[URGENT] Car won't move

[CallMeWonder]

There is something going on with my car and it just won't move. If you want to see what's going on, scroll down to the video. If you wan't some details, here you go:

I washed just my car's wheels 3 days ago and parked it in the garage locked. Today, my moms car got backed into at the post office in a hit and run so I jumped in to get down there to see what's going on.

I got in, waited for the cold start to run through and release the parking brake. I put it in reverse and tap the pedal for it to start pulling out. The car tries to move(you can feel it jerk a little) and it meets resistance, gives up, and pops out of gear and into neutral.

I spent 20 minutes trying to get it to move and gave up as I don't want to burn off my clutch because the car does slip the clutch trying to move. I 100% made sure I wasn't leaving the parking brake on like an idiot. I am stumped.

I just hope its not something stupid that I am missing. I think that the brakes are not releasing fully as the rotors have surface rust from me washing the wheels a couple days ago, I don't know if that has anything to do with anything. However, I've washed and parked 10-15 times before and this has never happened... The parking brake releasing is way louder than it was before, however when I parked it after washing the wheels...it made the normal faint sound.

Please take a look and if you can help please let me know. Not sure how well the sound of the parking brake releasing came out in the video.

Watch it be something really small and I'm an idiot....

[greentrbo95gst]

Is your door open?

[CallMeWonder]

Originally Posted by greentrbo95gst

Is your door open?

When I was trying to move the car all doors were closed but I opened it to get the sound of the parking brake

[CallMeWonder]

Update: I took a flashlight and a piece of paper and all 4 brakes are engaged with the parking brake released, car in neutral, and no one in the car(foot on brake). Is this normal?

[MichaelJohn]

Originally Posted by CallMeWonder

Update: I took a flashlight and a piece of paper and all 4 brakes are engaged with the parking brake released, car in neutral, and no one in the car(foot on brake). Is this normal?

The pads have rusted to the disks. That happened to me once after I washed my car. A little throttle broke it loose (with a horrible sound) but before that it wouldn't budge. I'm not sure how far to push it though, sounds like yours is really locked up. It's a good idea to drive it a little after you wash it.

[CallMeWonder]

Originally Posted by MichaelJohn

The pads have rusted to the disks. That happened to me once after I washed my car. A little throttle broke it loose but before that it wouldn't budge. I'm not sure how far to push it though. It's a good idea to drive it a little after you wash it.

Any thoughts on how to 'unhook' it? I got three people to try and push it while I was throttling and we couldnt get it. I doubt the dealer would help me considering it sorta my fault.

[MichaelJohn]

Originally Posted by CallMeWonder

Any thoughts on how to 'unhook' it? I got three people to try and push it while I was throttling and we couldnt get it. I doubt the dealer would help me considering it sorta my fault.

Maybe you could jack up the front and try to break the front wheels loose manually. That might take away enough resistance so that the engine could break loose the back wheels.

[CallMeWonder]

Originally Posted by MichaelJohn

Maybe you could jack up the front and try to break the front wheels loose manually. That might take away enough resistance so that the engine could break loose the back wheels.

Darn, time to invest in a jack and stands I guess.

[MichaelJohn]

Originally Posted by CallMeWonder

Darn, time to invest in a jack and stands I guess.

Another possibility would be some kind of solution to break down the rust bond. You would just have to make sure that it doesn't damage the pads. There are quite a few rust removers on the market.

[CallMeWonder]

Originally Posted by MichaelJohn

Another possibility would be some kind of solution to break down the rust bond. You would just have to make sure that it doesn't damage the pads. There are quite a few rust removers on the market.

I'm going to call the dealer and see if they help. My neighbor knows the sales manager personally so we'll see.

[M6-Coupe]

Maybe the E-brake is not released and you have to release it manually!
There is a procedure to release the E-brake manually.
Here is a video to explain how to do it, but it's not specifically about M5!

[Netwon]

Originally Posted by M6-Coupe

Maybe the E-brake is not released and you have to release it manually!
There is a procedure to release the E-brake manually.
Here is a video to explain how to do it, but it's not specifically about M5!

This procedure does not work on the M5. Previous threads have covered this.

[lumberman]

the brake rust very quick, even overnight after wash, it happens to me all the time

try use a rubber hammer to hit on the brake caliper to loosen up the rust bonding

and give it some throttle to break it loose

[drbru]

this happens to me all the time after i wash the car and leave it to stand for a while, maybe not as extreme as your example but sounds like the same thing...

Wouldnt necessarily start bashing the disk...

Try rocking the car either, backwards/forwards either by physically pushing it or using the throttle...Also try same procedure with wheels locked to the left/right

Dont think jacking the car will help as you wont have the strength to turn the wheel by hand unless you are super man...

Other thing you can try which may be the best solution......Put the car in neutral, and get someone to give you a tow from the front ie pull you....if it is a rust issues, the wheels will come loose...if the parking break is engaged then the rear wheels will skid...Either way, you will know what the actual problem is

[gmfive]

Reading this, a bit scared to wash the wheels over the weekend. I use Sonax full effect and so far, it has been okay but the possibility of this jam happening is not all that far-fetched.

[eleven11]

Originally Posted by CallMeWonder

Any thoughts on how to 'unhook' it? I got three people to try and push it while I was throttling and we couldnt get it. I doubt the dealer would help me considering it sorta my fault.

Washing your wheels shouldn't be your "fault." I would definitely check with your dealer.

Originally Posted by lumberman

the brake rust very quick, even overnight after wash, it happens to me all the time

try use a rubber hammer to hit on the brake caliper to loosen up the rust bonding

and give it some throttle to break it loose

In your experience, would you expect all 4 calipers to be locked down, as he has described? I'm just concerned that given he has never experienced this issue before, it might actually be the brake system misbehaving.

[Stash21]

Why not just call bmw assist and have them come out.

[MichaelJohn]

Originally Posted by gmfive

Reading this, a bit scared to wash the wheels over the weekend. I use Sonax full effect and so far, it has been okay but the possibility of this jam happening is not all that far-fetched.

As long as you drive it a little after you wash it you should be fine. I take it for a short drive afterwards, just enough to dry the brakes. If you see rust on the rotors you haven't driven it enough.

[avlnch]

@CallMeWonder and others:

When you wash your M5 then move it a few feet and park it for a while, the rotors rust and form a bond to the pads.

- Start the car
- Release the parking brake
- Engage the reverse gear
- Let your foot off the brake completely, the car probably will not budge.
- Apply the throttle and slowly increase the engine revs. The caliper/pad rust bond should break free at around 1,200-1,700rpm. You'll hear a loud noise while and when the brakes become free.

Be advised that you will have limited braking ability/power until the rust is removed and the rotors/pads are clean again. So be careful and brake early / keep a good distance from other cars until everything is back to normal. It takes around 5-6 miles. Avoid hard braking during this time.

To avoid this issue from happening in the future:
After you wash and dry your car and wheels, you'll notice the rotors have a coat of rust. Drive the car around the block before you park your car. After that you will notice the rotors are clean of rust and there is now rusty water marks on your wheels.

Carbon Ceramic Brakes don't rust when you wash the car. CCB owners have nothing to worry about.

[avlnch]

@CallMeWonder

Dude!! Close your drivers door. Then do what I said in my last post.

[gmfive]

Originally Posted by avlnch

@CallMeWonder and others:

When you wash your M5 then move it a few feet and park it for a while, the rotors rust and form a bond to the pads.

- Start the car
- Release the parking brake
- Engage the reverse gear
- Let your foot off the brake completely, the car probably will not budge.
- Apply the throttle and slowly increase the engine revs. The caliper/pad rust bond should break free at around 1,200-1,700rpm. You'll hear a loud noise while and when the brakes become free.

Be advised that you will have limited braking ability/power until the rust is removed and the rotors/pads are clean again. So be careful and brake early / keep a good distance from other cars until everything is back to normal. It takes around 5-6 miles. Avoid hard braking during this time.

To avoid this issue from happening in the future:
After you wash and dry your car and wheels, you'll notice the rotors have a coat of rust. Drive the car around the block before you park your car. After that you will notice the rotors are clean of rust and there is now rusty water marks on your wheels.

Carbon Ceramic Brakes don't rust when you wash the car. CCB owners have nothing to worry about.

Thank you. This is great info for someone new like me. Can the admin please make it sticky?

[CallMeWonder]

Originally Posted by avlnch

@CallMeWonder and others:

When you wash your M5 then move it a few feet and park it for a while, the rotors rust and form a bond to the pads.

- Start the car
- Release the parking brake
- Engage the reverse gear
- Let your foot off the brake completely, the car probably will not budge.
- Apply the throttle and slowly increase the engine revs. The caliper/pad rust bond should break free at around 1,200-1,700rpm. You'll hear a loud noise while and when the brakes become free.

Be advised that you will have limited braking ability/power until the rust is removed and the rotors/pads are clean again. So be careful and brake early / keep a good distance from other cars until everything is back to normal. It takes around 5-6 miles. Avoid hard braking during this time.

To avoid this issue from happening in the future:
After you wash and dry your car and wheels, you'll notice the rotors have a coat of rust. Drive the car around the block before you park your car. After that you will notice the rotors are clean of rust and there is now rusty water marks on your wheels.

Carbon Ceramic Brakes don't rust when you wash the car. CCB owners have nothing to worry about.

Update: This worked for me. I guess I was scared to give it some more gas as I didn't want to do a reverse drag launch out of my garage. When I was giving it little gas before, it kept coming out of gear on its own. It was like a gunshot when it unhooked.

Thank you all!