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I just had the passenger occupancy sensor mat replaced on my 2004 ZHP for the third time in five years last week, this time under warranty at the dealer since the part was less than two years old. The first time I paid an upholstery shop to do it but when it went out after just three years I decided I'd better learn how to do it myself. It's not a difficult job and since no one can reassure me 100% that the airbag will deploy with the failed mat and that the emulator won't cause issues as mentioned above this is the route I'm taking. Just want to make sure my passengers are safe.
I will say that it puts me in a pretty bad mood to have to keep replacing this important part of a safety system which is not covered under a recall and continue to pay BMW an exorbitant amount to do it every few years. First time it was $120, three years later $127 and if I'd had to pay for it this last time the best I could find was $167! If it happens again any time soon I may look into trying to find someone willing to code it out.
Also, be aware that if you have this repair done at the dealer they will tell you that you have to replace the control module as well (at double the price you can get a genuine one from FCP Euro) because it can cause the mat to fail prematurely. After I had already declined this, since I would have had to pay for the part, when I was picking the car up and asked for clarification on this they backpedaled and actually admitted that it just saves them time to replace both at the same time just in case they do the mat and the code is still present. Gotta love dealers.
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