electrical - United Bimmer Community

**jybute** · 06-28-2005, 07:30 PM

Hey everyone. Im this close ( fingers close together) to my first Bimmer. I will be getting a full inspection on wednesday. If everything checks out Okay Ill be f***** dancin.
The only thing Im worried about is electrical shorts in the car somewhere, Im pretty good mechanically, but electricity is a bit of a mystery to me. is an electrical short really that bad, and is it all that hard to locate?

One of the only things Ive heard negatively about the E36 is that they tend to have more electrical problems than most cars. Is this true in anyones experience? If so how bad was it $$$$$.

Thanks in advance.

**jrhaile** · 06-28-2005, 07:38 PM

It's so hard to answer this question honestly. I myself spent 600 on a problem that should have only cost me about $1 for a new fuse. The other car I own which is the exact same as mine has been rock solid since day one with no problems. I probably could have saved a ton of money by just taking it in to BMW or some BMW shop to have them diagnose the problem. Instead, I went with what I thought was the problem and had convinced myself that it was the problem to only have the same thing happen again and then finally realize what was wrong. To sum it up, you're more then likely going to have some electrical problems, however most of the time these issues can easily be solved if you handle it properly.

**Dudesky** · 06-28-2005, 07:42 PM

Don't sweat it. If you live by the forums or by heresay, you'll be paranoid all the time. Just enjoy the car. Not everyone will have the problems that people talk about. They're also less apt to mention their appreciation when the onboard computer informed them that a light was burnt out or something. The flip side is that electrical systems nowadays are so advanced. And if something happens, then like they say, shit happens . . . but it can happen to any car.

**komodo** · 06-28-2005, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dudesky_E36

Don't sweat it. If you live by the forums or by heresay, you'll be paranoid all the time. Just enjoy the car. Not everyone will have the problems that people talk about. They're also less apt to mention their appreciation when the onboard computer informed them that a light was burnt out or something. The flip side is that electrical systems nowadays are so advanced. And if something happens, then like they say, shit happens . . . but it can happen to any car.

And because of the advancements, some things like the on-board computer can sometimes point you in the right direction.

There's not anything major enough to worry about to stop you from jumping on that car. Any car can have problems obviously, but there's nothing extreme with e36's.

Btw, welcome to the forums.

You should post up some pics of the car you're looking at. Also if you have a VIN number, I'll run a carfax for you if you'd like.

**zeit00** · 06-30-2005, 04:02 PM

The real big problem with the E36 was wires in the trunk fraying and causing shorts.

I have seen a 318i that had been set on fire. The entire interior had been replaced and I think the worst problem he had was that his right rear window switch did not work...

**defkon99** · 06-30-2005, 05:03 PM

yea my E36 just started to F**k Up the windows dont roll down i cheked that breaker button but nuthin seems like it only works whenever it wants to, any ideas what it could be?

**Davcon** · 05-10-2010, 02:14 PM

Battery light came on followed by total loss of electrics car came to a stop.Next day car started first time.Then failed about 30 mins along the road.same problem as before.??
Any idea?