Advice, please - major problem

[Busterboo]

Drove normally. Parked. Switched off. 5 minutes later, tried to re-start. Blackpool Illuminations, which indicated faults with gear selector. Immobile. Nearby Romanian mechanic - really - who knows the 35is well - cleared the faults (all the while telling me quirks of the model) and sent me on my way for £20. Arrived at local AD. (Car is under Insured Warranty, so cannot go to Indy.) Stopped engine. Checked in at Reception - came back to car to collect possessions - tried to re-start - same faults shown.

Same day receive video - It reports problems with ..
"GWS" = Gear Selector
"EGS" = Gear Box Control Unit
"DME" = Main Engine Control Unit

BUT car now drives normally.

What to do, please?

 

[Chippie]

As it has thrown a hippy fit on two occasions then there appears to be a problem somewhere, can you not leave it with the dealership to sort it out through the warranty. What happens if the next time you are miles from anywhere in the middle of the night.

 

[Rockhopper]

I'd suggest looking at the health of your battery as the first step. That should always be the first point of call on a modern car when it suddenly throws up a load of errors.

 

[Busterboo]

As it has thrown a hippy fit on two occasions then there appears to be a problem somewhere, can you not leave it with the dealership to sort it out through the warranty. What happens if the next time you are miles from anywhere in the middle of the night.

Thank you. I'll follow your advice.

 

[Busterboo]

I'd suggest looking at the health of your battery as the first step. That should always be the first point of call on a modern car when it suddenly throws up a load of errors.

Will do. Thank you for the advice.

 

[Busterboo]

Car back after 2 days with video report, hard-copy account of 50-ish-point check and statement that "3 master technicians couldn't recreate fault(s)." £120.

I took second key and, before collecting car, as I ran the engine up to full temperature, tried to re-create fault(s) and or warnings. Couldn't.

 

[pvr]

Doesn't that imply the battery side though, as when running it for a long time, it may be holding a good charge versus if you started it after a weekend or so?

Did they check the battery?

 

[Busterboo]

Did they check the battery?

Yep. Included in the 50-point list.

 

[Jollygiant]

As it has thrown a hippy fit on two occasions then there appears to be a problem somewhere, can you not leave it with the dealership to sort it out through the warranty. What happens if the next time you are miles from anywhere in the middle of the night.

Make sure you're in a lay-by and flash your lights a few times, someone is sure to stop, won't fix your car but they'll stop oke: :evil:

 

[The.Analyst]

A dicky gearbox selector lever connector will cause those faults

Maybe just a bad day

 

[Reamesy]

As said previously. Get a professional battery health check done. Look at the date. If it’s beyond 4 years consider replacing it. It may give 12.6v but still not have enough ccs to run the car.

 

[Busterboo]

Re-tested battery. 100%.

(Actually, what happened was ... went to well-known nation-wide bikes-&-car-bits store who'd do the job for a few quid, because didn't want to buy a tester to use once in a blue Moon. Long queue. So, asked grease-monkey with head under bonnet outside if he'd do it straightaway. He said he would, but their tester was bust - "Someone who won't own up dropped it." Asked him if they sold them. Said they did, "But they're not worth buying." Went to another shop, who did it free and gave me details of a new BMW indy.)