present]
    2013 Honda Pilot EX [2018-2020]
    2003 Audi A4 Avant [2012-2018]
    2004 Accord: [2006-2012]
    1978 Black 320i [2007-2017]
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