Used parts from BMW

Hello,

maybe someone with some insider information can shed some light on this.

Some time ago the ABS controller unit on my 840 was damaged by water. I tried to repair it and even replaced some components on the board, but infortunately, it was all in vain.

The breakers did not have any used ones, so I went to the local dealer to pay some good money for a new one.

Well, it arrived today and I was surprised to open the box and find inside one that did not appear to be new at all. The mounting holes had circular scrape marks from previous fasteners. The label was dirty and there was a "98" date code stamp on the unit. But, more tellingly, there are also signs of a diagonal tide-mark on the aluminium case, as had been left on my original unit by the water and contact of the carpet foam backing.

Out of curiosity, I did connect the unit and it does appear to work OK. However, i am worried that this might be a used unit that someone had swapped and returned and that it might, in the past have had some intermittent fault.

I realise that after 12 years, BMW may have to use Re-manufactured or refurbished units, but I guess that these would have been cleaned up and possibly fitted with replaced, new cases and even marked as remanufactured with a new date stamp?

Anyway, this part number is not presently listed as re-manufactured and because of the marks on the case, which take time to produce, I don't think it was a new unit that was previously fitted and returned by someone else after finding it was not the problem.

The BMW dealer has agreed to take another look at the unit and has asked me to bring it back. Can anyone verify whether a new ABS module (p/n 34 52 1 164 133) is supposed to be new or a repackaged, used one?

If the latter, I probably could have got one eventually from a breaker's yard for a lot less that GBP 762 + VAT.

Zitat von Timm;92665

If they were re-manufactured parts only, I would expect that they would have asked for your old unit.

Well, the dealer thought that it should have been a brand-new unit, but they said they will ask one of their technicians to look at it when I bring it back. However, it's definately not brand new and by the look of the tarnished lines on the aluminium case, where the unit is normally covered by a carpet in the door sill and by the screw marks, it's definately been fitted to a car for some time - not just to test and return.

With a 1998 date stamp and serial number lower than my original unit, I have a feeling it's been swapped by some previous buyer and then returned.

I'll have to ask whether it came fresh from Germany or whether it's been sitting in the UK warehouse all these years


The waterpump, i bought recently was supposed to have been remanufactured, but was indistinguishable from new and the dealer said I needn't bother about returning the old one but still gave me a discount for the old part.

So, that's true, I guess they would have aksed for the old controller back and/or had a charge for the old unit, had the replacement ABS controller been a refurbished part.

I think I'll ask them to order another one for me.

Revtor, thanks for the confirmation.

I took it back to the dealer today. They also wanted my original unit, which they kept (I guess they wanted to make sure i hadn't swapped them )

At first, they said that it didn't seem right and that they would probably order a new unit. Then they said that it might be an internally refurbished unit in a re-used case, but they would take some pictures to email and explain the situation to BMW UK on Monday; and then let me know if i will get a new one.


I guess I will have to wait a few days to find out.

just to conclude this thread, yesterday I received a replacement controller. This one has a 2002 date code and looks brand new with no signs of it having been used before (unlike the previous one).