Changed Front Dip Bulb and now X6 won’t start!

[Flinders]

Just changed the front drivers side dip bulb and went to start X6 to check bulb working and now it won’t start! Lights on dash come on as normal just won’t crank when I press start button. It was working perfectly before bulb change and no problems with starting it 15 minutes earlier. Is there an anti theft on it that could have been activated or something? If so how do I get the anti theft off?! Typical bank holiday Monday problems! Doh!

[X5Sport]

Can’t see any connection with that.  There is only one bulb at the front (does dip and high, changed via a shutter) and I don’t remember any connections near it that would affect the starter.

Did you have the doors open at all?  What may have happened is the battery is too low and it won’t crank.  These cars are sensitive to dying batteries and it doesn’t take much to use the capacity up.  The car starts shutting circuits off to shed the load as the battery dies.  That being said I would have expected a warning on the iDrive screen if that is the issue.

The only other things I can think of are gear shift not in P or N, or a fault in the brake pedal switch?  Again I thought you got a ‘bong’ and message if that’s the case.

The inner lamp lens is fake, it has the angel eye source in the space behind the lens, not a main beam spot such as the E53 has.

[Flinders]

Thanks X5Sport for useful advice. It was a flat battery! I’ve had Green Flag out and they got me started so been driving round to get some charge into it. We are booked in for a service 1 Sept so I will get a new battery fitted as can’t risk this happening again.

I’d not left the door open or lights on but had done a short start and stop to check the lights as changed both lights. It was after the second bulb fitting it wouldn’t start.

Come to think of it last winter it would loose its times and turn the stereo off by time I got in it every morning so maybe the battery was on its way out?

[X5Sport]

Glad it was just that.  And yes colder weather will find any issues with batteries so now it’s cooling off again and damp evenings are returning I expect we’ll get a rash of battery failures.  My X6 is getting little use and I noticed that the little CTEK ‘tell-tale’ device I have on the charge points is flashing red far sooner after a recharge than it used to.

Mine is now getting on for 8 years old and I expect to have to change it this Autumn.  Anything beyond 6-years is a victory, albeit often short lived 

Given how much BMW want though, I’ll either diy or get our local Indy to do it.