You're right, the point is to help you, and as of now the best help you have been given is to find out what the codes are. You can get some very good scan tools on eBay for 20-ish dollars. You will get a module that you plug into your OBD II data port that will then talk to your smartphone -- android or apple -- to show the current status of your car. The app for your phone is free for the lite version, and a few bucks for the full-featured version. Wsith this, you can avoid a trip to the mechanic.

jdstrickland - Didn't u read my other comments...

Yes I took people's advice and purchased a scanner. (at the same time I purchased a carbon fibre infused transfer case actuator gear)
But now I'm after an old laptop that runs Windows XP so the scanner will work properly.

It was suggested here, and I also found on other threads, people that have had this exact problem with nearly identical symptoms. They fixed it by replacing the transfer case actuator gear with the relatively cheap carbon fibre infused version that's guaranteed to last a hell of a lot longer..... and like I said in previous comments.... That's what I did, and now ITS FIXED..... The gear was stripped very badly so instantly I knew that it was going to make a huge difference...

So, while the scanner was a good suggestion.... The BEST suggestion was to change the transfer case actuator gear... As like I said... It fixed the problem.

Awesome. Glad it's working.

I guess I learned that the actuator gear is a likely suspect for the cursed trifecta lights in later E53 (2004-2006) while the DSC module remains the prime suspect for early E53 (2000-2003).

And no one made even a single kangaroo joke. oops :-)

Cheers David.X5
Yeah the gear was absolutely shredded! The state it was in I couldn't believe it was still working only a few weeks ago! I'd recommend everyone change it, even if they're just after something to tinker with on the weekend. It's easy enough to do and will definately prevent a future failure.

I just had this happen to my '04 X5 4.8is. It stranded me on the road. I've had it happen three times in the three weeks I've owned it. This is the first time it's left me on the road. First time it did it for just a second then they all went off. Second time they came on they stayed on until I shut the vehicle off. Restarted and they were off. This time I was driving in the snow and they came on. It went into the mode where it started shutting things down. I put it in neutral turned it off and tried to restart it. It's like the battery was running down. I started once then it wouldn't start again. Suppose to be a new battery in it. I've checked and it looks new. Still think it's a battery or charging issue. I will try to get the codes read to see what's up. Any help would be appreciated by you guys that really know these. I'm a brand new BMW owner. I know they're finicky.

BMWs are sensitive to low voltage. Do you have a multimeter to check level of charge in the battery? If you are able to get it running you can check the charging system by unlocking the OBC. You can always remove the battery and take it to most any auto parts store to do a load test. When you say it seems like the battery does that mean the engine won't turn over when you try to start it?

Thanks for the reply. Yes, it wouldn't turn over. It just clicked. The previous owner replaced the battery just before I bought it. I did double check that today that it was new. It looks to be. Still might be a bad battery or bad alternator. I did get it started again but it only ran a minute or two and started the safe mode again and died. I'm going to let it charge overnight and see what happens tomorrow.

I really like this rig but I just don't understand how I could drive it 8 hours and it's perfect and then these things start to go wrong.

A car can usually run several hours off the battery even if the alternator isn't working. If it runs once you charge the battery and then slowly stops working again, I would suspect something about the alternator - perhaps it wasn't connected correctly, it isn't working properly, open wire, etc.

If you have a way to measure voltage*, you can tell pretty easily. The battery voltage should be in the 12.5 V range before you start it, and jump up to something around 13.5V when the engine is running and the alternator is charging the battery. If it stays around 12.5V (and especially if the voltage slowly drops as it runs), then its the alternator (or something related to the alternator).

*you can unlock the instrument cluster - one of the built in test functions is to display voltage - search for instructions on this. A volt meter works just fine, too, you can measure in the engine compartment.

If it just "Click" you either have a dead battery or a bad starter. I would start with the easy fix and try charging the battery or if the PO gave you the receipt for the battery I would just take it out and bring it back. The battery could be bad even if it is brand new, had that happen to me when I had my BMW E34.

Other cause be a parasitic drain that is killing the battery.

You should also start your own thread about your problem instead of trying to hijack the original since your problem is no where related to the original poster.

Thanks for your help guys. It took a new alternator. All is good for now. Sorry if I hijacked the thread. I thought the trifecta of lights was in line with this thread. Ended up being something else