Warning Message
Many drivers are currently seeing the ‘Emergency call system not available’ or ‘SOS call system failure’ error message on the dashboard of their BMW and Mini Coopers.
What Happens
BMW’s and Mini Coopers telematics module has two power feeds, one from the vehicles main power supply, the other from it’s own backup battery. This means in the event of a serious accident (even with complete power loss) the SOS function can still be used. The Telematic Communication Box (TCB) monitors the emergency battery via an internal self-test after each start-up procedure. The emergency battery does have a limited service life. If the capacity of the emergency battery is exhausted to the extent that placing an emergency call can no longer be guaranteed then this is shown by a Check Control message (Emergency call system fault or SOS call system failure). A fault entry is also stored in the Telematic Communication Box.
A good majority of the time the ‘Emergency call system not available’ or ‘SOS call system failure’ error is a consequence of the telematics emergency call battery deteriorating over time and not providing a significant output to keep the emergency call system powered in the event of power loss. This is simply down to battery degradation of the backup battery over time.
Happening Now
This issue is very quickly becoming a hot topic in the BMW and Mini Cooper world as because it is just a battery degradation issue, though sometimes BMW and and Mini Cooper will not cover this fault outside of their 2 year warranty as they put it down to ‘wear and tear’. Although these batteries are rechargeable, once they reach a lower peak performance they cannot be recovered and a replacement will be required. The batteries overall life will be greatly reduced in colder climates, that is why we see a huge uptake of cars requiring battery replacement during the winter months.
The fault codes that usually accompany a failed battery are:
- B7F341 Emergency battery: Hardware faulty.
- B7F343 Emergency battery: Charge interval reached.
Many BMW dealers are quoting astronomical figures to rectify this fault, usually in the region of £600 from a autherised BMW main agent as they state it requires a huge amount of labour as it usually is housed in the roof of the vehicle.
How We Can Help
At Atlantic Motorcar we have made the decision to standardize the charge for telematics battery replacements across the whole BMW and Mini range. This includes the replacement battery, labour and clearing the fault down once the replacement has been completed.
There are of course other reasons as to why you may get this ‘SOS call system failure’ error message such as module faults, water damage etc. We will always confirm that the battery is indeed the issue before replacement. This issue affects all BMW and Mini manufactured after 2014 right up to current production.
Our Goal For You and Your Car
Our goal is to save you money, not spend it. This is why each BMW we service gets a free Courtesy Maintenance Inspection during its first service visit. If additional work, or service is needed, we’ll gladly advise and offer a free estimate!
We aim to let you know about the small problems before they become big. Right now, we have a number of customer cars with well over 200,000 miles and several approaching 300,000! And these cars are not just limping along – most look and drive pretty much the way they came out of the showroom.
Proper maintenance is an investment in the life of your vehicle. Knowing, not just doing, but actually knowing and understanding the difference, makes all the difference.
Be sure your car is properly loved.
Our professionals will attend to both your and your car’s needs.
Atlantic Motorcar…Extraordinary Service for Extraordinary Cars, just a phone call away, (207) 882-9969.
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