BMW X5 Stalling: Ignition Coil vs Other Culprits?

Had the same issues with my '08 BMW X3 last year. The symptoms matched exactly what you're describing, rough idle, stalling, jerky acceleration, and check engine light. Took it to my garage and turned out two ignition coils were failing. The mechanic showed me that the connectors were corroded and one coil had a hairline crack. Not a major repair, but definitely needed immediate attention to prevent damage to the catalytic converter. They replaced both coils and tested all six to make sure the others were working properly. Car's been running smooth since then. No more stalling or jerking. Made sense to fix it right away since bad coils can mess up other engine components if left unchecked. Pro tip: when one coil goes bad, it's smart to check the others since they usually wear at similar rates. Hope this helps with your decision.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My X5 is running much better now after getting the coils replaced. Quick question, do you remember roughly how much you paid for the repair? Also, has everything been running smoothly since then, or have you noticed any other issues pop up? Just want to make sure I'm keeping an eye out for any potential related problems.

Hey again! Glad to hear you got the X5 sorted out! Yeah, I remember the costs well because I keep all my repair records, it was 95 € for fixing the faulty connection and replacing the defective ignition coil. Honestly, it was money well spent. The car's been running like a dream since then, no more of that annoying rough idle or jerking during acceleration. It's been over a year now, and I haven't had a single related issue pop up. Once they fixed that defective ignition coil and sorted out the cable connection, all those problems completely disappeared. Just keep up with regular maintenance, and you should be fine. These BMWs are pretty solid once you get the ignition system sorted. My mechanic did mention it's worth getting the coils checked during annual servicing just to catch any potential issues early, but I haven't needed to replace any more since that repair. Let me know if anything else comes up, always happy to share what I've learned from my experience with these cars!

Thanks for all that info! Yeah, I finally got my car fixed last week. Found this skilled mechanic through a who really knows their stuff. The whole experience was actually better than I expected. Turned out three of my coils were shot, and they also found a loose connection that was making things worse. Bill came to around 280 € for parts and labor, but honestly, the car feels like new now. The mechanic walked me through everything they found and fixed, which I really appreciated after my last bad experience. Can't believe how smooth the engine runs now, no more stalling at lights or that annoying jerking when I accelerate. The check engine light's gone too, which is a huge relief. Think I'll stick with this mechanic from now on, they really seemed to know what they were talking about with BMWs. Really appreciate everyone's help here! Definitely saved me from stressing too much about it.