BMW 3 Series Stalling: Start-Stop System Failure Alert

Hey there! I have some experience working on cars and had a very similar issue with my 1998 BMW 5 series last year. Your symptoms sound exactly like what I experienced, my car would out of nowhere shut off, and warning lights were going crazy. After trying to jump-start it a few times, I took it to my trusted mechanic. Turned out the battery was completely dead and couldn't hold a charge anymore. They had to replace the battery and reset all the electrical systems. Cost me around 290 Euro, but it fixed all the issues immediately. Just curious, what's the mileage on your car, and have you checked the battery voltage? Also, did you notice any other electrical issues before this started happening? This info would help me give you more specific advice based on my experience.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My BMW has 130155 KM on the clock, and I just had it serviced last month. I haven't checked the battery voltage yet, but come to think of it, I noticed the power windows were a bit sluggish last week before all this started happening. Sounds like I should definitely get the battery tested. Really hoping it's just a straightforward battery issue like yours and not something more complicated with the electrical system. Did you have any warning signs before your battery completely died?

Hey again! Thanks for the follow-up. Yeah, those sluggish power windows are definitely a red flag, that's exactly what I experienced before my battery issues got worse. Actually, thinking back, I started noticing small things about two weeks before my car completely acted up. The radio would sometimes reset itself, and the central locking was being finicky. My BMW had around 145000 KM when this happened, so pretty similar to yours. The funny thing is, I kept putting off getting it checked because everything else seemed fine during the service I had just a couple months before. Big mistake on my part! Just a heads up, when you get your battery tested, make sure they also check the alternator. In my case, the old battery had actually been slowly dying for months, which put extra strain on the alternator. Thankfully, mine was still okay, but my mechanic said it's pretty common for one problem to lead to another. Since you mentioned your recent service, I'd bring that up when you take it in. Sometimes these issues can start showing up right after a service if anything was accidentally left loose or if any electrical connections were disturbed. Trust me, better to catch it early, I learned that the hard way when I got stranded at a really inconvenient time!

I really appreciate all the detailed advice! You've actually made me feel a lot better about this situation. Those symptoms you mentioned, the radio resetting and central locking issues, I've noticed those too but didn't think they were connected. Definitely won't make the same mistake you did by waiting too long! I've already called my mechanic and booked it in for tomorrow morning. Thanks for the tip about checking the alternator too, I'll make sure to mention that specifically. It's such a relief to hear from someone who's dealt with the exact same problem and got it sorted without any major complications. I'll let you know what they find once I get it checked out. Really grateful for your help!