Quick diagnosis???

BMWasian · 12-27-2016, 05:45 PM

Before any jackass says it, I have searched both the forums and online and I didn't find anything conclusive.
In the 60 degree weather today, I thought it would be nice to do a quick photo shoot down at the river so I took a nice 25 minute cruise with a buddy of mine. On the way there I didn't beat on my car, didn't wrap her up past 4K rpms, and I was nice and gentle on everything. Just a casual cruise. Nothing felt wrong, everything felt right, and I had just filled up the gas.
Once we got there, I parked in the middle, but then had the idea to move the car so windmills would be in the background. When I put my key in the fob, and pushed down on the brake, the brake depressed but very little, and hardened up. I still tried to start it, and nothing happened. The engine didn't try to turn over at all, and the only noise was a quaint whizzing I figured was the fuel pump. The car's dash lights turned on and so did the radio so the battery was perfectly fine. After pressing the ignition, the exclamation point (!) came up on my dash but only bc my driver side door was open when the "ignition was activated." It didn't throw any codes, until my second time trying it, it came up with a 4x4 alert code. The steering was locked up at this point also. The brake stayed hardened. My buddy tried jumpstarting, but the result was the same. It didn't try turning over, just the small whirring noise. I eventually had my car towed to the dealership to be looked at.
('07 328xi)

Chriztofor · 01-02-2017, 12:31 PM

You can still have a bad battery when your dash lights come on. Have it checked out with a tester. Harbor Freight carries it for around $20. http://www.harborfreight.com/100-amp...ter-61747.html

By the way, DO NOT CHECK IT FROM THE TERMINALS IN YOUR TRUCK. CHECK IT UNDER THE HOOD.

Chriztofor · 01-02-2017, 12:33 PM

Just noticed you took it to the dealer. How did they fix it?

patents · 01-03-2017, 12:49 PM

Starters are such a common problem on these cars, so...

And when you said it didn't throw any codes, did you use a BMW-code scanner?

12-27-2016, 05:45 PM	#1
BMWasian Private 16 Rep 82 Posts Drives: E90 PreLCI 328xi Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: 717 iTrader: (0)	Quick diagnosis??? Before any jackass says it, I have searched both the forums and online and I didn't find anything conclusive. In the 60 degree weather today, I thought it would be nice to do a quick photo shoot down at the river so I took a nice 25 minute cruise with a buddy of mine. On the way there I didn't beat on my car, didn't wrap her up past 4K rpms, and I was nice and gentle on everything. Just a casual cruise. Nothing felt wrong, everything felt right, and I had just filled up the gas. Once we got there, I parked in the middle, but then had the idea to move the car so windmills would be in the background. When I put my key in the fob, and pushed down on the brake, the brake depressed but very little, and hardened up. I still tried to start it, and nothing happened. The engine didn't try to turn over at all, and the only noise was a quaint whizzing I figured was the fuel pump. The car's dash lights turned on and so did the radio so the battery was perfectly fine. After pressing the ignition, the exclamation point (!) came up on my dash but only bc my driver side door was open when the "ignition was activated." It didn't throw any codes, until my second time trying it, it came up with a 4x4 alert code. The steering was locked up at this point also. The brake stayed hardened. My buddy tried jumpstarting, but the result was the same. It didn't try turning over, just the small whirring noise. I eventually had my car towed to the dealership to be looked at. ('07 328xi) __________________ 328xi on a HS budget...
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01-02-2017, 12:31 PM	#2
Chriztofor Colonel 103 Rep 2,783 Posts Drives: '06 325i and '13 X5 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Chicago Burbs iTrader: (1)	You can still have a bad battery when your dash lights come on. Have it checked out with a tester. Harbor Freight carries it for around $20. http://www.harborfreight.com/100-amp...ter-61747.html By the way, DO NOT CHECK IT FROM THE TERMINALS IN YOUR TRUCK. CHECK IT UNDER THE HOOD. __________________ If no codes are being thrown use Chevron Techron fuel injector cleaner (concentrate). It solves rpm fluctuating upon cold start-up. Also, for most BMW problems start off by scanning your car with the Peake Research Tool. It contains the actual BMW codes. If you want to register a newly installed battery for free (just buy a $10 cable) and google/download BMWLogger
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01-02-2017, 12:33 PM	#3
Chriztofor Colonel 103 Rep 2,783 Posts Drives: '06 325i and '13 X5 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Chicago Burbs iTrader: (1)	Just noticed you took it to the dealer. How did they fix it? __________________ If no codes are being thrown use Chevron Techron fuel injector cleaner (concentrate). It solves rpm fluctuating upon cold start-up. Also, for most BMW problems start off by scanning your car with the Peake Research Tool. It contains the actual BMW codes. If you want to register a newly installed battery for free (just buy a $10 cable) and google/download BMWLogger
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01-03-2017, 12:49 PM	#4
patents Lieutenant 164 Rep 598 Posts Drives: 2008 328i Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Memphis, TN iTrader: (0)	Starters are such a common problem on these cars, so... And when you said it didn't throw any codes, did you use a BMW-code scanner?
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