BMW 5 Series 520D E60 - Cold start, stall, glow plugs then rough idle

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Mon 11 Feb 2013 08:57
BMW 5 Series 520D E60 - Cold start, stall, glow plugs then rough idle - Aocal

Hi

For the past couple of weeks when the temperatures have been at or below around 4 degrees I'll start the car from cold, it will fire up, make a feeble attempt at idling then just die. Then i'll start it up again but this time the car will put the glow plug light on first, then make a much better job of starting, even though it will be idling roughly for a few minutes.

It's got 117k on the clock, i've looked through the service book and can't see the glow plugs have ever been changed. However, the fact I don't get the glow plug light on for the first starting attempt suggests to me that they should be coming on but the car isn't using them, instead struggling to start and dying before it bothers to use them. Why would that be?

Thanks!

Adam

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Tue 12 Feb 2013 12:47
BMW 5 Series 520D E60 - Cold start, stall, glow plugs then rough idle - Oli rag

Sounds like either a temperature sensor or cold start relay fault. Should be fairly easy for a competent garage to fix.

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Thu 11 Apr 2013 14:07
BMW 5 Series 520D E60 - Cold start, stall, glow plugs then rough idle - Aocal

For closure, this is resolved now.

I was running out of Diesel on the motorway and had no choice but to stop in the service, as I was there I brimmed the tank.

Following morning, minus 5 and I was expecting the worst, started the car, no glow pug light and it fired up perfectly. It did this on multiple sub zero mornings over a two week period.

Needed diesel again but thought that I would double check if this wasn't just a coincidence so went back to the Supermarket fuel i'd been using. Next morning zero degrees and the car stalled on my driveway after firing up.

There is no question that supermarket fuel was causing my car to stall and idle like tractor during cold starts.

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Thu 11 Apr 2013 14:59
BMW 5 Series 520D E60 - Cold start, stall, glow plugs then rough idle - Collos25

Do not believe it why has the supermarket in question not been inundated with complaints.

Edited by Collos25 on 11/04/2013 at 14:59

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Thu 11 Apr 2013 15:02
BMW 5 Series 520D E60 - Cold start, stall, glow plugs then rough idle - Aocal

I've had trouble and i'm a big complainer but even I can't be bothered to complain.

Shame you don't believe it - but do I look bothered? My car is fixed now! :-)

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Fri 12 Apr 2013 10:48
BMW 5 Series 520D E60 - Cold start, stall, glow plugs then rough idle - Collos25

A car that will run properly on garage fuel and will not run on supermarket fuel ,just think about it.Thosands of cars do thousands of miles on supermarket fuel without any problem and your car will not sounds like a snobbish car to me.

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