325Ci key not recognised issue!

[mrs_filan_123]

Morning all

I have a 2003 325Ci. I went to start her up yesterday morning, all of the lights and dash display came on, but radio silence from the engine!

I figured this might be a key issue. Had the RAC out last night and got him to check the key (after him telling me it was the starter motor!), he said that the issue is with the part in the steering column not recognising the key, rather than the key itself. (i have no idea what this is called, I'm a female with pretty limited knowledge of cars).

He was going to call a locksmith, but said that BMW would be cheaper directly, as this is a common fault.

Called BMW today and was told they could not quote me, I would need to take the car (which is currently not able to move!) down to my nearest BMW dealership and pay £99 + VAT for a diagnostic.

Is this something the RAC should have done? Is this definitely likely to be the problem? How much am I looking at to get it sorted?

If anyone could answer any of the above questions, that would be fab

[Elliot2000]

How did he prove the key was being recognised? I’m not sure I’d take his diagnosis as 100% tbh.

It could be that ring around the around the ignition barrel, it could also be the key itself(do u have a spare to rule this out?) . It could also be down to the immobiliser which is above the pedal box. Or even the starter as he’s mentioned( is it a manual car? If so , see if it will start with a bump start)

[zedx19]

I had a very similar problem on a Mazda, the car unlocked, all the lights came on but it wouldn't start, however I spotted a little light flashing which was the immobiliser. Turned out the key was at fault, the immobiliser sender in the key had come loose, meaning it wasn't close enough to the ignition barrel for the car to read it. I found this out by dismantling the key and finding the sender rattling around inside. Super glued it back in the correct place and the car was fine for next 6 months before we sold it.

[mrs_filan_123]

Elliot2000 said:

How did he prove the key was being recognised? I’m not sure I’d take his diagnosis as 100% tbh.

It could be that ring around the around the ignition barrel, it could also be the key itself(do u have a spare to rule this out?) . It could also be down to the immobiliser which is above the pedal box. Or even the starter as he’s mentioned( is it a manual car? If so , see if it will start with a bump start)

Hi Elliot2000

I'm not convinced about the key either. He used a ring around the ignition to clarify that this could be the issue. I have a spare (which the battery has gone in, but still manually unlocks and starts the car normally), and this won't start the car either.

It's a manual. We haven't tried to bump it, mainly due to where it has broken down!

With the immobiliser, is this something I could look at?

Thanks.

[Smuler]

mrs_filan_123 said:

Hi Elliot2000

I'm not convinced about the key either. He used a ring around the ignition to clarify that this could be the issue. I have a spare (which the battery has gone in, but still manually unlocks and starts the car normally), and this won't start the car either.

It's a manual. We haven't tried to bump it, mainly due to where it has broken down!

With the immobiliser, is this something I could look at?

Thanks.

If both keys, irrespective of the battery failed in one, don't start the car then I agree it's hardly the "one" key. RAC man seems wrong.

Could you call them again, complain, put this point to them forcibly and, depending on policy, if they still can't fix it are they obliged to tow you to a garage, from home start. I know my recovery would. Not RAC tho.

But in meantime, any BMW specialists near you? Maybe worth a call to them and they could always take the car from RAC. Could well be cheaper than dealers with higher labor and diagnostic costs.

[iSore]

The last one of these I saw like this, a manual E46 Coupe, it was the starter motor. E46 ECU's almost never fail and it's very unlikely to be the plastic transponder ring. I've never seen or heard of one fail. If there are lights on the dash, a tow start should get it going.

[Elliot2000]

If the bump start didn’t work, and the spare key didn’t work - I would be looking at the ews immobiliser, dme or the toroidal ring tbh. As we have had a spate of wet weather it might be worth checking the e box under the bonnet near the windscreen on the right hand side hasn’t filled up with water and knackered the dme ecu. If that looks ok then you could try a toroidal ring but these rarely go wrong. Which leaves the immobiliser or ews/dme out of alignment - the alignment just needs bmw software to reset it- if ur local I can do it, if not - mention where u r in the uk and someone else might be local with a laptop

[Elliot2000]

If the bump start didn’t work, and the spare key didn’t work - I would be looking at the ews immobiliser, dme or the toroidal ring tbh. As we have had a spate of wet weather it might be worth checking the e box under the bonnet near the windscreen on the right hand side hasn’t filled up with water and knackered the dme ecu. If that looks ok then you could try a toroidal ring but these rarely go wrong. Which leaves the immobiliser or ews/dme out of alignment - the alignment just needs bmw software to reset it

[M3333]

The antenna coil ring around the ignition switch is very easy to swap. It's a common issue on older cars. It reads the chip in the key and allows the car to start being part of the OEM immobiliser. You could probably try getting one from a breakers or ebay and it will simply plug in.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-E46-E39-E38-3-5-7-S...

[mrs_filan_123]

Thank you to everyone for your help. After getting the car lifted to the garage, it turns out it was the starter motor... I'm assuming if it's not something immediately obvious then RAC just take a stab in the dark.

Thanks all.

[4rephill]

mrs_filan_123 said:

Thank you to everyone for your help. After getting the car lifted to the garage, it turns out it was the starter motor... I'm assuming if it's not something immediately obvious then RAC just take a stab in the dark.

Thanks all.

The RAC man correctly told you it was the starter motor to begin with - You then started talking about it being an issue with the key:

mrs_filan_123 said:

Morning all

I have a 2003 325Ci. I went to start her up yesterday morning, all of the lights and dash display came on, but radio silence from the engine!

I figured this might be a key issue. Had the RAC out last night and got him to check the key (after him telling me it was the starter motor!)..........

Because you told him you thought it was a key issue, all he has done is given you the information as to what the most likely cause of a key failure would be.

The RAC (AA/GreenFlag etc., etc., etc.) don't simply take a "stab in the dark"at fixing faults - They examine the car, read the fault codes (where possible), and then check the car over, looking at the most likely cause of failures first, and working through to the less likely causes.

Had you listened to the RAC man in the first place, and trusted what he was telling you about the starter motor, you wouldn't have wasted time and energy looking into replacement keys!