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I want to buy the Pelican tool (R5) to reset the service lights. And my airbag warning light has come on in my '97 328i. Does this mean I have to buy two tools (The SRS as well)? Does Pelican have a multi-purpose tool that checks codes and resets all or do you have to buy both?

As far as I know the tool resets all lights, however, it is possible and very easy to reset the lights without an expensive tool. I myself use this trick and it is completely harmless to your vehicle.

here is a guide for this if you want to save your money:
http://www.unofficialbmw.com/e36/electr ... ights.html

Basically, all you have to do it get a wire that is somewhere around a foot long and touch pin-7 to a ground spot anywhere on the car (this will not shock you in anyway, I did this with a paper clip ). Here is a diagram showing where you can find pin-7 for a 15-pin & 20-pin data connector point:


If you have the 20-pin connector, just remember that you want to ground out the pin that is located on the edge of the connector and directly inline with the 'packman' shaped center cut-out. Also, if you have the 20-pin data connector then pin number 19 is a ground point, so you can touch and hold a connection between pin-7 and pin-19 for 3 seconds it resets your oil light, if you do it again and hold for 9 seconds then it resets your inspection light (which I would think would fix your airbag light). If you have the 15-pin data connector then pin-1 is the ground pin and you can conenct it to pin-7 to ground it out, same amount of time applies here for oil service and inspection resets.

List of pin connections:


let me know if you have any other questions about this.

I've used this method to rest the service lights on my 320i, but wasn't sure if it would help for the airbag warning light. The 328i's light came on out of the blue. I haven't done any electrical work on the 328i. Only replaced the fanbelt. (The day it happened I pushed the car a bit. Hit 200km/h on the way to work) According to what I've read on the internet, the airbag light can come on even if you fiddle with the radio (replacing it) or changing the battery. I'll try shorting pin 7 (resetting the service lights) and hopefully it will fix the SRS light. Will let you know. Thanks for the help.

I've also heard some straight things about these airbags. The battery one comes to mind as being most common, but I think the service reset should fix it for you. Let me knwo how it goes.

I reset the service lights by earthing 7. No Luck. Airbag warning light still on. From what i've read on various sites, the cause has to be rectified first. Any ideas other than the Pelican Parts tool?

Have you been in an accident of any kind of maybe bumped the car in the front or back? You can take your car by a dealership or an auto parts store and have them read the error codes off of your car. This might shed some light on the problem and I think it is free at most places.