"Weakness" in the steering column I had the same problem on the same car . . . 224,000 miles on the clock. The mechanic explained in that car BMW sought to enhance theft resistance with a weak pin below the ignition lock, that if forced breaks off locking the steering wheel and engaging the immobilizer. In my case, after too many hours of trouble shooting, he found a chip to run the motor that bypasses the immobilizer, so that anti-theft feature is no longer active. The "weak" pin of the stock design remains with the replacement ignition switch, and the mechanic cautioned me to be gentle with the ignition switch if I don't want to be back to him prematurely for a replacement. |