BMW 1 Series Stalling Issues, Coil Pack Problems?

Hi there! I had a somewhat similar issue with my 2002 BMW 3 series last year. I've got some experience working on cars, though I mainly stick to basic maintenance. When my car showed those exact symptoms, the stalling, jerking, and rough running, it turned out to be a faulty wiring connection to one of the ignition coils. Took it to my regular workshop, and they diagnosed it by checking all the connections. The cable had worn out and wasn't making proper contact. Total repair cost me 95 Euro for the new wiring harness and labor. Car's been running smoothly since then. Before I can help more specifically, could you share: Have you scanned for error codes? Does it happen more when the engine is cold or warm? Which engine variant does your 1 series have? Those details would help compare if it's the same issue I experienced.

Thanks for sharing your experience! I've got a gasoline engine, and yeah, I just got it scanned after my last service at 39,890 KM. The issues seem worse when the engine's cold, especially in the morning. I'm getting error codes pointing to misfires. It's interesting you mention the wiring harness, that's definitely something I hadn't considered. I was so focused on the ignition coils themselves that I didn't think about the connections. Did you notice any visible damage on your wiring before getting it fixed? I'll take a look at mine when I get a chance, though I'm not super confident about DIY electrical stuff.

Hey again! Yeah, looking at your symptoms and especially those misfire codes, it's really similar to what I experienced. In my case, I actually didn't notice any obvious damage to the wiring at first glance. The insulation looked fine from the outside, but when the mechanic removed the harness, we could see the wire was corroded inside where it connected to the coil. These things can be pretty sneaky! Since you mentioned your car acts up more when cold, that's exactly what mine did too. The connection would be worse until everything warmed up and expanded a bit. The morning starts were always the worst, I remember it would shake like crazy for the first few minutes. I know you're thinking about the ignition coils, and they could still be the culprit, but I'd definitely get those wiring connections checked first. It's usually cheaper to replace the harness than multiple coils. My mechanic showed me that you can sometimes wiggle the connections while the engine's running to test them, if the running gets worse when you move them, that's often a sign of wiring issues. Just be careful if you decide to check it yourself, like you said, electrical stuff can be tricky. Might be worth having a professional take a look, especially since your symptoms are so similar to what I dealt with.

Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation! That's super helpful, especially about the corrosion being hidden inside the wiring. Makes total sense about the cold starts too, I've definitely noticed that pattern with the shaking in the morning. You've convinced me to get the wiring checked out first before jumping straight to replacing the coils. Think I'll skip the DIY route on this one and get it to a mechanic who knows BMWs. Better safe than sorry with electrical issues, and it sounds like it could save me money in the long run if it turns out to be just the wiring harness like in your case. Really appreciate you sharing your experience, it's given me a much better idea of what to look into. I'll let you know how it turns out once I get it checked!