2004 325i wont start!

[coolcooltracy]

okay, i do need an oil change soon, but the light hasnt popped on so hopefully thats not the problem..
i went somewhere and turned off my car as i was waiting, but left it in position 2 so the battery was running.. then i tried to start it, and it wouldnt. it doesnt even crank. it makes no noise, but a clicking noise.. and along with the clicking noise the dome light, and dash lights flash with it.
this is the first time it hasnt started at all, but the past two days the engine would hesitate to start or would crank but crank slow and NOT turn on. so id have to start all over.

i have no idea what is wrong wit my car, but my bf thinks it might be the "alternator" or starter.. and he said that "its not getting enough power to start it."

PLEASE HELP!

[marti5]

Battery.....Me thinks time for a new one these cars dont like stop and start short journeys, approx battery life doing this 3 yrs....

[coolcooltracy]

hmm, so do you think a jumpstart would turn it on for a while, maybe enough for me to drive it abt a minute to another parking lot? i was just afraid to jump start it and mess it up bc maybe it wasnt the battery.. also, when in position 2, all of the lights are on, like usual, and the radio works as well..

[marti5]

Jump start will be fine.....

[marti5]

The lights on the dash will be on and the radio will work, there's just not enough volts in the battery to crank it...

[coolcooltracy]

okay, so jump started it.. it worked, drove it to my destination. and turned it off and it didnt start again. thank you, marti.. now i need a new battery.. would you know where i can order one?

[marti5]

Sorry Im in the UK.....your best place is BMW depends on your wallet, but my first BM one lasted 11yrs, Ive heard of people getting cheap ones and theyve had it after 2 yrs, any auto shop will have them, but BMW are in my opinion the best.

[coolcooltracy]

oh okay.. thank you, again marti5.

[marti5]

My pleasure, glad to be of help.

[jjguzman_85]

Mine was doing that for a while. I have the same model but an 03. It turned out to be the battery. I got it replaced, and the car runs great now. I got mine replaced at advance autoparts, and they checked the charging system to make sure its wasn't the alternator. This way you fix exactly whats wrong. But it does sound like you have a battery issue. Good Luck! =D

[coolcooltracy]

hey jjguzman, thank you for your response. i did exactly what you did abt two days ago. the battery was $135!!!! so total was like $150. and yes it works perfect again now i need new tires! UGH.

[jjguzman_85]

Hey good to hear! But I know what you mean.....pricey parts. I just replaced the powersteering pump on mine. They retail like 400 bucks. Ouch. Luckily I got a new OEM replacement on ebay for like 75 bucks with warranty! Ebay all the way!

[coolcooltracy]

hmm how do u know if you need that stuff done?? The powersteer pump..?

[jjguzman_85]

Originally Posted by coolcooltracy

hmm how do u know if you need that stuff done?? The powersteer pump..?

Well everyone tells me that BMW power steering pumps "rarely" go out, but tell that to my car and all the problems its given me in the 6 months that I've had it, and the car only has 65k miles! So much for "the ultimate driving machine" lol. But anyway, when the power steering pump is going to fail you usually hear alot of whining noises when you turn the steering wheel . But the whining noise doesn't always mean you need a new pump. You just may have a low fluid level in the power steering pump reservoir. BUT just fyi....bimmer's aren't like most cars, they don't use power steering fluid in the power steering pump. They use transmission fluid (ATF), so never put power steering fluid in the power steering pump. Kinda strange huh? Hopefully this is the last problem you have with the car.

[hattrick]

have you had the ethanol checked yet? Check out this blog I came across.

Know Your BMW

I had the same issue, and it was due to high ethanol in the fuel that I purchased.