display speaking german

[dswinty]

Had a dead battery, disconnected to charge and dash display is now in german. Code check does not work either. Is the computer gone? Anyone know what may be wrong and how to fix?

Appreciate any help.

[4-Door Flunky]

Good luck, dude.
My car doesn't even talk!
Flunky
PS-Insert unhelpful post script here.

[wardenswife]

Have you tried just driving it for about an hour? I know this sounds crazy, but a similar thing happened to my mom's car when we changed out the battery and worked on the power window (Pontiac-minus the German stuff). We called the dealership and they said to just drive it around a while and the computer would eventually reset itself. So....she went to dinner in a town about an hour away. It worked; the car is running fine with the new battery, and that was about 4 years ago. Almost time to do it again.

[csieminski]

Are you talking about the onboard computer? I have no idea what age BMW you have, but looking in the owner's manual is always a good idea--it should be explained there.

For my '86 5-Series, you did have to select a language after the battery was reconnected. I believe the OBC said "UHR" (German for time), and from there you may have had to use a paper clip to cycle through the languages--I can't quite remember. You also choose metric vs. standard units.

I hope this is what you're asking about