I just spoke to the husband of my girlfriend's friend (A BMW TECH) and he said that it seems like there may be something wrong with the Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS). That a lot of the times none of the diagnostics software will communicate with the vehicle because the Intelligent Battery Sensor shuts off all the modules. He said that I should try to manually identify my vehicle through DIS and try to diagnose the vehicle that way. He also said I should ensure that the IBS is connected correctly...and...as a last resort...disconnect the battery and connect the positive and negative cables together for about 15 minutes to do a hard reset. I'll keep you guys updated on this issue...I hope this is a learning experience for all of us...

 

What he said makes sense.
Good luck with your efforts!

- Antti -

 

Ok...I know I'm going to sound like a newbie... but if I need to replace the IBS I have to replace the entire negative terminal battery cable? That cable is discontinued!...

 

Yes you have to replace the whole cable. If you checked it from RealOEM, it may show ENDED or DISCONTINUED, but you should ask your dealer for it. I am sure there is a part available for your car.

- Antti -

 

Curious,

Is there a way to test this battery IBS, it would seem you would just have to make sure you are getting voltage at second terminal, right?

Thanks,