Hey guys. First time post. I'd appreciate any thoughts and suggestions on my latest issue and I hope I can return the favor down the road. Thanks for your insights.
My wife has a '04 X3 that has been acting up lately. We're due for an upgrade and will likely be replacing the car soon, but I'd like to get this little issue resolved asap, regardless.
While at one time the problem was intermittent, currently her key almost always fails to start the vehicle. Remote lock/unlock/trunk buttons operate fine, all the lights on the dash appear normal when turning the key to 'on', but the engine won't crank until many many attempted turns of the key. One time recently she just held the key in the start position and after about a 7 seconds delay the engine finally started up.
I suspected it may be related to the key so I had her switch to my key for the car, and she's had zero problems ever since. Further trials have confirmed the problem is certainly related to that particular key.
I've read about the EWS/Immobilizer (are these two separate parts that work in concert for anti-theft? Like the one in the key vs one in the dash??), and wondering if there may be a problem with the chip in her key. Thoughts? And if so, is there any repair out there? Will re-initializing the keys help? I can solder thought I wouldn't call myself great at it.
Wondering if I'm destined to purchasing a new key from BMW. I certainly don't like having just one functioning key for the car. She loses things
My wife has a '04 X3 that has been acting up lately. We're due for an upgrade and will likely be replacing the car soon, but I'd like to get this little issue resolved asap, regardless.
While at one time the problem was intermittent, currently her key almost always fails to start the vehicle. Remote lock/unlock/trunk buttons operate fine, all the lights on the dash appear normal when turning the key to 'on', but the engine won't crank until many many attempted turns of the key. One time recently she just held the key in the start position and after about a 7 seconds delay the engine finally started up.
I suspected it may be related to the key so I had her switch to my key for the car, and she's had zero problems ever since. Further trials have confirmed the problem is certainly related to that particular key.
I've read about the EWS/Immobilizer (are these two separate parts that work in concert for anti-theft? Like the one in the key vs one in the dash??), and wondering if there may be a problem with the chip in her key. Thoughts? And if so, is there any repair out there? Will re-initializing the keys help? I can solder thought I wouldn't call myself great at it.
Wondering if I'm destined to purchasing a new key from BMW. I certainly don't like having just one functioning key for the car. She loses things