Hello Everyone....I'm new to the forum and I'm having trouble with my 2011 M37. After programming my garage opener with the Home Link system on the rear view window, my car won't start. It makes a clicking noise but all the battery powered systems seem to be working, i.e. lights, dash board, but I noticed the driver's side window does not go up. I checked my keys to see if they have juice and they do. I just got the car out of the shop today, for routine maintenance. It's still under warranty and only has 48K miles on it. When I press the button in park and step on the brake, all I get is a clicking from the ignition switch. Has anyone else had this problem and if so, how was it resolved?

I don't believe it's the battery but I could be wrong. The battery was checked under routine maintenance just today. I did have the ACC on while programming the Home Link garage opener, but only for about 10 minutes or so.

Thanks for any help you can give

vmcalpin

Do you typically drive long or short distance on a normal day? The m37 battery charging system is designed to delay the alternator kick in after some time of engine running. This poses a problem for people driving short distances, where the car is started and turned off multiple times during the dAy without a longer run. This coupled with your programming of the home link may be the culprit.
Go and check your battery first, if you start and kill the engine multiple times a day with short trips, it may just be drained.

Hi, congrats on the car, and welcome to the forum!

It is more than likely the battery. It has been my experience with the current and past owned M, the batteries are very weak in these cars. The ACC position does not take long to drain the battery. This will also cause all sorts of strange issues when the voltage is low.

Thanks for this response....you were right. It was the battery. After having used the ACC position for only 15-20 minutes, the car would not start. We were having difficulty programming the Home Link and thought that the car needed to be in the ACC position. Unfortunately, all of this drained the battery. Lesson learned. Another thing I've learned about my 2011 M37 is that the leather/vinyl cracks easily. The dealer replaced the arm rest and had to just recently replace the driver's leather/vinyl seat cover, not the whole seat. I didn't know that only the front facing parts of the seat are leather and the sides panels are vinyl.

Thanks again for your help and I hope my response/feedback helps someone else in return.

valorie

glad it wasn't anything serious.
Your seat comment has me baffled Most car makers have been upholstering car seats with different materials on the sides - it's very common. However the whole point is to give the sides more durability for the constant abuse of getting it and out of the car (synthetic leather should be stronger than natural material). Looks like they must have gotten it backwards. This is very strange.

glad you figured it out!!! and welcome!! as for the seats i would use a leather conditioner and cleaner monthly or every other month if you are having issues with the leather cracking already!! it will help the leather stay soft and supple! i use Zaino leather in a bottle ( yes that is the name of the product...lol!!) and Zaino leather cleaner! you can find it at Zaino.com!! other people will chime in on the leather conditioner topic but i like the Zaino stuff....not to mention it smells fantastic!!!!!

welcome and glad you got your issue fixed, I have a 11m37s and so far the leather seats are still going strong.

Do you moisturize the leather periodically? If so, how often? In the 4 years I've owned my '11 M37, I maybe moisturized the seats once....I keep it in a garage while at home, but it's often exposed to the elements while at work.

There is a thread on here about seat care. Just search under 'leather' and you should be able to find it.
Personally, I steam mine each year - it cleans out the dirt and skin oils that block the perforations for climate control, and you'd be very surprised to see how much dirt comes off the rest of the surfaces.
After steaming, I use a product called 'Leather Rejuvinator' from Groit's Garage and leave it on overnight, wipe it off the next day.
I also use 'Leather Care Spray' from Griot's Garage monthly. My car is 7 years old with 90k miles and the seats still look, feel, and smell brand new. My M35 is never garaged (I have a 68 Fleetwood in there plus my windsurfer and jet skis). I live just yards from the ocean with salty air and summer temps year round so the interior gets severe abuse from nature.
Monthly care only takes a few minutes but it is definitely worth it. You don't have to buy my brand, just steer clear of the cheap stuff sold in auto parts shops. They do little to protect and nourish leather. Griot's Garage is not expensive and you use so little each time that you get 2-3 years of use in one bottle.
You can check out my seats in the link at the bottom, or click on my avatar.