How to fix fuel gauge -?

[leftofcentre]

Well i bought and fitted it tonight. Cost £88 for the Sender and £8 for a new seal. All in all the procedure took about an hour and a half and i did not need to remove the fuel tank. If you remove the Beak and fairings you can get plenty access. Make sure you drain the fuel though!! To do this i removed the return pipe quick release hose fitting.

The Sender itself is a strange device. No floats or anything just a resistance strip encased in a plastic shroud in a long "S". It hangs from the fuel filler assembly but is connected electricly to the fuel pump housing.

Here are pics of it split in half -

 

[buncobooth]

Hi my 09 se was done 3 weeks ago.Disconect battery. Drain tank. Remove tank plastics and side panels. Remove fuel lines( held on by clips) and 2 electrical cons on pump assy on top left of tank.Remove tank and loosen petrol filler.Unscrew large 5 inch ring holding pump assy in tank.Carefully lift out pump assy.remove level plug on bottom side of pump .sensor which is connected to filler can now be removed.Fuel level sensor part- 16147675547. Make sure sensor bottom end is located in slot in bottom of tank on re-assy.Sensor should re-calibrate itself when tank refilled (takes a while).I contacted BMW uk by e-mail telling them about the poor design, they said they weren,t aware of any problems. Maybe anybody else with this fault should do the same.Contact Claire Dale Customer Service Exec. E-mail [email protected]

What a load of bull. I have this problem again after having the strip replaced 9 months ago, the dealer told me they are screaming at BMW to sort this out as it is very prevalent, with a lot of second and third failures.

 

[Andy1200]

Joy

Arse, Riding up the A3 this morning mine has done the same thing, warning light and "FUEL" flashing, strange as it said a range of 117 miles and its only 40 to work, lucky it was just before a BP garage and only managed to get £16 in it, and for the rest of the journey it was flashing, gaffer tape over the warning symbol for the journey home me thinks and reset the trip for now, I wouldnt mind but its a 57 and only done 6,220 miles, Arse again.

 

[luckylucian]

My 04 started playing up in December, it would read full to about 90 miles travelled, then fuel warning light would come on until 130 miles travelled then it would revert to half full and count down to the fuel warning light coming on again at 40 miles to empty.

Added some fuel injector cleaner and left it stood in shed over Christmas for 4 weeks it seems to have stripped off the gunge on the strip that was causing the mis-reading, touch wood its worked fine since then

 

[bmwbikeruk]

I missed my old 07 GSA' fuel gauge which was deadly accurate at all times. My new 2010 GSA's fuel gauge is OK at the moment but not as accurate. Average mpg readings always about 2mpg higher than actual as calculated at every refill. Range readings sometimes suspicious and I once ran out of fuel with 12 miles left on range! However, apart from this erroneous fuel gauge, it's the best GSA I have ever had in terms of performance and so on. I don't know if it's worth asking my dealer to look at my fuel gauge at my next service because, by the sound of all complaints on this forum, this problem won't go away until the predecessor is brought back!

 

[leftofcentre]

I missed my old 07 GSA' fuel gauge which was deadly accurate at all times. My new 2010 GSA's fuel gauge is OK at the moment but not as accurate. Average mpg readings always about 2mpg higher than actual as calculated at every refill. Range readings sometimes suspicious and I once ran out of fuel with 12 miles left on range! However, apart from this erroneous fuel gauge, it's the best GSA I have ever had in terms of performance and so on. I don't know if it's worth asking my dealer to look at my fuel gauge at my next service because, by the sound of all complaints on this forum, this problem won't go away until the predecessor is brought back!

Best thing to do mate is use the trip meter. I find a refill at 200miles takes about 17-18 litres thus leaving me a nice 2 litre reserve.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

Range is dependant on the fuel sender reading and the average consumption. MPG is calculated by the ECU on its own as it knows how much fuel it is putting in. So if your fuel gauge isnt right then your range will be out every time. I wouldn't call a 2 mpg difference significant to be fair to BMW. I have long since given up on getting my sender fixed and use the trip and MPG to work out my own fuel. I dont just use the trip simply because my fuel consumption can vary wildly depending on what I am doing with the bike. It has ranged from 58mpg to 36mpg which is a very significant amount. If I relied on a fill every 300 miles (I have a GSA) I would have ran out several times. I also dont play the fuel station gamble. If my quick calc tells me I will get 350 miles I get fuel well before that unless I am local then I stretch it a bit more. Your gauge dosnt sound to bad so simply get fuel as soon as you can after the warning comes on. Why mess about and risk running out. Course I have been trained by years of driving a diesel car where it is a disaster if you run out of fuel.

 

[bmwblue]

Mine's just gone today - flashes yellow and range went from 140 miles to zero in 10 miles. Problem is I'm no spanner man so it's a dealer job, & guess what, the warranty ranout 10 days ago! I would like to think my dealer will still fix it - any views? (or idea of cost!)

Mine went this week. 6 weeks out of warranty and 13000 on the clock. I called the dealer and they said it would be about £288 to fix. I've asked them to contact BMW to see if they are willing to contribute.

My dealer acknowledged this was a very common problem.

 

[GraemeH]

GS 1200 FUEL SENSOR

See my comment on the 'pub' section, I've now had the sensor fail twice in 2 years - and mine is being sorted today - I suggest we all need to swamp BMW with this issue and get them to recognise they need a fix - perhaps even a recall - Even the pro mechanics are saying its a problem they readily recognise....I had the same sypmptom on both occasions; no error then 'empty' flashing at me with at least half a tank left. Most 'irritating'!

 

[Barry G]

Mine went this week. 6 weeks out of warranty and 13000 on the clock. I called the dealer and they said it would be about £288 to fix. I've asked them to contact BMW to see if they are willing to contribute.

My dealer acknowledged this was a very common problem.

I had mine changed £99 plus BMW good will. I only payed 50%.

PS: the new one is shite, can't make up its mind how much is in the tank so it just bounces to and fro between 88 - 135 mile's (range) for about 250 miles, have'nt got the nerve to ride untill the yellow light come on

 

[MrC]

I'll be on my 3rd new one by next Tuesday. It goes out of warranty next month so i'm glad it stopped working this morning, rather than next month!

Booked it in for next week, and i'm really not that happy now with a silly little problem like this. Its a 59 plate GSA with 5500 miles, and i'm seriously considering chopping it in even though I love the bike.

Cheeky barstard wanted to charge me for a courtesy bike, when I explained this was the third one in under 18 months (it sleeps for 6 during winter ) he agreed to forget the charge.

Here come the 1150 brigade...

 

[bmwblue]

I had mine changed £99 plus BMW good will. I only payed 50%.

PS: the new one is shite, can't make up its mind how much is in the tank so it just bounces to and fro between 88 - 135 mile's (range) for about 250 miles, have'nt got the nerve to ride untill the yellow light come on

Personally, I don't think anyone should have to pay anything. BMW should sort it out and then issue a recall.

If your gauge is bouncing around, I would take it back to the dealer and get them to fix it.

 

[GraemeH]

Fuel gauge

Did I say mine was being sorted? Less than 80 miles into the new sensor the thing failed again - and still BMW aren't seeming to acknowledge a problem - though the dealers are - (how is it that they have redesigned the gauge for the latest models? If it isn't broken, you tend not to replace it in my experience). So the GS is back at the dealership......and my first 'official' not has gone off to BMW. Seriously thinking of selling and moving to KTM!

 

[GraemeH]

gs 1200 fuel gauge sensor

Seems like a regular problem - mine has now failed 3 times in 2 years and 20K miles; its approx £300 to solve out of warranty as the mechs have to strip out the tank, pump etc....not a quick job. Suggest you do as `i have done and contact BMW head office - they rely on reputation and this is eroding it I think.

 

[GraemeH]

BMW customer support email

[email protected] may be a useful address.

Start sending and BMW may have to acknowledge a problem....it cannot be a mere aberration with so many of us having the problem so often.

Good luck all,

 

[Magnon]

I've Had My Say (and reply) Re Email Campaign

Dear Customer Service

Just need to have my say about the fuel gauge (fuel strip) issue on the 1200GS. Yes mine failed during warranty and again outside of. I have not had it repaired I did ask the dealer (Pidcock and Rainbow) who advised BMW would not replace outside of cover.

The situation you put the customer in unacceptable and would not be tolerated in the car world especially your brand. We have at home a E92 335D and Mini Cooper S.

BMW have supplied a vehicle with an unreliable device which once failed leaves the rider with a distracting yellow warning light shining bright through the night. You get so used to it there is less likely hood of the rider being warned of a different and potentially dangerous issue with another system.

Yes I now have to ride and gauge fuel reserves using the trip meter, how very primitive.

What does BMW recommend customers do? Spend good money at the dealers to have a new one fitted for it to fail again? How does one sell the bike with the gauge not working?

The fuel strip is clearly not fit for purpose BMW should retro fit a ball float system proven, simple and above all reliable technology!

Can you tell me what BMW have done in North America? are you risking litigation out there when someone has the bike stop in the middle of a six laner!

Dear Mr. M
Thank you for your email dated August 3, 2011. I understand you are unhappy that financial assistance has been declined for the repair of the fuel gauge on your motorcycle and I am sorry for your disappointment.

I can confirm that BMW ensure all our bikes are constructed to the highest build quality tolerances, utilising the best quality materials and leading edge technology. Whilst I appreciate your concerns, I can advise you that we take customer safety very seriously and for this reason we monitor the performance of all components used in our range. Where there is an established trend of failure of any component, we take the appropriate action in the form of either a quality enhancement or recall. I can confirm that we are aware of a few instances of this type, however, the issue has not been highlighted as being inherent within our range. Therefore, no remedial action has been issued for the parts to be replaced free of charge.

Where there is no warranty policy in place, due to the customer choosing not to renew the policy, a financial contribution towards the cost of a repair may be offered. All requests of this nature are now assessed directly by our network of BMW Motorrad Approved Dealerships on behalf of BMW UK. When considering requests of this nature, I can advise you that the bike's age, mileage, purchase and service history will all be taken into consideration. Therefore, as your case has been assessed, and based on the dealerships diagnosis, a financial contribution was not considered appropriate, I would, therefore, recommend that you discuss this decision with them.

Your comments regarding the design of the fuel gauge have been noted on our system under the above case number and will be used as part of our ongoing product auditing programme. I trust that I have clarified our procedures in this instance, however, if you have any further enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely

BMW UK
Heather Bamforth
Customer Service Executive
Ellesfield Avenue
Bracknell RG12 8TA
Tel: +44 (0)870 5050 160
Fax: +44 (0)870 5050 205
Mailto: [email protected]

 

[claw]

Guess who i'll be sending a letter to later today about the problems with mine...

 

[solidstate100]

Um Am I missing something? If a part fails within 1 year of its replacement (whether its a fuel strip or anything else), is it not covered by a warranty, - so any repetitive failures in that period should be covered?

seems quite a few of us are having these fuel strip failures within that period but as the bike is out of warranty are paying for it - this cant be right.

Can it?

 

[Ruadh08]

Likewise, mine failed last week, and has just been replaced by the dealer, which took about 2 hours. Bike is 3 years old, but only done 3400 miles. Out of warranty, but I was not charged for labour, just the part which was £90.

Obviously a weak point with the bike!!

 

[cookie]

Um Am I missing something? If a part fails within 1 year of its replacement (whether its a fuel strip or anything else), is it not covered by a warranty, - so any repetitive failures in that period should be covered?

seems quite a few of us are having these fuel strip failures within that period but as the bike is out of warranty are paying for it - this cant be right.

Can it?

There is no ongoing warranty obligation as you describe.

A part fitted under warranty is only guaranteed until the end of the original warranty. Should you pay for a new part, even a contribution, that part has a new 2 year warranty.