Help! Ignition Chime keeps beeping when Key is out
 

Hi all,

Car is a 2004 x5 3.0i.

Whenever I pull my key out of the ignition, the chime keeps beeping when the driver door is open. It's almost as if the car thinks the keys are still in the ignition. This is causing my keyless entry not to work.

I also had an ignition problem last month where the car wasnt starting and the cluster lights were all dim. I pulled my ignition switch out and sprayed it with contact cleaner and it solved that specific starting problem.

As for the beeping, I'm wondering if I should replace the ignition switch with a new one or does this sound like a problem with the ignition lock cylinder? I would really like to avoid changing my keys.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Does the steering lock ? Definitely replace the ignition switch and lube the lock cylinder.

Is this when the ding problem started? I'm thinking this isn't a coincidence...

Fine... but first disconnect battery get it fully(battery)charged then connect again... monitor to see if problem arises again.
Just recently (a week ago) I was driving and the chime started to go off. Never have I experienced this. Got home gave the 04 e83 an overnight charge...no problem since almost a faint memory.

Steering wheel locks. What can I lube the lock cylinder with?

The dinging started before this about a year ago.

Welcome to the site. For safety, I would remove the cylinder before lubing it. The left side has electrical connections.

Has anyone tried spraying a key and inserting wet? I do that to locks all the time.

So I replaced the Ignition Switch today and the dinging is still there.

Then I tried unplugging the ignition key cylinder plug located on the right side of the steering wheel and the dinging stopped and the keyless entry starting working. The problem is the car wont start without that being plugged in. Soon as I plugged it back in the dinging started again. I've attached a picture for reference.

Any suggestions?

Can the black housing with the plug portion be replaced or would I have to replace the entire cylinder?

Crazy that the ews receiver would cause that but the diagnosis seems obvious the way you describe it!
Yes it just pops off and requires no coding etc to get working. Maybe for funzies you could measure the difference between the one you got and the newer one. They are cheap and abundant.

Best of luck!

Somewhat related, is this "ews" thing related to what is supposed to keep the fob battery charged?