Why Won't She Start?

[nicolecass81]

Dearest BMW Family,

After a lengthy night time drive (70 miles), i found that my baby would not start the next morning.

Insert the key, and you can get the radio and AC, but not even a whisper from the engine. I was not able to jump start the car, so she has been towed to the neighborhood shop for a look see.

Battery -fine (6mo old)
Starter - fine
fuses - fine

This is not a dealership that has my baby, does that matter? Am i just wasting time with the locals? They think that it maybe some type of antitheft system issue? The shop says that the key no longer has the frequency required to allow the engine to engage and then start...... I've never heard that BMW keys served any such function, and hope that someone has heard of this before.

Please feel free to write if you need more information.... i won't be going anywhere.
Nicole Cass
Huntington Beach, CA

[bitcore]

Our keys DO have a RFID chip in them, they car wont start without them. If I'm correct, I dont think the lock cylinder will rotate or the steering wheel wont unlock without that rfid.

If you have a manual, see if you can clutch it.
Roll the car forward and pop the clutch while in 1st gear and the key is on run. You can also do it backwards if your in reverse.

[bad man working]

The key is chipped But if the key gose down you can still unlock the car If they think it's the key go to your local dealer and order a key from the chassis number this is unlock and should start the car there are a couple pf other thing that can cause this the aerial for the key is fitted around the ignition barrel and there's the control unit but that is really unuseual by the way if the key has been left in the lock when the car battery gose flat can kill the key

[bitcore]

Originally posted by bad man working@Nov 9 2004, 05:24 PM
by the way if the key has been left in the lock when the car battery gose flat can kill the key

[snapback]227553[/snapback]

How would that happen? Is the chip (in the key) ACTUALLY programable?

[Scampi]

I would think it's some kind of PROM.
Or, since the key can be killed when the battery goes flat, this could mean it's some kind of EEPROM.
I have no idea, but this might be the case...

If it's actually some kind of PROM, this means it can be programmed...in other words, the key can be hacked

Scary...