HELP: 325xi will not drive foreword

Hi everyone,

I just picked up my 06 325xi today from the dealer. Drove an hour and a half home no problems at all. Stopped at a gas station to swap drivers with my father and turned it on and off a few times, no problems at all. As I went to take my girlfriend for a test drive after I got home I hit the brakes fairly hard coming to a stop sign just down the road from my house. I put it in gear to turn and it was almost as it the emergency brake was engaged (obviously not the case). The car will try to move foreword, it goes into gear just fine, but it's almost as if the front brakes are locked up. The car moves fine in reverse (I backed it up road and into my driveway after the incident). Disconnected the battery and still won't budge foreword even in neutral. When I re-connected the battery the 4x4 light was flashing. I've been searching around for what could be the cause but I haven't found anything. Any input would be great. It'd be great to get this worked out tonight so I can show it off on Christmas tomorrow. Worse comes to worse I'll be calling the dealer Wdnesday reguardless of it being fixed or not.

You said any input so we had our trany fail on one of our beaters it wouldn't go in reverse at all and did exactly what you described (minus the 4x4 light).

You should try reverse and see if that does anything.

Good luck let us know how it turns out.

*oh our repair was a brand new tranny free cause we were under warranty.

it's in my original post, I got it back to my house in reverse, it goes into and drives in reverse just fine

Originally Posted by CannonCam

it's in my original post, I got it back to my house in reverse, it goes into and drives in reverse just fine

lol oh, I stop reading sometimes to think

Multitasking issues

Originally Posted by CannonCam

The car moves fine in reverse (I backed it up road and into my driveway after the incident).

Found it!

Yeah I'd bet lots of cash its tranny.

it's a 6 speed manual, only has 60k on it. Drove just fine the few test rides I took and on the ride home, no odd noises, no hesitations

Originally Posted by CannonCam

it's a 6 speed manual, only has 60k on it. Drove just fine the few test rides I took and on the ride home, no odd noises, no hesitations

Maybe this can help?
http://cars.blurtit.com/q713031.html

If you can physically shift the gear stick into drive but the car still only moves in reverse, this could be a sign that you are running very low on transmission fluid. Quite often, if the fluid level is that low it means that the gear stick is not being lubricated and although the car can be put in to drive, it will still only move backwards.

If the gear stick can't physically be shifted into drive then it probably means that linkage to the transmission is binding up. The only way to really check for the cause of the linkage binding up is to take it apart and check for damage on the gears. Although the problem can be fixed yourself, if you do not feel comfortable and confident doing it, it is important to go to a mechanic as the damage that can be caused by an untrained hand can lead to an even more expensive repair bill.

Sometimes the reason a car only goes in reverse could be that the clutch has burned out. If this is the case, again head to a mechanic.

Here is a DIY Tranny fluid change for the Auto so this should give you an idea if you want to check the fluids (I sure wouldn't know how )

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1448807

*Could also be clutch which should be cheaper than a total tranny fail.

can you move fwd in 2nd gear?

the awd error is because of disconnecting the battery.

So was it in gear when you slammed the brakes?
Can you push it backwards and forwards when its in neutral?
For hill the manual will apply brakes for a second or two while you are on
a hill to stop you from sliding backwards.
The 4x4 light will go out with a little bit of normal driving.
Dude said he had a manual.
I think that fluid info only apply s to a auto trans but having no fluid in a manual
is not good but I don't think it would stop shifting.
Did you look to see if the brake pads are touching the disks?

Originally Posted by ctuna

I think that fluid info only applys to a auto trans but having not fluid in a manual
is not good but I don't think it would stop shifting.
Did you look to see if the brake pads are touching the disks?

lol I have no idea I'm just throwing info at him so he can read up on it.

If you just bought it from a dealer then call them ASAP. Tell them what it is doing. I am sure they will take care of it if you let them know right away. If you wait and try working on it yourself they may not be so helpful.

Maybe the hill assist is malfunctioning and holding the brakes longer than it should.

Thank you all for the input, so bummed out that I just got it and it immediately is acting up. I'll just call the dealer in the morning and get the situation worked out.

It's supposed to be towed back to the dealership today, weather permitting that is. I will post an update for those that are curious what the issue is once I find out myself.

Originally Posted by CannonCam

It's supposed to be towed back to the dealership today, weather permitting that is. I will post an update for those that are curious what the issue is once I find out myself.

Why not drive it in reverse back to them

Originally Posted by SuperTerp

Why not drive it in reverse back to them

we are not fast and furious....or are we....

Originally Posted by spicytofu

we are not fast and furious....or are we....

I reverse about as good as I change oil which is awful and not at all!

For those interested, I got the car back yesterday. Here's what the dealer invoice said (completely free of charge of course as it happened the day I bought the car).

61736 parking brake adjuster came loose and jammed wheel r/i right wheel and removed rotor, found adjuster out of place. They reinstalled the adjuster and replaced the rotor as well.

Originally Posted by CannonCam

For those interested, I got the car back yesterday. Here's what the dealer invoice said (completely free of charge of course as it happened the day I bought the car).

61736 parking brake adjuster came loose and jammed wheel r/i right wheel and removed rotor, found adjuster out of place. They reinstalled the adjuster and replaced the rotor as well.

Phew... I wouldn't have minded a free transmission though