Freinds got some sort of bmw, to me its just a car, done about 66,000 miles, last week did a long journey for car about 20 miles after pootling for previous year, next day wouldnt start, jump started it with jump leads, garage called today to say electrictronic boz of wizardry broke, 1000 quids pleas to fix it.

Any ideas on how to this has happened , eg jump starting, etc etc, is it a common problem.

Jump starting it if imagine, doesn’t take much to fry things.

On my 5 series tourer the battery’s in the boot under a fuse board, if you connected it up in the wrong order you could easily short something maneuvering the crocodile clips .

A car. Has an unspecified electrical problem. In an engine that we do not know what it is. On which model we do not know. While the car ran, it now does not.

More information needed….

small 4 door series 1 bmw, diesel engine.

Tell friend to remove ECU himself and send it to an online place (maybe one recommended on a BMW forum) to get fixed.

edit – sorry, suggested a site no longer operating

Weird, BMWs normally fail in other ways…{insert indicator related joke here}

I dont get this thread

Send the Ecu to BBA reman or if you know or partly understand the issue with the Ecu, see their web site for common issues with the car/engine/Ecu usually very good to deal with and a few hundred if faulty and repairable. BUT I’ve fixed many cars incorrect diagnosed as Ecu faults because people cannot be arsed making 100% sure that the correct feeds and earths and can plus wiring is spot on.

66k miles on a diesel bmw is nothing. Personally I’d be very suspicious of the original diagnosis – as @chris says its just as likely to be a sodgy connection somewhere. So the car started with jump leads and ran ? If so I can’t see how it can be an ecu peoblem. If it still didn’t start then perhaps but I am still of the view the garage is taking the micky

Is 20 miles a short journey?

1) Check the battery voltage
2) Get a second opinion

ECU could be fried if leads were connected incorrectly.
Garage plugs in code scanner, no communication with ECU = ECU fried in their minds. Or they have tested it and it does need a new ECU. So much lack of information from OP.

At a BMW garage £1000 gets you a new battery and a new set of wiper blades.

I borrowed a 1 series (when they first came out) for a couple of months – the thing went into the garage 3 times because the dashboard kept switching itself off if you cornered to hard (honestly).

It turned out to be one of the sensors on one of the wheels – it was getting exposed to the elements and was shorting the dash (or something) when you cornered hard. Pretty unimpressed with BMW servicing – but they gave me a 530 while they fixed it…. so I was in no rush.

I’m sorry but how can jump leads be connected incorrectly? Are people that stupid?

Go on then wrightyson what is the correct way to install them ?

My 320d wouldn’t start the other day and also wouldn’t jump start either.

Turned out to be corroded battery terminals. Started once I’d cleaned them up

Jump started, then running, jump leads removed, still running, the ECU is working at this point, not fried from the jump start. Let’s try some logic folks.

If the leads are connected directly to the battery when jumping then that’s probably where the problem arose.
It maybe that the battery died and just needed replacing but after the jump start then it could quite easily have damaged some of the electronics.
Usually the battery is in the boot and there will be connection points under the bonnet for jump starting the car.
Was it jumped from the battery or from the points under the bonnet?

I wouldn’t trust garages (dealers or otherwise) diagnoses either. I have a couple of tales of woe of bungling dealerships and so-called specialists to successfully diagnose electrical problems. I appreciate your friend is a bit over a barrel now with a non-functioning car at a garage, but ideally they should do a bit of research themselves, understand a bit more about how the garage has traced the ‘fault’ to this particular black box (hoping they don’t say they’ve just plugged their computer into the ECU and its come up with a code) and ideally try to get a 2nd opinion somehow. Either than just cough up the dough and hope the new black box fixes things.

the ECU is working at this point, not fried from the jump start. Let’s try some logic folks.

the OP hasn’t said it’s the ECU that’s broken has he?

There seems to be about 8 ‘bozes of wizardry’ on my 5 series…

Send the Ecu to BBA reman

@ Chrisdiesel

Surprised you recommend that shower. Most of the trade won’t touch them with a barge pole. There are better companies out there.

Marko

I’m sorry but how can jump leads be connected incorrectly? Are people that stupid?

They go in the petrol hole right?

But seriously, why is it being stupid to connect jump leads up wrong? It’s just something certain people don’t know. We all have gaps in our knowledge, those gaps are just in different places. Like I know how to use a discount code for Pizza Express, but would have to double check with google before hooking up some jump leads.

Odd thread, tho.

If the leads are connected directly to the battery when jumping then that’s probably where the problem arose.

Yep. On my 5 Series you connected the leads onto connectors under the bonnet, not directly onto the battery, that was in the boot. No idea about the 1 Series.

@marko
I’ve had one issue with them in a good few years of good service, for future ref please recommend better companies?
Way too many small company’s out there now with small testing kits that cannot simulate real world driving and loads so the Ecu gets returned with a NFF and you start to So you doubt your checks..
I did this with a friends old 107, I spent hours checking feeds and earths, loads testing wires etc, customer sent Ecu away came back NFF refitted and obviously same fault, paranoid I re checked all my checked and sent it back again still NFF, so I ended up buying a virginising a 2nd hand Ecu and fault gone.

Yep. On my 5 Series you connected the leads onto connectors under the bonnet, not directly onto the battery, that was in the boot. No idea about the 1 Series.

Same on our current and previous 3 series.

I’m sorry but how can jump leads be connected incorrectly? Are people that stupid?

On my 5 Series you connected the leads onto connectors under the bonnet, not directly onto the battery

fairly easily when it works that way, I’d imagine?

On my 118 the connectors are under the bonnet and the battery is in the boot.

Think jump start goes something like
Red on dead then on donor
Black on dead then on donor.

Removal is the reverse (I think)

If you’re near P’boro I can put it on a diagnostics for you.

chrisdiesel

Try:

ECU testing
ACTronics
ATPelectronics

Best of all is Bosch though:
BOSCH

There is another one on the south coast (Poole?) who are a comedy outfit. AVOID!

Hth

Marko

I need closure on this – what happened?

the owner has been presented with a repair bill for 1000 quids, fried ecu apparently.

id want a second opinion though and thanks for the responces very intresting.