2006 X3 - Weird Electrical Issue (and Dead Battery)

[JimRochester]

I'm trying to figure out an electrical issue. My '06 X3 sometimes is very sluggish to start - but the dealer says nothing wrong with my battery. But it's been completely dead three times in the past 12-18 months now - and I've had to jump start it. There are some strange things that happen though, which might lead to figuring this out - but the dealer still says they can't find anything wrong.

So, my passenger mirror tilt-in-reverse function pretty much never works (yes, the switch is in the right position). Then, at some point, my Bluetooth connectivity stops working. That goes on for a few weeks. Then one day I go to start the car and it's completely dead. But the weird part - after I jump start the car, both the Bluetooth works again just fine, and even the passenger mirror tilt-in-reverse starts working again. The mirror stops working after a couple days, and then a few months later the bluetooth stops working, and then at some point the battery is dead some morning again, and we repeat.

The dealer says nothing wrong with battery, and the main ground points seem fine. They advised not spending a lot of time and cost tracing all over the place on a wild goose chase. Does anyone know if the passenger mirror functionality and the bluetooth functionality might be on the same circuit, or give any clue as to what's going on?

[dano1200r]

Get a meter that measures current draw. Keep an eye on it. When it starts pulling more than normal, pull your fuse for the Bluetooth and then the one for the mirrors and see if the current draw returns to normal. This is the easiest and cheapest way to figure it out. Good luck.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[JimRochester]

Can I use a standard multi-meter, or do I need some special auto version? Where to hook it up so it measures all car electrical?

thx
Jim

[dano1200r]

Can I use a standard multi-meter, or do I need some special auto version? Where to hook it up so it measures all car electrical?

thx
Jim

I think you should be able to hook up at the battery terminal remote post and any ground . I can't think of a different way.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk