Intermitant Starting Problems

I have a 2008 X3 that has intermittant starting issues. The car will start fine for days and then all of a sudden when I turn the key there is nothing. All the indicator lights light up, power to everything, but no response form the engine. Central locking from the key is also inactive. Leave the car alone for a few minutes and it will start up again. I had the car at a dealer but they could not duplicate the problem.

My first guess would be that the starter is going out on you. They can degrade over time, and produce intermittent starts before going to that great salvage yard in the sky once and for all...

Second guess would be battery. Are you getting clicks and whirs when you have a failed start attempt, or just silence?

next time in the afternoon try and just turn the key until the accessories come on, leave it there for a few seconds, then start. mine was doing sort of this when it would sit for a while, I have used the pause method lately and have not had an issue.

could be the things already mentioned plus a loose connection at the battery or the ground wire is not tight. you shouldn't have to learn idiosyncrasies in order to start or operate your '08 X3 - it's a BMW for crying out loud

I had exactly the same problem, exactly. It was the AWS security box inbetween the ignition key and the starter. Changed that 15 months ago, never failed since.

I guarantee it's the AWS security box. Guarentee. It's DÉJÀ vu all over again.

I have a similar issue but mine is intermitten. Usually starts fine but if it does not start first time the following attempts usually stop after quarter second or so or do nothing at all as discribed above. Voltages are good. Battery is good. Jump starting does not help only thing you can do is wait and eventually it starts right up. Longest it has taken is about an hour...usually after a few minutes. Seems to only happen when the engine is warm like driving around town. Tried changing keys and no error codes...dealship wants to replace starter but again when it starts it starts very well and not sign of it not working properly. Seems something is interupting the process or blocking it. I have also tried putting it in neutral and back as suggested by dealership. Just can't seem to identify what is causing the issue. I just got this car few months ago and have replaced air conditioner, DSC 4x4 postion sensor, window regulator and now this....not what I expected on a car with 73,000 miles on it. Thanks for the information I will call my Dealer Monday and ask about the AWS security box. Just wondering how much we talking for that repair? Was that AWS or EWS?