Indy required, Swindon area - No start!

S

Stu23

Member
Hi All. I have an 04 z4 3.0 which has been largely trouble free. Last weekend... turn key, all lights come on etc. but the starter motor doesn't turn (or even click). I assume it's immobilized itself somehow. I'm out of my depth trying to fix it - I have just enough understanding of how all the security crap works to know I don't stand a chance.

I need someone local to me to have a look at it, my normal mechanic has taken a week to tell me "it's nothing obvious". :x

Can you recommend anyone somewhere in the Bath - Swindon area who would know what they were about and won't charge BMW dealer prices? Thanks!
 
http://www.pcautocare.co.uk/

Lydiard Millicant were good to me, when getting some advice.

also T & A Motors in bradford on avon, have a good reputation.
 
Hi Stu23
Autobase in Chipping Sodbury is pretty reasonable and prefers to work only on Bmw and Mini
He does my Zed and always been good and fair on price and never tried it on
Not sure if he can come out to you though
Just watch ramp on way in !
 
Have you tried another key if you have one just to rule out the transponder in the key. If you had BMW Scanner on a laptop you could check the EWS module and see what the keys are doing re Fixed, Random and Password. You can also realign the DME - EWS modules with BMW Scanner if they have lost their connection.
If it aint the key at fault then it could be the EWS gone bad or it has simply lost the alignment with the DME. Has your battery been flat before this happened?
 
Ignition switch is a possibility, cheap an easy fix but I can't remember if you'd get the dash lights on and no start,
 
I'd be quite surprised if it wasn't a simple starter motor replacement job. Seem to be having a spate of them failing on the forum at the moment.
 
i had exactly the same the other year, it was the starter motor. when they go there is no warning signs.
 
So it was indeed a "simple starter motor".

Unfortunately I have to report I got royally rogered by pcautocare for the job. They charged me 740 quid for changing the battery and starter motor.

Needless to say I won't be returning there.
 
Ouch, simple strip out and refit new parts, how can they justify that price post the invoice.
Sounds like you need a Zed shed run by enthusiats in the Swindon area like we have in South Wales.
 
Try:
Diagnostics £75
Starter Motor £225
Battery £90
Labour (3 hrs) £225
They also did an oil service at my request and then added VAT, Total was £892.99
Truck to get it there was £96, so I got £13 change out of a grand...

By the time I got the quote I'd already had it delivered and they'd done enough work to identify the problem, so it was let them fix it or pay them to take it away broken, pay to get the truck back and send it somewhere else...

I build old motorcycles for fun and am quite capable of doing it myself... just don't have the diagnostic tools, the space or the ramps. :headbang:

Anyway, I've had it three and a half years, had a lot of fun out of it, and it's still worth somewhere close to what I paid for it, so the odd bill like this is just about bearable. Just frustrating when you know you could have fixed it yourself easily if only I'd known what was wrong and you've been utterly fleeced for the job.

Annoyingly I'd asked my normal farmyard mechanic to have a look on the drive and he'd concluded it was "nothing simple" so I sent it to a "specialist". He'd have charged well less than half that, I'm sure.

Yes, a local Zed Shed and some specialist knowledge was exactly what I needed!
 
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