[ntubaro]

Looking for help here... I went to go start my car today and nothing happened. I put the key in the slot, foot on the brake and hit the start button and nothing happens. I can't access the onboard computer or even shift the car out of park either. It's like my key doesn't belong to my car... We tried boosting it but still couldn't get anything. I'm wondering if anyone here has any idea whats going on. How much is it going to cost to repair this? Thanks in advance for your help.

[catherineanh]

Sounds like this is battery related; had the same problem. Just replace the battery

[GoRomeo]

Yes probably battery related. Have you seen any warnings lately such slow cranking etc..? Usually this warnings happen when battery is about to die.

My battery has given me slow cranking for a few months or longer but never has died on me yet. I m still on original battery, not sure about you...

[07lilredwagon]

I guess you should also check the little battery in your fob...it may not be communicating with the car....

but you should hear dings and bells when you open the door or try the lights, ect...do the interior lights come on, do you get the usual noises you get when opening the door...like the fuel pump pressurizing the system, ect?


JP

[John 070]

Originally Posted by 07lilredwagon

I guess you should also check the little battery in your fob...it may not be communicating with the car....

but you should hear dings and bells when you open the door or try the lights, ect...do the interior lights come on, do you get the usual noises you get when opening the door...like the fuel pump pressurizing the system, ect?


JP

I experimented years ago, I took my 2032 battery out of the fob, and the fob still worked when put into the dash.

imho on an E9x it could be lots of things, but as suggested, the battery is the first place to start. Even on my 1998 Nissan a no crank no start issue involves battery, one of 4 fusible links, ignition switch, negative battery cable, negative solenoid cable, tap on the starter, and that's a 1998. The E9x is many times more complex....good luck.

[cuiter23]

Does any of your lights turn on? Does your car crank? Does it make a clicking sound from the engine when trying to start?

[cuiter23]

Originally Posted by GoRomeo

Yes probably battery related. Have you seen any warnings lately such slow cranking etc..? Usually this warnings happen when battery is about to die.

My battery has given me slow cranking for a few months or longer but never has died on me yet. I m still on original battery, not sure about you...

Time to get it changed soon nothing worse than getting left stranded

[ntubaro]

Originally Posted by GoRomeo

Yes probably battery related. Have you seen any warnings lately such slow cranking etc..? Usually this warnings happen when battery is about to die.

My battery has given me slow cranking for a few months or longer but never has died on me yet. I m still on original battery, not sure about you...

I don't think it is battery related. The battery in there is only maybe 9 months old and I have full power on the headlights and interior lights. We also tried boosting and couldn't even get a crank. I will check the voltage tomorrow to be sure though.

Originally Posted by 07lilredwagon

I guess you should also check the little battery in your fob...it may not be communicating with the car....

but you should hear dings and bells when you open the door or try the lights, ect...do the interior lights come on, do you get the usual noises you get when opening the door...like the fuel pump pressurizing the system, ect?


JP

The fob is communicating with the car as I can lock/unlock the car from a distance. There are dings and bells when I get in the car and the key sign pops up on the dash so the car knows I have a key in the car. When I put the fob in the slot the steering wheel doesn't unlock, I can't shift out of park and I can't access the on board computer or anything. It's as if I have the key for another BMW when I try to start it.

Sidenote: Does anyone know how to shift the car out of park without putting the key in? Would be a great help if I could just push it into the garage for now. Thanks for all your replies!

[cuiter23]

Originally Posted by ntubaro

I don't think it is battery related. The battery in there is only maybe 9 months old and I have full power on the headlights and interior lights. We also tried boosting and couldn't even get a crank. I will check the voltage tomorrow to be sure though.



The fob is communicating with the car as I can lock/unlock the car from a distance. There are dings and bells when I get in the car and the key sign pops up on the dash so the car knows I have a key in the car. When I put the fob in the slot the steering wheel doesn't unlock, I can't shift out of park and I can't access the on board computer or anything. It's as if I have the key for another BMW when I try to start it.

Sidenote: Does anyone know how to shift the car out of park without putting the key in? Would be a great help if I could just push it into the garage for now. Thanks for all your replies!

Sounds like you need a new starter. Same thing happened to me before. 1.2k for a starter replacement at BMW (Canada).

Although it is not common for even 06's to need a new starter, it does happen and really varies from car to car and of course the mileage.

For now, just shift it to N and push the car.

[Red_Bean_Bun]

Originally Posted by cuiter23

Sounds like you need a new starter. Same thing happened to me before. 1.2k for a starter replacement at BMW (Canada).

Although it is not common for even 06's to need a new starter, it does happen and really varies from car to car and of course the mileage.

For now, just shift it to N and push the car.

+1 on the starter ..... Happened to me before ..... Should hear a clicking sound though when doing a crank .....

[LuxeFilms]

Instead of just putting your foot on the brake...Trying slamming on the brake when trying to start. I had the same problem as you, and this worked for me. The brake trigger that allows the car to start was not activating. Just one of many possibilities...

[cuiter23]

Originally Posted by LuxeFilms

Instead of just putting your foot on the brake...Trying slamming on the brake when trying to start. I had the same problem as you, and this worked for me. The brake trigger that allows the car to start was not activating. Just one of many possibilities...

Maybe, but if your foot is not pressed on the brakes it will show up on the dash or idrive.

[bsamoul]

Question...have you been having steering wheel lock issues? To me it sounds like your steering lock mechanism (common on 2006's) is jamming and not unlocking the wheel, which won't turn over the car. I had to get that fixed on mine. Had to literally jerk the wheel hard to get it to unlock, and sometimes got a red icon with a lock on the OBC.

I've also had my starter replaced on both 2006's I have. Reason being was the starter wasn't disengaging soon enough and was grinding. Notice any of that?

[gunsekun]

Starter def if doenst crank.. Prob 1500 job at dealer

[John 070]

Originally Posted by gunsekun

Starter def if doenst crank.. Prob 1500 job at dealer

That's a lot of money. Is this something we can diy on the e9x? I mean on my Nissan a new starter with lifetime warranty is 70 to 112 and diy, and you still want to test it before you go ahead and replace it. My 335 is 6 yo and there's nothing wrong with the starter....IMHO one has to do more actual diagnosis...

[ntubaro]

Originally Posted by cuiter23

Sounds like you need a new starter. Same thing happened to me before. 1.2k for a starter replacement at BMW (Canada).

Although it is not common for even 06's to need a new starter, it does happen and really varies from car to car and of course the mileage.

For now, just shift it to N and push the car.

I don't think it's the starter. If it was the starter I would hear some kind of ticking when trying to start, no?

Like I said before I cant shift it out of Park. It's as if my key no longer belongs to my car. I'm stumped.

Originally Posted by bsamoul

Question...have you been having steering wheel lock issues? To me it sounds like your steering lock mechanism (common on 2006's) is jamming and not unlocking the wheel, which won't turn over the car. I had to get that fixed on mine. Had to literally jerk the wheel hard to get it to unlock, and sometimes got a red icon with a lock on the OBC.

I've also had my starter replaced on both 2006's I have. Reason being was the starter wasn't disengaging soon enough and was grinding. Notice any of that?

Haven't noticed and steering wheel lock issues recently. I will try this today though, thanks.

And there is absolutely nothing happening with the starter as far as I can tell. I don't even get a clicking sound or anything.


The car seems to no longer recognize my key. Could it be the system that accepts the key in the car that has gone? Does anyone know if that's possible/how much that is going to cost?

[cuiter23]

Originally Posted by ntubaro

I don't think it's the starter. If it was the starter I would hear some kind of ticking when trying to start, no?

Like I said before I cant shift it out of Park. It's as if my key no longer belongs to my car. I'm stumped.

You will need to open the engine bay before starting the car. The clicking is very faint and you will not be able to hear it in your cabin. I had to get someone start the car for me while standing next to the engine with the hood popped.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by ntubaro

I don't think it's the starter. If it was the starter I would hear some kind of ticking when trying to start, no?

I can tell you how it is with the Nissan, which is more conventional as it has a key that operates the ignition.

In the case of no crank, no start, before going ahead and replacing the starter, you would check multiple relays--anti theft, blah blah blah blah. You would want to check that the trigger has voltage, i.e. when you turn the key, the solenoid has a signal--with a test light. The BMW has to have the same thing, when you press the engine start, there has to be a signal there. I noticed on the Nissan, there is a click behind the dash, and the radio and clock dim, WITH OR WITHOUT a starter installed in the car.

I know with the Nissan people have replaced the ignition wiring, which is behind the key. Add a chipped key into the mix, and the complexity goes up. Even at $70 to $112 and DIY, imho a person checks all the above before replacing a part. If the BMW costs $1500 for a new starter, personally I wouldn't want to spend that only to find out nothing changed....our cars are not as simple as the cars our grandparents drove in the 90's.....

[07lilredwagon]

Before replacing a starter....which it is unlikely in need of ( I just learned how to completely rebuild one and troubleshoot no start symptoms, though on much simpler non computerized cars)....be sure you check a few things...some of them already mentioned here:

1) power at battery
2) tight terminals at battery/solid wiring (If you had your battery replaced recently, there could be a connection issue at the terminals, or possibly a faulty battery)
3) power up at the jump start terminals
4) power to the starter switch

Question: when you push the starter switch, do the lights dim, or are there any other signs that the switch is sending power to the starter?...could be the switch....

I have found that logically tracing power from its origin helps troubleshoot the electrical system...at least its a place to start....

Also, check your fuses....they are logically laid out and maybe somehow, one of your electrical system fuses has blow....(are they in the glove box?...dont remember offhand)

good luck, let us know how you make out

JP

[E92GRL]

It could be the battery of the car...

[e92oholic]

Your car shouldn't turn over... it should always have all 4 wheels on the ground...

Pull the battery and take it to an auto parts store and have them test it?

[ntubaro]

Well, yesterday after trying a few things we stumbled on the problem.

We took a look at the battery and although it seemed fine we decided to try another battery. We took one out of my Father's other car and tried to attach it. The only problem was was that we couldn't attach the top red part that goes on top of the battery because the battery was a different size and we couldn't fit it on there. So we ended up bypassing the red box type thing (not sure of part name) on top of the battery and just connected the main cables to the pos and neg terminals. It fired up! So after that happened we figured the battery must be the problem. Since the battery was fairly new, we took it back and got a new one after they tested it and confirmed that it was a "bad battery".

So we got home and we were pretty confident that the battery was going to work. So we put it in and hooked everything up and... nothing. Same problem we were having before. A little confused, we bypassed the red box again and it fired up. After that we put the box back on but unplugged the cables that go into the red box. Finally we settled on the blue cable that goes from the neg terminal to the red box. The car now starts without a problem. It will start as long as that cable is unplugged... If you plug it back in while its running nothing will happen but if you shut the car off and try to start it again nothing will happen. For now I've left it unplugged until I can figure out what it is for and if that is the actual problem or if its something else.

I took some pictures to show you guys what I'm talking about:

View post on imgur.com