BMW E92 M3 intermittent starting fault resolved after starter replacement
An owner’s 2012 Competition Pack M3 with DCT intermittently clicked without starting. After conflicting battery and starter suggestions, a shop replaced the starter and the owner later confirmed the fault was fixed.
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A click followed by a start on a later attempt
geeman123 described a 2012 Competition Pack E92 M3 with DCT. On three occasions in two months, the car unlocked and its lights, radio and dash powered on, but pressing Start produced a light click and the engine did not start. The author said repeated attempts—about ten on each occasion—were followed by a successful later attempt. Both keys worked in normal use, and the author reported no warning lights. The author was unsure whether the cold engine mattered.
Battery photos were a question, not a battery diagnosis
The owner posted these three battery photographs while asking whether its age could be identified. They show the terminal cover, label and surrounding trunk compartment. The thread does not establish the battery’s age or condition, or report a battery replacement as the solution.
The author reported that a starter replacement fixed it
The BMW shop told the author it could be the starter or the CAS controller. The author chose a starter replacement, brought the part to the shop, and reported that the shop fitted it. The first post’s later edit names the starter motor and part number 12417843530. At first the author said the car seemed to work, then later answered that the replacement had fixed the issue. This is the owner’s account of a shop-installed repair, not a step-by-step DIY procedure.
Replies offered different hypotheses
Members proposed different causes. doogee favoured the starter solenoid, while other replies suspected the battery or described an EDC-related discharge on a different car. bsd damon raised a battery-cable recall; doogee disputed that identification and said the recall concerned a fuse-panel connection. These suggestions were not documented test results on this owner’s car. The owner’s later starter-replacement report provides the thread’s reported resolution.