Problems with air temprature reading

[toomuchvinyl]

I did a quick search on the forum to see if I could find any earlier postings regarding this and didn't so hopefully I'm not reviving something that has already been discussed.

Now that the weather is getting cooler I have noticed that on my ride in to work in the mornings my ambient temperature display never shows a reading below 50 degrees Fahrenheit though thermometer temps at both my home and work are showing mid to low 40's. I noticed after my first service/inspection that the pre-ride check that happens when the key is turned on was a bit different, all characters on the display are lit and the warning symbol indicating the check is in progress goes off much quicker that it did prior to taking it in. Also my headlight doesn't come on until the motor is actually started. Since I took delivery in May, the temperature displayed had always looked correct though it never had to register on the cooler side of things.

My question is; Has anyone had issues with the air temp accuracy and do you think that the issue is software related or a problem with the sensor?

 

[SteveADV]

There have been discussions about the ambient temp gauge here and there but I couldn't find a dedicated thread either. If I remember correctly, there seemed to be varying accuracy issues with some having a very accurate reading (within a couple degrees of other sources) and maybe a few with readings that were off. Shade or sun?? Warm engine or cold?? I have no idea if either of those are meaningful on the Beemers, but it makes a difference with my car gauge.

 

[exavid]

It takes a while for the ambient air temp to stabilize when I take my GT out of the garage in cold weather. It does arrive at the correct temperature within a couple of degrees but it takes a few minutes to get there.

 

[windplr]

I have a 2015 GT and my ambient air temp reading would not go below 50.0 degF this morning (or ever). Temp was actually in the low 40s, maybe even high 30s when I left for work this AM. There is definitely something wrong here and I plan to have the dealer look at it.

 

[exavid]

BTW - toomuchvinyl my bike's headlight works the same way as you describe when it's in low beam. In high beam it comes on when I first turn the key on. It then goes out while cranking the engine, then comes back on once the start button is released.

 

[toomuchvinyl]

I did wind up taking mine in to the dealer. They ordered a new sensor and I'll take it over to have it installed tomorrow. I did find a post here in the forum from June. Sounds exactly like my issue -

The local BMW dealer is about to replace my whole instrument cluster because my temperature gauge never reads below 50 degrees. They already replaced the sending unit once and that didn't help. Good luck with your problem.....

I just hope I won't need my instrument cluster replaced too.

 

[windplr]

I did wind up taking mine in to the dealer. They ordered a new sensor and I'll take it over to have it installed tomorrow. I did find a post here in the forum from June. Sounds exactly like my issue -
I just hope I won't need my instrument cluster replaced too.

Please post again to let us know if the sensor fixes the problem. I dropped by my dealer the other day, and other than saying to make an appointment, got no other info from them. In a way, this could be viewed as a safety issue since, according to the manual, if the temp drops below a certain point where ice could be a problem, there will be a notification on the instrument display.

 

[Snowdog]

Before temp sensors on bikes, riders watched the weather, looked at the outside thermometer, looked on the calendar to see what month it was, monitored their barometers, and made ride decisions based on an evaluation of all available data. Trusting only one instrument to mind your safety is a bad idea. Even thermos couples and RTD's need to be calibrated
or checked occasionally. If you don't, you may pay the price. Watching the weather is still a good idea.

 

[toomuchvinyl]

Please post again to let us know if the sensor fixes the problem.

Will do! Just to let you know, I am cancelling my appointment today because of rain and a High Wind Advisory in our area. I'll try to reschedule for Friday.

Watching the weather is still a good idea.

See above.

 

[windplr]

Before temp sensors on bikes, riders watched the weather, looked at the outside thermometer, looked on the calendar to see what month it was, monitored their barometers, and made ride decisions based on an evaluation of all available data. Trusting only one instrument to mind your safety is a bad idea. Even thermos couples and RTD's need to be calibrated
or checked occasionally. If you don't, you may pay the price. Watching the weather is still a good idea.

A temperature sensor is one input. Of course there are others and any rider should make use of everything at his/her disposal.

 

[wsteele]

I was out today and the temp on the bike said 39 degrees and as I passed the bank sign it also said 39 degrees it is almost time to put the bike away.

 

[Skutorr]

Rode to work at school two days ago...42 degrees when I left home. 81 degrees that afternoon. Today? 86 degrees at 10:30 am...I LOVE Fall in California!!!

 

[toomuchvinyl]

I was able to get to the dealer this afternoon and got the sensor unit replaced. High at our house today was 37, down at the dealer's about 43. My air temp said 50 all the way home. Clearly wasn't fixed by the part replacement . We're getting very near the end of the regular riding season around here too. I'll let the service manager know that didn't do it and I guess we'll take it up again next spring.

 

[Snowdog]

what did they replace? Sensor? PC board?

 

[Snowdog]

Rode to work at school two days ago...42 degrees when I left home. 81 degrees that afternoon. Today? 86 degrees at 10:30 am...I LOVE Fall in California!!!

That's quite a spread!

 

[toomuchvinyl]

what did they replace? Sensor? PC board?

Just the sensor up by the fork crown.

 

[김성태]

I did a quick search on the forum to see if I could find any earlier postings regarding this and didn't so hopefully I'm not reviving something that has already been discussed.

Now that the weather is getting cooler I have noticed that on my ride in to work in the mornings my ambient temperature display never shows a reading below 50 degrees Fahrenheit though thermometer temps at both my home and work are showing mid to low 40's. I noticed after my first service/inspection that the pre-ride check that happens when the key is turned on was a bit different, all characters on the display are lit and the warning symbol indicating the check is in progress goes off much quicker that it did prior to taking it in. Also my headlight doesn't come on until the motor is actually started. Since I took delivery in May, the temperature displayed had always looked correct though it never had to register on the cooler side of things.

My question is; Has anyone had issues with the air temp accuracy and do you think that the issue is software related or a problem with the sensor?

How do you solve this problem? only replace my whole instrument cluster?

 

[toomuchvinyl]

How do you solve this problem? only replace my whole instrument cluster?

Well, at this time it has not been resolved. The sensor replacement didn't have any effect. The Service Manager at my local Dealer said that BMW has several more tests they would like him to conduct. I'll be curious to see if the final fix will be replacement of the instrument cluster as it was in grenstrom8316's case. It will be a few months until the weather is more reliable here and I can get it back in the shop to find out.

 

[stratman]

I purchased a leftover 2015 C650GT in June of 2016. The ambient temperature read correctly all summer. Once it started getting cooler in the fall is when I started noticing it never went below 50 no matter how cold it was. One morning when it was in the low 40s, I started the bike and the display read 49.5 but almost immediately went back to 50 once I started moving. Another morning when it was in the low 30s, the display read and stayed at 49.5. I brought it back to the dealer and BMW told them to re-flash the software in the bike. They did that and advised me that it was fixed because the display read 49.5 when they started the bike. I advised that it was still suspect since I had seen it read that low before and the fact that the actual temp that day was upper 40s so it was not a good test. It was supposed to get very cold in the next couple of days. I told the dealer to keep the bike and test it on one of the mornings when it would be in the 30s. They did and it failed. They contacted BMW again. BMW sent them a new instrument cluster. The dealer installed that and they said it worked properly. As far as I know, they did not replace the sensor. I picked up the bike this past Saturday when the high temp was only in the mid 30s. The bike displayed the correct temperature all the way home which was 20 miles. The display also seemed to adjust quicker and was more sensitive to temperature variations on the trip. In addition, the display now is working correctly regarding warning you about freezing conditions. When the temp hits 36.5, the display flashes and a snow flake appears to warn you. Also, the heated seat and grips also work better now in auto mode since auto mode uses the ambient temperature and your speed to set the heated seat and grips. Before, the seat and grips never seemed to get that hot in auto mode since the bike never thought it was below 50 degrees. I always had to switch to manual mode to get a decent heat. Now they seemed to work fine in auto mode on the ride home.
So, for anyone with the ambient temperature display problem, replacing the instrument cluster did work. And, once the dealer got the part, they had it done in a day.

 

[toomuchvinyl]

Thanks for sharing your experience stratman. My scoot is at the dealer now for it's third visit since fall of 2015 regarding this issue. Interesting that your lowest registered temp of 49.5 is exactly what I get. I'll clip out your post and take it over there. I've wondered if BMW was dragging their feet not wanting to replace the cluster but it sounds like your dealer was able to get some results fairly quickly. Here's hoping I can finally get this resolved.