BMW 3-Series Engine Problems: Throttle Valve Issue?

Hey there! I had a very similar issue with my 2006 BMW 5-series. I've got some experience working on cars, but mainly basic maintenance stuff. The symptoms you're describing sound exactly like what I dealt with last year. My car was jerking, terrible response when pressing the gas, and drinking fuel like crazy. Turned out it was a defective accelerator pedal module. Had it replaced at my regular workshop and it fixed everything, cost me around 205 Euro total. Could you share more details about your car? Like the specific engine size and current mileage? This could help narrow things down, as these BMWs can have different quirks depending on the variant. But honestly, with those symptoms, I'd bet it's the same issue I had. Whatever you do, don't wait too long to get it checked, these problems tend to get worse and more expensive to fix if you keep driving with them.

Thanks for your input! My last service was just 3 weeks ago, and with 144778 KM on the clock, I'm trying to keep her running smooth. I initially thought it might be the throttle body too, but your accelerator pedal experience is really interesting. Did you notice if the check engine light came on when you had this issue? Just want to make sure I'm comparing apples to apples before I head to the workshop. The fuel consumption thing is really killing me right now, so I'm pretty motivated to get this sorted quickly. I'll definitely get it checked out this week. Thanks for sharing your repair costs too, helps me budget for what's coming!

Hey again! Yes, I totally remember when mine started acting up. You know what's interesting, my check engine light was actually really inconsistent with this issue. It would flicker on and off out of nowhere, which made diagnosing it even trickier. Sometimes it wouldn't show up at all, which is probably why it took me a while to pin down the exact problem. Your mileage is pretty close to what mine was when I had the issue (I was around 150,000 km). And yeah, I get you about the fuel consumption, it was driving me nuts too! I was literally stopping at gas stations way more often than usual. Since you mentioned your recent service, did they maybe say anything about the throttle position sensor readings? Because initially, my mechanic thought it was the throttle body too, but when they did a proper diagnostic, the accelerator pedal module readings were way off. That's what tipped them off. Quick tip though, before you go in, try disconnecting your battery for about 15 minutes and then reconnecting it. Sometimes this resets the pedal module and could give you a temporary fix, at least to confirm if we're dealing with the same issue. It helped me limp along until I could get it properly fixed. But yeah, definitely get it checked soon. Mine started getting really jerky on highway drives, which was pretty unsettling. Let me know what you find out, really curious if it's the same problem!

Thanks for the detailed follow-up! That battery reset tip is super helpful, I'll definitely try that tonight. Actually, now that you mention the highway drives, I've noticed the jerking gets worse at higher speeds too. Pretty unnerving stuff. Funny enough, my check engine light's been playing the same games, on again, off again. During the last service they didn't mention anything specific about throttle position sensors, but I wasn't having these issues then. Going to call my workshop tomorrow and specifically ask them to check both the accelerator pedal module and throttle body. Really appreciate all your help with this. You've saved me from potentially going down the wrong diagnostic path. I'll update you once I get it sorted, hopefully it'll be as straightforward as your fix was. Maybe this thread will help other BMW owners dealing with similar issues too!