new e46 came with problems

[sm32589g]

my dads 2003 e46 330ci 2 door automatic has some electrical problem. the battery goes dead within hours, and there is a noise near the a/c under the radio in the console it sounds like a small winding motor. tried charging it and if i leave it sitting the battery goes dead and cant start the car. without the alternator there is 15volts and with there is 19volts. also noted the battery was serviced before i got it, and they only serviced 5 cells out of 6 because the 6th was under the cable. anyone know what the problem is? thanks ahead of time.

 

[Kirby]

The noise that sounds like a small motor ..... is a small motor. It pulls cabin air into the climate control unit to sense the cabin temperature.

If it is the original battery, it could be at the end of its life. The BMW batteries last 4 - 5 years, give or take.

There was a service bulletin a few years ago that affected the E46. Under certain conditions the Climate Control system computer could get in a state where it would not power down when the car was shut off, and it would run down the battery. The dealer can update the software to fix this problem.

 

[sm32589g]

ok thx for ur help.

 

[William330]

There was a service bulletin a few years ago that affected the E46. Under certain conditions the Climate Control system computer could get in a state where it would not power down when the car was shut off, and it would run down the battery. The dealer can update the software to fix this problem.

Great to know that tidbit.

Does a dealer fix all the outstanding 'recall' items when people
bring in a car to repair something else? Or do you have to ask
for every issue to be fixed

For example, my car's AC used to smell like mold (this was apparently
a common condensation issue, which could be fixed with an aftermarket
fan to evaporate the water), and after a visit to the dealer for something
else, the smell disappeared.

 

[Kirby]

Good question. the difference is a recall vs. a service bulletin. A recall has legal ramifications for the car company, so recalls are almost always done automatically. Service bulletins are not mandatory, so it depends on the dealer. My dealer says they always perform any service bulletins related to software updates automatically. Other than that, it's on a complaint/problem basis.