kmillzz

Just hit 90k miles on my 05 545i sport model and was curious to what the maintenance is for around this mile mark?

I've been recently dealing with my car not starting randomly, like I can park it get out lock it and come back and it wont start or turn over and sometimes after multiple start attempts my brake will lock up and wont allow me to press it down. But if I leave it locked sitting for a good amount of time it will start up! I dont get it.

Another issue that has been going on is that while driving around the iDrive will pop up with "transmission fault", increased emissions and the car goes into limp mode, gears wont engage. It seems to only happen when my music is playing turned up loud, idk if thats random or is cause of the draw to the battery?

So as i tried to diagnose it myself i had the oem battery replaced that was still working fine and showed green on the sensor. That seemed to fix the problem temporarily then just this past week these problems have came back around!

I have no clue what the deal is, any feedback will be gratefully appreciated! And from word of mouth I have heard that it could be my key or something not shutting down while the car is off and locked drawing the battery low. Anyone else heard or delt with these things?

E60I

Jump starting a bad battery many times can damage the IBS (Intelligent Battery Sensor). Check to see if your alternator is working efficiently. If so, go ahead and change the IBS to see if that would fix your random problems. I had similar problems which resulted in a few battery replacements. My problems never came back after I replaced the IBS with another new battery.

Good luck!

bimmerfamily2010

[QUOTE=
Another issue that has been going on is that while driving around the iDrive will pop up with "transmission fault", increased emissions and the car goes into limp mode, gears wont engage. It seems to only happen when my music is playing turned up loud, idk if thats random or is cause of the draw to the battery?

[/QUOTE]


Had the same issue with my 545. iDrive would pop up stating "transmission fault," gears locked up, etc etc. I swapped the alternator and the issue went away. Test out your alternator - hopefully that'll fix one of your problems man. Good luck

H F

Since u have a new battery, and you are 90,000 if u haven't replaced the alternator I suggest putting in a new one . An alternator going bad can cause a lot of screwy malfunctions. It will set off transmission malfunction and lock u in safe mode. Dynamic drive malfunction, ARS malfunction, Idrive will flicker and go black, speedometer will not work, car wont start it will trigger a lot of malfunctions due to low voltage levels on a electrical system that demands a great deal of power to operate.
So with a new alternator a new battery, I suggest u install a new charging relay. Once u get that done u will have the charging system taken care of, and in tip top shape. Which at 90,000 should be done anyways IMO

The brake pedal locking up. First time Ive ever heard this on a 545. I know that there was a recall on a vacume line that goes from the vacume pump to the brake booster. Look into that make sure it has been addressed. Maybe that's the problem.

Preventive maintenance is also important to answer ur first question. Think about a new water pump , thermosat . and hoses. New tensioner pullys and belts.
Im at 96,000 on my 545 and have done everything Ive suggested for u to do. Don't wait for things to go bad change them when they hit the approximate life span.

If u put on a new alternator and relay with ur new battery, and u still get a trany malfunction . An essentric sensor and or a crank shaft positioning sensor also will throw a transmission malfunction and lock u in safe mode.

tonyb635

Ouch, sounds like a weak battery to me. How old is it? If it's a few years old or so just replace it. Even though you don't have a CE light on your car will still store defect codes. Find someone with INPA and scan for them. This would be a good start before you just go out and start replacing parts as they are not cheap!

b00sted415

Definitely sounds like a battery issue. Test your alternator see if it needs replaced. Buy a new battery and register it. I took the preventive measure when my car hit 110k miles I replaced the battery even though I didn't have any error messages about replacing the battery.

ncsugrad2006

Brake "locking up" is just from pushing it down a few times and using up all the vacuum that was left over

kmillzz

so i got that handled and when my tech guy was test driving the car after solving it that he pulled over and pulled the codes and locked the car from within the car via button and the car proceed to going into "Service" mode and wont turn over or start the car. Tried hard reset after pushing home from down the street of my house. Waiting to put back the battery terminals and then going to test it. But you have any clue what it could be? "service" mode ive never seen. And also the car shows on the iDrive that theres a "transmission fault" present if thats and aid into solving this problems?

kmillzz

I have a question, if you dont replace the oem "glass" type battery that was previously in the car with the same one and not learning the new none oem battery cause all these problems basically a snowball effect?

ncsugrad2006

It's not recommended, but I can't see it doing this much craziness.

You can get the same, AGM style battery from most parts store for < $200. It just doesn't say BMW on it.. but it's the same battery as they'll sell you for a lot more.