BMW E36 Blog

Reset BMW E36 oil service light

24th February 2007

Reset BMW E36 oil service light

posted in Do It Yourself, Electrical, Technical Info, Tips & Tricks |


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Hello my friends,

After changing the oil for your car, the oil service light stays on (on the red) and it becomes very annoying to you sometimes. It makes me upset just to see it like that, so I wanted to find out how this creature is reset. It turned out that the procedure is very simple and it doesn’t need time, money or even special equipment. Well, only a paperclip ;-). The following article will show you how this thing is done within couple minutes. BTW, I didn’t write this article. I found it here in case you want to read it. Ready? ok here we go . . .

 

Disclaimer: Use this procedure at your own risk!! I’m not responsible for your mistakes man! :D

First, pop your hood and find the diagnostic data port. It is located on the right side of the engine bay near the right strut tower.

 

 

 

Unscrew the cap. You will see a big Pac-Man shaped hole and twenty little round holes. What is a Pac-Man? Never mind. We are only concerned with pin 7 and pin 19 (note: the words "pin" and "hole" are used interchangeably in this text). Refer to the picture below to find pins 7 and 19.

 

 


 

What we will be doing in this exercise is connecting pins 7 and 19 with a paperclip for four seconds. This will reset the oil service light. Simple, no? But first, here is the list of pins and what they are supposed to do:

 

Pin Terminal Description
1 TD TD Signal
2 - Not occupied
3 - Not occupied
4 - Not occupied
5 - Not occupied
6 - Not occupied
7 SI Service Interval Reset
8 - Not occupied
9 - Not occupied
10 - Not occupied
11 - Not occupied
12 61 (D+) Generator Charge Indicator
13 - Not occupied
14 30 Voltage; Hot At All Times
15 RXD Diagnostic Data Link
16 15S Voltage; Ignition Switch in Run
17 - Not occupied
18 PGSP Programming Line
19 31 Ground
20 TXD Diagnostic Data Link

 

OK, using a paperclip, Bend your paperclip it so it looks like this:

 


 

Well it doesn’t have to look exactly like this, but you get the idea. Use pliers if you have to. We want those little loops at the end to maximize the contact with the conductors in the holes of the data port. If you can’t make those little loops at the ends, that’s okay. Just don’t go running around with sharp objects.

 

OK, now you’re ready to reset the oil service light, so turn the ignition key to position II, but don’t start the car. Get out of the car and go to the data port. Always connect pin 7 first. Once you’ve inserted one end into pin 7, insert the other end into pin 19 and hold it there for 4 seconds. Then remove the paperclip. Check the dash and the oil inspection lights should be reset. The reset occurs upon removal of the clip.

 

IMPORTANT: DO NOT HOLD IT THERE FOR LONGER THAN 10 SECONDS or you may inadvertently reset your inspection I/II interval.

 

 

OK, you’re done. It was pretty easy as I promised! wasn’t it?

 

 

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

 

Wait for more from . . . BMW E36 Blog

 

Best regards,

Tony Sticks.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, February 24th, 2007 at 12:05 pm and is filed under Do It Yourself, Electrical, Technical Info, Tips & Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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There are currently 293 responses to “Reset BMW E36 oil service light”

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  1. 1 On March 20th, 2007, Barry Woolcott said:

    Hello. I’ve tried doing what you advise, but in spite of several attempts, the lights refuse to reset. Have checked pin 19 and confirm it is “earth”. My car is a 1996 318i E36. Have you any thoughts on what I’m doing wrong?

    posted on March 20th, 2007 at 4:37 pm

  2. 2 On March 20th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi Barry,

    For cars with the 20 pin data link connector, you have to place the ignition switch in position two. You provide a short and then remove it after a specified time. The reset occurs on >>REMOVAL<<. On the older cars the reset occurred after the specified time. That’s the only difference between the older diagnostic connector and the newer data link connector. Please try again and let me know if this works

    posted on March 20th, 2007 at 11:43 pm

  3. 3 On March 21st, 2007, Barry Woolcott said:

    Hi Tony
    If at first you don’t succeed . .
    I repeated all the operations I had previously, but made sure that I maintained the connection a bit longer this time – but not long enough to upset the other read-out. And – Bingo!
    That saves me going to a garage, who would charge $20-25 for the job, or buying the Peake gadget.
    Many thanks

    Barry

    posted on March 21st, 2007 at 6:35 pm

  4. 4 On March 21st, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    You’re welcome Barry. Glad to hear that you managed to do it :-)

    Keep visiting my blog. I’ll be posting more DIYs in the future ..

    posted on March 21st, 2007 at 11:20 pm

  5. 5 On April 2nd, 2007, Randy said:

    thanks man that work great!!!!!! on my 1999 328i

    posted on April 2nd, 2007 at 1:30 pm

  6. 6 On April 2nd, 2007, Randy said:

    hey what do i do about the inspection,because now when i start the car that comes on and then its goes to mpg 5.9???????????? pls let me know something rwaxzter@yahoo.com

    posted on April 2nd, 2007 at 5:31 pm

  7. 7 On April 2nd, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi Randy,

    Thank you very much for the sweet comment. The inspection light can be reset too using the same method above, but you have to keep it for around 9~12 seconds and it should work. Please let me know how it goes.

    posted on April 2nd, 2007 at 10:47 pm

  8. 8 On April 13th, 2007, JohnnyLed said:

    thanks man i tried it a couple of times and i failed but i held it a lil bit longer and now my car is perfect once again good job

    posted on April 13th, 2007 at 10:38 am

  9. 9 On April 17th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    You’re welcome Johnny :-)

    posted on April 17th, 2007 at 6:07 am

  10. 10 On May 20th, 2007, Barry Woolcott said:

    Hi there
    This question is not about resetting the service lights (done that!) but about the seals round the rear screen. I have the 2 seals in question and would like to know if there is any special technique involved. I guess the screen is sealed to the body (epoxy?) and the seals are cosmetic to tidy up the look of the screen. Can I just peel the old seals off and is it necessary to apply some sealant to the new seals before putting them in place?
    Thanks in advance

    posted on May 20th, 2007 at 9:11 pm

  11. 11 On May 20th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    I frankly didn’t try this or even read about it. So, I can’t help with this question. Maybe someone else can.

    Sorry Barry.

    posted on May 20th, 2007 at 10:26 pm

  12. 12 On July 27th, 2007, George said:

    Very nice!!! I did it, the red and orange bar turned off,
    but the five green bars remains on, is this normal…
    or they also sould be turned off??
    Thanks

    posted on July 27th, 2007 at 3:22 pm

  13. 13 On July 27th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    George,

    That’s Normal. The green lights mean you ok. After some time, these green lights will start to turn off. Then after all of them are gone orange and red lights will turn on. Which means you should do it again!

    posted on July 27th, 2007 at 10:12 pm

  14. 14 On September 5th, 2007, Matoto W. Lubinda said:

    1998 BMW 318iS done 275754Km. The engine runs smoothly when it is cold. At warm/hot temperature the engine switches off when idling and backfires when in motion. I have replaced the fuel pump but still the problem persist. Need help.

    posted on September 5th, 2007 at 12:38 am

  15. 15 On September 14th, 2007, Dan Greig said:

    Thank you for the information. Do you know if this same procedure will work to reset the oil
    service light on a 2000 Z3 ?

    posted on September 14th, 2007 at 7:09 pm

  16. 16 On September 15th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi Dan,

    I’m sure the procedure will be almost the same, but I’m not sure about the pin numbers. So, I recommend you search for a specific procedure for Z3′s. Otherwise, you may end-up burning something :D

    posted on September 15th, 2007 at 3:43 am

  17. 17 On September 23rd, 2007, steve said:

    1990 bmw 535i 30 mph maximum dash light?
    as soon as i hit 30mph a 30 mph maximum message comes on my dash stays for a while no sounds or changes in speed can easily go over 30 car still rides good
    i checked oil coolant tires reset the computer any ideas email me please mrchitownsteve@yahoo thatnks for the pin trick

    posted on September 23rd, 2007 at 5:36 pm

  18. 18 On October 22nd, 2007, Zak said:

    Hi,

    I wonder if you can help i have 1995 E36 BMW drop top and i removed the steering wheel to change a
    which i have done smoothly, but yet my Airbag light has been set to on.
    I was wondering will the papaer clip job rest this problem?.

    posted on October 22nd, 2007 at 6:29 am

  19. 19 On October 22nd, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    Zak,

    Unfortunately, the paper clip won’t help fix your problem b/c resetting the Airbag light is something that’s totally different and seems a bit more complicated. I will try to search for some information regarding how to do this b/c my car’s airbag light is on as well. I will post a new article about this if I have successfully managed to find a solution.

    posted on October 22nd, 2007 at 10:12 pm

  20. 20 On October 24th, 2007, Steve #2 said:

    Thanks mate – paper clip reset worked a treat.

    posted on October 24th, 2007 at 3:11 pm

  21. 21 On October 24th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    You’re welcome Steve. Glad it worked for you.

    posted on October 24th, 2007 at 10:53 pm

  22. 22 On November 6th, 2007, Justin said:

    Hi Tony. I just went out and did this tonight after reading your post, in the dark, with my flashlight in my teeth. My poor 1992 325is hadn’t been reset in 60K miles. It took a few tries before it worked, primarily because for my car, it apparently takes closer to 6 seconds.

    I really appreciate the great how-to. e38.org says the same trick (well, there is one minor procedural difference) will work on my 2001 740i. I’ll give that a try soon.

    posted on November 6th, 2007 at 8:49 pm

  23. 23 On November 7th, 2007, Bradley said:

    Hi There, i tried doing this procedure, and it worked, well…mostly i guess. The inspectio9n writing went off, but there is still a bunch of little bars underneath where the inspection writing was. The bars start off yellow at one end, and then as more bars light up they go green. The red bars have not lighten up yet, but i would like to get rid of this problem as it makes an annoying dinging sound when i turn the key to position 2. Thanks in advance!

    posted on November 7th, 2007 at 10:23 pm

  24. 24 On November 10th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi Bradley,

    Sorry for not replying to your question soon. About the yellow bar, it should not appear. What you should see is only green bars after you do this procedure. Please try this again, but keep the two pins connected for longer time like 6 seconds or a little bit more. It should work for you.

    About the dinging sound, I’m not sure if this has anything to do with the service lights.

    Please let me know if this works for you.

    posted on November 10th, 2007 at 4:54 am

  25. 25 On November 15th, 2007, Nick Gurg said:

    Will this procedure work on a 2001 bmw 330. (reset mileage for oil change)

    posted on November 15th, 2007 at 2:00 pm

  26. 26 On November 16th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    Nick, I’m not sure. This procedure will work on BMW E36 cars. I’m not sure about newer cars.

    posted on November 16th, 2007 at 4:39 am

  27. 27 On November 16th, 2007, Justin said:

    Hi Nick,

    Follow the link in my post above; it shows the procedural difference between this method on the E36 and the method for an 01 740i. They are very similar. In both cases you jump the same pins. But the difference is in when you turn on the key.

    Also, I just used a method that only uses the instrument cluster to reset on my 740i. It worked, though not exactly as described. I should have gotten some messages, according to the directions, but I didn’t. But the service lights did reset. I’d rather it have worked exactly as described, but oh well. You can read about this method (again on an 01 740i) here: http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/399078

    I suspect the methods are very similar if not identical across most models from the same years. But as Tony said, we can’t be sure.

    posted on November 16th, 2007 at 5:56 am

  28. 28 On November 23rd, 2007, Dave Brown said:

    Great work Tony. Ive managed to reset the indicator. I accidently turned the engine over without replacing the diagnostic cap, can this cause any kind of problems do you know? I only had the engine running for about 10 secounds then switched off and replaced the cap. Your help is appreciated !

    posted on November 23rd, 2007 at 1:03 am

  29. 29 On November 23rd, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi Dave,

    You mean that your car doesn’t start right now even while the diagnostic cap is put in place?

    posted on November 23rd, 2007 at 7:31 am

  30. 30 On November 24th, 2007, Dave Brown said:

    No it starts with no problems. I just thought i should of put the cap on before i turned the car over. Wondered if i could of done damage without realising. ie blow or short anything.

    posted on November 24th, 2007 at 1:35 am

  31. 31 On November 24th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    Glad to hear that! I thought that your car cannot be started now Dave.

    About the cap, I don’t think the cap will do any harm, but as a precaution rule, I would recommend you to place the cap while the car is turned off.

    posted on November 24th, 2007 at 4:32 am

  32. 32 On December 8th, 2007, sotos said:

    Hi,
    Always having bad relastionship with time, I’ve hold the paperclip more than 10 seconds for oil reset.Is it really an inadvertently problem or there might be a solution?Thanks in advance

    posted on December 8th, 2007 at 10:21 am

  33. 33 On December 8th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    Are you sure you connected the correct pins? AFAIK, this should work perfectly and it has been tested by many guys here.

    posted on December 8th, 2007 at 11:04 pm

  34. 34 On December 9th, 2007, David Pehrson said:

    Tony, I just read through your page about resetting the service indicators. Great information! I have a 2003 325iT E46 and a 2004 Z4. What are your recommended procedures and precautions for resetting the service indicator for these two particular models. Thanks a million…Dave

    posted on December 9th, 2007 at 7:44 am

  35. 35 On December 9th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi David,

    I’m sorry, but I don’t have information about E46 and Z4 cars. However, I did a quick search on Google and found these instructions to reset the oil service lights for E46 cars:

    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_reset_the_oil_service_light_manually_on_a_2003_BMW_325i_E46

    Quote…

    RESETTING OIL SERVICE INDICATOR:

    If your OBC needs to be reset after completing your oil change, there are two ways. NOTE: If you miss a step, just turn the key back off and try again:

    A. Model Year 1999 to Mid-2000: You should have the older round 20-pin DLC connector under your hood behind the battery terminal, you need to use a small length of wire to connect (short) pins 7 and 19 for 3-5 seconds with the ignition key in position 1 (Accessory).

    B. After Mid-2000: You should not have the 20-pin DLC connector. You only need to hold the left odometer reset button while turning the key to position 1 (Accessory). Keep holding the button for 5 or so seconds until any of the following shows in the display: OIL SERVICE or INSPECTION with RESET or RE. Release the button and press it again for another 5 or so seconds until RESET or RE flash. While the display flashes, press the button one more time briefly. If done correctly, END SIA should show up for a few seconds. All done.

    About the Z4, I’m sorry, I couldn’t find a quick thing to help you with. I suggest you do a search again and I’m sure you’ll be able to find it.

    posted on December 9th, 2007 at 12:09 pm

  36. 36 On December 10th, 2007, SOTOS said:

    Hi tony, it’s Sotos again.The oil light have been reset but after 2000 kilometres none of the green lights have been reset as usuall.Is this an effect of letting the paperclip more than 10 secondes?Thanks.

    posted on December 10th, 2007 at 5:40 am

  37. 37 On December 10th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    I don’t think so Sotos. I guess you have to try the procedure again, but don’t wait more than 6 seconds. Let me know if this works for you.

    posted on December 10th, 2007 at 7:48 am

  38. 38 On December 13th, 2007, ben said:

    hey tony, did you ever find out the quick fix for the air bag light?

    posted on December 13th, 2007 at 10:12 am

  39. 39 On December 13th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    Ben,

    My airbag light kept on and on until I ran a diagnosis for the car. It turned out that my right airbag sensor was not working. So, I ended up changing it and that solved my problem.

    I suggest you do the same thing and see if you’re going to face the same problem. Also, I suggest you to do that fast, b/c you’ll never know when you’re going to need it. right?

    posted on December 13th, 2007 at 11:43 pm

  40. 40 On December 20th, 2007, Frozen in England said:

    BOOM BABY!!

    Tony it worked like a charm! Found this post about an hour ago so I went outside in the frost with my Mag light and a ‘FRESH’ ‘CLEAN’ paperclip (Yes one without any coating) and it worked the second time. As everyone says it’s better to leave it in just past the five second mark. I recall hearing a ‘click’ from the other side of the engine compartment when it reset. Either that or it was my eyelashes crystallizing.

    Thanks for the tip sir.

    This is on a 95′ 525 TDS

    posted on December 20th, 2007 at 2:15 am

  41. 41 On December 20th, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    I’m really glad to know it worked for your 525. Thank you for reporting that.

    posted on December 20th, 2007 at 11:34 am

  42. 42 On December 20th, 2007, Frozen in England said:

    No problem sir. Didn’t take me long to fiuere out where the diagnostic data port was. It is located on the ‘LEFT’ side of the engine bay.
    Everything is backwards over here even my Chrysler. :)

    posted on December 20th, 2007 at 2:05 pm

  43. 43 On December 21st, 2007, ck said:

    Tony–You are the MAN!!! I have a 2003 BMW 325i and I tried your info out to reset the oil change odometer on my car and presto 1st try it worked! Many thanks to you!
    CK in snow bound Iowa

    posted on December 21st, 2007 at 7:41 am

  44. 44 On December 21st, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    I’m glad to see it worked for you ck.

    posted on December 21st, 2007 at 10:16 am

  45. 45 On December 21st, 2007, Tony Sticks said:

    @Frozen in England: Loool!.

    posted on December 21st, 2007 at 10:29 am

  46. 46 On December 21st, 2007, GibsoN said:

    Nice tip! Changed my oil and using a paperclip reset the service light, good times, held mine for about 5 secs. But i appear to have blown the bulbs on the heater control panel, bad times. Tryed changing the Heater Control fuse (I belive this is the correct one) but still doesnt work, must be the bulbs. Anyway where would the fun be if there wasnt something to tinker with!

    posted on December 21st, 2007 at 9:08 pm

  47. 47 On December 30th, 2007, JF said:

    This worked like a charm. Thank you.

    posted on December 30th, 2007 at 12:28 am

  48. 48 On December 31st, 2007, Oscar said:

    Hi Tony, I have my car E36 316i serviced and lights were reset just two months ago but now it has already down to 2 green lights on the bar already. Before I reset the light does the only two remaining green lights mean there’re some problems with the car that needs to be checked soon? Thanks!

    posted on December 31st, 2007 at 11:51 am

  49. 49 On December 31st, 2007, Sdavis said:

    Thanks for the great paperclip tip. I have a 2002 Z3 2.5 and had to try it a few times and it finally worked. I pushed the jpaperclip in further by straightening the loops out to go in deeper. I saw the reset tool on the net in prices ranging from $34.95 up to $200.00. I saved a bundle. Thanks again.

    posted on December 31st, 2007 at 9:38 pm

  50. 50 On January 1st, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi Oscar,

    How many miles did you travel since the service lights reset?

    posted on January 1st, 2008 at 12:41 pm

  51. 51 On January 2nd, 2008, Oscar said:

    Sorry Tony forgot to mention it. I’ve only done a little over 1000 miles since the last service, that’s why I found it a little strange.

    posted on January 2nd, 2008 at 2:14 pm

  52. 52 On January 3rd, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    I see Oscar,

    As you may know, the service indicator lights are not smart. They just measure the distance that your car traveled and report the lights according to it. Maybe you should reset it again and see if this problem disappears. That’s weird!

    posted on January 3rd, 2008 at 3:57 pm

  53. 53 On January 7th, 2008, Dave B said:

    Awsome tip The lights not being there actually bugged me like a lot of people, I too thought about buying the reset tool. Held mine for about 6-7 sec. I tried 4 but it wouldn’t take.
    I just took some 14 ga. wire about 3 inches long and stripped the ends. Thanks for the money saver…

    posted on January 7th, 2008 at 5:17 am

  54. 54 On January 27th, 2008, reg said:

    hi, the problem i have is that my battery went flat, i used jump leasds now the temp guage only goes up to quarter, and the rev counter and MPG no longer works ? ? any ideas please

    posted on January 27th, 2008 at 6:01 pm

  55. 55 On January 30th, 2008, Jose said:

    I cant find the diagnostic data port on my 318i 2001!

    posted on January 30th, 2008 at 11:42 am

  56. 56 On January 30th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi Jose,

    Please check the comments above (My comment on December 9th, 2007 to David). It describes how you can do that.

    posted on January 30th, 2008 at 12:42 pm

  57. 57 On January 30th, 2008, Jose said:

    This didnt work in my car. I had to press the ODO reset and turn key to first position, the when the service kms came up I released the button then pressed again until “resst” appeared on the read out. Then I pressed once again and it went back to 25000 km remaining.

    posted on January 30th, 2008 at 2:05 pm

  58. 58 On January 30th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    So, you didn’t had to use a paper clip ? :-) cool. I guess this works only on E46

    posted on January 30th, 2008 at 4:03 pm

  59. 59 On February 2nd, 2008, Geordie said:

    The green lights should all be on after a service, orange and red off. The computer takes into account number of engine starts, length of journeys and mileage to determine how quick it will put out the green lights from left to right until the last goes out and the orange and red come on. On my 325 1994, from reset to orange on was precisely 7838 miles the 1st time, and 8105 miles the second time …. If you continue to drive it keeps going until the orange goes out, i think the red stays on, not sure, never left it that late … !
    Incidentally, here is a q for you … I had just carried out a annual service a few weeks ago, and used the paper clip as usual to reset the ‘inspection and clock lights’, but the oil service light was still on at orange and red. tried a couple more times at subtly different timings and they are still lit…. anybody had this .. ?
    George

    posted on February 2nd, 2008 at 2:41 am

  60. 60 On February 2nd, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Geordie,

    Your service lights has not been reset. Are you sure you connected the correct pins?

    posted on February 2nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm

  61. 61 On February 16th, 2008, Darko said:

    I have bmw e36 318 is from 1992 and this dosent work there is more then 20 pins?help

    posted on February 16th, 2008 at 12:37 am

  62. 62 On February 17th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Darko,

    Can you please take a photo for it and send it to my email address?

    posted on February 17th, 2008 at 2:00 am

  63. 63 On February 20th, 2008, prakash said:

    hey this is great it worked first time im well chuffed i went to bmw n they wanted £50 to do that, this is great mate nice one fella.

    posted on February 20th, 2008 at 12:51 pm

  64. 64 On February 20th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Great to hear that it worked for you Prakash.

    posted on February 20th, 2008 at 4:30 pm

  65. 65 On February 22nd, 2008, Kumi said:

    YOU THE MAN!!!! Worked the first time one question are the green lights supposed to stay on all the time or do they shut off after the car starts? (Mineonly come on when I first start the car and then they shut off. The same happens with the oil service light) 1992 325is

    posted on February 22nd, 2008 at 9:05 pm

  66. 66 On February 23rd, 2008, Julio said:

    my insturments cluster lights keep going on and off as im driving how do i fix this problem?

    posted on February 23rd, 2008 at 3:27 pm

  67. 67 On February 24th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Mine does the same thing. This is how it’s supposed to work Kumi.

    posted on February 24th, 2008 at 9:33 am

  68. 68 On February 26th, 2008, Julio said:

    Hey Tony!!!

    My insturments cluster lights keep going on and off as im driving how do i fix this problem?

    posted on February 26th, 2008 at 7:16 am

  69. 69 On February 27th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Julio:

    Is it like flickering? I think there’s something that is loosening in there. I suggest you remove your cluster and try to look for anything suspecious. Here’s a DIY about how you can remove your cluster:
    Remove BMW E36 Gauge Cluster

    posted on February 27th, 2008 at 9:36 am

  70. 70 On March 6th, 2008, Darko said:

    Tony do you know how to reset my milage on my bmw e36 it is 349298 i want to be 120500.

    posted on March 6th, 2008 at 11:38 pm

  71. 71 On March 7th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    I’m sorry Darko. I have no idea how this can be done. Besides, don’t you think this is illegal?

    posted on March 7th, 2008 at 9:57 pm

  72. 72 On March 9th, 2008, zarak said:

    thank you for helping me saving money for long time i have been searching for a solution to resolve the lights myself finally i got it thank you very much

    posted on March 9th, 2008 at 4:50 pm

  73. 73 On March 9th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Zarak: I’m glad to help :-)

    posted on March 9th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

  74. 74 On March 9th, 2008, Julio said:

    Do you know where the drl modul is located on the a 318i 1994 im trying to shut off the daytime running lights off and i cant find it and also i need to located the ambient sensor b/c my obc is reading -35 at all time please help

    posted on March 9th, 2008 at 7:45 pm

  75. 75 On March 10th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Julio: About the DRL module, please check these:
    http://www.dtmpower.net/forum/e36-3-series/125054-daytime-running-lights-module-drl-e36-z3-ebay.html
    and

    About the temp sensor, please check my post:
    Faulty temperature sensor in BMW E36

    posted on March 10th, 2008 at 9:12 am

  76. 76 On March 16th, 2008, andre said:

    Great oil interval reset idea with a paperclip. I used a small one, but failed. Then bent a bigger one with my fingers only, bending more metal with leverage, and poof, oil indicator reset!!! Thank you!!! Now, why is my radiator tank cap suddenly leaking coolant while I’m driving and warmed up to operating temperatures?! Back to deduction…

    posted on March 16th, 2008 at 3:16 am

  77. 77 On March 17th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi Andre,

    I’m glad it helped you.

    About your radiator, I suggest that you let the car cool off, then open the cap and the screw beside it then turn your engine on. After that, try to increase the coolant inside the radiator and keep watching the coolant that is going out of the small radiator opening. It should start going out of that opening without any air bubbles. When this happens close both and try your car again. If the coolant kept leaking from there, I think you will need to check your radiator for any cracks.

    posted on March 17th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

  78. 78 On March 17th, 2008, Darko said:

    do anyone know what are the numbers on the dash board are for i think of a numbers that are showing when you put the key in secon position and press the reset buton of km there are six numbers and then all the lights and arows flash and move?

    posted on March 17th, 2008 at 7:20 pm

  79. 79 On March 17th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Darko: I think you’re looking for this BMW On Board Computer (OBC) secrets!

    posted on March 17th, 2008 at 9:20 pm

  80. 80 On March 21st, 2008, swtk1sses4u said:

    Hello, is that diagnostic data port the same for a 2001 X5?

    posted on March 21st, 2008 at 3:24 pm

  81. 81 On March 23rd, 2008, Mr. Fixit said:

    Amazing… thanks for the tip its so easy and cheap in and out in five minutes thanks for your posting you’ve help lots of people.

    posted on March 23rd, 2008 at 8:58 pm

  82. 82 On March 24th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Mr.Fixit: No problem. Glad to help.

    posted on March 24th, 2008 at 9:44 am

  83. 83 On April 3rd, 2008, Danny T said:

    it really works on my Bimmer

    you’re champion…big thanks Tony

    posted on April 3rd, 2008 at 9:51 am

  84. 84 On April 3rd, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Glad to help Danny :-)

    posted on April 3rd, 2008 at 11:02 am

  85. 85 On April 10th, 2008, cheryl said:

    Hi just wanted to say thanks i was reading your info how to reset oil service have a bmw 325i 2001,worked first time , oh and i’m a girl shows how easy it is.
    thanks again

    posted on April 10th, 2008 at 9:09 pm

  86. 86 On April 11th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    No problem Cheryl. I’m glad it worked for you!

    posted on April 11th, 2008 at 10:02 am

  87. 87 On April 14th, 2008, Brett said:

    Hey is there anyway i can reset my Airbag light, without buying the reset tool?

    posted on April 14th, 2008 at 11:27 am

  88. 88 On April 14th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi Brett,

    Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anyway to reset the airbag light without a reset tool until now.

    posted on April 14th, 2008 at 11:44 am

  89. 89 On April 16th, 2008, Farhad said:

    Hi
    Great article!

    I have UK 1997 e36 318is which seems to have the 20pin port type. There are 3 green lights remaining after an oil service and the orange clock symbol for I guess coolant and brake fluid. Is there any way of switching the orange clock off without resetting the service light?

    Thanks

    posted on April 16th, 2008 at 3:34 pm

  90. 90 On April 16th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi Farhad,

    AFAIK, the orange clock will be turned on with the oil service lights. It’s not for the coolant/brake fluid. Why do you want to reset that only anyway?

    posted on April 16th, 2008 at 3:49 pm

  91. 91 On April 16th, 2008, Farhad said:

    Hi Tony
    Thanks for the reply. I have had this orange clock before and I was told that it was for brake fluid/coolant change every two years. I don’t want to pay the garage to do it this time and may do it myself but wanted to know how to switch it off without affecting the normal servicing lights. As it happens there are three green lights and orange clock on simultaneously at the moment!

    Thanks

    posted on April 16th, 2008 at 4:41 pm

  92. 92 On April 17th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi Frahad,

    As I said before, I’m not aware of any method to turn that off alone. I’m not even sure if there’s away to do it.

    Sorry for not being able to help.

    posted on April 17th, 2008 at 10:14 am

  93. 93 On April 18th, 2008, Darko said:

    on my dash board had showned ispection light what to do and what does mean

    posted on April 18th, 2008 at 4:25 pm

  94. 94 On April 18th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Farhad, Darko:

    From the Bentely Manual:

    An OIL SERVICE interval will always be followed by an INSPECTION interval, which will then be followed by an OIL SERVICE inteval, and so on.

    I guess this means that everytime you reset the oil service indicators, and drive the car until the next inspection is about to come, you will see either the INSPECTION light or the OIL SERVICE light. In the next time, you will see the other light. These are referred to as INSPECTION I and INSPECTION II according to the Bentely Manual.

    posted on April 18th, 2008 at 5:19 pm

  95. 95 On April 19th, 2008, Miguel said:

    On my 320i 1994 it works fine. From Spain thank you for helping me. Miguel

    posted on April 19th, 2008 at 11:26 pm

  96. 96 On April 20th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    No problem Miguel! I’m glad to help.

    posted on April 20th, 2008 at 9:41 am

  97. 97 On April 20th, 2008, dwayne said:

    tony, thanks for the reset info, worked first time w/ a 5 second count on my sons ’94 740i, dwayne in n.y.

    posted on April 20th, 2008 at 3:50 pm

  98. 98 On April 20th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Great to hear that Dwayne. You’re most welcome :-)

    posted on April 20th, 2008 at 4:11 pm

  99. 99 On May 6th, 2008, caleb said:

    Is there a way to rest the check engin light? without paying?

    posted on May 6th, 2008 at 9:35 am

  100. 100 On May 6th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    Hi Caleb,

    The check engine light normally indicates that there’s a problem with your car that needs to be fixed. The correct way to reset that light is by fixing that problem first.

    posted on May 6th, 2008 at 11:14 am

  101. 101 On May 9th, 2008, Derek D said:

    Tony,

    Thanks for the DIY. I just reset the lights on my e36 323ic. Eight seconds was too short, but 12 worked perfect. Green lights! Go!

    Appreciate all the good info on here buddy.

    posted on May 9th, 2008 at 3:59 am

  102. 102 On May 9th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    You’re welcome Derek, I’m glad to help.

    posted on May 9th, 2008 at 8:35 am

  103. 103 On May 15th, 2008, ALEX T. said:

    Hi, thanx for this article, perfect stuff,but will it also fix the problem of lighting on the INSPECTION or OIL SERVICE or whatever…

    posted on May 15th, 2008 at 5:13 pm

  104. 104 On May 15th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @ALEX T.: I think it’s for either, but I’m not 100% sure of that.

    posted on May 15th, 2008 at 5:49 pm

  105. 105 On May 20th, 2008, DBALES said:

    How do I reset the brake light…I changed my brake pads (front and rear) after the light came appeared on the instrument panel….JUST IN TIME….but the light still appears. How do I reset it or do I need to take it to a shop?

    posted on May 20th, 2008 at 7:36 am

  106. 106 On May 20th, 2008, DBALES said:

    FYI…it is a 2003 325i e46

    posted on May 20th, 2008 at 7:37 am

  107. 107 On May 20th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @DBALES: There is a brake pad sensor that should be replaced whenever you replace the brake pads. It’s located inside a whole in the brake caliper of the left front wheel. When this sensor fails, the warning light will come up in your dashboard.

    posted on May 20th, 2008 at 10:00 am

  108. 108 On June 5th, 2008, Paul said:

    Hi I have reset the Inspection service lights and the 4 green lights but still have the clock symbol illuminated have done it twice but the clock still on can you help ?

    posted on June 5th, 2008 at 10:46 pm

  109. 109 On June 7th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Paul: I don’t know why is that Paul. I’m sorry!

    posted on June 7th, 2008 at 8:33 pm

  110. 110 On June 24th, 2008, Trev said:

    Hi,

    I have e bmw e46 and i have a gear symbol that appears quite often,Im nt sure if ts a gear malfunction but the car moves like normal but sometimes im not able to use my radio and the brake light stays on all the time,any ideas on this?

    posted on June 24th, 2008 at 12:48 pm

  111. 111 On June 28th, 2008, mike said:

    Hi Tony have fixed my oil lights but have lost the inspection interval lights eg orange and red can you help. Mike

    posted on June 28th, 2008 at 1:57 pm

  112. 112 On June 28th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @mike: Lost them? is it like they are turned off now and you have green lights instead? if that’s the case, then don’t worry. this is how it’s supposed to work. After a while, you will notice that the green lights will begin to turn off one by one until they’re all gone. Then the orange light will appear again as a warning for your next inspection.

    posted on June 28th, 2008 at 9:48 pm

  113. 113 On June 29th, 2008, mike said:

    Thanks for getting back to me so fast i forgot to mention that the clock has also disappeared as well as the oil service and inspection wording
    Regards Mike

    posted on June 29th, 2008 at 6:45 pm

  114. 114 On June 30th, 2008, Derek D said:

    Mike,

    Like Tony says, when you reset the lights these things go away. They light up at appropriate intervals to say “hey, time for Oil Service/Inspection”. Once you reset them the car assumes it doesn’t need to tell you this anymore. When I recently did this, it had been a while since my last reset and I too was used to seeing the Oil/Inspection indicators on startup. As such this same thing caught me off guard for a second. But it’s all good. 5 green bars 1 yellow and 1 red is all you should see, and from the sounds of it is all you are seeing. You’re good to go brother. Now get out there and enjoy your newly maintenanced e36!!!

    posted on June 30th, 2008 at 5:45 pm

  115. 115 On July 13th, 2008, mai-nguyen said:

    Thanks for the tips

    Mai-nguyen

    posted on July 13th, 2008 at 1:53 am

  116. 116 On July 13th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @mai-nguyen: Glad to help :-)

    posted on July 13th, 2008 at 9:17 am

  117. 117 On July 13th, 2008, George said:

    Dear friends, I just bought BMW CARSOFT 6.5 and during tests with BMW M3 95 USA.
    I could not access some of modules as (DME, ABS, LCM): MODULE DOES NOT RESPOND.
    But it acess modules as (SERVICE OIL, AIR BAG).
    Does anyone has some previous experience with CARSOFT ?
    Thank you

    posted on July 13th, 2008 at 7:59 pm

  118. 118 On July 15th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @George: I think you should read this BMW E36 Carsoft Diagnosis Tool and follow the full review as well. You have OBD I and that’s why you can’t use the Carsoft to the maximum limit.

    posted on July 15th, 2008 at 10:52 am

  119. 119 On July 27th, 2008, Sam said:

    Hi this worked realy well. FINALLY i can put the bulb back in the service light i couldnt stand it anymore and was very close to paying someone. thanks a lot. :)

    posted on July 27th, 2008 at 8:22 pm

  120. 120 On July 28th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Sam: No problem! I’m glad to help Sam.

    posted on July 28th, 2008 at 9:49 am

  121. 121 On July 31st, 2008, carol said:

    I tried to reset the service light and the car won’t start. Had to tow it to the mechanic.

    posted on July 31st, 2008 at 12:29 am

  122. 122 On July 31st, 2008, Gerry V said:

    Hi can you tell me how I can get my service engine light and tpm light to stop comming on? I filled up my 2008 535i with gas and did’nt put the gas cap on tight enough!

    posted on July 31st, 2008 at 4:41 am

  123. 123 On August 1st, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @carol: Oh! I’m really sorry to hear that. Are you sure you followed the steps provided here exactly? What did the mechanic say?

    posted on August 1st, 2008 at 12:27 am

  124. 124 On August 1st, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Gerry V: I’m afraid I can’t help with that :-) Sorry!

    posted on August 1st, 2008 at 12:33 am

  125. 125 On August 3rd, 2008, Rudi said:

    Hi guys, just a comment on the oil light reset function. I have noticed that one reason for the oil light NOT resetting, is when there is any other underlying diagnostic problem not attended to. Ie if your OBC says “Check Coolant Level”, it will NOT reset. Thus all issues must be addressed before reset will occur. Hope this helps.
    Rudi

    posted on August 3rd, 2008 at 7:27 pm

  126. 126 On August 13th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Rudi: Hmmm… I don’t think this is correct because my car had issues with Knock Sensor #2 and it reset just fine.

    posted on August 13th, 2008 at 9:25 am

  127. 127 On August 14th, 2008, Leon Olivier said:

    Hi Tony

    I have a 325i E36. I need to reset my inspection lights. My OBC socket centre piece do not look like a pacman but instead have a triangler shape . I tried the connection 7 to 19 but this does not work for me. I also tried it on a 316i 93 E36 with the same triangler as mine but also does not work. Any suggestions?

    posted on August 14th, 2008 at 8:38 pm

  128. 128 On August 16th, 2008, Leon Olivier said:

    Tony

    No need to reply. I have been looking at the wrong socket! I found the correct socket with the pacman center and I rosetted my inspection lights. Thanks for the great information!

    posted on August 16th, 2008 at 10:47 am

  129. 129 On August 18th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Leon Olivier: Great to hear that Leon. I’m sorry, I’m very slow these days with replying to comments because I’m really busy. I hope this will end soon :-)

    posted on August 18th, 2008 at 9:29 am

  130. 130 On August 18th, 2008, Paul H said:

    Hi Tony, just been reading this with interest, you have been a great help to many people, Im hoping I will be another…1998 318TI airbag warning light is on. Is this able to be re-set yet.

    posted on August 18th, 2008 at 10:59 am

  131. 131 On August 18th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Paul H: I’m sorry Paul, but I couldn’t find any way to reset the airbag light yet. When I found a way, I will defintely publish a specific post about it.

    posted on August 18th, 2008 at 11:37 pm

  132. 132 On August 22nd, 2008, glen said:

    thanks tony after a service at home this done just the job to reset them horid warning lights

    thank you

    posted on August 22nd, 2008 at 2:03 pm

  133. 133 On August 22nd, 2008, Mick Walker said:

    Hi, just wanted to let you know, I tried this on my 1999 Z3 roadster, and it worked perfectly, I now have all green bars.
    BMW here in belfast, actually told me, that if I hadnt had the oil service done by them, they wouldnt reset the light even if I was willing to pay them.

    I was so impressed with this article, I have actually used the data on my own blog, I have provided a link back to yourself for courtisy.
    http://www.mick-walker.co.uk/ViewBlog.aspx?BlogID=7

    posted on August 22nd, 2008 at 3:45 pm

  134. 134 On August 23rd, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Mick Walker: No problem! I’m glad to help :-)

    posted on August 23rd, 2008 at 3:39 pm

  135. 135 On August 24th, 2008, mai nguyen said:

    Hi Tony,
    My E36 (318IS 1994 ) radio now not working after i replaced battery (have code but don’t know
    how to enter , please help
    Thanks
    mai nguyen

    posted on August 24th, 2008 at 9:06 pm

  136. 136 On August 26th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @mai nguyen: Check this post BMW radio with security code problem … solved!. It may help you.

    posted on August 26th, 2008 at 3:48 pm

  137. 137 On August 31st, 2008, oakwell bear said:

    Thanks tony
    Just reset service lights on E36 318i Using paperclip Held on pins for 5-6 seconds, worked a treat 1st time.
    Thanks again

    posted on August 31st, 2008 at 3:22 pm

  138. 138 On August 31st, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @oakwell bear: No problem. I’m glad it worked for you.

    posted on August 31st, 2008 at 4:17 pm

  139. 139 On September 4th, 2008, Jo said:

    hey Tony great blog, i have a 1998 e36 318i and was going to give it an oil change, ive bought 10w-30 fully synthetic oil for it (5 litres) and was wondering how much does the 318i 1.8L take, my previous cars have all be ls2 V8s so no help there lol, any info would be great thanks……..

    posted on September 4th, 2008 at 11:50 am

  140. 140 On September 6th, 2008, hello said:

    i have a question,
    I own a 316i from 93 and after i bought it, i realized that the check engine bulb was not at his place so i put a new one back… this bulb should turn on at startup for checking? should be another light like a gear wheel?
    the catalyst led should turn on at startup?
    and another question, i changed the brake pads and the sensor, but it’s still turned on. how can i reset it?

    thanks…

    posted on September 6th, 2008 at 10:52 pm

  141. 141 On September 7th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @hello: Yes, the “Check Engine” light should turn on whenever the car is started for checking. Please refer to the post BMW E36 Warning Lamps for more info.

    About the brake pads sensor, it cannot be reset. If you’ve replaced the sensor and the light is still on, it means that there’s something wrong with your brake pads sensor circuit. You have to check it again.

    posted on September 7th, 2008 at 12:27 pm

  142. 142 On September 9th, 2008, Kevin Nguyen said:

    Hey i just it step by step and it worked. But then i noticed that the mileage isn’t showing up anymore. I tried turning it back on later on and noticed that the mileage is barely showing when the green lights turn on. It doesnt stay on though. Anything like this ever happen before or do you know how to fix it? Thanks in advance.

    posted on September 9th, 2008 at 7:16 am

  143. 143 On September 9th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Kevin Nguyen: Are you saying that your odometer LCD is not turning on. Does it look like this case Fixing BMW E36 Trip Odometer LCD . . . DIY! ? If this is true, your LCD bulb has burned and needs to be replaced.

    posted on September 9th, 2008 at 10:11 am

  144. 144 On September 9th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Jo: It normally takes around 4 litres.

    posted on September 9th, 2008 at 10:14 am

  145. 145 On September 17th, 2008, mark said:

    ref reset many many thanks buy do u no how i can get my girlfriends hair clip back into shape ? just subscribed to this site iv got a 328 convert p reg iv got a hard top but carnt use it as it leaks in both corners and drips onto seats the drivers seat leather is ruined any ideas on how to fix this anoying roof ?

    posted on September 17th, 2008 at 9:13 pm

  146. 146 On September 18th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @mark: LOL! I’m not sure about the clip :D . About the roof fix, I recall that I’ve seen something like this on the youtube.com, but I’m not 100%.

    posted on September 18th, 2008 at 11:31 am

  147. 147 On September 19th, 2008, edgar said:

    hallo i have ae36 318 tds 1996

    the dislplay is not yet red or yeloow, but i have still 1 green, so if i do that then i become all the green lights?

    and before i begin with paperclip, have I to put the key in the car? or just everything off?

    ok thankyou (srry for bad english lol;)

    posted on September 19th, 2008 at 7:19 pm

  148. 148 On September 21st, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @edgar: No, you have to put the key in the car and turn it to position II, but don’t start the car. Then use the paperclip.

    posted on September 21st, 2008 at 11:09 am

  149. 149 On September 23rd, 2008, e3666 said:

    great little trick there tony, ill still buy the OBD1 and 11 tool to show when the cars showing up a code/ fault, however for now this works a treat for oil changes and inspections .

    posted on September 23rd, 2008 at 9:35 am

  150. 150 On September 23rd, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @e3666: I agree, this trick doesn’t mean that you won’t need a code reader for your BMW.

    posted on September 23rd, 2008 at 10:47 am

  151. 151 On September 23rd, 2008, Seng said:

    I just found this great website, but there is a pesky ad that runs right down the middle of the instructions I need for turning off my service light indicator and oil light. How do I get rid of this ad so I can see the instructions? Also, I need to turn off my break pad replacement light. It’s coincidental that as I drove off of the BMW service lot (after being told I need new break pads) the light popped on. It’s annoying. I think the technician programmed it to go on. I will get my breaks done, but I don’t need the constant reminder.
    Thanks for your help.
    Seng

    posted on September 23rd, 2008 at 9:02 pm

  152. 152 On September 24th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Seng: Hi Seng and welcome to the BMW E36 Blog. The advertisement is shown because you’re using Internet Explorer 6 right? Can you upgrade to Internet Explorer 7 or FireFox ?

    About your brake pads warning light, I think that you can turn it off by removing the brake sensor and connect the wires together. But I would recommend changing the brakepads and replace your sensor instead.

    posted on September 24th, 2008 at 2:10 pm

  153. 153 On September 24th, 2008, Bello Racing said:

    hey any help ! I have a 95 coupe M3 with a 413 ecu. My problem is my car can not connect to the service port, i tried whit Snap-On Scanner, original BMW Reader tool , etc. with out success. Any idea why the car can not connect?
    Actually I have the check engine light on, I make the “five times foot peg press” for realease the codes and fixed the problem, but I can not clear them from the ecu with the “ten seconds the pedal presed.”. If any one have the wiring diagram “harness” I think that I have something wrong an my harness, please sent to elio_crz@yahoo.com.

    I really apreciate any info, regards..

    posted on September 24th, 2008 at 10:20 pm

  154. 154 On September 25th, 2008, pauly said:

    nice one tony!! got onto this site for the first time last night and thought i would try your tip on resetting the oil service lights!! and guess wot it worked firs time briiliant thanks mate… RESPECT MAN!!

    posted on September 25th, 2008 at 10:57 pm

  155. 155 On September 25th, 2008, pauly said:

    got any idea wot this could be i am getting a rattle sound from the back drivers side wheel(right side)on my 1.6 compact at first i thought it was the spare wheel or the exhaust as it is that sort of sound but they seem to be fine so then i took the wheel off but still there doesn’t seem to be anything loose,then the other day i noticed if i keep my foot on the brake as i go over a bump the sound stops but as soon as i take my foot off the brake it’s there again hope you got some idea as you can imagine its bugging me much appreciated mate.. paul

    posted on September 25th, 2008 at 11:06 pm

  156. 156 On September 26th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @pauly: Welcome to the blog Pauly. I’m really glad this worked for you :-)

    posted on September 26th, 2008 at 2:08 pm

  157. 157 On September 26th, 2008, Tinman said:

    hi there,all my service lights are out,my little clock face is on,oil inspection,the whole nine yards,reset them before with the above method,but now it will not touch them,e36, 316i 1996,ant idears cheers

    posted on September 26th, 2008 at 9:07 pm

  158. 158 On October 7th, 2008, alan said:

    hello there.
    I am having problems with my cluster after I cleaned my car. I was hoovering the dash I hit the reset button and now my ODO meter is only showing the top half of the numbers. Sometimes it works properly and other time not. Also there is an orange clock showing. What does that mean I am pretty sure that was not there before does that mean my car has been clocked. I was trying to get my odo meter back and was pressing the pedals in fast random and it was changing it from km to miles and I think it might of said error. Not sure of the error as it was all so quick. Also I jet washed the engine bay quickly but the problem started when i pressed the reset with hoover.
    If I do this reset thing will it make everything ok? Maybe need to disconnect battery? What is the orange clock? I have seen this idea for returning the odo meter to normal reading
    http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/images/attach/pdf.gif

    posted on October 7th, 2008 at 12:37 am

  159. 159 On October 7th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @alan: Hi, I’ve published two posts about this problem. They’re Fixing BMW E36 Odometer LCD and Fixing BMW E36 Trip Odometer LCD. Now, about the orange clocks, it’s nothing serious. It’s just showing that your car will need service (change oil … etc) soon and resetting it using the procedure above will remove it.

    posted on October 7th, 2008 at 4:33 pm

  160. 160 On October 9th, 2008, Tinman said:

    Hi again i still have a red and amber light on the sevice lights,no green ones,the clock face is on(timeing),oil inspection light is on,serviced the car,plugs,oil,filter,but the lights will not reset using the above methods,any more idea’s why now they will not reset,cheers

    posted on October 9th, 2008 at 3:11 am

  161. 161 On October 13th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Tinman: Are you sure you’re following the instructions exactly ? That’s really weird

    posted on October 13th, 2008 at 10:34 pm

  162. 162 On October 15th, 2008, Ken said:

    Hey thanks so much. I did my own oil change on my 99 323is and it worked first try. To the others that had trouble make sure you turn your ignition from off to the first position, then one more till the dash lights up, do not go one more and start the car. I hear BMW here in Saskatoon Canada, charges $60 to $80 bucks to do the reset. When service time rolls around I will do the maintenance at a fraction of the cost and do the reset for that service at that time. I love it when people like you help the guys and gals that like to work on their own vehicles. Ken

    posted on October 15th, 2008 at 2:43 am

  163. 163 On October 21st, 2008, marc said:

    Hi Tony!
    I’m the new owner of a sweet 98 323 convertible and found your blog today.

    I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into when this car became available and I’m just amazed at the owner participation
    when it comes to these machines!

    It’s like the biggest suprise and has made my decision to buy the car a total delight.

    Please bear with me as I’m a total noob to the world of BMW and have only had the car since last Wednesday, I’m a shade tree mechanic, but mostly Italian two wheelers lately.

    Try as I might I can’t get the oil change service thing to change on the dash following your instruction.

    I’ve used copper wire instead of a paper clip, I’ve held it for 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 seconds, nada.

    I’ve tried it with the key in position 1 (my 323 is a May 98 build, I tried it in case it had ‘newer’ parts).

    I’ve tried it by putting the wire in, turning the ignition to position 2 and getting the wife to pull the wire at 5 seconds…nought.

    O.K. so maybe I’m such a noob that I don’t even know what I am looking at….

    I have ‘OIL SERVICE’ at the left side of the lit bracket and then a yellow and a red lit square with ‘INSPECTION’ above it on the right hand side….

    The only thing I am thinking at the moment is either pin 19 or pin 7 have become disconnected underneath….?

    Oh yeah and somewhere up there in the replies to this someone spoke of a rattling in the rear right that can’t be found, I am not sure if this is the place to post this but have the same thing, I got under the car today and could not find it, do the shocks rattle when they are shot?

    I mean this sounds like a tinny heat shield type of rattle.

    Oh, BTW, great blog and thanks in advance for the passing of any profound knowledge!

    -marc

    posted on October 21st, 2008 at 2:26 am

  164. 164 On October 24th, 2008, Sean Taylor said:

    Thanks very much… worked second time…. Just had my car serviced and they didn’t have the correct tools to reset the meter… how wrong where they!!! all they needed was a paperclip!!!

    Any ideas about how difficult it is to put in front fog light when there isn’t any to begin with (I don’t think) just the covers??

    posted on October 24th, 2008 at 5:58 pm

  165. 165 On October 28th, 2008, Daniel said:

    Thanks for the tip Tony. I called BMW of Scottsdale and they quite rudely told me “no, we cannot tell you how to reset it. That would be like BMW putting our seal of approval on second rate work” I told her, “o.k. thanks, I will look online” I hung up, found your site and reset it in 1 minute.

    I did however call her back and told her this ” Laura, it occurred to me that maybe you don’t know how to reset the light. All you do is pull the dummy plug and jump pins 7 and 19 okay. Have a day!!”

    Thanks again. =)

    posted on October 28th, 2008 at 2:08 am

  166. 166 On October 28th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Daniel: LOOL! Daniel. You should’ve been easy on her. I don’t think she even knows that info because they all have reset tools. They don’t know how it works internally.

    posted on October 28th, 2008 at 10:58 am

  167. 167 On November 6th, 2008, Dysan said:

    Hi i have a Bmw 316i 1997 Model and have just done a mjor service on the car…So now all the service lights and oil light stays on.I have read everything here but the problem is my E36′s plug does not look like anyone of these…Please help.Is there anyway i can post a pic of the plug?

    posted on November 6th, 2008 at 6:55 pm

  168. 168 On November 8th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Dysan: Is it possible the plug is on the left side of the car? I recall that someone has been looking for that plug in wrong location.

    posted on November 8th, 2008 at 11:06 am

  169. 169 On November 9th, 2008, ben said:

    Sweet!! Thanks for that!!

    posted on November 9th, 2008 at 4:20 pm

  170. 170 On November 10th, 2008, Dysan said:

    Hi Tony
    Thanx for the reply i found the right plug it came loose and was somewhere at the bottom of the engin
    Reset it verything works fine.One more thing my cars OBC is stuck in German and i have read everything you have here on the OBC but when i press the two buttons the post said my OBC does nothing(Know this is the wrong post for this but thanx alot)

    posted on November 10th, 2008 at 9:20 am

  171. 171 On November 10th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @Dysan: I’m glad to hear that you’ve managed to reset it correctly. Regarding the language, I suggest you check my post BMW E36 OBC Secrets. Make sure to read the comments as well. You can normally change the language of the OBC by changing the country code. I hope this helps.

    posted on November 10th, 2008 at 11:45 am

  172. 172 On November 10th, 2008, ben said:

    hi tony thanks for this it worked a treat, can you tell me if all bmw wheels will fit a 97 316 compact? i just bought some 17′s think they are of a new 5 series, thanks alot

    posted on November 10th, 2008 at 2:00 pm

  173. 173 On November 13th, 2008, paul said:

    hi i have a bmw 325 05 plate the service light is on and also the puncture light is there any way to reset these thanks !!!!!

    posted on November 13th, 2008 at 12:37 am

  174. 174 On November 13th, 2008, mike said:

    hey guys. my leds on my radio are dying off progressively, anyway to fix or how can i replace them at a reasonable rate? also my keyless entry stop working. i tried reinitializing it but no response. any help? thanks in advance.

    posted on November 13th, 2008 at 10:37 pm

  175. 175 On November 14th, 2008, Derek said:

    Mike,

    The radio problem is a common one and there are many DIYs out there for it. The issue is a small flaw in the fabbing of the circuit board in e36 radios. The resistor that controls the voltage to the display commonly has a poor solder connection to the board. With age, temperature changes, shrinkage, etc the connection gets progressively worse. Ultimately what most see is a dimming of the display. In some cases, once the car and radio warm up, the small amount of thermal expansion fixes the connection and the display will get brighter after some driving time (this is the case with mine right now). The solution is very simple. All you need to do is find the guilty resistor, and with a small soldering iron, freshen up the connection between the resistor and the radio’s circuit board. The many DIYs out there will tell you exactly how to remove the radio, safely open the casing, and locate the correct resistor (its always the same one). Just be sure you have your radio code before you embark on this mission. Otherwise, I understand it to be a ~20 minute job. Good luck !!

    posted on November 14th, 2008 at 6:32 pm

  176. 176 On November 20th, 2008, Tony Sticks said:

    @ben: I think they’ll fit just fine.

    posted on November 20th, 2008 at 11:06 am

  177. 177 On November 21st, 2008, mike said:

    thanks derek for the helpful info. hey does anyone know how i can fix my keyless entry problem? i reinitialized the keys and now it will not respond at all. i have to lock my door manually. anyone can help? thanks in advance. -mike.

    posted on November 21st, 2008 at 5:20 pm

  178. 178 On November 23rd, 2008, Juan said:

    I have a 1997 318is, I live in El Salvador and this BMW is the GERMAN version. The Paper clip worked excellent!!! Thanks for the information.
    Best Regards
    Juan

    posted on November 23rd, 2008 at 9:16 pm

  179. 179 On December 12th, 2008, Lost N NC said:

    Recently bought 1996 328is. turned out the radiator was busted pretty bad. All of my warning lights are on, from the seatbelt to the airbag….and car doesnt APPEAR to run hot, but goes from normal temp (str8 up n down) to hot in seconds….and suggestions? thanks

    posted on December 12th, 2008 at 9:20 pm

  180. 180 On December 13th, 2008, lukehurt said:

    reset meter really happy now thanks alot used the mrs’s hair clip but shush she dont no yet ha but thanks alot top man!

    posted on December 13th, 2008 at 4:17 pm

  181. 181 On December 14th, 2008, ovi roman said:

    this works. i tried it 5 minutes ago and my oil lights turned green
    10x

    posted on December 14th, 2008 at 9:45 pm

  182. 182 On December 14th, 2008, Marty said:

    Tried this for ages and could not do it.

    posted on December 14th, 2008 at 10:26 pm

  183. 183 On December 15th, 2008, TG said:

    Tony

    will this work for 2002 x5 (E53) and if so, where would the obd be located?

    Thx

    posted on December 15th, 2008 at 2:15 am

  184. 184 On December 30th, 2008, Bobby D said:

    Wow…that was too easy. Thanks for the tip!!

    posted on December 30th, 2008 at 1:54 am

  185. 185 On December 30th, 2008, Marty said:

    after a little trial and it worked…yay!

    Great tip.

    posted on December 30th, 2008 at 2:58 pm

  186. 186 On January 3rd, 2009, David seifert said:

    worked on my 523i se e39 shape no probs but now MPG is down to 8.2 when i was getting 26-28 MPG any idea’s mate

    posted on January 3rd, 2009 at 9:00 pm

  187. 187 On January 4th, 2009, Tony Sticks said:

    @David seifert: I don’t think this has anything to do with the MPG of your car David.

    posted on January 4th, 2009 at 9:20 am

  188. 188 On January 4th, 2009, Thunder said:

    Helo there,

    I want to thank you for your manual!
    It works great!

    Greetings
    Thunder from The Netherlands!

    posted on January 4th, 2009 at 3:56 pm

  189. 189 On January 4th, 2009, Tony Sticks said:

    @Thunder: You’re most welcome :-)

    posted on January 4th, 2009 at 4:58 pm

  190. 190 On January 6th, 2009, Hammad said:

    Hi mate thanks a lot for this info. My mechanic would have charged me £10 for every reset, now I never need to worry again.

    Regards,
    Hammad

    posted on January 6th, 2009 at 4:10 pm

  191. 191 On January 6th, 2009, Tony Sticks said:

    @Hammad: I’m glad to help :-)

    posted on January 6th, 2009 at 4:52 pm

  192. 192 On January 8th, 2009, Shelly Schultz said:

    Can you tell me how to reset the service mileage when doing service yourself. When I turn my car on, the mileage until next service still says -1000 but I did my service myself, how can I reset that to start counting down again. I have a 2004 BMW 325i. Thanks

    posted on January 8th, 2009 at 4:07 pm

  193. 193 On January 10th, 2009, lexocom said:

    I have a problem with my reset…

    Did oil change about 3 month and 3800 km ago.
    Reset went well as described…
    But i have all green all the time.

    Should not it become less green? (it’s the second car i meet the problem)
    any cure? maybe reset again?

    posted on January 10th, 2009 at 1:38 am

  194. 194 On January 10th, 2009, Tony Sticks said:

    @lexocom: It takes more than 3,800km to start dropping down. I think the total distance that is needed to turn off all the green lights is around 15,000km, but I don’t know how long it takes to turn off the first green light.

    posted on January 10th, 2009 at 4:45 pm

  195. 195 On January 10th, 2009, lexocom said:

    Thanks for reply.

    The oil-man said the next change should be in 9000 km (total mileage was about 93000)
    so i should have some green lights off by that time.
    but still i have the exact mileage written down. so i have my “plan B”

    i will post if and when the first light goes off!

    posted on January 10th, 2009 at 5:02 pm

  196. 196 On January 10th, 2009, Tony Sticks said:

    @lexocom: Great! good luck :-)

    posted on January 10th, 2009 at 9:31 pm

  197. 197 On January 12th, 2009, steve turner said:

    Hi,

    wondering if anybody can help,

    I reset my oil service light on my 1996 BMW 316i SE about 2 months ago and all went ok. Yesterday i got in the car and as usual when i turned on the ignition all 5 green lights appeared but so did the inspection warning? but there are still all the green bars present? what does this mean.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks
    Steve.

    posted on January 12th, 2009 at 9:20 pm

  198. 198 On January 13th, 2009, lexocom said:

    @Steve: all 5 green lights appeared but so did the inspection warning? but there are still all the green bars present? what does this mean.

    “Inspection” does not mean OIL INSPECTION… its just time to make overall inspection.

    (i don’t have a manual with me. later a can tell you what inspection it needs, or you can check Barkly’s Manual – i saw link somewhere around here.)

    posted on January 13th, 2009 at 8:43 am

  199. 199 On January 14th, 2009, steve turner said:

    @lexocom: if you could look into it and find out what it means that would be great,

    my impression was that even for the inspection the green bars should have counted down?

    posted on January 14th, 2009 at 12:39 am

  200. 200 On January 21st, 2009, Paul "CUBE" said:

    Hi guys,
    I have an European 05/1995 BMW E36 (318i, 85 kW). As I would not like to damage it (I like it very much) by these procedures, I’d like to be sure it works. Anyone experienced with this model? Does it really reset the OIL SERVICE and INSPECTION lights? The position II means ignition on?
    Thank you very much.

    posted on January 21st, 2009 at 6:39 pm

  201. 201 On January 23rd, 2009, lexocom said:

    Tony Sticks
    My Oil Green Lights work fine….
    First One Gone on 4000 km

    @Paul “CUBE”
    >Anyone experienced with this model? YES
    >Does it really reset the OIL SERVICE and INSPECTION lights? it DOES what it says
    >The position II means ignition on? IGNITION READY, its just the moment, last step, before the motor goes-start…

    posted on January 23rd, 2009 at 1:16 pm

  202. 202 On January 25th, 2009, Paul "CUBE" said:

    Hello…
    …and thanks a lot Tony – worked fine on my European E36 05/1995. I tried resetting both Oil Service (on the 2nd attempt; I had a bad connection 1st time I think) and Inspection (1st attempt).
    Thank you again.

    posted on January 25th, 2009 at 8:43 pm

  203. 203 On January 26th, 2009, Tony Sticks said:

    @Paul: No problem. I’m glad to help :-)

    posted on January 26th, 2009 at 9:01 am

  204. 204 On January 27th, 2009, Paul "CUBE" said:

    Well, another thing that makes me upset is the damned airbag warning light. It behaves this way: After turning the key from 0 to I (radio etc.) or II (ignition on) it lights up, flashes once and lights up again for about 2 minutes. Then, when I start the engine, the airbag light sometimes comes up again (lights, flashes once and light again for 2 minutes) and sometimes it doesn’t come anymore. Fortunately, I’ve never seen it lighting or flashing during drive.

    posted on January 27th, 2009 at 10:17 pm

  205. 205 On January 28th, 2009, Tony Sticks said:

    @Paul “CUBE”: Your airbag warning light should only flash when you start the car (as a self-check) then it should go away as long as the car is running. If it keeps flashing for 2 minutes, I’d say check for problems…

    posted on January 28th, 2009 at 11:59 am

  206. 206 On February 7th, 2009, george said:

    I heard you can start your car with the pins in the diagnostic cap.
    Do you know which pin or pins?

    Bmw shop told me to touch one pin( didn’t say which one) with the postive terminal.

    Need to move my car, key cylinder broke. NEw one order from bmw.

    posted on February 7th, 2009 at 5:43 am

  207. 207 On February 10th, 2009, kaveer said:

    hello my name is kaveer i having a big problem with mt bmw e36 316i 1992 model
    everything works but i notice something stays on.its my window swtich lights it stays on all the time,i use the car all the time,so my battery wont go flat.

    what could be the problem if my window light switch stays on all the time,only time it goes of when i disconnect the battery

    can some please help me asap ?

    posted on February 10th, 2009 at 6:52 pm

  208. 208 On February 14th, 2009, David said:

    Tony, thanks so much. It costs about $120 to get an oil change on a 325i here. Was worried at first, I set off the inspection light. But, was able to reset with 13 seconds. Now I have 5 green bars smiling at me. Now my other problem. I have a noise coming from under the hood. Sounds like a kind of knocking noise. But the sound seems to come from under the fuse box area and only when the car is at operating temp. Any ideas what this might be? I almost sounds like a pump of some kind in its rhythm.

    posted on February 14th, 2009 at 12:57 am

  209. 209 On February 18th, 2009, steve said:

    Thank you so much this worked a treat I now have a row of green lights on my S REG 316i Compact. Now for that pesky airbag light :-(

    Steve

    posted on February 18th, 2009 at 8:07 pm

  210. 210 On February 26th, 2009, John said:

    Tony,

    I removed my driver seat from 1996 Z-3 to clean. SRS light remains on. Can I jump two pins in the diagnostic port to reset the SRS light similar to resetting the oil change light?

    posted on February 26th, 2009 at 4:13 am

  211. 211 On February 26th, 2009, Tony Sticks said:

    @John: Honestly, I didn’t find anyway to reset the SRS light after it’s turned on except by using a reset tool. However, you may try to disconnect the negative (-) wire from your battery and leave it for like 10 or 15 minutes. I guess it should reset it if you don’t have any problem with your SRS. Please try and let’s see if it works.

    posted on February 26th, 2009 at 9:23 am

  212. 212 On March 4th, 2009, mark said:

    just want to thanks what a great bit of advice worked first time and saved me and my dad bit of money on our 328,s now were all green

    posted on March 4th, 2009 at 1:45 pm

  213. 213 On March 4th, 2009, rhys said:

    thanks for that i have got it reset, so saved my self giviong any money to bmw! also i now have my exhaust emmisions warning light on, the little engine outline warning light. Is there anyway of getting this to switch off? I am supposed to be part exing the car on saturday, so could do with getting the light off anyway i can! Its a 2000 323ci.

    Cheers guys

    posted on March 4th, 2009 at 8:08 pm

  214. 214 On March 6th, 2009, Endy said:

    Hello its available this reset inclusiv for E36 323ti? Thank You

    posted on March 6th, 2009 at 2:34 pm

  215. 215 On March 13th, 2009, Gun Indonesia said:

    Dear tony,

    My car is 318i E36 with 4 cylinders and single overhead cam in it. My question is..can we reset oil indicator even when it’s still have one or two green light litting ? Or we actually have to wait untill it goes yellow and red ?
    Please advice..because i tried the method when my BMW still has 2 green indicator lights litting..
    Thanks and regards,

    posted on March 13th, 2009 at 10:24 am

  216. 216 On March 17th, 2009, Bob said:

    Hi Tony,

    I have a BMW 318i 1996/7 E36 sedan. It is a right hand drive. I cannot seem to locate the Pacman connector. There are two connectors near the r/h side of the engine with a triangle center. Is there a third connector else where?

    Pls advise

    Bob

    posted on March 17th, 2009 at 2:39 am

  217. 217 On March 17th, 2009, Shatisa said:

    I see the pictures to reset the Oil Service light at the top of the page. I was wondering if you have any advice on reseting a 1986 BMW 325 E mine has 12 prongs not 20 any advice?

    posted on March 17th, 2009 at 5:28 am

  218. 218 On March 18th, 2009, tony said:

    hi i have the ABS light on on my 1996 316i is there a way of turning it off untill it’s annual test time in june? thanks Tony

    posted on March 18th, 2009 at 8:12 pm

  219. 219 On April 10th, 2009, mark said:

    hi new to this have a bmw 320i e36 1992 overheated replaced pump thermo aux belt plugs and one coil pack(seemed to have cracked and hard gunk was leaking out)all plugs were light brown ,car now has erratic idle removed and cleaned the icv but still lumpy in stationary mode rpm 1000 drops to about 800rpm back to 1000 (hunts)then settles at 800rpm however the car still has an idle vibration even though the rpm indicator seems stationary on 800rpm.also the dial cluster stopped functioning ie petrol/temp/rev/rpm stopped working replaced with second hand unit this now seems fine.inspection light needs to be reset will follow your instructions. car has done 300 miles with this idle problem and even going 80 mph on the motor way the car seems to have no ill effects i e no white/black smoke temp gauge centre posistion no overheat even with this problem stood in traffic for nearly one hour temp moved to 3 quaters never stalled seems fine but this idle shuddering is doing my brains in any ideas???????????????

    cheers mark

    posted on April 10th, 2009 at 3:41 am

  220. 220 On April 14th, 2009, willie mchugh said:

    hi tony i have a 316i 1999 compact. can you tell me where the abs relay is please

    posted on April 14th, 2009 at 12:25 pm

  221. 221 On April 16th, 2009, Tony said:

    David, back on Feb 14th, the noise is most likely the heater valve which is back on the right side bulkhead as you look in the engine bay. If you put your hands on it whilst the noise is happening you will feel the noise. Sometimes the valve will just keep on knocking and no other troubles, sometimes not. Check what is happening with your heater in the car, sometimes working sometimes not? If you go on ebay and put in BMW heater valve there are always some on there so you can see what it looks like. Common problem.

    posted on April 16th, 2009 at 10:45 pm

  222. 222 On April 19th, 2009, Will Hunt said:

    Hi, I just used your article to reset the oilservice lights on my ‘M’ reg 318i, it worked first time & I now have 5 lovely green lights! Thanks a million !

    posted on April 19th, 2009 at 6:35 pm

  223. 223 On April 29th, 2009, devon said:

    Than you so much for the help!

    posted on April 29th, 2009 at 5:51 am

  224. 224 On May 1st, 2009, kevin Newman said:

    Hi mate great I reset my oil lights. but got a couple of other faults you may be able to help with! 1) my fuel gauge reads empty all the time and 2) when i put the ignition to position II after a few seconds the radiator fan starts up even when engine cold eg car been sat for 2 days and this stops internal blower gowing and turns off the hot cold air instument panel, one thing i do know though saw one of your other posts about the air bag light this means it’s charged to go off and should not be driven as it could go off without a crash and cause one!!

    posted on May 1st, 2009 at 6:51 pm

  225. 225 On May 9th, 2009, Daniel said:

    Thank You!!! You helped me so much, it worked great ;)))

    posted on May 9th, 2009 at 6:34 pm

  226. 226 On May 15th, 2009, lee said:

    Hi,
    I have a 95 318 e36 the reset trick worked very well thank you.

    Just wondering my car runs at 1000 rpm tick over when first started, but when its been running and gets warm it goes up to 1500 rpm and seems to be racing a little at tick over.

    Is had a full service and runs well just the rpm at 1500 tick over when warm seem to high.

    Is this normal or is there something wrong ?

    Lee

    posted on May 15th, 2009 at 12:08 am

  227. 227 On May 17th, 2009, James said:

    Cheers Tony, that worked a treat.

    Any news on the ‘air bag’ light? I too took my steering wheel off and the airbag light is permanently on.

    posted on May 17th, 2009 at 8:57 pm

  228. 228 On September 12th, 2010, Victor Ciccarone said:

    THIS DOES NOT WORK FOR MY 97 Z3

    Tried it 3 X will not reset the oil inspection!

    posted on September 12th, 2010 at 11:01 pm

  229. 229 On September 19th, 2010, Andrei said:

    yeah, it takes about 12 seconds.
    thanks for damn good trick

    posted on September 19th, 2010 at 3:22 pm

  230. 230 On September 20th, 2010, Victor Ciccarone said:

    I did eventually get it to work by taking the pin to an engin ground Vs using the ground in the data plug. I needed to wait a long time with egnition to positon 2 but it did eventually work…So it does work on a 97 Z3 Dissreguard my post # 228

    Vic

    posted on September 20th, 2010 at 7:03 pm

  231. 231 On October 1st, 2010, Greg said:

    Great job Tony done what you said and no problems it works.

    posted on October 1st, 2010 at 7:09 pm

  232. 232 On October 4th, 2010, Paul said:

    Worked great for me and my 94 325i. Thanks for submitting.

    posted on October 4th, 2010 at 2:46 am

  233. 233 On October 29th, 2010, Jim said:

    Works like a charm… thanks a lot Tony!
    One question, after reset, the green light were on, the orange and red light is off, but the inspection light still there (inspection light with clock). Is it normal?

    Mine is BMW 318i and Sorry for my bad english =)

    posted on October 29th, 2010 at 5:01 pm

  234. 234 On October 31st, 2010, d235353 said:

    tnx alot looking for this a while, hope this works for Ti compact ..

    posted on October 31st, 2010 at 8:08 pm

  235. 235 On November 12th, 2010, jason said:

    It worked a treat on my 1997 e36 THANKS :)

    posted on November 12th, 2010 at 6:08 pm

  236. 236 On November 18th, 2010, Eric said:

    It worked on my 1995 e36. So happy now!!
    Thanks a lot!!

    posted on November 18th, 2010 at 10:14 pm

  237. 237 On December 18th, 2010, darren said:

    sorted the service lights,excellent worked 1st time,now just need to get the gear box sorted,ever since the battery went flat it switched itself to safe mode (2nd & 4th).any ideas or is it gonna be costly…..Thanks.

    posted on December 18th, 2010 at 5:36 pm

  238. 238 On December 19th, 2010, Jeff West said:

    It worked on my 2001 Z3 after several tries, I think it required greater than 10 seconds. Nice!!

    posted on December 19th, 2010 at 10:07 am

  239. 239 On December 20th, 2010, Adam said:

    Hi There, i have a BMW 318i SE 2006, i have a warning light that has come on, would you be able to tell me how to turn this out? its the triangle one that has a circle of arrows around it. Also how do you turn the service indicator out?
    many thanks for your help

    regards
    Adam

    posted on December 20th, 2010 at 7:25 pm

  240. 240 On December 21st, 2010, DSP543 said:

    Hi All
    Why is it important to reset the e36 oil light, if you don’t reset it is there something like malfunction which may ocur?
    Givo

    posted on December 21st, 2010 at 10:20 am

  241. 241 On December 26th, 2010, bash said:

    HI, anybody have idea where i can find this in BMW 2003 3 Series 325i 4dr Sdn??? thanks.

    posted on December 26th, 2010 at 9:45 am

  242. 242 On December 29th, 2010, Matt said:

    10 seconds for me, but worked great otherwise. i have a 98 323is with the srs light on. will disconnecting the battery work for my car? or is it just a z thing?

    posted on December 29th, 2010 at 11:27 pm

  243. 243 On December 31st, 2010, bash said:

    i have BMW 3 series 325i 4dr sdn, Air bag light is on. dealar is asking high $$$ to reset it. do anyone knows how to reset airbag or SRS light???? i don’t know antitheft code as i bought the car used, i don’t want to unplug battery might disable the car. little help will be greatly appreciated. thanks for your time.

    posted on December 31st, 2010 at 7:20 am

  244. 244 On January 8th, 2011, Anders said:

    I have BMW 316i -95 and this works perfect.

    posted on January 8th, 2011 at 4:37 pm

  245. 245 On February 10th, 2011, chris said:

    HI
    i did this on my 99 328i and it reset fine but now the car will not start any ideas?

    posted on February 10th, 2011 at 11:25 pm

  246. 246 On February 12th, 2011, paul said:

    just tried the procedure for resetting the service lights, worked perfectly, much appreciated many thanks

    posted on February 12th, 2011 at 1:41 pm

  247. 247 On March 7th, 2011, Adam said:

    Worked great on my 2000 Z3 2.5. It took about 6 seconds. That saved me from taking it in and spending an arm and a leg. Thanks!

    posted on March 7th, 2011 at 10:53 pm

  248. 248 On April 13th, 2011, Laurice said:

    Hi
    I have a BMW 316I 2004, for two days now, a light that looks like a battery keeps appearing and dissapearing, how it was permanently on today. Don’t have amanual.

    Help

    posted on April 13th, 2011 at 11:49 pm

  249. 249 On April 17th, 2011, Tony Sticks said:

    @Laurice: Please refer to BMW E36 dashboard signals. Does yours look like the second one here?

    posted on April 17th, 2011 at 8:34 am

  250. 250 On April 17th, 2011, Laurice said:

    Hi Tony,
    thanks for replying

    Unfortunately it is not any of the signs you illustrated, infact those signs I do know. I have asked and was told that the symbol I am seeing is for the radiator, for two days I have to be pouring water as it appears to have been dissapearing but nothing indicates that there is a leak and then on friday the water poured stayed and the light disppeared, haven’t seen it since. Not sure what is going on.

    posted on April 17th, 2011 at 9:43 pm

  251. 251 On April 18th, 2011, Leon Olivier said:

    Hi Laurice

    Have you bled your water system after filling your radiator with water? Next to your filling cap you will find a small plastic screw that you need to loosen (Not take out) while filling with water. The vehicle must not be started during this process. Once all the air has escaped and clear water is coming out you can then close this screw. Hope this solves your mystery.

    posted on April 18th, 2011 at 7:05 am

  252. 252 On April 27th, 2011, ct said:

    I have 1998, 318i (e46) model and this work as a treat. The only thing is you have to hold it for quite alot longer than 4 seconds. I hold mine for about 20 seconds and bang… the negative oil service no longer shows up when the car starts.

    Thank you

    posted on April 27th, 2011 at 12:59 pm

  253. 253 On April 30th, 2011, Tony Glover said:

    i have a 97 3 series. you are a lifesaver!!! i think this was the cause of some of my road rage lol

    posted on April 30th, 2011 at 6:13 pm

  254. 254 On May 2nd, 2011, Yoshi said:

    I have a 1997 Z3. I did an Inspection 1 at 90,000 miles and now at 107,000 miles the Inspection light has come on. Shouldn’t I be getting a lot more miles between inspections? Most of the miles are in-town driving. And, yah, the dealer wants $600 for the inspection…

    posted on May 2nd, 2011 at 4:47 am

  255. 255 On June 12th, 2011, Brendon Pillay said:

    Is there anything important I need to know if I am servicing my 1995 BMW 328i for the first time?? Please help as I have never ever serviced any car before, but am sure I can do it :-) Thanks gents!!

    posted on June 12th, 2011 at 7:26 am

  256. 256 On June 15th, 2011, Alec said:

    Very easy and simple…I was able to walk my wife through the proccess over the phone which says alot…thanks to all who created this site. :)

    posted on June 15th, 2011 at 5:37 pm

  257. 257 On June 16th, 2011, Mike said:

    I have a 2003 bmw325xi. The oil light indicator on the center dashboard comes on (yellow) while i’m driving. I just had my oil changed 1,000 ago and nothing is leaking. Does the light need to be reset?

    posted on June 16th, 2011 at 11:42 pm

  258. 258 On June 28th, 2011, shane said:

    hi just want to say thanks , i recently picked up an m reg 320i and the inspection light was bugging me , it had recently been serviced , read your post and less than 5 minutes later back in house problem solved , thanks again pal

    posted on June 28th, 2011 at 6:11 pm

  259. 259 On July 4th, 2011, Pedro said:

    Works perfectly in a 1997 Z3 1.9!!

    posted on July 4th, 2011 at 10:54 am

  260. 260 On July 16th, 2011, Ewan Geddes said:

    Thank you for your help. Before I came across your page I tried to reset my computer 1998 528i but I must have connected the wrong connectors at first because my radio doesn’t work now. Oil indicators are all green though. The radio goes on for about 3 minutes and then turns off. Even when it is on there are no radio lights. Can you help me “reset” the radio or suggest a fix.

    Thanks for your help

    Ewan

    posted on July 16th, 2011 at 12:54 am

  261. 261 On July 26th, 2011, Sean said:

    I tried this tonight for the millionth time and it finally worked. Never give up. Cheers for that guys

    posted on July 26th, 2011 at 12:44 am

  262. 262 On August 3rd, 2011, Sandra said:

    Hello,

    I own a 2006 BMW 330ci and my inspection light is on and I will have to pay BMW $80.00 to only reset the inspection. I had my car serviced with another service company instead of the BMW dealer adn they did not know how to reset the inspection light, where it would continue to keep up with my service requirement. Should I follow the directions with the paperclip? Excited to hear from you.

    Sandra

    posted on August 3rd, 2011 at 1:17 pm

  263. 263 On August 4th, 2011, C.G. said:

    Thanks so much for this tip! My former wife informed me this morning that her ‘Oil Service’ light was on (’92 318ic), and what was I going to do about it.

    Yeah.

    Not wanting to take an hour of my day to drive it over to our local shop and ask them to reset it, I Google searched for an answer and, lo!, there yours was – clear, concise, easy as pie, and thanks for the visual aids.

    Ciao from Portlandia, OR.

    posted on August 4th, 2011 at 4:47 pm

  264. 264 On August 7th, 2011, murray said:

    Great advice, tried and tried again a little longer, bingo all green lights even before service due

    posted on August 7th, 2011 at 8:38 am

  265. 265 On August 8th, 2011, K said:

    It worked like a charm, thanks for the help

    posted on August 8th, 2011 at 8:27 am

  266. 266 On August 17th, 2011, Aaron said:

    Just purchased a 01 Z3 wasn’t sure when previous owner had preformed oil change. And being a guy that the last place I will take a car is the dealer, found this site after reseaching how to reset the oil light. The paper clip trick worked for me! I had to do it several times with the last time being appox. 7 seconds, full
    green bars showing now baby!

    Thanks for taking the time in posting this information for others to use. I know I sure appreciate it.

    posted on August 17th, 2011 at 3:59 am

  267. 267 On August 20th, 2011, Miguel said:

    Hi, thank you very much for that tip to reset the Oil Service light.
    Can somebody help me to fix the problem I have with my “brake light sensor” please. I change already all the brake pads and the 2 brake pad sensors on my BMW 325i 1992 (E36) but the brake pad sensor light still ON, new sensors are original from BMW dealer.
    Thank you for your great help.

    posted on August 20th, 2011 at 11:17 pm

  268. 268 On August 21st, 2011, murray said:

    anyone know what front shocks were installed in the first e36 1991 318i, decarbon or monrow

    posted on August 21st, 2011 at 10:38 am

  269. 269 On August 21st, 2011, murray said:

    your brake light sensor wire bay be severed some where or not pushed in properly.

    posted on August 21st, 2011 at 10:42 am

  270. 270 On August 21st, 2011, Miguel said:

    Thank you Murray. Can you please tell me how to reach such “wire BAY” for the brake pad sensor and what else to do. BMW 325i 1992, 4 Doors. E36. I appreciate your time. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

    posted on August 21st, 2011 at 2:18 pm

  271. 271 On August 21st, 2011, Dutch said:

    Miguel, I’m pretty sure that warning refers to your brake PEDAL sensor. It’s the switch that turns on the brake lights when you press the brake pedal. It’s mounted near the top of the brake pedal arm under the console. It has a button that contacts the brake arm at it’s rest position. The switch is like $9 and installs easily. You should be able to google a tutorial. I’ve had to replace many of these. It’s a 20 min job. Good luck

    posted on August 21st, 2011 at 10:37 pm

  272. 272 On August 28th, 2011, Seth said:

    Just tried it on my 1996 z3 took several tries. Def cures my ocd for the night!

    posted on August 28th, 2011 at 5:50 am

  273. 273 On August 28th, 2011, Miguel said:

    Dutch, thank you very much for your reply but I am not talking about the STOP red light, I am talking about the “Brake Light” on the dashboard, which is ussually activated when the brake pads sensors are activated for brake service. Thank you.

    posted on August 28th, 2011 at 8:59 pm

  274. 274 On September 16th, 2011, Eli said:

    i tried it and acidently reset the inspection I/II interval what do i do now the lights are not on at all

    posted on September 16th, 2011 at 5:56 pm

  275. 275 On September 18th, 2011, Mike D said:

    Just tried this on my E36 328i coupe highline individual. Works a treat :) Just some tips… instead of a paperclip I used some insulated wire (any sort of wire will do, like off an old car stereo). I folded the ends of the wire to be a nice thickness to ensure the pin holes would pick up the connection. The first time I tried it only reset the oil service indicator (the clock symbol) and held it in for approx 5 secs. I turned off the ignition and tried again for about 6 seconds and the service indicators (the green lights) reset also. Thank you for the advice and happy that it only took about 2 mins to complete!

    posted on September 18th, 2011 at 6:08 am

  276. 276 On September 30th, 2011, Fish said:

    just did it on my 98 328i msport coupe… took a couple of attempts but alas i have done it!
    Thanks a lot, you have saved me time and money!

    posted on September 30th, 2011 at 7:40 pm

  277. 277 On October 4th, 2011, gene said:

    Hi.did the trick just now…bingo, oil service off, green lights on…it took me less than a minute…thanks a lot.

    posted on October 4th, 2011 at 1:56 pm

  278. 278 On October 18th, 2011, andyrobbo78 said:

    hello there did oil plugs filters service myself only to find astill had a nasty yellow and red lightsup on tha dash,ggggggggrrrrrrrr i looked for the pacman diagnostic connection under the bonnet and there was only 10pins.luckily i had drawn a diagram of the pin postitions of 7 and 19 and used ma g.f,s tweezersto reset ma lights now all green also recalibrated my clocks.cool tricks and saved me paying bmwto do it.you are tha man!!! really appreaciate this pal.besta luck to you and youre familys.respect andy

    posted on October 18th, 2011 at 1:40 pm

  279. 279 On October 24th, 2011, Martin said:

    I wanted to reset the oil service meter, and I just realised that it gives me the next inspection log… Have I done anything wrong??

    posted on October 24th, 2011 at 11:15 am

  280. 280 On October 25th, 2011, Az said:

    Hi Tony,

    I have just follow your instruction on resetting oil service light and it was great. It work, but left it on to long and reset the inspection light too. Is there any problem?
    Cheers AZ

    posted on October 25th, 2011 at 8:20 am

  281. 281 On November 13th, 2011, Brett Wilko said:

    How to reset your inspection I/II interval ,reset oil service time as specified, know LCD lights not working for taco/kilometres read out Please help.

    posted on November 13th, 2011 at 4:36 am

  282. 282 On November 25th, 2011, Franz said:

    Hi,
    I tried for 10 seconds and worked very good, i have green light all the way.

    Thank you

    posted on November 25th, 2011 at 5:49 pm

  283. 283 On February 16th, 2012, Cathy said:

    hey, I’m a girl. And a blond. And the oil service reset trick worked for me. Paper clip and about 8 seconds. Yayyyyyy!!!

    posted on February 16th, 2012 at 4:39 am

  284. 284 On March 12th, 2012, donny said:

    My service lights stay on all of them the oil service small clock and all the green the yellow and red …and when i turn the car off the yellow and sometimes the red stays on..can u help?

    posted on March 12th, 2012 at 2:58 pm

  285. 285 On March 12th, 2012, selvan said:

    hi i have changed my auto gearbox to manual buy the gearbox light is on . how to remove the light

    posted on March 12th, 2012 at 9:11 pm

  286. 286 On March 25th, 2012, Julian useche said:

    My 1992 E36 blinking signal only makes the ticking sound periodically when activated , however the signal itself always works (right turn Left turn) any comments of how to approach this issue ? i know it must be a relay, but where is it located?

    posted on March 25th, 2012 at 7:54 pm

  287. 287 On May 10th, 2012, ledz said:

    reset worked . The oil service digits has gone too… is that normal

    posted on May 10th, 2012 at 7:14 pm

  288. 288 On July 3rd, 2012, paul said:

    hi there tony, just read you paperclip trick went out and within 8 seconds job done. 5 green light on and yellow and red gone FANTASTIC your the DADDY. e36 1999 2.5. 03/07/2012 :O)

    posted on July 3rd, 2012 at 2:32 pm

  289. 289 On August 21st, 2012, Naleen said:

    Hi tony in my BMW I don’t know what are the controller sings for air conditioning , heating, and fresh air? Their is a sing arrow goes round, I wonder what is that mean too? If you can help with this I would really appreciate. Cheers naleen

    posted on August 21st, 2012 at 8:19 am

  290. 290 On August 31st, 2012, kester said:

    hi..im kester from philippines..i have a 1997 bmw 320i i’ve got a problem with the remote… i use to go with the instruction manuals for the activation of the remote but it didn’t work out..and i watch the other from the youtube..but all of it is not working on my car….what should i do with the remote.. to activate the lock and unlocking,keyless entry… im so stressful thinking of it, its been 4 days..pls help..very much tnx..!

    posted on August 31st, 2012 at 5:14 am

  291. 291 On November 3rd, 2012, matt said:

    thanks for the tip! worked a charm :)

    posted on November 3rd, 2012 at 10:15 pm

  292. 292 On May 6th, 2013, Mike said:

    Excellent tip. Worked on the first try for me. Thank you.

    posted on May 6th, 2013 at 3:01 am

  293. 293 On May 10th, 2013, Shaun said:

    Brilliant, worked first time. Thanks.

    posted on May 10th, 2013 at 9:53 pm

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