Airbag Fault

[protego]

Guys, I have the airbag light on and the car is throwing code B1B18: Left Side Curtain Squib Circuit Low.

The dealer has diagnosed the problem as requiring replacement of the front passenger air bag, it is a right hand drive car. This will apparently cost $3500 (Chrysler stuff is expensive here in Aussie) and supposedly requires removal of the windscreen as well. If they accidentally break it then bad luck will have to pay for a new one of them as well.

Car was hit in the rear and had rear quater pannel replaced, airbag fix should be covered under insurance as a follow up to the original repair.

I'm just curious as to how replacing the front airbag is going to fix the fault?

I think I already know the answer.

[protego]

Never mind, just spoke to them again and they are replacing the side curtain air bag unit. Still not sure why the windscreen would need to come out.

[TNtech]

Originally Posted by protego

Never mind, just spoke to them again and they are replacing the side curtain air bag unit. Still not sure why the windscreen would need to come out.

Windscreen...as in windshield?

[CoolVSRT8]

dealership sounds retarded i can re and re one of those in under an hour

[protego]

Definitely something suspect going on, $1385 for the bag (around $1300 seems to be the standard price for most bits down here) and then $1620 for labour. Would like to see the book time for this task, labour rate would be around $120 per hour.

I think they are using the book time for the front passenger airbag and even then I had a look at the procedure in the service manual and couldn't see where the windscreen had to come out.

By the way our dollar is worth slightly more than yours for comparison purposes but I guess assume roughtly 1 to 1 is near enough.

Add 10% tax to these prices too and roughtly another $1K for the windscreen if they break it.

[protego]

From the manual:

REMOVAL

NOTE: The sedan and wagon curtain airbags are mounted similar and are removed the same way.

1. Disconnect and isolate the battery negative cable.

WARNING: Wait two minutes for the airbag system
reserve capacitor to discharge before beginning
any airbag system or component service. Failure
to do so may result in accidental airbag deployment,
personal injury or death.

2. Remove the headliner from the vehicle (Refer to 23
- BODY/INTERIOR/HEADLINER - REMOVAL).
3. Disconnect the curtain airbag squib connector (2)
from the inflator (3).
4. Remove the screws (1) that secure the curtain airbag to the spring nuts in the roof side rail.

5. Remove the push pin and unclip the front tether (2)
from the A-pillar (1).
6. Remove the bolt (2) holding the inflator to the
C/D-pillar.
7. The curtain airbag will be held in place with push pins. Release the push pins and remove bag from vehicle.

INSTALLATION

NOTE: The sedan and wagon curtain airbags are mounted similar and are removed the same way.

1. Position the curtain airbag in vehicle along roof side rail and install by fastening to roof side rail with integral push
fasteners.
2. Install the bolt (2) holding the inflator to the C/Dpillar.
Torque bolt to 11 N·m (97 in. lbs.).

3. Clip the front tether (2) to the A-pillar (1) and install
push fastener.
4. Install the screws (1) that secure the curtain airbag to the spring nuts in the roof side rail. Torque screws to 5
N·m (44 in. lbs.).
5. Connect the curtain airbag squib connector (2) to
the inflator (3).
6. Install the headliner into the vehicle (Refer to 23 -
BODY/INTERIOR/HEADLINER - INSTALLATION).

WARNING: Do not connect the battery negative
cable (Refer to 8 - ELECTRICAL/RESTRAINTS -
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING - AIRBAG SYSTEM).
Personal injury or death may result if the system

test is not performed first.

and

HEADLINER

REMOVAL
SEDAN

1. Disconnect and isolate the battery negative cable.
2. Remove the trim from both upper A-pillars. (Refer to 23 - BODY/INTERIOR/A-PILLAR TRIM - REMOVAL).
3. Disengage the headliner wire harnesses from the retainers on each inner A-pillar and disconnect the connectors
(11) from the body wire harness connectors near the base of each A-pillar.
4. Remove the trim from both upper B-pillars. (Refer to 23 - BODY/INTERIOR/B-PILLAR TRIM - REMOVAL-UPPER).
5. Remove the trim from both upper C-pillars. (Refer to 23 - BODY/INTERIOR/C-PILLAR TRIM - REMOVAL-UPPER-
SEDAN).
6. If the vehicle is so equipped, remove the overhead console from the center of the headliner (1) near the windshield
header (3). (Refer to 8 - ELECTRICAL/OVERHEAD CONSOLE - REMOVAL).
7. If the vehicle is so equipped, disconnect the electrochromic (automatic dimming) and/or the telematic (hands-free
phone) mirror takeout(s) and connector(s) of the headliner wire harness from the connector receptacle(s) on the
back (windshield side) of the inside rear view mirror housing.
8. Remove both sun visors and both visor receptacles from the headliner near the windshield header.
9. Remove both grab handle/coat hook/rear dome/reading lamp units from the headliner at the inner rear roof side
rails (4).
10. If the vehicle is so equipped, remove the trim welt from the headliner sunroof opening.
11. Fold down both rear seat backs.
12. Recline both front seat backs.
13. Carefully pull the headliner downward at the windshield header far enough to disengage the spring clip retainers
at each sun visor mounting location (2), at each visor receptacle location (9), and at the overhead console
location (10).
14. Carefully pull the headliner downward at the inner rear roof side rails far enough to disengage the spring clip
retainers at each grab handle location (5).

15. Carefully pull the headliner downward near the center of the rear roof header (7) far enough to disengage the
rear spring clip retainer (8).
16. If the vehicle is equipped with a sunroof, reach between the headliner and the roof panel from the right rear
door opening to access and disconnect the sunroof jumper wire connector from the headliner wire harness sunroof
take out and connector (6).

17. Carefully bow the headliner longitudinally as necessary to remove the unit through the right rear door opening.

[protego]

It's been a while, but I thought I would post a follow up for the benefit of others.

With the annual rego safety inspection due shortly I thought it was time to bite the bullet and get this fixed, so off to a different stealership for a bit of diagnostics and another repair quote:



And that was the revised quote, they were going to charge another $2800 for a new headliner because it would probably get damaged when they removed it. Of course you need to remove the windscreen to take the headliner out and that would break too, hence the charge for a new windscreen.

So at that point in time you start to wonder if it is really worth fixing at all, or is time to get another car, they kindly offered me $5000 trade in on a new one.

But of course, given that I probably know more about these cars than the average Chrysler tech, there was another course of action.

Call the local wreckers, fortunatly they have one in the yard with a good airbag, cost $550. This was an added bonus because not withstanding the saving on parts cost over a new one, Chrysler of course doens not carry any parts in this country, so I probably would not see a new airbag until next year, the car needs to be pitted in December.

So how hard is this job? For a start you don't even have to fully remove the headliner, this is the extent of dismantling required:





Look mum, I didn't even have to take the windscreen out.



Total time from start to finish, 2 hours.

Thats $1144 per hour based on the dealership labour cost alone.

Saved enough money to take my whole family on an overseas holiday at Christmas.

:-D :-D :-D :-D

So as per the comment above, i am starting to think all dealeships are retarded.