Scott Jacobs and Erin Riches recently described sluggish start incidents with our 2008 BMW 135i. I drove it in order to fully catalog the symptoms before taking it in, and my trip to the airport was a convenient way to keep it out of the rotation while we waited for an appointment.
For me, the extended cranking didn't happen every time, and it never lasted more than a second or two. The engine had to have cooled for several hours or sit overnight for the problem to rear its ugly head.
These things don't magically go away, so of course it did it again this morning. But this time the 135i cranked for a good 10 to 15 seconds before it finally "caught", just like my '57 Ford after it sits idle for a couple of weeks.
The unsettling part is how the engine kept cranking and cranking, with the occasional false-start stumble, even though all I did was a simple press-and-release of the button.
I wanted to stop it and let the starter rest, but I've never had this happen with a push-button car and I wasn't sure how to go about aborting the start sequence. It finally fired-up just before I implemented my plan: let out the clutch after confirming it's in neutral. We don't have comfort access, so I guess I could have ripped out the "key". Pushing the button a second time might have worked, too. Who has time to practice these things?
Once fired, there were no drivability or power problems on the way to the office. Our 135i's fuel pumps still delivered plenty of fuel when I stomped on the go-pedal and it's never yet gone into limp-home mode or displayed a "Check Engine" lamp. Just now, I even plugged-in a scan tool to see if any fault codes have been stored: zero, zilch, nada.
But there's no use waiting until the HPFP (High-Pressure Fuel Pump) finally checks-out and strands somebody. We're taking it in this week.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 24,661 miles
PS: Now this is what I call a well-equipped airport parking lot...
carguy622 says:
09:26 AM, 07/20/09
I'm sure (hope) the computer has some sort of built in safety for the starter.
bryan__t says:
09:26 AM, 07/20/09
Seriously, that is a great parking lot. Is that at LAX? If so, please let me know which one it is, and I will make it my new lot of choice.
wobbly_ears says:
09:29 AM, 07/20/09
German Engineering, huh?
beemer11 says:
09:52 AM, 07/20/09
Dealer had my wife's 535 for four days to collect data from computer, send to Germany, and finally replace the HPFP. Since the replacement it has been fine. And we received a letter from BMW extending the warranty on the HPFP to 100,000 miles.
blueguydotcom says:
10:04 AM, 07/20/09
Just drop it off now. My car's navi acted funny - as if the idea of in-car navi isn't ridiculous enough - dropped it off and had the car back with new brakes within 6 hours.
huisj says:
10:07 AM, 07/20/09
Aftermarket re-tuning playing tricks on everyday operation?
actualsize says:
10:11 AM, 07/20/09
@ bryan_t: Wally Park
@ huisj: We can't rule that out.
gongal says:
10:19 AM, 07/20/09
Bump: bryan__t
Those padded parking-spot dividers are SWEET!
bimmerjay says:
10:44 AM, 07/20/09
Ditto on the parking space dividers, I've never seen that before, but that's super cool.
Regarding the impending doom of the HPFP (if that is in fact what this is, and it certainly sounds like it), I haven't heard of anyone being stranded due to a complete failure, but a limp mode is certainly in your future.
dougtheeng says:
10:59 AM, 07/20/09
I've never seen padded parking space dividers. That's pretty awesome.
ctpax says:
11:03 AM, 07/20/09
this problem began to occur AFTER you guys reprogrammed it?
yellowmiata says:
11:42 AM, 07/20/09
Sad, but honest, to hear that the mighty BMWs have problems just like the other mortal cars. Keep up the good work unearthing the truth of ownership & I look forward to reading about the outcome.
I love the parking dividers too!
blueguydotcom says:
11:50 AM, 07/20/09
yellowmiata,
There's a reason BMWs were once called Break My Wallet. Great warranties but owning one outside of warranty can be scary...
epbrown says:
12:21 PM, 07/20/09
I've wondered about this as well because of my Smart. While it's not push-button, the operation is similar, as you guys know: you twist the key and release it, and the car keeps cranking until it starts and if there's a problem, that could be a while. Weird that no engineer considered that possibility when designing such start sequences...
mercedesfan says:
01:42 PM, 07/20/09
As much as I love Bimmers I will admit that their construction is very inconsistent. My wife used to have a 540i that we sold after 82,000 miles and it never gave us a spot of trouble. A coworker, on the other hand, had a 540i of similar vintage where every imaginable mechanical thing went wrong during his 50,000 miles of owning the car.
It is not that BMW's are poorly engineered, it is that their assembly plants have atrocious quality control.
stoppre75 says:
01:57 PM, 07/20/09
Better wipe that tune if you want warranty covered service...unless you're buddy buddy with the dealer.
To huisj: It sure doesn't help, but non-tuned N54 engines are experiencing the problems too.
stoppre75 says:
01:58 PM, 07/20/09
Better wipe that tune if you want warranty covered service...unless you're buddy buddy with the dealer.
To huisj: It sure doesn't help, but non-tuned N54 engines are experiencing the problems too.
johnnyr3 says:
04:35 AM, 07/21/09
Yeah, those dividers are kick ass. I'm wishing every garage had them. I wonder if they make portable sets...
aris4 says:
04:12 PM, 07/21/09
i have a 135 with the same issue. i have no modifications whatsoever. i recently took it into the dealer and they said the same. no faults it "started right up". it doesnt happen all the time, but the first start is always rough.
shaddai says:
04:43 PM, 07/21/09
I just lemon'd my 08 335i for this issue, although mine failed after less than 3000 miles per pump.
shaddai says:
04:46 PM, 07/21/09
Bimmerjay: people absolutely have been stranded.
Carguy: I know of at least one replaced starter.
As for the push button, press it again and it will stop cranking.
08lr3 says:
11:54 AM, 08/ 5/09
my 09 135i - with about 6k on the clock sat for 3 weeks.. pressed the button..2 second fire up just as usual. no delays ever on mine...(:
tcd223 says:
08:32 AM, 08/ 7/09
@ 08lr3 - how dare you let a 135i sit for 3 weeks.