This shouldn't happen to a BMW

qwert · 01-05-2006, 07:18 PM

My 325i is practically brand-new, and was working perfectly until yesterday. It was fine on the way to school in the morning too. But when I was leaving school, I noticed the windshield wipers were on. So, I tried to turn them off. Didn't work. Then I noticed some of the warning lights were on (stability control, FTM, drive-off helper). But thats not all. I tried to lower the radio volume with the buttons on the steering wheel, but it didn't work. Then i tried the turn signals. Didn't work. Nothing was working. So I managed to drive home and contacted the dealer and now they are supposed to be looking at it. My question is, has this ever happened to anyone else before? And why pay 40k for a car if the computer is going to screw up for no reason??? Hopefully I can pick it up this weekend. (My dealer is about 1.5hrs away...)

LEDZEP · 01-05-2006, 07:57 PM

Bummer. Sounds like a malfunction in the electronics. Good luck, and keep your chin up!

tctic · 01-05-2006, 08:01 PM

It's electronics. BMW is not known to have extremely reliable electronics. And when problems occur, it's usually electronics. But you can't really blame BMW for this. No matter how well things are designed, there is always a chance of failure.

ward · 01-05-2006, 08:08 PM

yeah, this could have happened in any computer controlled car.

IUBMW · 01-05-2006, 08:15 PM

That sucks, and dealer is 1.5 hrs away. Can't the 4 yr/50k maintenance be used at any dealer or only the dealer you purchased your vehicle from?

Chalky White · 01-05-2006, 08:20 PM

any dealer. if they give you problems, call bmwna

3aficionado · 01-05-2006, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IUBMW

That sucks, and dealer is 1.5 hrs away. Can't the 4 yr/50k maintenance be used at any dealer or only the dealer you purchased your vehicle from?

This wouldn't be a maintenance issue. Maintenance covers items like oil changes and windshield wipers. This would be a warranty issue.

You can take a BMW under warranty (including under maintenance) to any dealer or BMW authorized service center. I’m guessing qwert either really likes another dealer that is 1.5 hours away or qwert lives in a remote area of Georgia.

Chesmu · 01-05-2006, 08:38 PM

"The more complex the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain."
-Montgomery Scott

My parent's Merc S500 did a similar thing once where all the electronics went out one at a time over a four hour period. New computer placed. All better. Warranty covered.

xdrive · 01-05-2006, 08:40 PM

Hey, I had only 30 miles on my car when the clutch failed. BMW is unreliable, but sometimes you get lucky and your car has no problems.

3aficionado · 01-05-2006, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xdrive

Hey, I had only 30 miles on my car when the clutch failed. BMW is unreliable, but sometimes you get lucky and your car has no problems.

Just curious about BMW being unreliable... can you expand on that? Do you mean the car or the company/service? I tend to think sometimes people are unlucky and have problems... its more of a glass is half full look at things since most people don't have problems with their BMW. The way you worded it makes it sound like we are all lucky if we dont have a problem.

Sorry to hear about your clutch failing.

deutschmann59 · 01-05-2006, 08:49 PM

Sorry to hear about your trouble...but yeah, everyone's right in saying it's the electronics...just seems funny that everything happened at once for you.

For me, I constantly--well maybe once a month or so--have your problem with the volume knob. Usually, it seems to get stuck at a certain volume and I can't turn it up or down after starting the car. But I wait and after about 20 seconds, it starts working.

If that doesn't solve it, I usually do a hard reset for the iDrive, which on occasion fails to load, too. The hard reset has always fixed the volume and iDrive load problems for me.

BMW0 · 01-05-2006, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qwert

(My dealer is about 1.5hrs away...)

No wonder your upset.

ksfrogman · 01-05-2006, 09:03 PM

probably a combination of electronics and software. too bad you can't press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and restart things.

deutschmann59 · 01-05-2006, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksfrogman

probably a combination of electronics and software. too bad you can't press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and restart things.

Well, you know that the "hard reset" I was talking about is holding both eject buttons (with iDrive) and pushing the volume knob in, all at the same time. That resets the idrive system.

qwert · 01-05-2006, 09:30 PM

Quote:

I’m guessing qwert either really likes another dealer that is 1.5 hours away or qwert lives in a remote area of Georgia

Yup... I live in a remote area.

ward · 01-05-2006, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xdrive

Hey, I had only 30 miles on my car when the clutch failed. BMW is unreliable, but sometimes you get lucky and your car has no problems.

you're a rare case

of all the members on this board you're the only one this has happened to.

you only hear about the problems on places like internet forums, as most people have enough sense to not start a post like, "hey, 15,000 miles still no problems"

I've owned BMW's exclusively for about 10 years and the worst thing that happened to me (only thing that stranded me) was a fuel pump (at the time it failed the car was 10 years old)

seems like a pretty good brand reliability wise from where i sit

BrunoT · 01-06-2006, 11:54 AM

I think Car and Driver magazine had some sort of electronic meltdown on their test drive but still gave it their "first place" in a competition.

1.5 hours away from a dealer in Georgia? I'm in GA too near Atlanta. You must be in either extreme south or north of the state. If you are taking it to Atlanta I would recommend United BMW in Roswell, they seem to have a good attitude and service.

Your problem is why I wouldn't buy some brands. I live far enough out that it's over an hour each way to some brand's closest place. I found out with a previous BMW (before the Roswell one opened) that I had better things to do that shuttle my car back and forth through Atlanta traffic. I'm afraid this problem (long hauls for repairs) is going to be with you the whole time you own it. Hope the car is more reliable in the future.

10,000 miles now on our E90 and no problems, so maybe it's a fluke.

longtran · 01-06-2006, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksfrogman

probably a combination of electronics and software. too bad you can't press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and restart things.

there is a wasy to restart your idrive like that. i think it id holding the dvd and cd eject plus the mute button?? and your idrive will reset. it is the same as ctrl+alt+del.

vladinecko · 01-06-2006, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ward

you're a rare case

of all the members on this board you're the only one this has happened to.

you only hear about the problems on places like internet forums, as most people have enough sense to not start a post like, "hey, 15,000 miles still no problems"

i agree, electronics is one thing, but BMWs are known for being able to run perfect even at 250k miles on them. that's what you get for that extra money, they stress test the shit out of the cars. if something breaks prematurely, it's one in a hundred.

Broken1 · 01-06-2006, 12:46 PM

Did you try and "self remedy" the problem?

By this I mean- turning the car off, taking the key out and then restartng it. Maybe even leaving it to go into sleep mode (locking the car and waiting about 30mins (like when the start/stop button light goes out).

When I had my slight problem with my car (the steering wheel lock jamming) - sticking the key in and out fixed the problem (i have comfort access)

It's not such a major problem. The car was still mobile. YEs, it shouldn't happen...but as mentioned before...out of the thousands of members on this board- it's only happened to you.

spydrz · 01-06-2006, 12:56 PM

My X5 did that once. I did a "CTRL-ALT-DEL" and it was fine afterwards. How does one do that? Simple. Disconnect the positive battery cable for an hour or so. Done.

E90Fleet · 01-06-2006, 01:37 PM

Sounds like a slight glitch in the Junction box. Maybe the JB controller wasnt clicked in properly and it slightly shook loose during driving.

01-05-2006, 07:18 PM	#1
qwert Enlisted Member 6 Rep 41 Posts Drives: 325i - Monaco Blue, Gray int. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Georgia, U.S. iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 325i [0.00]	This shouldn't happen to a BMW My 325i is practically brand-new, and was working perfectly until yesterday. It was fine on the way to school in the morning too. But when I was leaving school, I noticed the windshield wipers were on. So, I tried to turn them off. Didn't work. Then I noticed some of the warning lights were on (stability control, FTM, drive-off helper). But thats not all. I tried to lower the radio volume with the buttons on the steering wheel, but it didn't work. Then i tried the turn signals. Didn't work. Nothing was working. So I managed to drive home and contacted the dealer and now they are supposed to be looking at it. My question is, has this ever happened to anyone else before? And why pay 40k for a car if the computer is going to screw up for no reason??? Hopefully I can pick it up this weekend. (My dealer is about 1.5hrs away...)
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01-05-2006, 07:57 PM	#2
LEDZEP Lieutenant General 417 Rep 12,276 Posts Drives: 2009 E70 & 2011 F25 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Area 51 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 X3 35i M Sport [7.62] 2009 X5 M Sport [0.00] 2007 328xi E90 [0.00] 2006 325xiT E91 [0.00]	Bummer. Sounds like a malfunction in the electronics. Good luck, and keep your chin up! __________________ I think it is bad luck to be superstitious
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01-05-2006, 08:01 PM	#3
tctic Major 38 Rep 1,238 Posts Drives: BMW E90 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	It's electronics. BMW is not known to have extremely reliable electronics. And when problems occur, it's usually electronics. But you can't really blame BMW for this. No matter how well things are designed, there is always a chance of failure.
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01-05-2006, 08:08 PM	#4
ward Major General 155 Rep 6,158 Posts Drives: F Join Date: May 2005 Location: T iTrader: (0)	yeah, this could have happened in any computer controlled car.
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01-05-2006, 08:15 PM	#5
IUBMW New Member 1 Rep 10 Posts Drives: not a bmw :( Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: indianapolis iTrader: (0)	That sucks, and dealer is 1.5 hrs away. Can't the 4 yr/50k maintenance be used at any dealer or only the dealer you purchased your vehicle from?
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01-05-2006, 08:20 PM	#6
Chalky White Private First Class 14 Rep 131 Posts Drives: 2006 e90, 325i Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: atlanta iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 325i [0.00]	any dealer. if they give you problems, call bmwna __________________ 12/5/13 PCD Delivery of X3 3.5i, Alpine, Chestnut, Premium, Tech, Heated Seats, BMW Apps 2006 325i, Sparkling, Grey, Xenons, Premium, Heated, Comfort (SOLD)
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01-05-2006, 08:38 PM	#8
Chesmu Brigadier General 89 Rep 3,011 Posts Drives: 2013 X6 Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Phoenix,AZ iTrader: (2) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00] 2006 330i [0.00]	"The more complex the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." -Montgomery Scott My parent's Merc S500 did a similar thing once where all the electronics went out one at a time over a four hour period. New computer placed. All better. Warranty covered. __________________ "Teach the ignorant. Ignore the stupid."
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01-05-2006, 08:40 PM	#9
xdrive Second Lieutenant 20 Rep 250 Posts Drives: 330xi Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	Hey, I had only 30 miles on my car when the clutch failed. BMW is unreliable, but sometimes you get lucky and your car has no problems.
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01-05-2006, 08:49 PM	#11
deutschmann59 Captain 176 Rep 737 Posts Drives: 2006 325i Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: e90post.com iTrader: (0)	Sorry to hear about your trouble...but yeah, everyone's right in saying it's the electronics...just seems funny that everything happened at once for you. For me, I constantly--well maybe once a month or so--have your problem with the volume knob. Usually, it seems to get stuck at a certain volume and I can't turn it up or down after starting the car. But I wait and after about 20 seconds, it starts working. If that doesn't solve it, I usually do a hard reset for the iDrive, which on occasion fails to load, too. The hard reset has always fixed the volume and iDrive load problems for me.
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01-05-2006, 09:03 PM	#13
ksfrogman Major General 574 Rep 6,750 Posts Drives: E90 330i 6MT Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Torrance, CA iTrader: (12) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00] 2006 330i [0.00]	probably a combination of electronics and software. too bad you can't press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and restart things. __________________
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01-06-2006, 11:54 AM	#17
BrunoT Second Lieutenant 9 Rep 242 Posts Drives: 2012 F-150 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA iTrader: (0)	I think Car and Driver magazine had some sort of electronic meltdown on their test drive but still gave it their "first place" in a competition. 1.5 hours away from a dealer in Georgia? I'm in GA too near Atlanta. You must be in either extreme south or north of the state. If you are taking it to Atlanta I would recommend United BMW in Roswell, they seem to have a good attitude and service. Your problem is why I wouldn't buy some brands. I live far enough out that it's over an hour each way to some brand's closest place. I found out with a previous BMW (before the Roswell one opened) that I had better things to do that shuttle my car back and forth through Atlanta traffic. I'm afraid this problem (long hauls for repairs) is going to be with you the whole time you own it. Hope the car is more reliable in the future. 10,000 miles now on our E90 and no problems, so maybe it's a fluke.
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01-06-2006, 12:46 PM	#20
Broken1 Addict 203 Rep 2,074 Posts Drives: 2024 X5 40i M-Sport Join Date: May 2005 Location: Ontario iTrader: (0)	Did you try and "self remedy" the problem? By this I mean- turning the car off, taking the key out and then restartng it. Maybe even leaving it to go into sleep mode (locking the car and waiting about 30mins (like when the start/stop button light goes out). When I had my slight problem with my car (the steering wheel lock jamming) - sticking the key in and out fixed the problem (i have comfort access) It's not such a major problem. The car was still mobile. YEs, it shouldn't happen...but as mentioned before...out of the thousands of members on this board- it's only happened to you.
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01-06-2006, 12:56 PM	#21
spydrz Captain 33 Rep 671 Posts Drives: '15 M4, '15 i3 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: RVA iTrader: (2) Garage List 06 330i [7.00] 2002 X5 3.0i [0.00] 2001 525i [0.00]	My X5 did that once. I did a "CTRL-ALT-DEL" and it was fine afterwards. How does one do that? Simple. Disconnect the positive battery cable for an hour or so. Done. __________________ 2002 X5 3.0i/man.* 2006 330i/man./Arktis/Grau* 2001 525i/step./Schiefergrün/Sandbeige* 2013 X1 xDrive35i Alpinweiß/Schwarz/M Sport/Dinan Stage 2 *retired
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01-06-2006, 01:37 PM	#22
E90Fleet Lieutenant General 1312 Rep 10,185 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: South Africa iTrader: (0)	Sounds like a slight glitch in the Junction box. Maybe the JB controller wasnt clicked in properly and it slightly shook loose during driving. __________________ BMW if you are reading, I need a job, Please.
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