Car goes nuts then ok. Any ideas?

nick46 · 05-03-2021, 07:23 AM

So, yesterday I was travelling from Bridgwater down to Exeter for my first covid jab. Just approaching J29 of the M5 (so only about 5-10 mins from the vaccination centre) and the car decides to shit itself. Dash lights up like a Christmas tree, all dials stop reading, wipers come on and won't stop and loads of faults appear on the idrive.
I get the car on the hard shoulder, turn off the ignition and lock the car. Try unlocking and starting again, but nothing apart from the wipers going mad, the dash all lit up and all sorts of faults on idrive.
Called the AA and when the recovery guy turned up, he put the key in and everything was back to normal! We decided it was best to recover the car to the services at J30 and then get it checked out. When we got to the services a technician turned up, had a check over the car and could find nothing wrong. Scanned it for codes and there was just about every fault code going, which we both agreed probably just came up as a result of the car completely shitting itself and so as a result 99.9% of them would be red herrings. He cleared the codes and off i went. Missed my appointment so drove home. Car didn't miss a beat on the way home!

Scanned the car this morning to see if there are any new codes and the only ones I have are these, which checking through the history have been around for a long long time.
I'm wondering if the problem could be down to the battery. Had a look at it and it's still looks like an original bmw one. If that's the case its over ten years old now! Is there any way I can check using Carly when the battery was last replaced?

tcphoto · 05-03-2021, 08:25 AM

How old is the battery? Look at the physical label on it or have a parts store test it, odds are it needs to be replaced.

nick46 · 05-03-2021, 01:22 PM

Looks like its the original battery as the code stamped on the negative terminal is 39 over 10 so I'm assuming that means 39th week in 2010.
So looks like a new battery is the first thing to get. Hopefully that'll sort it.

nick46 · 05-06-2021, 11:45 AM

Well I got a new battery today and fitted it myself, which was fun I must say! I think bmw should've made the retaining clip a little more awkward!
Registering it with Carly was a breeze, so I guess i just have to see what happens now.
Hopefully its ok. Supposed to be going on holiday at the end of June beginning of July (covid restrictions pending!). The drive to Birmingham airport will be a bit nerve-wracking!

05-03-2021, 07:23 AM	#1
nick46 Captain 346 Rep 635 Posts Drives: Bmw E91 lci 330d msport Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Bridgwater iTrader: (0)	Car goes nuts then ok. Any ideas? So, yesterday I was travelling from Bridgwater down to Exeter for my first covid jab. Just approaching J29 of the M5 (so only about 5-10 mins from the vaccination centre) and the car decides to shit itself. Dash lights up like a Christmas tree, all dials stop reading, wipers come on and won't stop and loads of faults appear on the idrive. I get the car on the hard shoulder, turn off the ignition and lock the car. Try unlocking and starting again, but nothing apart from the wipers going mad, the dash all lit up and all sorts of faults on idrive. Called the AA and when the recovery guy turned up, he put the key in and everything was back to normal! We decided it was best to recover the car to the services at J30 and then get it checked out. When we got to the services a technician turned up, had a check over the car and could find nothing wrong. Scanned it for codes and there was just about every fault code going, which we both agreed probably just came up as a result of the car completely shitting itself and so as a result 99.9% of them would be red herrings. He cleared the codes and off i went. Missed my appointment so drove home. Car didn't miss a beat on the way home! Scanned the car this morning to see if there are any new codes and the only ones I have are these, which checking through the history have been around for a long long time. I'm wondering if the problem could be down to the battery. Had a look at it and it's still looks like an original bmw one. If that's the case its over ten years old now! Is there any way I can check using Carly when the battery was last replaced? Attached Images
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05-03-2021, 08:25 AM	#2
tcphoto Brigadier General 4210 Rep 3,256 Posts Drives: E92 335i 6MT Coupe Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Nashville, TN iTrader: (1)	How old is the battery? Look at the physical label on it or have a parts store test it, odds are it needs to be replaced. __________________
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05-03-2021, 01:22 PM	#3
nick46 Captain 346 Rep 635 Posts Drives: Bmw E91 lci 330d msport Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Bridgwater iTrader: (0)	Looks like its the original battery as the code stamped on the negative terminal is 39 over 10 so I'm assuming that means 39th week in 2010. So looks like a new battery is the first thing to get. Hopefully that'll sort it.
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05-06-2021, 11:45 AM	#4
nick46 Captain 346 Rep 635 Posts Drives: Bmw E91 lci 330d msport Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Bridgwater iTrader: (0)	Well I got a new battery today and fitted it myself, which was fun I must say! I think bmw should've made the retaining clip a little more awkward! Registering it with Carly was a breeze, so I guess i just have to see what happens now. Hopefully its ok. Supposed to be going on holiday at the end of June beginning of July (covid restrictions pending!). The drive to Birmingham airport will be a bit nerve-wracking!
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