[elpablo71]

Hi everyone! I have a 2011 328i. I basically had my first mechanical issue last week and was able to narrow down the problem by reading threads on this forum. This site is awesome!!

So I bought my car back in 2010. Since I was a kid, I always wanted a BMW and this was my first one. I use it to drive to work and for weekends and getaways. This is my ONLY car. I have 109,000 miles on it. My commute is about 30 miles each way, so that's how I racked up the mileage. This car has ran like a CHAMP! The only thing I've really had to do on it over the last five years was change the brakes and a new set of tires. I've take great care of it. Love my car.

About a month ago, I was pulling out of the parking lot from work and it just shut down on me. No power, no nothing. It was like it didn't even have a battery. Started back up. I took it to my mechanic and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. A couple of weeks later, I got in my car and nothing. No power, wouldn't turn on, same issue. About half an hour later, it started up. Took it back to my mechanic, had me put in a new battery (needed on anyway). Few days later, I'm on a work call, visiting a customer, same issue happens again. This time, wouldn't turn on for four hours. Had to have it towed to my mechanic. Starts up at my mechanic. They still say they can't figure out what it is. So I took it to the dealership. Same issue happened after I parked, so at least they see what it's doing at this point. Starts up the next day. Dealership says they can't find anything wrong with it. I'm thinking WTF?! Obviously there is something wrong with her!!

So I just started reading through various threads on this site and found this:

"Fusebox issue - “There is a design flaw in the fusebox located in the glovebox. Essentially what BMW did is make the fusebox connection to the battery cable a simple plastic clip, instead of a bolted down connection. When the car is driven, the battery cable gets jostled and electricity arcs between the connection, and does one of two things: fries the connection, or disconnects from the box. This can be temporarily fixed by opening the glove box, removing the fuse box cover, reaching around the back of the fusebox on the right hand side and jostling the cable until it regains the connection. This will at least make the car temporarily drivable, but it may lose its connection again.”

I run that by the dealership and sure enough, they look it up and inform me that there was in fact a recall on my car for this. So they replaced/fixed it. Mechanic noted that the cable wasn't corroded or burnt out, which he would have expected to see, "but who knows". It's been a week no and I've had no problems.

So THANK YOU to this site and community. VERY glad to be here!!

On another note, I'm not getting the itch to get a new BMW. I like the 428i Gran Coupe. I'm fighting that urge though because my car is still a good car and has treated me right. Even if I do wind up getting a new one within the next year, I think I'm going to always keep my 2011 328i. Can't treat her that way! lol.

[jgoens]

Originally Posted by elpablo71

Hi everyone! I have a 2011 328i. I basically had my first mechanical issue last week and was able to narrow down the problem by reading threads on this forum. This site is awesome!!

So I bought my car back in 2010. Since I was a kid, I always wanted a BMW and this was my first one. I use it to drive to work and for weekends and getaways. This is my ONLY car. I have 109,000 miles on it. My commute is about 30 miles each way, so that's how I racked up the mileage. This car has ran like a CHAMP! The only thing I've really had to do on it over the last five years was change the brakes and a new set of tires. I've take great care of it. Love my car.

About a month ago, I was pulling out of the parking lot from work and it just shut down on me. No power, no nothing. It was like it didn't even have a battery. Started back up. I took it to my mechanic and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. A couple of weeks later, I got in my car and nothing. No power, wouldn't turn on, same issue. About half an hour later, it started up. Took it back to my mechanic, had me put in a new battery (needed on anyway). Few days later, I'm on a work call, visiting a customer, same issue happens again. This time, wouldn't turn on for four hours. Had to have it towed to my mechanic. Starts up at my mechanic. They still say they can't figure out what it is. So I took it to the dealership. Same issue happened after I parked, so at least they see what it's doing at this point. Starts up the next day. Dealership says they can't find anything wrong with it. I'm thinking WTF?! Obviously there is something wrong with her!!

So I just started reading through various threads on this site and found this:

"Fusebox issue - “There is a design flaw in the fusebox located in the glovebox. Essentially what BMW did is make the fusebox connection to the battery cable a simple plastic clip, instead of a bolted down connection. When the car is driven, the battery cable gets jostled and electricity arcs between the connection, and does one of two things: fries the connection, or disconnects from the box. This can be temporarily fixed by opening the glove box, removing the fuse box cover, reaching around the back of the fusebox on the right hand side and jostling the cable until it regains the connection. This will at least make the car temporarily drivable, but it may lose its connection again.”

I run that by the dealership and sure enough, they look it up and inform me that there was in fact a recall on my car for this. So they replaced/fixed it. Mechanic noted that the cable wasn't corroded or burnt out, which he would have expected to see, "but who knows". It's been a week no and I've had no problems.

So THANK YOU to this site and community. VERY glad to be here!!

On another note, I'm not getting the itch to get a new BMW. I like the 428i Gran Coupe. I'm fighting that urge though because my car is still a good car and has treated me right. Even if I do wind up getting a new one within the next year, I think I'm going to always keep my 2011 328i. Can't treat her that way! lol.

Before you settle for a 428...go test drive a 335. The forums are great--I have gotten help before and try to give help or my experiences to others--these cars have so much to learn about as they are pretty complex.

[uber]

428i can be very fast since it's a turbo. Very tuneable! Glad you found the forums to be of help. I know this forum was one of the main reasons I picked up an e90.

[Alen E90]

Glad to see that she's running fine now! I agree with you, E90post is the BEST BMW forum...period!!!