ricochet77

My mom has a 2006 530i. The car was not started for 3 weeks as she was out of town. When she got back, the car started but said Transmission Malfunction and would not let car go in gear. She tried to get it towed the next day and the car would not start at all, and I believe the dash lights did not even come on. Her car is parked on a hill and not in a good position to tow since it can't be put in gear. From looking around the internet I see people mention an Integrated Supply Module problem which seems it might be causing this. Anybody have any ideas or insight into this situation. Thanks

luigi524td

A dead battery can trigger all sorts of iDrive alerts ...and parking our cars for 3 weeks with a weak battery can cause it to go so flat it's not going to get the car started. Can you get a battery charger connected to the terminal under the hood to see if that will permit the car to get started?

ricochet77

AAA came out and tested battery and tried to jumpstart and said battery is fine. Also, considering car started without problem first time makes me think it is not the battery.

BimmerFan52

Information is a little sketchy. I assume when you mention a hill that the car was outside. However, if it was garaged and entrance to garage is on a hill you can disregard some questions below.

Did AAA actually get the car started?

If not, does the starter turn the engine over?

If not, are there dash lights when you turn the key to the second position (or if no key press starter button without holding it down)?

If you get no dash lights it is a major module or break in a wire between battery and major module if battery is indeed good.

Any chance of water entering the car? Trunk, passenger side floor or E-Box (under passenger side cabin filter) are suspect areas.

Any chance vermin got into the car? I have first hand experience of BMW sitting outside overnight and vermin (groundhog) chewed wiring harness and car wouldn't start.

ricochet77

Apparently, today the car starts but it is still giving message about transmission fault and wont let you put it into gear. Yesterday AAA did not get it to start and there were no dash lights. Car was outside, so possibility of water or vermin is possible. We did have thunderstorms in area while she was gone. Any help or suggestions is appreciated. Thanks

Gee_115

Check all the places the others members suggested. Check to see if there are any wet spots in the car itself, check the trunk under the spare wheel, check both driver and passenger footwell. Since it is an 06, there should be a micropower module in the trunk under the spare wheel, if that gets wet you are in for problems. My first instict however would be the battery. I got various errors including transmission, I would also drive and the car would suddenly lose power as if someone slammed on the brake(very scary) and I would get a transmission error. Everything was great as soon as I replaced the battery. My point even though car started fine the battery was going and caused all types of errors.

1) Make sure the car is in park before you start( sounds silly but rock the shifter a few times) (Note!!! if the battery is dead you can still shift to neutral, pull up on the plastic cover around the leather boot that encases the shifter, in the forward right corner there is a little lever/knob, just use a screw driver push hold it back then pull the shifter, in my car the little knob is painted red. You can try to use this to tow the car, remember you need a flatbed to tow it)

2) Get a voltometer read the voltage of the battery, if it is below 12v charge it to about 13v. If it can't be charged then change the battery.
I would also recommend disconnecting the battery for at a minimum 4 hours. My gut is saying you need a battery, AAA doesn't know jack about BMWs.

BimmerFan52

Battery can cause both inability to start and false transmission faults (among other things). However, occasionally coincidence intercedes and you may be experiencing two separate problems simultaneously, which can really get confusing. Sitting for three weeks inactive is tough on any battery, and electronic problems can be really tough to track down.

Address the possible battery issue first. You will need to be able to test the voltage of the battery before starting with a voltmeter, and then the output of the alternator during operation. If the battery tests at 12V (test both at the jump terminal under the hood and then at the battery itself) and the alternator around 13.6-13.8V while the engine is running the battery might have just run down during the three weeks to prevent starting. If the battery voltage is low or the alternator output is incorrect, one or both will need to be replaced. The trans problem might then go away.

Regarding water entry, feel the carpet in the passenger side under the mat. If it is damp water may have damaged a module that sits below the floor. Pull the spare tire out of the trunk and remove the support that sits under the tire. You will see a module under there. Look for evidence of water or dampness as well as any physical damage to the electronic module. Finally, remove the cabin air filter housing on the passenger side up against the bottom of the windshield. There is a box that can fill with water and damage a module there. This does not necessarily mean that a module is not your problem, but at least it helps set aside water damage as a cause of module failure.

Make a careful, thorough visual check of the engine compartment, looking for any frayed wiring or evidence of vermin having been there. You might loosen a few screws on your front splash pan and shine a light in to see if an wire insulation or other debris is evident in the pan. If your splash pan are in place it is unlikely a large animal came into the engine compartment from below.

The transmission problem can be caused by low transmission fluid. This is generally caused by a leak in the mechatronic sealing sleeve. If the car was sitting on a severe angle with the nose down, the sleeve may have leaked while sitting. Look for a puddle under the car. The splash pan may also be holding fluid or directed it away, so it didn't fall directly under the transmission pan. Unfortunately there is no transmission dip stick to check this level. The sealing sleeve needs to be examined and if OK the fill plug in the transmission housing will need to be removed and additional fluid added while the engine is running and the fluid has reached the temperature range specified by ZF the transmission manufacturer.

Unfortunately, with the car located on the street you won't be able to replace the alternator or do transmission work safely.

If after electrical tests and water entry examination you are still at square one you will need to have the car towed to a garage for you or an Indie to work on. It sounded from your first post as if there was some confusion regarding the car being located on a hill and the ability to tow it. You will need to research proper towing techniques ahead of time. When you call a towing service make sure you explain the location of the car and ask them how they would tow it. If you don't like what you hear try another towing service. And of course you will need to be there to insure both how the car is picked up and how it is secured. Be wary of any use of straps through suspension components to tie the car down. Control arms are easily bent.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

ricochet77

Thanks BimmerFan. My mom got the car towed and the mechanic says the valve body is bad and it is like $3000 to fix. Considering there were no transmission issues before or any signs of problems and the car was left sitting I am at a loss at how the transmission could now be bad right after it was started back up. I will talk to the mechanic on Monday to see what he says, I assume they are just going by the code, but was wondering if some other problems could make it say there is a bad valve body.

BimmerFan52

First, a bad valve body would not have prevented the car from starting. Has the issue of starting and no dash lights been resolved?

Second, if you had a nickle for everyone who posted on the forum that was told the transmission or Mechatronics unit was shot, and later learned it was something else, you could buy your mom a new M5.

I'm not saying the mechanic is wrong, just that before you spend that kind of money you want to be sure. What was the code? It is not uncommon when electrical is involved to either replace a battery, alternator or electrical module then reprogram the transmission and have the transmission be fine after that.

Make sure the Mechanic is a BMW specialist. He should know to first address the electrical issues, and then know to look at the sealing sleeve, trans fluid level, and trans reprogramming etc. before jumping into serious dollars.

ricochet77

Those were my thoughts exactly. It is a European speciality shop that does mostly BMW's, I did not have a chance to talk to the mechanic yet so I am not sure if he knew the whole back story and if he reset the computer and retested or if he is just basically saying this is what the computer says. Can you test the modules, battery and alternator or do you have to replace them to see if they are causing this error? Anyway, I already called another shop where I will get the care towed and get a second opinion if this shop still believes it is the valve body, but I am not buying it at this point.