[adamf30e90]

Hi all,

I need everyone's help from good folks and sherlock's on this forum ���� i will briefly explain the incident and then provide some background on the car. I need help with understanding what could be the likely cause given the circumstances explained.

Car: 2016 328i w M package, 60k miles

Incident:
I was driving to Los Angeles from Bay Area on a hot day and after around 4-5 hours (taking a break/refuel) couple times, the car started giving DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION error and the error had suggestion to "drive moderately & consult bmw center" etc.. I know this error is common but I will explain my situation if anyone can help narrow the issue. It was a stop and go traffic at the high elevation on the mountains and during the incline at lower speeds the car started shutting down. I immediately restarted to pull it to a side. I waited and went back to the freeway and it happened again. This time the car didnt start. It was struggling but the RPM wouldn't pick up.. i waited couple min and tried and it worked. Before the issue occurred, I was with my wife and had been driving uphill with the AC ON and MUSIC ON. For hours prior to this. The issue occurred after the first slowdown on the road and during long incline. After this happening couple times (scary as almost got rear ended once), i waited 25 mins, then started and now the engine light went away and so did the error. I drove to the closest BMW dealership at moderate speed and left it there now waiting to hear back. For the last stretch, i did not use AC or music. I still need to drive back 500 some miles so crossing my fingers it is a small and quick fix but hey one can hope!

Background:
I had taken this car 2 days prior to this trip to BMW dealership for inspection and they did not find any issues and topped all fluids. Car has been going through all routine maintenance.
Couple months ago, i had a front end collision. Most damage was to the front bumper but oil filter compartment was also replaced with many front grill etc cosmetics/hood. OEM parts. I had driven shorter trips since the repairs and they had assured that no engine or transmission issue. This was the first long haul trip i had done since and now this incident!

Thank you everyone ������������ Please share if you had this issue and how it was resolved. I experienced this after a treacherous drive and waiting a while helped for the short term. Now afraid waiting for that call


UPDATE: car is still at shop and currently working with dealer to apply SULEV warranty and cover all repairs

UPDATE LATEST:
Just an update for everyone!

Got a voicemail from the tech that the car will be ready on Wed. Also - $0 cost because he was able to ultimately get everything covered under the SULEV warranty.

Couldn't have gotten here without everyone's responses and suggestions. Really appreciate it guys. You all helped me save lot of money.

As per my experience with the dealership, I am satisfied although I had to put in the work and push them to cover due to warranty. They didn't make it easy but I guess that is the business model.

As for the root cause, I guess I was driving at low fuel through the mountains for long duration? Not sure how else fuel pump low pressure failed. I am disappointed at BMW reliability - I will take precautions next time but for it fail me like it did.. i learned it the hard way. Still love driving this car. But will seriously consider my options before it gets past 70k and most of SULEV warranty goes away. Until then, hope to continue enjoying the best it has to offer.