Expert: Josh Fields - 8/20/2006

Question
Hi Josh-
My BMW 325Ci is a 2.5 liter DOHC 24 vale inline 6 cylinder. It has under 18,000 miles all city driving and has had all the scheduled maintenance done.The problem is: the engine turns over and once it engages it dies. There are no warning lights on the dashboard.It has full power when I turn the ignition on so I ruled out the battery. There is no clicking noise so it appears not be the starter. Could it possibly be the fuel pump?  It drove perfectly the night before.Whatever your thoughts are would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you,
Angela

Answer
Angela,
 To be honest, I have little experience with the late-model BMW's.  I mainly have experience with the 1984-1991 3-series.  If the check engine light is appearing, you can have the fault codes read at a dealership or other shop, that will point you or the mechanics in the right direction.

 The problem is that these late-model BMW's have so many electronics on board, and if one of them fails then the engine does wierd things.  So without another computer to diagnose which sensor is bad, you would literally have to replace every sensor until you found the right one.

 So my advice is to take it to a quality European auto shop, preferably one that specializes in BMW's and Mercedes.  This will be the best option from sending it to the dealership.  Unfortunately I dont have much faith in most of the technicians at the dealerships, and I've rarely seen good results from sending a car there.  Usually just a lighter pocketbook/wallet is the end result.

 Good luck,
 Josh