Rear wash wipe was intermittent now dead,have checked fuses tried another motor and steering wheel switch still dead.

It looks like the wires in the tailgate hinge area to the right have been probed before,would like a view on this as to what I should be looking for am really frustrated now!

 

Hi Jim

Have you lost the wiper and wash or just the wiper? After the stuff you have changed it would point to the loom not an unknown issue.

Dave

I suspect loom but it looks like a pig to get to?

Come on Jim a job anyone with double jointed fingers like a Troll that can hold like mole grips can do. 

Most of the loom damage I have seen tends to be just behind the hinge point under the roof trim. The first time I repaired one I just re-soldered the broken wires the repair lasted about a month?? The next attempt I cut out around 2" and soldered in new cable protected by heat shrink, this one was still good 2 years later when the brother inlaw sold the car.

Dave

Hi,did you drop the headlining?

Morning Jim

On his 5 series there are 2 looms left and right that run up past the hinge point to connectors behind the headlining we gently prised down the rear of the headliner (put a small block of wood in to hold it down) Unplugged the right side used a couple of pins as probes to check continuity found 3 suspect cables and repaired them.

My brother inlaw later found out that BMW do repair sections so not an unknown issue. His car was the E61 LCI but I wouldn't think the E46 is that different

Good Luck

Dave