starting troubles

Well, if you left the car over the winter without any protection, you have at least gunked your fuel filter up and maybe even the injectors. If you've got fuel that's been sitting for six months, it's got all kinds of varnish precipitating out of it and even the high pressure BMW system which is almost immune to clogging can fail.

Your battery is probably on its way out, too.

If it were my car, I'd change the fuel filter before doing anything else, and I'd run a couple tanks of gas with a lot of injector cleaner in it. I'd check the fuel pressure at the rail next.

When you changed the plugs, what did they look like?

Next year, put fuel stabilizer in the tank, and run the engine to get the stabilized fuel everywhere through the system. Pull the plugs and squirt a little WD-40 in each cylinder, and disconnect the battery. Put the battery on a float-charger if possible. When the time comes to restart in the spring, check the battery condition, and turn it over without the plugs to get the WD-40 residue out of there before starting the first time.

--scott

If you turn the key and it starts within about 5 seconds, it is normal. You should not be concerned that it once started in a second, and now it takes

1. You will drive yourself to drink chasing this kind of problem.

2 months shouldn't matter, so don't worry about it. Use up the old fuel and see if things improve after a refill. Don't bother replacing anything because of this, other than normal service of course. It usually takes longer to start in cold weather too.

Ulf

You mean winterize it like a boat.

Sam S.

Yes, precisely. Very common thing for people up North who keep a nice car for the summer and a beater car for the winter.

--scott

thanks alot for your reply. I suspest the filter as the battery was tested okay. Thanks again for your assistance