BMW X6 Starting Issues: Bad Camshaft Sensor?

Hey there! I had some experience with something similar on my 2020 BMW X4 (I'm not a mechanic, just have some basic experience with cars). What you're describing sounds exactly like what I dealt with last month. My engine light came on and I had similar symptoms, sluggish starts and power loss. Took it to my regular workshop and turned out it was indeed a sensor issue, but in my case, it was just a loose connection to the camshaft sensor. The mechanic found a damaged wire and had to replace the connector. Total bill was 95 Euro and the car's been running perfectly since. Before I can help more specifically, could you share: Are there any other warning lights besides the check engine light? Does it happen more when the engine is cold or warm? Have you noticed any unusual sounds? Hope we can figure this out for your X6!

Thanks for sharing your experience! My X6 has 164104 KM on the clock, and these issues started shortly after my recent service. To answer your questions: no other warning lights, just the check engine light. The problem is definitely worse when the engine is cold, especially during morning starts. Haven't noticed any unusual sounds, but the engine feels quite rough when idling. Really helpful to know about that loose connection issue you had, I'll definitely have my mechanic check the wiring too. Seems like it could be something similar since the symptoms match up pretty well with what you described.

Hey again! Yeah, after hearing about your cold start issues and the rough idle, it sounds even more similar to what I experienced with my X4. Especially since you mentioned it started after a service, that's exactly what triggered mine too! They must have disturbed something while working on it. In my case, the loose connection was actually causing intermittent signals to the ECU, which explains why it was worse on cold starts. The wiring harness near the sensor got slightly damaged during routine maintenance. At first, I was convinced I needed a new sensor, but thankfully my mechanic did a thorough check of the wiring first. Given your mileage (mine was around 145000 KM when this happened), it's worth having them check the entire wiring harness around that area. These things can deteriorate over time, and any recent work might have just made an existing weak spot more obvious. Quick tip from my experience, while they're checking it, have them look at the sensor connector's seal too. Mine had some oil residue that was causing poor contact. After they cleaned it up and fixed the wiring, it was like having a new car again. Let me know what your mechanic finds, really curious if it turns out to be the same issue!

Thanks so much for all the detailed info! You've actually made me feel a lot better about this whole situation. I was worried I'd need to replace the entire sensor unit, which would've been way more expensive. I've already called my mechanic and scheduled an appointment for tomorrow morning. I specifically mentioned the wiring harness and connector seal issues you encountered, they seemed quite interested in checking those first before jumping to any conclusions about needing new parts. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, especially since our situations sound nearly identical with the whole post-service timing and cold start problems. Makes total sense about the intermittent signals too, explains why it's been so unpredictable. I'll definitely update you once I get it checked out. Fingers crossed it's just a wiring issue like yours was! Thanks again for all the help.