BMW M4 Screen Flickering and Audio System Failure, Help!

Hey there! I had almost the exact same issue with my 2017 BMW M3 last year (I'm a moderate car enthusiast with some experience in basic maintenance). The symptoms were identical, flickering display and total audio failure. Initially, I thought it was just a software glitch, but it turned out to be more serious. Took it to my trusted workshop where they diagnosed a faulty iDrive controller unit. The whole repair, including parts and labor, set me back about 725 Euro, but it's been working flawlessly since. I've heard similar issues reported on other BMW models like the M2 as well. Could you share your car's mileage and whether you've had any previous repairs to the infotainment system? Also, did you notice any warning messages before the display started acting up? This info would help me give you more specific advice based on my experience.

Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm at 161518 KM and just had my last service done recently. Haven't had any previous repairs on the infotainment system before this issue started. Actually, no warning messages popped up, it just started acting weird out of nowhere. Really hoping it won't cost me as much as yours did, but good to know what I might be looking at price-wise. Did your workshop mention if this is a common issue with these models? Also wondering how long the repair took in your case.

Hey again! Yeah, I totally get your concern about the repair costs. When I had my M3 fixed, I actually chatted with my mechanic about how common this is. He told me he'd seen quite a few similar cases in various M models, particularly from that generation. The repair on mine took about 4-5 hours, they had to remove quite a bit of the center console to access everything properly. Given your mileage and the fact that it happened without warning (just like mine), it really does sound like the same iDrive controller issue. The sudden failure without any warning messages is pretty typical for this problem. The good news is that once it's fixed, it usually stays fixed, I'm 14 months post-repair now and haven't had a single problem with the system. Just a heads up though, make sure they do a full diagnostic check when they're in there. In my case, they found that some of the connection pins were slightly corroded, which they cleaned up during the repair. This might actually save you some money in the long run by preventing future issues. If you want, I can share more details about what exactly they did during the repair, might help you know what to expect when you take it in.

Thanks so much for all this detailed info! That's really helpful to know about the connection pins, I'll definitely mention that to my mechanic when I take it in. It's actually a relief to hear this is a known issue that can be properly fixed, even though the cost isn't exactly something to look forward to. 4-5 hours doesn't sound too bad either, I was worried it might be a multiple-day job. And yeah, I'd love to hear more about the specific repair details if you don't mind sharing. I always like to know what I'm getting into before the mechanics start working on my car. Really appreciate you taking the time to help out with all this info. I'll probably book it in next week and hopefully get this sorted once and for all!