irishdub22

2 nights ago my wife and I took my oldest son out to dinner for his Kindergarten graduation. When we left the restaurant I pressed the unlock button on my key fob....nothing...It was pouring rain, and the car would not unlock. I was able to unlock my door, but my son, and wife were not able to open any of the other doors, so they had to climb in thru the drivers side. No big deal. I went to start the car, and it would not start. The dash lit up like a Christmas tree, and the iDrive flashed a message that said "Electronic System Malfunction. Continued driving is not Possible." So, I immediately called Kuni thinking I would get an answering service as it was 745 on a friday night. Nope. I got the receptionist, and she immediately sent a Lot attendant to come pick us up and get to the dealership to get a loaner. Amazing service. My 2005 545i was towed to the dealership, where it currently sits.

After doing some research last night, I came across numerous write ups, complaints, and BMW findings regarding this exact same situation. Rainy day, all windows/sun roof closed, but then the malfunction. It sounds like it is a common problem with the E60/E61 model where the water from the rain get's in the sunroof (even when it is closed), and makes it's way to the ECM/Computer, and essentially destroys it. Something to do with the rain tray/drainage passageways being faulty. I normally would not be worried, but looking over my extended warranty, it states that "any breakdown caused by collision, fire, theft, vandalism, riot, explosion, lightning, earthquake, overheating, freezing, rust or corrosion, winterstorm, hail, water, or flood."......It does, however cover most all electronics in the car if not damaged by said water. I am a little bit panicked at how much this is going to cost, after reading all of the horror stories that are exactly like mine. I have read a lot of great stories that are like this where BMW admitted it was an error, and remedied the problem at no cost to the consumer.


Does anybody have any knowledge on this topic? Experience? Words of wisdom, etc??

As always, I appreciate it.

AchtungE60

Check battery cables to make sure they're tightened. Then make sure your battery is charged.

irishdub22

It is currently at the dealership. I should hear back from them this afternoon. I will update the thread once I get word from them.

I appreciate the help!

irishdub22

Just got a call from my SA @ Kuni, and he said they have restarted the entire system, and all seems ok. He then said that is not good enough. He is going to have the technicians completely go thru the car (trunk, and under the passenger seat, etc) to look for any signs of water damage. He says that a mere reset is not good enough, and wants to get to the root cause. So he said it may be a few days. I am not worried about it. Kuni's service has been amazing, and I am sure they will find out the cause, and help with the remedy.

I will let you all know once I get word back.

AchtungE60

It's possible the MPM (micro power module) took a hit. But every other time I've seen this message it's because of a battery since my MPM was relocated. I don't think an MPM would cause this error anyway. Who knows.

korrosive

Sounds like an MPM issue to me. The problems experienced are with water getting in the spare wheel well and messing up the modules there. There's an SIB about relocating the modules, so even if your SA comes back and says everything checks out, ask him about relocating the modules in the spare wheel well to avoid damage if it floods. Good luck.