We have a 1997 BMW 328I. The other day my wife tried to start it but the key just turned freely in the ignition. After a bit of jiggling it started. The thing is, when she got home she tried to turn it off and the key again just spun freely. I tried jiggling all I could and it just spun. I could pull the key out and the car still ran. It finally ran out of gas in the driveway. I tried tapping lightly on the key hole (to try and loosen any debree) and blew it out with air but still doesn't work. Anyone have this problem? Would a locksmith be of help or should I have it towed to a garage?

Aww I'm sorry man. This happened to me late last year (on my 1997 328i) and the only thing that could be done was to replace the entire ignition. The problem is actually a pin breaking that holds the mechanism steady, and the replacement process is long and arduous... Luckily it's not extremely expensive. If I remember correctly, it ended up costing us around $500. A bmw mechanic is going to be your best bet because the process is pretty tricky and quite specialized.

Luke

You got off cheap the stealer charged me $850.00

haha. boy do they get ya

lock cylinder, lock collar, and sometimes the ignition switch (electrical part) for good measure.

lock cylinder and housing. - $600

This is a big fix .... what is broken is a cast aluminum cylinder lock housing. To let you know it is extremely tedious, on my '93 3 series I had to remove 90/something % of the dash, chisel/tap out security bolts (break away heads) When you put the dash back together it's like doing a plumbing job, you have to go to home depot like 5 times, where as in this case you have 5 screws leftover.
You can reuse the cylinder lock probably just get the housing, eh the dealer sells for a bit over $200. While doing this fix myself i was proud to save a few hundred dollars in labor fees, but with the risk of insanity :) anyhow good luck. disconnect the battery or something as well, to shut car off.

my car has done the same thing on the odd occasion. does this mean its going to go altogether soon?

I'm not sure what has happened to the guys who've had to replace the lock housings, but most of the time the spinning ignition tumbler is due to a broken plastic anti-theft piece in the tumbler itself. You can replace the tumbler fairly easily, though you have to order a new one from the dealer (should be < $100) as it is keyed to your car.

If nothing else, I'd remove the tumbler and check it out before spending $$$. Here's a DIY thread with pics:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=379874 (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=379874)

This condition can be caused by either the lock cylinder or the housing. They both have parts that interface that can wear or break. Best bet is to go to the dealer and get a "coded" lock cylinder and either buy the dealer's lock cylinder housing or get one online (it'll probably be cheaper that way) and replace them both. I don't know about taking apart half the dash, the techs I've seen do it only had to remove the two plastic panels on the steering column and the lower cover above the driver's feet. The tech gets paid 3 hours for the job, so expect to spend a Saturday afternoon on it.

This is a big fix .... what is broken is a cast aluminum cylinder lock housing. To let you know it is extremely tedious, on my '93 3 series I had to remove 90/something % of the dash, chisel/tap out security bolts (break away heads) When you put the dash back together it's like doing a plumbing job, you have to go to home depot like 5 times, where as in this case you have 5 screws leftover.
You can reuse the cylinder lock probably just get the housing, eh the dealer sells for a bit over $200. While doing this fix myself i was proud to save a few hundred dollars in labor fees, but with the risk of insanity :) anyhow good luck. disconnect the battery or something as well, to shut car off.


I've done about 10 or more of these and have never had to remove any of the dash board. only the steering wheel and the trim covers around the steering column.

We are a bmw shop located on coral springs fl we may be able to help u our rate is $90 per h. u need new key cylinder encoded to vehicle. we have factory equipment and factory trained tech. our location is 10910 WILES RD CORAL SPRINGS FL 33065 954 344 2297. BROWARD BIMMERS BMW SERVICE AND REPAIR.


Dude! The OP is in New Jersey! I don't think he's going to drive to Florida to save 16 bucks an hour on labor for his BMW.