[amit]

It was my childhood dream to own a BMW. After going on a severe cost cutting spree for a few years I finally was able to buy a 3 series. In fact the occasion was so special that I planned the entire purchase in such a way that I would take delivery of the car on my birthday. I was gifting myself a BMW 3 series and like any car enthusiast I wanted the best for myself and so I went in for the M sport variant.

In June 2016, I took delivery of my 320d M Sport. The car is white with coral red interiors. I wanted a black car with the red interiors but BMW didn't give a black colour option in the M Sport trim so I had to settle for the second best option. I was lucky to find the car kitted out in white/red combination as the only other option at that time was a Estorial blue with beige interiors. While I liked the exterior paint for the exclusivity factor the interiors was a deal breaker for me.

From June 2016 to February 2017 everything went smoothly. The car performed really well. I do a lot of Mumbai-Pune runs so I was having a blast driving on the expressway which gave me a chance to experience straight's along with twisties - both areas where a BMW excels.

In February, the first minor (at that time I thought it's a minor issue) problem came. One day while driving the alert went off in the car and I got a flurry of messages on my drive, instrument cluster & HUD.

Lighting system stop carefully

Headlight High Beam failure

Lighting system front left failure

Lighting system front right failure

DRL/Side lights failure

Since the car was usable I took an appointment with Infinity Turbhe and wasn't forceful about taking the car right in to them. The next day the issues escalated to the DRL's & headlights switching off for about 20-25 seconds then coming back on. This happened randomly. Sometimes this would happen every 10-15 minutes, sometimes every 2-3 minutes. When the lights switched off the radio and air con also switched off and on.

The car was with Infinity for about 4-5 days. They diagnosed a 'pinched battery wire' problem and also replaced the horn for me. After about a week while I was driving to Pune, the error message came back but this time they came only once and everything was normal after that for the next few months.

Sometime in May 2017 the error messages came back. The issue was a repeat of what I had faced in February. At first I only got messages on my drive and instrument cluster. Then slowly things escalated to the lights flickering off and on along with the radio and air con. Since I was in Pune at that time I took the car to Bavaria Motors. The car went through a check up for 3 days and they again diagnosed the issue down to some twisted cable going to the CAN Bus. The solution was simple. Straighten the cable, use a cable tie to tie it down properly and the car passed the scan. Everything worked smoothly for about 15-20 days.

In June 2017, while I was in Mumbai the error messages started again! This was the third time in about 5 months that I was facing the same issue. This time though there was a difference. The error messages were relentless, most severe in the 3 times that I had this problem. The first error message came somewhere on the Palm Beach road in Navi Mumbai at about 8 pm and I stay at Chembur. Till I reached home the messages were flashing continuously with the sound alerts. The headlights were flickering on and off along with the radio and air con. The next morning I took an appointment with Infinity Turbhe and since it was the weekend the car was scheduled to be given on a Monday morning.

The scan this time showed ZGM & FEM failure. There were also other errors like 'Chassis destabilised!' By this time I had developed a good relationship with my service advisor and he told me they will have to check what is causing the ZGM And FEM to malfunction. I told them that they can keep the car for as long as they want but this time I want a permanent resolution to this issue.

The next few days the car underwent a thorough inspection of the wiring and everything checked out ok. The scan was not showing any errors too but I was by now skeptical of taking the car back. Infinity understood my hesitation and we agreed to escalate matters to BMW India. Thorough my friends I got contact of someone who could help with this issue and the matter was explained to him. Meanwhile, Infinity also updated that a technician from BMW Delhi would be coming to inspect the car in the next 2-3 days. Ultimately, I got a message from my contact that there was a fault with the air con control panel had some defect and a new part would be sourced for me. About a week later I was informed that the Can Bus that communicates with the ZGM has been changed and the car has passed the scan with no errors. On being asked what different was done by the technician from BMW that Infinity's scan didn't show I was told that since the car was not showing any errors the technician checked BMW's online portal to see how this problem was resolved in other countries and the Can Bus change had resolved this issues somewhere so the same was being done to my car. At that time I felt this was plain trial and error and basically BMW is trying to change parts at random in the hope that something would stick!

On June 29, 2017 (Thursday) at 6 pm I took delivery of my car again. Do note that the car was in for about 2 1/2 weeks to solve this issue for good.

On June 30, 2017 (Friday) at about 10 pm I was in Navi Mumbai and as soon as I cranked the car the dreaded error messages came back!

After BMW and their dealers checked & repaired the car for 2 1/2 weeks, it took about 28 hours for the error messages to come back.

This is the fourth time the same problem has recurred and I really don't know what options I have now. Because the headlights switch off for few seconds I am skeptical of using the car in the night. There are times when I am travelling from Pune to Mumbai in the night as I have a factory in Chakan and I don't want to get caught in a situation where the headlights switch off for good. Specially with the monsoon season and ghats section on the expressway it could end up in disaster for me if the headlights suddenly don't come back on. The reliability is coming under serious question and so is my confidence in the car & BMW.

I have spoken to Infinity today morning and I will take the car back to them on Monday morning. The fresh errors will be communicated to BMW and I think BMW should give me in writing what they plan to do to solve this issue for good permanently. I have allowed them 3 attempts to solve this issue and do whatever they can but I don't want them re-checking the wiring again. Besides, I am not sure if the wiring can be checked competently in a dealership considering how complex these cars are.

I have 3 video's that I could record when the error messages were relentlessly flashing in the car about 3 weeks back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0oX9uS2f4A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvuTio1a5SQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBXLo_Ono9w

[abhi182]

Since it is a issue that affects practically all the lights on your car, it looks unlikely it is anything else but an issue with the FRM module (one of the several ECUs in your car - this one controls lights amongst other things).
Given it's a 2016 car, i presume it will be under warranty - get them to run and share diagnostics on the FRM with you.
Ask them to also check the wiring harness for the module and replace it if necessary

[amit]

Originally Posted by abhi182

Since it is a issue that affects practically all the lights on your car, it looks unlikely it is anything else but an issue with the FRM module (one of the several ECUs in your car - this one controls lights amongst other things).
Given it's a 2016 car, i presume it will be under warranty - get them to run and share diagnostics on the FRM with you.
Ask them to also check the wiring harness for the module and replace it if necessary

I understand the FRM after the F30 launch has been renamed FEM. Infinity says that if the FRM / FEM is malfunctioning then it will result in my power windows also acting weird. But since thats not happening they believe the FEM/FRM is working fine. Also, the radio and air con switching off along with the lights is also making them feel that it's not the FEM / FRM at fault.

Do note that about 3 weeks back the car's key scan showed a ZGM/FEM malfunction/failure message. The dealer decided to check the wiring to understand why the ZGM & FEM modules went wrong together. A check of the wiring revealed that there was nothing wrong with it and the next scan didn't show the FEM failure which is when BMW was involved.

I have felt from the first day that the FEM was at fault and this time after your suggestion I will ask them to look into it strongly.

Thanks for the help!

Originally Posted by amit

Lighting system stop carefully

I forgot to add this earlier.

When the error messages have flashed, the side turn lamps also start blinking fast.

[karan561]

Hello amit,

Sad to hear about this issue on your F30. The new generation of BMW's are complex, there would be several causes for this to occur. Also good you opened up a thread, probably someone on this forum also has had a similar issue & he could give you some valid inputs about the cause / solution.

In the meanwhile hope it has been escalated to BMW India level

[pankajthere]

Completely out of the box, but might help. I own a superb and I had a somewhat similar issue with my Superb. I got some 10-15 error messages coming randomly and then they used to go back after a while. The errors were related to beams, number plate lighting, indicators and so on. In the end after everything was diagnosed, it was a bad fuse. One bad fuse and so many error messages. Even the authorised service centre was shocked that how one fuse gave so many errors.

[amit]

Originally Posted by karan561

In the meanwhile hope it has been escalated to BMW India level

It has and the last time a technician from BMW checked out the car. Yet 24 hours later the fault is back.

Yesterday night I managed to capture 2 pictures while the faults were popping.

In another international forum specific to BMW's I read about the same problem in a 2016 X5 in USA. After 4 attempts to solve the problem, BMW replaced the car.

[latentpotential]

Originally Posted by amit

It has and the last time a technician from BMW checked out the car. Yet 24 hours later the fault is back.

Yesterday night I managed to capture 2 pictures while the faults were popping.

In another international forum specific to BMW's I read about the same problem in a 2016 X5 in USA. After 4 attempts to solve the problem, BMW replaced the car.

I was about to post the same. The errors are eerily similar in that case as well. I believe you must avoid not driving with your BMW for now, same as that buyer. That X5 could not be diagnosed completely, and without even getting to the lemon law available in USA, the buyer was able to get a replacement, and even migrate his BMW lease plan to the new car at no loss of capital. The dealer played a large role in working with BMW though and getting the replacement, which is something that may not be as straightforward in India, as there may be no well defined system for this yet.

[rpunwani]

I have a friend who had the entire cost of his BMW returned as there was some vibration in the gearbox while driving at 110-120 km/hr. This was in Gujarat.

Please be guided accordingly. Hope this helps

[GTO]

Oh dear, these cars are all good until the dreaded electronics start acting up. Mechanical problems are relatively easy to solve, but electronic issues can be a nightmare. The modern Germans are too darn complex. I remember my C220 being off the road for 20 days because the air-con wasn't working & no one could figure out what was wrong. After weeks of trial and error & ripping the entire dashboard apart, they traced it down to a small sensor.

Your post also reinforces my observation that BMW's after-sales sucks. Am especially surprised they're taking so long to solve the problem as it's a new car and still under warranty.

Am sending your thread link to BMW India. Hopefully a resolution comes soon.

[avdhesh15]

Hope you get your car back the way you expect it to be really soon. As a prospective buyer, I will closely track this thread and see what resolution is provided. Couple of friends are also in the market and I will share this link with them as well as on my social media pages.

Good luck!

[swissknife]

As said by a few others earlier, my suspicion falls on a few things
a) fuse(s) that is/are not fixed properly / not firm
b) sensor(s) that are malfunctioning / not firm
c) ECU malfunction and / or caused by bad sensors, wiring etc.

Is there any pattern that you could recollect; after any specific type of driving / rain / bumpy roads / time of day etc. that you get these issues?

[Axe77]

Wow - this is really worrying. I think the real proof of the pudding in these situations is how customer friendly BMW is in resolving this issue. If something major needs replacement do they actually stand up and change it with no cost implication to you (provided they figure out what needs changing of course).

Look forward to tracking your thread and I hope this issue sorts out for you.

[amit]

Originally Posted by rpunwani

I have a friend who had the entire cost of his BMW returned as there was some vibration in the gearbox while driving at 110-120 km/hr. This was in Gujarat.

Please be guided accordingly.

I hope it doesn't come down to that but if it does I will surely need help.

Originally Posted by GTO

Am sending your thread link to BMW India. Hopefully a resolution comes soon.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by swissknife

Is there any pattern that you could recollect; after any specific type of driving / rain / bumpy roads / time of day etc. that you get these issues?

There is no pattern to these errors. In fact, some days or even weeks everything is smooth and suddenly the error messages start in a flurry. The randomness of the issues is what hits the confidence the most. Like I said I drive my car a lot - I have done 20,000 kms in one year so this is not a typical luxury car that's driven only on the weekends like it happens most of the times in India. Also, I do a lot of highway driving so the randomness of the problem gets me really worried as I don't want to be in a situation where I get stuck with flickering headlights on the highways at night. The randomness is also the reason why it will take a long time to get my confidence back in the car's reliability.

Originally Posted by Axe77

Wow - this is really worrying. I think the real proof of the pudding in these situations is how customer friendly BMW is in resolving this issue. If something major needs replacement do they actually stand up and change it with no cost implication to you (provided they figure out what needs changing of course).

Look forward to tracking your thread and I hope this issue sorts out for you.

Time will tell how BMW resolves this issue to my satisfaction. I hope they realise I could be a repeat customer in the future.

Update from today morning.

I was now reluctant to give the car to the workshop unless they tell me what exactly they will do to solve this for good. In the morning, I got a call from a contact I have in BMW India asking when the car will be at the workshop. Also, got a call from the workshop saying they have already spoken to BMW about my car and requested me to give them one more chance to resolve the problem.

There are also 2 new errors that have started this time. Although they did flash only once I still hope this isn't going to result in problems escalating.

I got a 'Park Assist failure' message yesterday.

Today when I pressed the seat memory the 4 border lines came around my HUD. These 4 borders normally come when we are adjusting the height of the HUD.

So the car is now back in Infinity Turbhe and hopefully the problem will be resolved for good.

Meanwhile, Infinity arranged for a loaner car for me so that has taken care of my mobility issues.

I would like to add here that I am happy with the way Infinity Turbhe is working to resolve this issue. They are sincere and really want my problem resolved. My service advisor Nikhil is also supportive and sympathetic to the issues I have faced. I guess it is now upto BMW to make sure this problem is resolved for good. The ball is now entirely in BMW India's court.

[johannskaria]

Originally Posted by amit

requested me to give them one more chance to resolve the problem.

There are also 2 new errors that have started this time. Although they did flash only once I still hope this isn't going to result in problems escalating.

Meanwhile, Infinity arranged for a loaner car for me so that has taken care of my mobility issues.

Having known the way you take care of your car, it's so unfortunate that you had to go through this with your new car.

Hopefully BMW understands it too. The delayed loaner car is a step in the right direction by the company.

Will be keeping a close watch as the events unfold. BMW 3 series have always been my top enthusiast pick in the segment , but how the brand handles such service/warranty problems will make or break its products for me. After all ,cars are the 2nd most expensive thing we Indians buy.

[AdiSinghV12]

A major issue and should be taken seriously by BMW India. The F generation Bimmers are surely complex which lots of electrical issues. I had somewhat similar issue but in my case the headlamp use to go off and after 4-5 replacement of parts under warranty it kept on popping again and ultimately when the headlight got damaged and got replaced under insurance the issue were solved but it was just one of the issue, my friends have had various sensor error messages popping up repeatedly. I really hope BMW India takes this seriously and comes up with a proper solution. Totally understand how frustrating can these issues get.