Faulty coils and mis-fires, help!

[BMWho]

Hi all,

I'm a new member and new to forums too so hopefully I can get some support from fellow BMW fans and owners.

I have a 2005 318Ci for 11 months. Its been towed twice with the engine light on and really bad misfire. In between those events misfires happen but it rights itself. The revs also drop from time to time and a judder or vibration happens on take off.
I had a 1996 E34 before this which was a dream!!!!

History - One coil was said to be faulty and changed by BMW
The second time another faulty coil - BMW said they only replaced one Bosch with the new Bremi and they should have replaced all 4 the first time with the new Bremi so I though problem solved. However problem still occurs and its becoming most upsetting!! I brought it back as it still under one year BMW warranty and guess what. . . . anoher faulty coil changed. At this stage I asked them to explore some other cause that resuts in coils going bad but the garage seems sure all is ok....... has anyone else had this problem??

Sorry for the long winded question.

All the best from the cold Ireland

[witeshark]

I would think a look at the ignition power supply is in order. Coil packs are usually very reliable.

[BMWho]

Thanks for promt reply. I would agree it can't be faulty coils all the time

how would I convince BMW to check that, should it show up on service scan?

[FCPGroton]

Ignition coils on the BMW are prone to failure. In our experience we have seen that one coil failing or "burning out" can lead to the others "burning out" also. We don't have an inline 4 cylinder 318 model manufactured in America in 2005, but the coils are the same as most models from 05-08.
OEM # 12 13 1 712 219

For your vehicle, should replace all 4 coils at the same time.

BMW Ignition Coil 745i 745Li 750Li 760Li 760i X3 X5 M3

Also, if ever searching for BMW parts in America, be sure to use this resource
RealOEM.com Online BMW Parts Catalog - its an electronic BMW parts catalog

Most distributors in US will have to way to look up a European model 318 ( the only models that come up are the 325)

Realoem.com is a great resource to find the part numbers, and give those part numbers to a supplier and they will be able to cross those numbers much faster than trying to have them look up a non american car!

[witeshark]

Originally Posted by BMWho

Thanks for promt reply. I would agree it can't be faulty coils all the time

how would I convince BMW to check that, should it show up on service scan?

A service scan should have a good idea what's wrong, but the post above (FCPGroton) may be more on the mark

[BMWho]

Thanks guys for your replies.

all four coils were replaced at the end of Nov and last week I brought is back to garage as the problem still happened quite frequently and another coil fault.

Really not sure what to do as I want to rectify any porblems before the warranty is up as the next time it goes and I'm paying for the coils

Might ask for the power supply to be checked and if all 4 were replace last week.

Thanks so much again folks!

[FCPGroton]

I agree with Witesark, service scan first!

The newer BMW's and their associated ignition components have been pretty darn reliable. Its the older models with the 12131748017 and 018 coils that we see the most coming to us.

[FCPGroton]

BMWho,

You can email our ASE tech miker@fcpgroton.com

explain to him exactly what you told us and I am sure he can shed some more light on the situation!

[BMWho]

Guys, just to update you and thank you for your help. Service scan was clear all ok (I didn't get to see any detail or reports so have to trust friendly BMW service manager). He did drive it with me and noticed the slight dead spot when accelerating without changing gear and he acknowledged a common problem. He resolved with 'software' upgrade and it is much more responsive now. Still not sure about those coils ) hope they don't go again and cost me!