BMW X5 Massage Function Acting Up: Fix Needed

Hey there! I had a similar issue with my 2005 BMW X3 3.0i. The massage function was acting up just like yours, unusual activations and wouldn't respond to controls. Turned out to be a faulty connection in the seat wiring harness, where the cables had worn down over time. Got it checked at my garage last month. The mechanic had to remove the seat cover to access the control module and wiring. They found corroded pins in the main connector and some damaged wires near the seat frame where they'd been rubbing. Not a serious mechanical issue, but definitely needed proper diagnosis and repair to prevent further electrical problems. They replaced the wiring harness and cleaned the connector pins. Fixed the problem completely, massage function now works perfectly with no unusual activations. Definitely get it checked by a qualified BMW technician who knows these systems. These electrical gremlins can be tricky to diagnose if you don't know what to look for. Best of luck with the repair.

Hey again! Thanks for sharing your experience, that's exactly what was happening with my X5! I ended up getting mine fixed last week and it was pretty much the same issue with the wiring harness. Would you mind sharing how much you ended up paying for the repair? Just curious if the prices are similar. Also, has everything been working smoothly since the fix? No other electrical quirks popping up?

Hey! Good to hear back from you about your X5. Yes, everything's been working perfectly fine with my X3's massage function since I had it repaired. No more unusual activations or unresponsive controls, it's actually quite nice to have it working properly again! Haven't noticed any other electrical issues either, which is a relief. As for the cost, I paid 95 € to get it sorted. The mechanic found it was just a damaged cable and faulty plug connection that needed fixing. Pretty straightforward job once they knew what they were looking for. Sounds like we had very similar issues! These electrical problems can be a pain, but at least it wasn't anything too major or expensive in the end. How's yours been behaving since the repair? I'm guessing you're pretty happy to have a properly functioning massage seat again!

Thanks for the info! My repair cost was actually a bit higher at 120 €, but I guess that's still reasonable considering how annoying the problem was. The massage function is working perfectly now, no more unusual starts or getting stuck! I took it to this new mechanic I found through a car forum. Really glad I did because they knew exactly what they were doing. Had to wait a couple of hours while they fixed it, but they showed me the worn-out wiring and explained everything. Pretty interesting to actually see what was causing all the trouble. The best part is that I can finally use the massage function on longer drives again without worrying about it going haywire. Definitely a relief to have this sorted, these luxury features aren't much fun when they start acting up! Really appreciate you sharing your experience, helped me feel more confident about getting it fixed rather than just living with the problem. Keep in touch if you run into any other BMW quirks!