2001 BMW X5 3.0i - Soft-Roading on the Cheap

[Jake]

never in a billion years would i have thought to "jiggle the handle" down in some gulley where the parking brake guts live.  this car is clearly meant for your stewardship.

So I was talking to a friend who is a BMW tech and he said to try unplugging the gauge cluster with the car off. Apparently if you unplug the cluster and the headlights turn on, the LCM (light control module) is good. Based on symptoms, I thought it might have been on the fritz and the cluster takes all of three minutes to remove.

I pulled the cluster, the lights came on, and afterward, the cluster started functioning normally. I was putting tools and dashboard bits near the parking brake handle so I'm sure that jiggled things around. I finally noticed a pattern - at first, I thought things only worked in Park, then realized they worked if in Park and brake pulled. D'oh.