BMW recalls 1.3 million cars worldwide for battery cable issue

BMW AG is recalling about 1.3 million cars for repair worldwide due to a possible problem with a battery cable cover in the car boot, the carmaker said today.

The recall affects 5- and 6-Series BMWs built between 2003 and 2010, BMW said in a statement.

The recall affects about 367,000 vehicles in the United States and 290,000 in Germany, BMW said.

"In some remote cases, the battery cable cover inside the boot of these vehicles may be incorrectly mounted," it said.

"This can result in the electrical system malfunctioning, the vehicle failing to start and, in some cases, to charring or fire," the company said, adding it was not aware of any accidents or injuries to people due to the problem.

BMW said it was writing to car owners. The repair procedure in a BMW partner workshop would take about 30 minutes and would be free of charge to customers, it added.

BMW recalls Mini Coopers after fires, U.S. regulator says

BMW is recalling 88,911 Mini Cooper cars because of a defect that has caused fires, the U.S. auto-safety regulator said.

The circuit board on the electric auxiliary water pumps that cool the cars' turbochargers can malfunction, overheat and cause fires, BMW said Saturday in a posting on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Web site.

In October, the agency opened an investigation into Minis after reports of 12 engine fires, including five that destroyed the vehicles. In eight cases, the fires happened when the cars were parked and turned off. The recall includes various Minis from the model years 2007 to 2011.

BMW Recall Notice FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL: PRE-HEATER

Manufacturer: BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC Mfr's Report Date: AUG 18, 2011
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 11V441000 NHTSA Action Number: N/A
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL: PRE-HEATER
Potential Number of Units Affected: 2,120
Summary:
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 X5 XDRIVE35D VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A DIESEL ENGINE AND MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 1, 2008, THROUGH JUNE 12, 2009. THE FUEL FILTER HEATER, WHICH IS USED FOR WARMING UP THE DIESEL FUEL DURING VEHICLE OPERATION AT LOW OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES, COULD EXPERIENCE AN ELECTRICAL OVERLOAD CONDITION AND BECOME PERMANENTLY ACTIVATED.
Consequence:
THE FUEL FILTER HEATER COULD REMAIN ACTIVATED EVEN WHEN THE IGNITION IS OFF AND LEAD TO A DEAD BATTERY. THE UNIT COULD ALSO OVERHEAT, POSSIBLY LEADING TO A VEHICLE FIRE.
Remedy:
BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL FILTER HEATER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING OCTOBER 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND SERVICES AT 1-800-525-7417.
Notes:
OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

BMW to make their smaller cars FWD, CEO says

BMW AG is working on a new front-wheel- and four-wheel-drive vehicle architecture that will underpin a new range of entry-level BMW cars as well as next-generation Mini models.

“There will be front-wheel-drive BMWs in the smaller vehicle classes in the future,” BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer (pictured) said at the company's annual financial results press conference here today.

Currently, all BMW models are rear-wheel drive and all Mini variants are front-wheel drive.

BMW development boss Klaus Draeger said the new vehicle architecture will debut in 2014 with the arrival of the third-generation Mini hatchback.

He said the new architecture will enable BMW to produce a range of vehicles that are between 3800mm and 4300mm long. By comparison, Volkswagen's Fox, Polo, Golf, Beetle and Scirocco model lines fit within the same size range, which covers everything from minicars to subcompacts to compacts.

Sources said that at its peak the new architecture will underpin up to 20 different BMW and Mini model variants.

For BMW, the new front-wheel-drive models will fit below its entry-premium 1-series models, which Draeger said would keep their rear-drive architecture.

BMW needs to meet a growing demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. The company also will have to cope with tougher European CO2 emission rules that start to take effect in 2012.

Reithofer said: "We expect the premium small car segment to grow by 4-6 percent annually until 2020," adding that the group would cut its CO2 fleet emissions by at least 25 percent by 2020 versus 2008 levels, when they were 156 grams per km.

The decision to create a new joint architecture is also a sign of the times. Automakers are under increasing pressure to share investments between brands or with partners to save money.

2004 BMW X5 and the sat nav is showing an error

Question:

I have a 2004 BMW X5 and the sat nav is showing an error. Have cleaned the laser, cleaned the disc, tried the DVD unit in another BMW and it works fine! But I still have an error message pop up when I try and access the sat nav.

Answer:

Try performing a battery disconnect. You have to remove the spare tire and the cover over the battery. Wait at least 5 minutes after the key is shut off before disconnecting battery negative. Once you have disconnected the battery leave it disconnected for about ten minutes. This will re-set all of the modules. Once you have re-connected and started the vehicle turn the steering wheel lock to lock and the abs lights will go out. Now check the function of your Nav system.

ENGINE WILL NOT TURN OVER

Question: I have a 2006 Mini Cooper and my engine will not turn over. I go to start my car and it just makes a clicking sound. Whats wrong? Answer: The battery has gone dead and does not have enough power to engage the starter and crank the engine or the lights were left on and drained the battery. Have the battery checked for voltage, should be a little more than 12 volts, and have a load test done to the battery. Quick checks you can make are, check the battery terminals for extreme corrosion and check that they are tight. Since this is fairly new, not so likely.