[Doctor X]

Right when my car hit 45k miles it seems everything is going to crap..

First my AC stopped working.
- Still have no idea what to do about this.

Next active lower shutters stay open.
- Anyone know how to fix this??**

I looked into my engine bay and I was trying to pinpoint anything when I noticed these wires all frayed and damaged.

No idea how or when this happened.

Anyone know what this is?

At this point I'm really considering taking my car into BMW and seeing what the hell they will quote me at to fix everything.

The car is not under any warranty.... God knows what they will charge.

[Chappers 71]

Looks as though a little critter has been in there.
You could put some heat shrink wrap tube on the damaged wires, splice them back together, shrink the wrap over the joins & then tape it all back up. Should be an easy job

[admranger]

Yeah, that's rodent damage. There's even a little dropping in the upper right of the 2nd and 3rd pic.

Time to get a cat or an exterminator.

Your car insurance will cover this, assuming you don't have a punishingly high deductible. Get the harness replaced vs. a repair if insurance is covering this.

[Doctor X]

Originally Posted by admranger

Yeah, that's rodent damage. There's even a little dropping in the upper right of the 2nd and 3rd pic.

Time to get a cat or an exterminator.

Your car insurance will cover this, assuming you don't have a punishingly high deductible. Get the harness replaced vs. a repair if insurance is covering this.

By any chance do you or anyone know what this harness is for?

Maybe this is the reason my AC/active grills aren’t working correctly?

[LuvMyE92]

Originally Posted by Doctor X

Maybe this is the reason my AC/active grills aren’t working correctly?

I would certainly start there! If you don't know how to splice wires, find someone to help you do it. You can always do it better later (i.e. get a new section of harness properly installed) and odds are that you won't make it any worse.

Typically when the shutters fail, it sets a Check Engine light. Since you don't report that, the broken/eaten wires do kind of point to that as the cause.

[Mike 540]

This is exactly what martens do. Especially when it is cold outside and the engine is still warm, they get warmed up and usually find a little mucher around there :-). I would recommend either a car electrician or DIY job (all wires have different colour so it should be doable). Check if there is no other damage to the wires/hoses, etc... even from below of the car.

[Doctor X]

Update:

I ordered a solder seal wire connector kit from amazon.

Stripped the wires and connected them all together.

The tubes are well insulated and have heat shrink.

I also wrapped it all in electrical tape for good measures.

After connecting everything my A/C turned on back to blasting cold.

Man that could've been a disaster trying to go to some A/C mechanic trying to find the root cause.

The lower active grill still isn’t fixed. I’m not sure if 1 of these 4 wires weren’t soldered correctly which is what’s causing the grille not work. My thing is I hear the grille actuators trying to close so I doubt the wires are the problem.

Overall happy

[Chappers 71]

Neat job

[NGT2]

That’s awesome! AC is not a cheap fix

[Mike 540]

Once you had martens (other rodents) check carefully for any visible damage in the engine compartment and also below the car - they like chewing into any rubber parts. Pay attention to brake, cooling, etc.
There are ultrasound repellents for cars available on the market - not expensive and they work. Not allways you spot the damage before a drive which may cause bigger damage, even an accident.

[Doctor X]

Update:

After a few months of amazon solder kit / indy shop soldering the AC has stopped working once again..

I think at this point I'll just go ahead and replace the this whole harness.

Not sure how difficult of a job this will be nor can I find part number for this wiring harness.

Does anyone know where I can find this?

Thanks

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by Doctor X

Update:

After a few months of amazon solder kit / indy shop soldering the AC has stopped working once again..

I think at this point I'll just go ahead and replace the this whole harness.

Not sure how difficult of a job this will be nor can I find part number for this wiring harness.

Does anyone know where I can find this?

Thanks

Can you easily located all connecting points? Meaning, can you unplug it completely without having to pull apart your engine? The part number should be on the connectors. BMW wiring harnesses aren't cheap. This could be a good candidate for a trip to the junkyard to pull one.

[arkhi]

You're probably looking at something like this: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...22#61129890960

If you're gonna do this yourself, I recommend paying for BMW TIS so you can have all the info you need. I haven't used it myself (only used Toyota TIS), but it should include all the instructions you need, as well as the part number for the harness for your car.

[Bob in IL]

As mentioned, do you have a check engine light? The active grill shutters have a history of failing. It was widespread and the warranty on them was extended. I don't recall how long the extension is but you could check to see if they are still covered for your car.

[Doctor X]

arkhi Appreciate it broski!!

After looking thourgh some engine tear down videos Joe-BMW33 it looks like I'd have to remove a lot of s*** just to get rewire the car. I could be wrong but it's not looking too good.

Bob in IL No CEL thankfully

I'm going to take the car back to the indy shop that did the previous re-soldering of the wires. Have them check all the solder points and see if there's any discontinuity in the wires.

Want to have this sorted out before the summer time forsure hahaha

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by Doctor X

arkhi Appreciate it broski!!

After looking thourgh some engine tear down videos Joe-BMW33 it looks like I'd have to remove a lot of s*** just to get rewire the car. I could be wrong but it's not looking too good.

Bob in IL No CEL thankfully

I'm going to take the car back to the indy shop that did the previous re-soldering of the wires. Have them check all the solder points and see if there's any discontinuity in the wires.

Want to have this sorted out before the summer time forsure hahaha

From someone who learned how to solder specifically to repair expensive wiring harnesses in my E39, I think I would have another go at it. It took me a few tries to make my connections bulletproof. You have nothing to lose except time.