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E46General discussion and technical help for 1999-2004 3 series cars.
Okay so today I was driving around from about 2-3ish and I had some thing to do and I pick some people because we were going to a concert later. Anyway Chris forgot his ticket and we drive back to his house to get it. It is like 103 degrees outside, it was hot as balls. Anywho we pull into his neighborhood and about 10 feet from his house my car dies. Not just the engine shutting off no. It completely dies. Everything was dead, no lights, no radio the car wouldn't even try to turn over when I turned the key into the ignition, it was completely dead. So we rolled to a stop in front of his house and parked the car and I was really pleased. So anywho we take Chris's mom's 330 to the concert and then afterward my girlfriend brings me by Chris's house to get some stuff out of my car. I decide to try my car again and the power is back and the car works. I'm pretty happy so I hop in and drive about 10 feet and it like hiccups and loses power and then it comes right back on, so I drive a little bit more and its fine. I drive it to my girlfriends house and when I stop in the driveway it dies again. I'm thinking "goddammit" when it gets power again. So when I leave her house it starts fine and works all the way to my garage were it turns off normally. I just had the damn thing looked at by United BMW and they said it was running great. Is the alternator going bad? I know the battery isn't dead. When the car dies its absolutely total, its like it has been hit by an EMP or something crazy. I'll see how it runs tommorrow. Anyone have any ideas?
Sounds like "possibly" something they touched isn't tight. (ground wire(s), lose connection or a connection that is losing contact when hot) Not necessarily the fault of the guys you had look at it, but it's suspicious. Make sure cable connections are tight & no corrosion (relays too). I'd start in engine compartment and around high heat areas.
^^^^ No they didn't its like the battery had been disconnected, but the car stopped like the alternator stopped working. Anyway I've driven it about 4 times now with out any incident some I'm gonna look at some connections to try to figure it out.
what did the dealer do exactly to your car, maybe you do have a bad ground, one that is connected to your battery, next time it happens, try to "jump" your car in that get another car hook up the posative to the red and then instead of putting the black on the battery put it on a place in the chassis where you can get a good ground(just jump it from the front)
... your battery is in the back, right?
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Originally Posted by c1apton
I keep forgetting that - I have a great memory but it doesn't last long
what did the dealer do exactly to your car, maybe you do have a bad ground, one that is connected to your battery, next time it happens, try to "jump" your car in that get another car hook up the posative to the red and then instead of putting the black on the battery put it on a place in the chassis where you can get a good ground(just jump it from the front)