[bk325]

Originally Posted by alexwhittemore

I guess I'm confused as to how that's the 'bottom'. It sounds like your battery is upside down or sideways.

They put the terminal _literally_ at the bottom of battery compartment where all the water collects:

http://h.dropcanvas.com/q5m4g/bottom.jpg?r

[ScotBeemer]

Hi,

I've the exact same loss of power symptoms you describe in this recall. I'm trying to work out if I have the same type of connector as the one that was recalled in North America.

Does anyone have any photographs of the connector & Fuse Box in question?

I've asked BMW here in the UK but not getting much help at the moment from them.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Neon21db]

Will this recall also fix issues with charging the battery? If I shut off the engine but leave the radio on it will turn off by itself after a minute and display a low battery warning. Battery is new and doubt it is the alternator since I can always start up my car.

[naynay]

the alternator just charges your battery mate.

[mol]

Hey guys, I'm having the same issue. On three separate occasions now, my car has lost complete power. I have to reach behind the glovebox and jiggle the main power supply to reestablish power. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes, other times 20-30.

Contacted the dealership and they said that my VIN does not fall under the recall, and that I should contact customer assistance.

Contact customer assistance and they say that I should pay BMW for a diagnosis, and if it is the same as the recall, then perhaps they will provide partial assistance in paying for the repair.

What am I missing here, and how is this my responsibility?

[BigIsland]

Same thing they told me.

Since it consistently only left a steering angle sensor code (D690) they were completely baffled. At one point it did log a 2A38 -- valvetronic; drive slow or open circuit code causing the car to go into a reduced power/limp home mode. But most of the time, the car was simply dead when you returned -- no power to anything, but the battery reading 12.6 VDC at the jumper connections. Attempts to jump the car were futile. Then after sitting for many hours, it would simply wake up and operate as if nothing happened

For a while they thought it was my key fob. Then they thought it might be a battery issue, until I reminded them they had just put a battery in the car. Finally they diagnosed the issue as a software problem. After updating the software the problem got much worse rendering the car un-drivable.

Ultimately, with the help of this forum I was able to figure out the issue. Unfortunately, by this time the arcing had gotten so severe the connector welded itself to the fuse panel so both the panel and the cable had to be replaced. And despite the heat, there was no visible damage to either the cable or panel.

Since replacing the cable and panel in mid-November, the car has run flawlessly — never failing to start. Unfortunately, after everything was said and done BMW declined any responsibility.

Hope they step up to the plate for you.

[89Rustang]

Mine was replaced under recall in June 2013 and now I have power issues ranging from a window not working to my DTC disabling. Brought it to my Indy when my DTC/4x4! errors popped back up and he said while checking connections the DME had a code for lost power. He had to reach his hand up behind glove box and press all the connections to get codes cleared. He said the box could cracked or melted. If so, would be $800 to fix.

The day after I had the recall fixed my car had to be towed to dealership because they "forgot to tighten" something.

Emailed SA at stealership and he pretty much said too bad, out of warranty now.

[fazman]

Originally Posted by 89Rustang

Mine was replaced under recall in June 2013 and now I have power issues ranging from a window not working to my DTC disabling. Brought it to my Indy when my DTC/4x4! errors popped back up and he said while checking connections the DME had a code for lost power. He had to reach his hand up behind glove box and press all the connections to get codes cleared. He said the box could cracked or melted. If so, would be $800 to fix.

The day after I had the recall fixed my car had to be towed to dealership because they "forgot to tighten" something.

Emailed SA at stealership and he pretty much said too bad, out of warranty now.

Let me translate for you what that means, get an attorney to send a letter to BMW NA saying the SA told you to pound sound on this issue and you are now pursuing it with BMW NA as part of the recall.

The SA will always tell you to take a walk off a cliff because if the work was not done properly... they are on the hook 100% for the repairs. So their answer doesn't surprise me. You need to escalate it so it gets visibility. It might even require yet another recall if the techs were never trained properly to do this job (Putting you and your family as well as possibly everyone on this forum at risk with a false sense of security that the problem was fixed).

[BMWs4ever]

I am the original owner of my car and since I have not had any problems that were reported with the recall I chose not to have this modification done. I have heard so many horror stories about dealerships not having a clue on how to perform this recall properly that I would rather take my chances on leaving it as is. If I start to have symptoms then I will bring it in.

Besides in my opinion cutting a major power cable and putting a half ass remedy in is not my idea of fixing the problem. If they wanted it done right they should have replaced the whole cable which I know would have been a very costly fix.

[89Rustang]

Originally Posted by fazman

Let me translate for you what that means, get an attorney to send a letter to BMW NA saying the SA told you to pound sound on this issue and you are now pursuing it with BMW NA as part of the recall.

The SA will always tell you to take a walk off a cliff because if the work was not done properly... they are on the hook 100% for the repairs. So their answer doesn't surprise me. You need to escalate it so it gets visibility. It might even require yet another recall if the techs were never trained properly to do this job (Putting you and your family as well as possibly everyone on this forum at risk with a false sense of security that the problem was fixed).

Pretty much exactly how I took it as well. He did say to bring it in so they can determine what happened, but we all know they won't find themselves at fault and will probably stick me with a diagnostic bill.

[fazman]

Originally Posted by 89Rustang

Pretty much exactly how I took it as well. He did say to bring it in so they can determine what happened, but we all know they won't find themselves at fault and will probably stick me with a diagnostic bill.

Agreed, don't go back to them... take a different avenue (BMW NA)

[shivsandhu]

My09 328i had this problem, a few months back. I didn't think much of it then because it started back up within 10 minutes. Now it happened again but this time it wouldn't power up at all.

Thanks to this thread I called my local BMW dealership and got it towed to them for the recall. They called me and told me the wire has been replaced but the issue melted the fuse box. Now I have to wait for a new fuse box to come in before I can go pick my car up.

Main point: If your car had this issue and then started back up, go to BMW ASAP. Else the problem can melt the fuse box which is a longer wait and more of a headache.

[MrSlacker]

Has anyone been successful at getting it fixed for the second time?

Original owner of my E90 had it done back in 2013, but now problem came back and BMW is not covering it.

[alexwhittemore]

Originally Posted by MrSlacker

Has anyone been successful at getting it fixed for the second time?

Original owner of my E90 had it done back in 2013, but now problem came back and BMW is not covering it.

Not sure how much of a DIYer you are, but if yes, you should look into this stat: the repair replaces a press-fit connector that apparently wasn't sufficiently vibration tolerant with one that has a screw-down tightener. Assuming they ACTUALLY DID the repair for you and didn't totally defraud you, I'm guessing the problem is that this new part is loosening up on you. If my guess is right, it should be a simple matter of torquing it down a bit, as long as not too much new damage has been done.

Not that it's super easy to get to, but if you try now, you may be able to fix the problem yourself for $0 and less headache than badgering BMW to fix it.

[MrSlacker]

Originally Posted by alexwhittemore

Not sure how much of a DIYer you are, but if yes, you should look into this stat: the repair replaces a press-fit connector that apparently wasn't sufficiently vibration tolerant with one that has a screw-down tightener. Assuming they ACTUALLY DID the repair for you and didn't totally defraud you, I'm guessing the problem is that this new part is loosening up on you. If my guess is right, it should be a simple matter of torquing it down a bit, as long as not too much new damage has been done.

Not that it's super easy to get to, but if you try now, you may be able to fix the problem yourself for $0 and less headache than badgering BMW to fix it.

Thanks man, I am thinking the same thing right now. What needs to be removed except for glove box for me to gain access to it?

[alexwhittemore]

I'm not sure, I'd have to have a look at the Bentley manual. You definitely need to pull out the glove box to get the JBE module out, but I'm not sure if there's more in the way to undo that. The power cable connects to the back side of the JBE, so you need to yank that and flip it over for connector access.

EDIT: Here's the actual repair procedure. Looks like you only have to pull the glove box to get enough working room.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs...3V044-3987.pdf

[fazman]

Originally Posted by MrSlacker

Has anyone been successful at getting it fixed for the second time?

Original owner of my E90 had it done back in 2013, but now problem came back and BMW is not covering it.

Get an Attorney and sue them... I'm sure this would be an almost slam dunk case because it is a known issue and not all mechanics are equal... you could have had the unlucky guy who is a slacker fix your car.

Contact BMW NA directly and explain what happened and then make a call to the NHTSA as well. File a complaint with the BBB.

While you're at it... run your VIN at the airbag recall on these cars.

Name and shame the dealership that said no to you on this safety recall

[MrSlacker]

If anyone wants an update - my buddy removed the fuse box to check if the nut on the back was tight. It was pretty tight... however, I guess the tiny amount of force that my buddy used to check it tightened it up even more and the problem is gone. Have been driving it for a month now with no issues.

[F30lolz]

I'm going to be dropping off my car either today or tomorrow to have this done. I've noticed for the past few days my NAV/radio would stop working for a few minutes then turn back on, however, today no issues.

[matheo]

I just had this problem on my 2006 325i. Electrical system started acting out (random warning lights when turning the car on) and then the car died completely about 2 weeks later, just before I was scheduled to bring it into the shop. It is now fixed and working.

If you had this same problem, were there any more problems after that? Anything you might thing could be related or been affected by the initial problem? My car has low mileage (for its age), but since it's now 10 years old, I am starting to wonder whether it's time to start thinking about a new(er) one...

Thanks

[Sergiojre7]

Bump! My car was driving perfectly fine the previous day & all of a sudden it was dead! Fob won't even work. The car has a nasty short, whenever you touch the negative wire to the negative pole on the battery it sparks & also it gets REALLY hot!:

[techwhiz]

Originally Posted by Sergiojre7

Bump! My car was driving perfectly fine the previous day & all of a sudden it was dead! Fob won't even work. The car has a nasty short, whenever you touch the negative wire to the negative pole on the battery it sparks & also it gets REALLY hot!:

Contact the dealer to see if this recall was ever done.