2005 BMW 5 Series Electrical System

At approxamitately 1:20pm on July 13, after being parked for a little over an hour I was told that my car was burning. 911 was called immediately and the owner of the establishment went outside and called to the firemen at the station on the other side of the street. Their response was immediate. Response was so quick that damage was limited to the right rear. Which seems that the fire started in the area directly foreward and above the battery

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK DURING MORNING RUSH HOUR IN A BUSY HIGHWAY THE CAR JUST STOPPED RUNNING. NO ODD SOUNDS NO SHUTTING NO CLUNKING. IT WAS LIKE SOME JUST TURNED THE KEY OFF. I MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND HAD TO WAIT TWO HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK TO SHOW UP. MOST OF THE WEEK PREVIOUS TO THIS MY CAR WOULD NOT START AT RANDOM TIMES EVEN THOUGH MY BATTERY WAS GOOD AND I HAD GAS. THE PROBLEM WAS THE DME HAD WATER INGRESS FROM A POOR LOCATION WHERE THE DME AND METRONIC COMPUTER AND THE INTERGRADED POWER MODULE ARE LOCATED AND STORED. THEY ARE IN A SEALED PLASTIC BOX UNDER THE CABIN FRESH AIR INLETS AND CABIN FILTERS AND THE FRONT HOOD COWL. I'M THE BOX THERE IS A FAN AT THE BOTTOM TO EXPELL MOISTER. IF THE INTERGTATED POWER MODULE STARTS TO GO THEN THE FAN STOPS WORKING OR THE FAN IT SELF GOES BAD. AT THAT POINT THERE IS ALMOST ALWAYS WATER INGRESS INTO THE DME AND OR THE METRONIC COMPUTER CAUSING THE CAR TO NOT TO RUN OR EVEN CRANK AND WITH WATER CORROSION ON THE THE DME IT CAUSES PHANTOM PROBLEMS IN OTHER AREAS OF THE CAR. THE DME IS ALSO NOT EASILY REPLACED. THE CAR HAD TO BE TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE TO ORDER A NEW DME AND ALIGN IT WITH THE BE CAS MODULE FOR THE IMMOBILIZER TO WORK CORRECTLY AND FOR YOUR CAR TO START. THIS USALLY COST IN EXCESS OF $2,000 JUST FOR THE NEW DME. THE WORST PART OF THIS WHOLE THING IS I LOST MY JOB BECAUSE I WAS 4 HOURS LATE TO WORK AFTER WAITING FOR THE TOW AND GETTING A RIDE TO WORK

GOOD EVENING SIR, I AM WRITING TO YOU BECAUSE MY VEHICLE HAD BARE WIRES ON THE HEADLIGHT. THE HOT WIRE AND GROUND WIRES WERE TOUCHING. I DID NOT HAVE THE HEADLIGHT WORKING. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WIRES OF THE VEHICLE PEELING OFF AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME.

GOOD EVENING ALL, SINCE 2011 I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THE I DRIVE SYSTEM. JUST RECENTLY, THE SYSTEM STOPPED WORKING. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE WITH BMW OF ONTARIO, THEY DECLINED TO COVER THE VEHICLE'S I DRIVE COMPUTER MODULE. FINALLY, THE COMPUTER STOPPED WORKING AND I COULD NOT SEE MY COMPUTER DISPLAY OR LISTEN TO MUSIC. I COULD NOT RE-SET THE AIR PRESSURE ON THE TIRES. I DROVE THE VEHICLE THAT WAY FOR MONTHS. FINALLY, I WENT TO THE JUNK YARD AND FOUND A VEHICLE SIMILAR TO MINE AND REPLACED IT. EVEN THOUGH I REPLACED THE COMPUTER, I WAS NOT ABLE TO GAIN CERTAIN FUNCTIONS ON MY VEHICLE THAT CAME STANDARD WITH THAT PARTICULAR VEHICLE SUCH AS THE SATELLITE RADIO OR SPEAK TO CALL FUNCTION. I'M PRETTY SURE MANY VEHICLE OWNERS CAN RELATE TO THIS ISSUE AND THE DIFFICULTY IT HAS CREATED TO TRY AND MITIGATE WITH THE DEALER. TAKE CARE,

BMW I-DRIVE CUTS OUT WHILE DRIVING, AND BLINKS OR REBOOTS. WHILE DRIVING HOME IT CUT OUT, AND WOULD NOT STOP BLINKING. THIS DISTRACTION AND MALFUNCTION IS DANGEROUS.

THE IDRIVE, KNOWN AS "CCC", UNIT USED TO WORK JUST FINE. IT CONTROL NAVIGATION, RADIO AND VEHICLE'S INFORMATIONS FOR OWNER. ONCE AWHILE THE SCREEN BLINK AND GO BLANK, AND THEN SOMETIME IT WORK JUST FINE. NOW IT JUST DON'T WORK ANYMORE. THE SCREEN NOW BLINK CONTINUOUSLY WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS CAUSING A MAJOR DISTRACTION FOR ME BEHIND THE WHEEL ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. I STARTED RESEARCHING ONLINE AND NOTICE A LOT OF OWNERS WITH THIS MODEL ALSO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS. THEY REPLACED THE CCC UNIT AND UPDATE SOFTWARE INFORMATION AT THE DEALER AND IT FIXED THE ISSUES. I CALLED BMW MOMENTUM OF HOUSTON ABOUT THE CCC. THE COST IS $1,500.00 NOT INCLUDING LABOR. I BELIEVE THIS GRAND DEFECTS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECTS. CAN YOU PLEASE INVESTIGATE INTO THIS MATTER SO THAT A RECALL CAN BE ISSUE.

THE MICRO POWER MODULE IN THE TRUNK WAS BURNT ON MY 2005 530I, NOW MY IDRIVE / AUDIO / NAV AND PDC HAS SHUT DOWN. CAR STARTS AND DRIVES NORMAL, EXCEPT THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED ACCESSORIES THAT NO LONGER WORK, WHO KNOW WHAT OTHER DAMAGES (IF ANY) RESULTED FROM A MPM MELTDOWN. I'VE READ SOME HORROR POSTS OF SIMILIAR EVENTS THAT CAUSED EVERYTHING ON THE VEHICLE TO SHORT OUT, WHICH MEANT THAT BASICALLY EVERYTHING CCC / M-ASK / TV MODULE / CD ETC. WHEN THIS HAPPENED ON MY VEHICLE, THE CAR WAS ACTUALLY SWITCHED OFF. IT WAS ONLY WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE CAR THE NEXT MORNING WHEN I GOT THIS STRONG ELECTRICAL BURN SMELL FROM THE TRUNK AREA. THE MPM PROBABLY SHORTED OUT DURING THE COURSE OF THE NIGHT. LUCKILY THE CAR DID NOT CAUGHT ON FIRE, CAUSE IT COULD HAVE THEN BURNED DOWN MY APARTMENTS AS WELL, AS THE CAR WAS PARKED NEXT TO MY APARTMENT. FROM WHAT I COULD VISUALLY ACCESS, ONLY THE MPM UNIT BURNED OUT COMPLETELY AND MELTED. I JUST HOPE THAT I KNOCKED THE MPM OUT BEFORE IT COULD CAUSE ANY MORE DAMAGE TO THE CAR'S OTHER ELECTRONICS. MY CAR IS UNFORTUNATELY NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR HAS ALREADY BEEN TAKEN INTO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP TO ACCESS THE DAMAGE AND TO GIVE ME A QUOTE TO REPAIR, BUT THEY DID INFORM ME THAT IT IS GOING TO BE A COSTLY AFFAIR. I FIND IT VERY INTERESTING THAT BMW DECIDED TO MOVE THESE MODULES NEWER MODELS FROM THE TRUNK AREA TO THE BODY GATEWAY MODULE WHICH IS A MUCH SAFER ENVIRONMENT. MAKES YOU THINK THAT THEY REALIZED THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT WITH THE VEHICLE IN PLACING THEM THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE. DON'T KNOW IF IT'S SAFE TO DRIVE ON THE ROAD DO TO THE DANGER OF ELECTRICAL FIRE. I ALSO HAVE PICTURES AVAILABLE. *TR

ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2005 I PURCHASED A NEW 2005 BMW 330I. WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON DECEMBER 1, 2005 I TURNED THE HEATER ON FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE HEATER HAD ONLY BEEN ON FOR A FEW MINUTES WHEN I STARTED TO SMELL A BURNING TYPE OF ODOR. I WAS NOT SURE IF THE ODOR WAS COMING IN FROM THE OUTSIDE OR IF IT WAS INSIDE MY CAR. THE ODOR BECAME STRONGER AND RESEMBLED THAT OF AN ELECTRICAL BURN. I THEN OBSERVED WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT FROM THE HOOD OF MY CAR. WITHIN MINUTES THE SMOKE BECAME GRAY. AT THIS POINT I WAS IN HEAVY EARLY MORNING TRAFFIC. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE WHICH WAS SLOWING DOWN/STOPPING FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT. AS I CAME TO A STOP THE SMOKE WAS TURNING BLACK AND WAS VERY THICK. I PUT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. BY THIS POINT VISIBILITY TO MY FRONT WAS OBSCURED BY THE SMOKE. I KNEW THAT I SHOULD EXIT THE CAR. I BEGAN OPENING THE DRIVER'S DOOR BUT THE CARS WERE MOVING QUICKLY AND I FEARED BEING HIT. I MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY HITTING THE BMW ASSIST BUTTON ON THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. I TOLD THE OPERATOR THAT MY CAR WAS ON FIRE, AND SHE STATED THAT SHE WOULD CONTACT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. DURING THIS I SAW THAT THERE WAS A POLICE CAR ONE CAR BEHIND ME. FORTUNATELY HE MANEUVERED HIS CAR INTO THE LEFT LANE TO BLOCK THE TRAFFIC AND I WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE CAR. THE FIRE TRUCKS RESPONDED QUICKLY AND PUT THE FIRE OUT. THEY DID HAVE DIFFICULTY TRYING TO OPEN THE HOOD. THEY FINALLY HAD TO USE A CROW BAR TO GET IT OPENED. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT. TO DATE REPRESENTATIVES FROM BMW HAVE INSPECTED MY CAR. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS. MY CAR REMAINS AT THE DEALERSHIP, THE FRONT END WAS BURNED TO A CRISP AND THERE WAS NO RESOLUTION TO THE SITUATION. *AK