06 530i starter out again after less than 1 yr!!

So back in January of this year, the car would not start after filling up at a busy gas station. Had to tow it to a nearby shop. I bought the starter at Autozone and the shop installed it for $200. They took 3 days and cried about how hard it was to get to it.

This morning the car would not start. Battery is good, everything lights up, definitely not dead. I'm not hearing a damn thing come from the starter motor. I've seen suggestions here about using a multimeter to check the voltage or banging on it - how the hell do people even access it from under the hood? I can't seem to at all.

The only good thing is, the starter is still under warranty with Autozone. But REALLY? Twice in one year?

Does anyone have a good pic of where the starter motor exactly is?

Was the original starter proved defective? Maybe it wasn't and isn't this time either.

They read good power to it, after they replaced the starter the car started up fine. I get power to everything inside, but, I don't hear anything coming from under the hood. I'm getting concerned as well, what if it isn't the starter this time? From the battery compartment I hear a click from a small black module when we attempt to start the car - don't know if this is normal or not.

I'm a little perplexed, there is zero sound coming from under the hood when we turn the ignition keyswitch, but, I'm wondering if this could also be the ignition switch.

If you have battery power on the big terminal at all times (trying to crank or not), and battery power on the other terminal when trying to crank, condemn the starter or its solenoid. If nothing on the above, problem is elsewhere.

I've read this starter is a PITA to access, but I'd want to expose it and test the above before dropping another starter into it.

In my experience if you as the owner pre-diagnose your problem, the mechanic will nearly always just replace what you ask him to. Sometimes just taking something apart and putting it back together will solve problems of an electrical nature, especially where there are interconnects.

You may want to read one of my threads about my e60 not starting "car wont turn over". I replaced my starter and even then it refused to start most of the time, what fixed it for me was (at least i was told) reprogramming the whole car.

Originally Posted by Dking078

You may want to read one of my threads about my e60 not starting "car wont turn over". I replaced my starter and even then it refused to start most of the time, what fixed it for me was (at least i was told) reprogramming the whole car.

Ah man, I hope not. I have a "Service Engine Soon" light on, been there for several weeks. I had planned on getting the car serviced at a trusty foreign auto nearby. My CCC nav system is out as well and I was hoping to have this upgraded after the new year and now this!

When my Nav CCC system went south, I came here and spent many hours/days searching the forums. Then my car died. It ended up being my Nav CCC system fan that was draining the battery. I replaced the battery with an aftermarket (not registered) and have had zero issues. Also bought a battery conditioner and charge once in a great while.

Hopefully your starter is the Bosch starter, which is OE for this car. I sure hope it is or the labor to replace 2nd time may not be to your liking. If not, I feel for you trying to get your mechanic to do that job again for $200. That was a steal and they didn't know what they were getting themselves into. Hopefully it isn't the starter. Look in the back above the battery at the rectangular fuse panel. There is a black square relay that has been known to go bad. You may check that relay as it is connected to the charging system.

Drive the Machine

Originally Posted by racooper3

Hopefully your starter is the Bosch starter, which is OE for this car. I sure hope it is or the labor to replace 2nd time may not be to your liking. If not, I feel for you trying to get your mechanic to do that job again for $200. That was a steal and they didn't know what they were getting themselves into. Hopefully it isn't the starter. Look in the back above the battery at the rectangular fuse panel. There is a black square relay that has been known to go bad. You may check that relay as it is connected to the charging system.

Drive the Machine

There is a black relay above the battery on the fuse panel that I can hear that is making a click noise when we attempt to start. Do you know the name of the relay?

The relay in question is the large black one in the middle of the pic:

$200 to replace starter on E60? As someone said above, that mechanic didn't know what he was getting into.
I'd say the Autozone starter is not as good as OE starter (Bosch).

I am in the middle of replacing the starter; I bought a Bosch reman. starter on RMeuropean dot com.

Originally Posted by audiophool

If you have battery power on the big terminal at all times (trying to crank or not), and battery power on the other terminal when trying to crank, condemn the starter or its solenoid. If nothing on the above, problem is elsewhere.

Where exactly is this second terminal? The terminal with the large red battery type cable running to it is reading above 12v constantly. There is a second terminal just beneath it that reads zero at all times, but, I'm not sure if that is the correct place to take the reading.



http://www*****.com/prod/2006-2007-b...ngId=237185980

If you get 0V on the other terminal and it's got a similar sized stud, that's the motor side of the solenoid. That terminal doesn't get power until the solenoid engages.

I would expect to see a thin wire going to the same vicinity as the fat red one on item 2 in your picture. The thin wire energizes the solenoid via the ignition switch or other related circuitry. If you don't get power on the thin wire when you're trying to crank the car, the problem is elsewhere.

Though the terminals may be marked differently, this should help:

http://cdn.2carpros.com/automotive_p..._starter_3.jpg

Originally Posted by audiophool

If you get 0V on the other terminal and it's got a similar sized stud, that's the motor side of the solenoid. That terminal doesn't get power until the solenoid engages.

I would expect to see a thin wire going to the same vicinity as the fat red one on item 2 in your picture. The thin wire energizes the solenoid via the ignition switch or other related circuitry. If you don't get power on the thin wire when you're trying to crank the car, the problem is elsewhere.

Though the terminals may be wired differently, this should help:

http://cdn.2carpros.com/automotive_p..._starter_3.jpg

Gottcha. That was exactly my line of thinking. I just walked my wife thru everything I've checked and researched thus far and that is what I told her I would check next. Indeed, there is a cable that connects on the port side and I intend on disconnecting it, cranking the engine, and checking for a signal at the output of that cable.

However, that second stud almost looks like a ground terminal the way a braided line is attached to it.


Thanks by the way and happy new year.

Originally Posted by FCman

Gottcha. That was exactly my line of thinking. I just walked my wife thru everything I've checked and researched thus far and that is what I told her I would check next. Indeed, there is a cable that connects on the port side and I intend on disconnecting it, cranking the engine, and checking for a signal at the output of that cable.

However, that second stud almost looks like a ground terminal the way a braided line is attached to it.


Thanks by the way and happy new year.

The braid you mention passes through a rubber grommet on the starter and attaches to the motor brush assembly positive side.

Happy New Year and good luck with the diagnosis.

Thanks to all who responded to my thread. And thank you to the administrator of this forum - sites like this are a real help.

Originally Posted by Nube1kenobi

SITUATION The engine does not crank. Only the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) and red brake lights show in the instrument cluster with ignition on. FC A111 (ELV voltage supply fault) is stored in the CAS (Car Access System)

CAUSE Low 15WUP signal voltage caused by faulty IBS (Intelligent Battery Sensor)

CORRECTION In case of customer complaint, disconnect the IBS connector X13895 (3-pin connector with 2 wires). The IBS is located on the negative battery terminal. Follow the white/blue and gray wires from the IBS to locate X13895.

If the vehicle now starts, the IBS is faulty and must be replaced

This was my problem. I'm kicking myself in the ass, because, I read somewhere else that the IBS was connected the POSITIVE side, so I had disconnected the thin cable from the positive side and hence, ruled out the IBS sensor. I did another search this morning and found Nube1kenobi's post and as soon as I saw the reference to the NEGATIVE post - I ran outside and disconnected it. Unbelievable. This literally just saved me from forking out a lot of cash and having my car towed to the shop!!!!!!