[basim07]

Hey all, just did my first dipped headlight bulb replacement on my 05 E90 320D (stupid.. just stupid)

And i disconnected the battery beforehand as precaution + so i know how to for future reference

On reconnecting and starting the car,

1) my fuel had gone from 1/8th tank down to almost zero.... now i assume thjs is because i was parked on an incline when i did the work so the fuel sensor reset and the fuel level will go back up on a level and after a bit of driving? It has gone up a tiny amount after a quick run around my area

2) the brakes feel alot more spongy than usual initially, light pressure has no effect whatsoever then a little more and wham they kick in quite a lot harder than usual. Why is this?
Do we have adaptive braking alongside adaptive throttle?
Or have i messed up majorly while changing a bulb lol


Any advice / explanations / experience would be brilliant
Cheers?

[Dr Dave]

Battery disconnect would have no effect on the braking system.

I personally wouldn't pull the battery to change a bulb.

[dest]

As above, I've never taken off the battery for a bulb.
Sod that, far too many things to reset afterwards!
If you're really that paranoid, take the fuse out for the light in question instead

[IanS100]

I hope you drained the fuel tank too

[Dan-danGT]

Lol ^^

I recently had my battery disconnected to fit my towbar and do a spot of welding. But once reconnected it never made a difference to the brakes

[stuart-b]

Are you sure you disconnected the battery and not the pipe from the brake master cylinder?

[basim07]

Haha i know it was completely unecessary guys but i wanted to see how it was done on thid car as well in case i had to do it in future in a rush!

Last night did a 40 mile drive mix motorway and city driving and 110% there has been a change in the brakes

I cant see what i could have done, ive done enough maintenance work on my car and on my E46 so arent a complete novice

I replaced the driver side dipped bulb using engine bay and wheel arch access.

Initial pressure on the brakes does nothing whatsoever, as if it is just slack and then a lil morenthe brakes kick in hard and crisp

[basim07]

If anything, after the initial slack, the brakes seem quite hard or stiff to push

[basim07]

Solved the problem myself, not gonna say what it was cos il look like an absolute pillock :/

[bungleaio]

Please do, it may help someone else who has this problem and when searching this thread comes up.

[gaza01]

Come on...spill the beans! We've all had our moments! Lolol

[Josh1a1h]

He wore 2 pairs of socks giving the spongy feeling?

[IanS100]

The drivers mat was shoved under the brake pedal?

[stuart-b]

He really did undo the pipes from the brake master cylinder

[chris_s1]

left the cap off the brake reservoir is my guess

[Billyray911]

Originally Posted by basim07

Solved the problem myself, not gonna say what it was cos il look like an absolute pillock :/

Fess up,no one will laugh!

[basim07]

Haha i knew it couldnt be anything to do with the brakes because i didnt go near them

At first i thought it may have been my new shoes, some hi tops which are not as tight fitting as say my converse so i changed shoes but same problem...

What it was, was.....

The floor mats.... yup the damn mats

I have three mats in the drivers footwell,, and all came with the car. The top two are the shaped ones that fit around the accelerator and foot rest. I continue to use both because they get dirty and muddy fast so i can take one out and wash it while leaving the other in. In my car i had both in at the same time, and what mustve happened conveniently after i changed my bulb that when i sat down, the top mat rode up so it was snagged on clutch and obstructed the brake pedal. I readjusted it once but it mustve just rode up again and i didnt notice...

So yeh..... made an arse of myself.....

[basim07]

Laugh it up lol... memorable introduction to the forum i guess

[225_AB]

thats probably why most people use just the one mat. Having 2 with one moving about would drive me mad

[basim07]

Just did 100 mile round trim ant they stayed in place woooh
They work arite u just gotta get em seated in properly!

[225_AB]

Let's hope one doesn't move and get jammed under the brake pedal when you least need it to.

[yeti racing]

Haha fair play for admitting fella :top: