Help needed! Car just turned off! F10 M5

[umz]

Hi guys,

In need of your experience and knowledge. So basically , i was driving home yesterday from work, doing 25/30mph and randomly the car went into neutral and shut itself off, steering started to get stiff, and started throwing up error codes (adaptive headlight error, diff lock are the ones i remember). I slowly came to a stop and then the car wouldn't restart. I tried ignition off and on and still nothing. Shortly i got a low battery warning, so i thought the battery could be the issue, i ran out to get a new battery replaced this and still nothing after registering the battery to the car.

Now, my cousin has a couple of machines and one of the codes that comes up is a servertronic valve fault, could this be the reason for the car shutting off and reason its not starting again?

I had to get the car towed away, had to get under the car and put it into N and put it on a flatbed. Worst feeling ever!

So ive been researching on the forum etc and have come across a few people that have experienced this, some say its the Crankshaft sensor and others say the HP fuel pump.

Can anyone shed any light or experienced this before, i want my car back!

Thank you in advance.

Many thanks

[M5Rick]

Man you've had it 5 minutes and it's playing up.Where did you buy it from.

[umz]

Originally Posted by M5theonlyone

Man you've had it 5 minutes and it's playing up.Where did you buy it from.

Had it 5 days got it privately. Car has been spot on all week. One of thise random things. Need help trying to figure out this issue man

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by umz

Had it 5 days got it privately. Car has been spot on all week. One of thise random things. Need help trying to figure out this issue man

You've got my PM return.

[C320]

Sorry to hear this as I know you just picked ut up.

Hope it gets sorted quickly and doesn't sour your ownership experience.

[umz]

Thank for your reply. Much appreciated.

So ive had the car on a couple of computers and no error codes are coming up whatsoever. The AA mechanic said it looks like its a mechanical issue and not electric.

What could it possibly be?

Getting the car recovered and will have to get it over to the dealers on minday now. Thats going to cost me!

Thanks

[Dormermike]

Don't believe it that there are no codes. May not be any bogo standard obd2 codes but there will be numerous codes read via inpa or proper dealer diagnostics

[C320]

Originally Posted by Dormermike

Don't believe it that there are no codes. May not be any bogo standard obd2 codes but there will be numerous codes read via inpa or proper dealer diagnostics

+1 to this in my opinion

[BIMMERMANM5]

Originally Posted by umz

Thank for your reply. Much appreciated.

So ive had the car on a couple of computers and no error codes are coming up whatsoever. The AA mechanic said it looks like its a mechanical issue and not electric.

What could it possibly be?

Getting the car recovered and will have to get it over to the dealers on minday now. Thats going to cost me!

Thanks

Do you have AA? They can tow it to the nearest dealer. Mate these things are costly let us know how you get on. Good luck

[umz]

Originally Posted by BIMMERMANM5

Do you have AA? They can tow it to the nearest dealer. Mate these things are costly let us know how you get on. Good luck

Thank you.

I got the car recovered by AA and currently sitting on a drive.

I spoke to BMW today and they are not very helpful at all, said i cant speak to a technician and they are unable to give me any advice as it could possibly be wrong. I stated that i only want to know if you have come across issues like this before or experienced any other M5's coming in for the same reason, i only want to know what it could POSSIBLY be, but still nothing from them. I am going to go into branch right after work and ask for someone for a little support.

On the flipside, i have found a BMW specialist in Peterborough (Bartlett Automotive), these guys look and seem good. They say they only use BMW diagnostics and are ex dealer technicians with lots of experience, they are on the net and have some pretty good reviews. I am thinking of getting the car over to them instead as BMW seem awful and are not willing to help. I do not want to give the car to anyone random, someone who has experience with these cars.

The guy i spoke to said that they use all the latest equipment and are pretty sure they can provide a diagnosis. I am leaning towards them tbh, i just want to get her back on the road. Only had her a week.

Has anyone every experienced anything like this before?

The car made no noise, didn't jerk or anything, just lost power and then wouldn't start. It didn't smoke or smell, just turned off. Checked codes, once it showed a couple of codes and then the second time it did not show any codes. One thing i didn't do was disconnect the negative and then try the computer, so there are more than likely some codes the car will show.

Really need some support here, don't fancy throwing money at the dealers tbh.

[Dormermike]

Get ISTA and a cable and diagnose it yourself... relatively easy if you are computer literate

[C320]

Originally Posted by umz

Thank you.

I got the car recovered by AA and currently sitting on a drive.

I spoke to BMW today and they are not very helpful at all, said i cant speak to a technician and they are unable to give me any advice as it could possibly be wrong. I stated that i only want to know if you have come across issues like this before or experienced any other M5's coming in for the same reason, i only want to know what it could POSSIBLY be, but still nothing from them. I am going to go into branch right after work and ask for someone for a little support.

On the flipside, i have found a BMW specialist in Peterborough (Bartlett Automotive), these guys look and seem good. They say they only use BMW diagnostics and are ex dealer technicians with lots of experience, they are on the net and have some pretty good reviews. I am thinking of getting the car over to them instead as BMW seem awful and are not willing to help. I do not want to give the car to anyone random, someone who has experience with these cars.

The guy i spoke to said that they use all the latest equipment and are pretty sure they can provide a diagnosis. I am leaning towards them tbh, i just want to get her back on the road. Only had her a week.

Has anyone every experienced anything like this before?

The car made no noise, didn't jerk or anything, just lost power and then wouldn't start. It didn't smoke or smell, just turned off. Checked codes, once it showed a couple of codes and then the second time it did not show any codes. One thing i didn't do was disconnect the negative and then try the computer, so there are more than likely some codes the car will show.

Really need some support here, don't fancy throwing money at the dealers tbh.

Sorry to say it, but the dealer or a specialist is your best bet.

Personally, I'd take it to BMW until I've built up any trust with a specialist (or you get a good personal recommendation, I'd always be wary of any online reviews).

You can see why they'd be reluctant to tell you anything over the telephone unless they've seen the car. In an ideal world it would be nice if they could let you speak to a tech - sadly they're just not setup to work that way (which is where the specialists come in). Best case is the dealer would charge a diagnostic fee for hooking it up and reading the codes. They never really do this free as people used to go in for diagnostics and then go elsewhere to get the work done.

With a specialist the guys working on your car are typically also the people running the business, doing all the admin etc - so you're more likely to get friendly advice from a specialist as opposed to a dealer.

[Dwaynos]

Originally Posted by Dormermike

Get ISTA and a cable and diagnose it yourself... relatively easy if you are computer literate

I disagree. 9 times out of 10 the code you will see is caused by something else. You cannot just replace a part based on a code. Diagnostic experience is a must.

[Dormermike]

Originally Posted by Dwaynos

I disagree. 9 times out of 10 the code you will see is caused by something else. You cannot just replace a part based on a code. Diagnostic experience is a must.

What do you think a BMW dealer does? They follow the steps in ISTA/D and replace parts.

Besides I was commenting that there is no chance there are no codes and you seem to agree with me on that.

[Dwaynos]

Originally Posted by Dormermike

What do you think a BMW dealer does? They follow the steps in ISTA/D and replace parts.

Besides I was commenting that there is no chance there are no codes and you seem to agree with me on that.

Depending on the dealer. Some will change parts until it is fixed, others use their own initiative and know how to test components and circuits to figure out what it wrong first time. A good technician will never replace parts based on a code without carrying out checks, sometimes very simple ones.

Yes I agree, there will be codes stored. That is guaranteed.

[BalSingh]

Has the new battery drained after you replaced? Sounds like the alternator is not charging if you’ve replaced the battery and same thing happened...

If you got a low battery warning you should get a lot of fault codes stored as modules aren’t receiving enough power.

[M5Rick]

When you're buying one of these a 'round the block' test is simply not enough.
When I was buying mine, the first one I saw,the owner let me drive it around and when the oil was up to temp he took over and on a quiet road demonstrated launch control which went perfect.Then I jumped back in the drivers seat and continued for a few more miles.He asked me to try launch myself if he set it up but was convinced by then it was a good 'un and then after a slight money adjusting session the deal was done.

[OneExtra]

Originally Posted by M5theonlyone

When you're buying one of these a 'round the block' test is simply not enough.
When I was buying mine, the first one I saw,the owner let me drive it around and when the oil was up to temp he took over and on a quiet road demonstrated launch control which went perfect.Then I jumped back in the drivers seat and continued for a few more miles.He asked me to try launch myself if he set it up but was convinced by then it was a good 'un and then after a slight money adjusting session the deal was done.

I have never heard a negotiation called a money adjusting session

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by OneExtra

I have never heard a negotiation called a money adjusting session

Well you learn something every day