Intro and problem with tach

[PDXE82]

Hey all, FNG here. I recently purchased a 2013 135i with 25k miles on it. So far I'm loving it coming from a 2002 540i Sport six speed. Loved the E39 but was ready for something a bit sportier. This car is surely that.

My E82 still has six months of warranty and has an issue with the tach not registering correctly. With the key/engine off the needle sits at 3k RPM and while running it measures increase and decrease of RPMs but is all over the place as far as how high the needle is. I've noticed that if I blip the throttle the needle will jerk in small increments and then drop back down. So today I picked it up from Kuni BMW and they had supposedly fixed it. They said they did a cluster self test and it fell back to 500rpm with the key off. They then reset the instrument cluster which seemed to have fixed it when I picked it up. Tach was sitting back at 0 with key off. They test drove it and observed it was fine. By the time I got home the tach was back to the same behavior as before. Has anyone else had this issue? The way the needle skips as it rises seems to point to a mechanical issue behind the gauge.

I also had the PPK flashed which seemed to solve the horrible throttle lag I was experiencing. Didn't have a lot of chance to have fun with it yet as far as performance increase because of traffic but it's definitely better.

[6MT_Addict]

There are hidden menus you can access yourself via the ODO reset button. YouTube has examples, search for the E90, same procedure. Just do the gauge reset/self test yourself, takes like two minutes.

It could also be a wiring issue, the harness at the rear of the cluster may not be making proper contact with the cluster, try the reset again and see what it does - if this fixes it temporarily then it points to a computer issue rather than mechanical (electric motor) or electrical (wiring)

Also make sure your battery is in good health, these cars dislike batteries in poor condition and it can cause a number of odd problems. If you park it for days at a time get a battery tender and use it.

[PDXE82]

Thanks 1AddictsAnonymous. I just tried the gauge self test and it made the needle fall back to the 500rpm position with key off like the dealer tech found. Looks like I'll have to take it back in and have them dig a little deeper.

[Matticus91]

If you have the warranty still, go over that sucker with a fine tooth comb before you bring it in. The more you can have addressed at once the better.

[PDXE82]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

If you have the warranty still, go over that sucker with a fine tooth comb before you bring it in. The more you can have addressed at once the better.

That's the plan. At only 25k miles there's not a whole lot obvious but I'm going to crawl underneath and make sure everything is dry and tidy.

[dtla1]

Have you checked if there is potentially a JB4 installed? I know they can sometimes cause weird issues like this since they wire into the guage system.

[PDXE82]

Originally Posted by dtla1

Have you checked if there is potentially a JB4 installed? I know they can sometimes cause weird issues like this since they wire into the guage system.

No JB4. This car was a lease return. I was also having the horrible DCT throttle lag which the JB4 should have fixed if it was there from what I've read. I have another appointment at the dealer next Friday to have them figure it out.

[dtla1]

JB4 would not necessarily fix the throttle lag. Sorry to nag, but did you actually check if there was a JB4 installed or just assumed because you also have throttle lag issues and it because it was a lease return?

[PDXE82]

Ended up being a bad gauge. They replaced the cluster and it's working like it should again. No other issues found by the multi point inspection, yet.