UPDATE - fixed!!
So what prompted me to look at this again was a random morning when the sat nav screen would not rise (basically all the ICE was dead). On checking the fuses, I found one of the 15A ones blown. I replaced it and voila, the screen sprang back into life and all was well with the world for about 6 months. I know fuses don't just blow of their own accord so always had a niggling doubt in the back of my mind.
Then a couple of days ago I was reversing out of the garage with the stereo on and opened the center drop down console to get my sunglasses... suddenly the music stopped and the sat nav screen went blank. You guessed it...same 15A fuse. The big clue here was dropping the centre console.
Sure enough, further investigation (cutting the webbed cable sleeving away) revealed that the multi-core cable that runs from the rear bulkhead to the drop down had completely fractured due to the constant flexing when the drop down is opened and closed. I'm guessing the previous owner (like me) stored his sunglasses in there so was basically using it a lot.
Here is the problem....
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..and a clearer view with the sleeving completely removed...
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So, I needed to set about repairing. I knew it was no good using crappy pvc wire like BMW so I sourced some 22AWG silicone wire which is very flexible. Perfect for applications like this. I suspected even the coax comms cable to the phone was open circuit and sure enough after cutting back the insulation it was. So I had 6 connections to remake in total!
First, the existing wires had to be stripped back and tinned. It's not easy as there is very little room and the wiring from the bulkhead is short.
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The silicone wire was cut to about 5cm length and tinned.
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Solder the new wires onto the existing loom. Again, not easy in the space you have.
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Heatshrink each wire individually to insulate and give the solder joint extra support. You have to be very careful using a heat gun so close to the trim plastics so I just used my soldering iron.
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All connections done and looking good..
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Finish with self amalgamating rubber tape as it is very flexible, never comes undone and looks quite factory...
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Welcome to the world of
bluetooth pairing!!!
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The bad news is this could well be a ticking time bomb for all E85 owners - it's basically a wiring issue due to the wrong type of wire used on a constantly moving hinge.