[Marty in NY]

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[Orient330iNYC]

i think you would have to pull the starter relay. or unplug the start stop button inside the console. dont think there is a fuse for the in cabin circuit, there is probably a fuse under the hood (a very large fuse) for the starter

[eelnoraa]

Taking long vacation??

Hmm, how about disconnect the 12V battery in trunk?

[tooloud10]

Every button isn’t going to have a separate fuse, so pulling the starter relay or something else is probably the best/only approach.

It would probably be useful to understand the goal here, though.

[jad03060]

Very, very few things in a BMW use high current switches...almost everything is just a digital input to the computer, and it does the actual implementation of the desired effect...IOW, that button, unlike say the start position on an old key switch, is NOT sending power anywhere...it's an input to a circuit that performs that. Same with the headlight switch...it's not applying power, it's sending a message to get the job done, all by computers and serial data lines.

[eelnoraa]

I think you probably have gone further than anyone. Why not test it and let us know.

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by Marty in NY

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In the name of science and the benefit our our community.

[E91toG05]

Why do you want to do this?

[mojoJJ]

Why do you want to do this? What are you trying to accomplish but disabling start/stop button?

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by mojoJJ

Why do you want to do this? What are you trying to accomplish but disabling start/stop button?

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[COKen]

If you want to stop the car from being started by someone in the car, have you thought about the brake switch since you need to depress the break peddle to start the car? Don't know if it has a fuse or not (I doubt it does), but you may be able to put a hidden switch on it.

[E91toG05]

Assume you realize you can’t hotwire the car? Guessing you are trying to stop someone with the key from starting it.

[jad03060]

There are devices that can capture the signals from your fob if they're near enough when it is used for access. At least, that's what some news articles have indicated.

So much of the modern BMWs is controlled by computers...it's not at all like that anymore. There's not a simple path from a switch to the device it eventually activates. Most computers control more than one thing, so it tends to be very hard to impossible to disable one function. On an older vehicle, the start directly activated the starter relay, and the headlight switch actually powered the headlights...not on a modern BMW and most others. That is evident if you look at the wiring going into the headlight switch...maybe 24g wire, nowhere near large enough to power anything, even trigger a relay. When you looked at the start switch and found the fuse, that one fuse disabled all of that panel, which is likely only powering a small computer.

What you might do is break the line to a hidden switch that made the start switch inoperable. But, that switch may be on a circuit board, but if you're lucky, you might find that there's a plug going into it specifically for that,

[Orient330iNYC]

you could also unplug the brake pedal position switch. car wont start without the pedal depressed. not sure if that integrated with the brake booster or if its a separate switch thats in the footwell.

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by Marty in NY

Thanks, that is also what COKen suggested. I'm going to have a look at that today but would rather the functionality of the engine Start/Stop button be disabled instead...if possible.

Looking at your handle, I used to have an '03 Orient Blue 330i, one of my most favorite cars. Now my son has it and he just replaced all the suspension components and said it's driving like a brand new car again.

I didn't know E46 come in oriental blue. I have a 04, at that time the only non individual blue is Topaz Blue. And I agree, anyone thinks newer BMW is good at handling, needs give E series a try. They may not be as fast, but they are still true drivers cars. Steering and suspension feedback is still at sensory level.

[E91toG05]

This all strikes me as potentially doing more harm (pulling a fuse for something that you do not fully understand what it does) than good (minimizes tiny risk that someone has cloned your key)

[mojoJJ]

I know you don’t want to mess too much with wiring harnesses but your best bet is to tap into the start/stop button line and add a manual switch. Can you share the picture of the harness you talked about before which was for the center console? I don’t have my car yet but I might be able to trace which particular wire needs to be checked.

[Orient330iNYC]

Originally Posted by eelnoraa

I didn't know E46 come in oriental blue. I have a 04, at that time the only non individual blue is Topaz Blue. And I agree, anyone thinks newer BMW is good at handling, needs give E series a try. They may not be as fast, but they are still true drivers cars. Steering and suspension feedback is still at sensory level.

my first car was a 2001 Orient Blue E46. and thus started a long line of blue bmws...
2007 monaco blue
2013 estoril blue
2019 carbon black ( cmon, its really just a very dark blue)
2023 Tanzanite Blue II

i'm guessing Orient Blue isnt PC anymore....

and i still remember how that car handled, i had the year they returned it closer to the E36 hydro steering rack. compared to the corollas i learned to drive on, it was (to my very limited experience) like it had no power steering. but that thing handled, you could feel exactly what the tires were doing through the steering wheel.
and 22 years later i'm driving comparatively a couch on wheels

[Orient330iNYC]

Originally Posted by Marty in NY

Thanks, that is also what COKen suggested. I'm going to have a look at that today but would rather the functionality of the engine Start/Stop button be disabled instead...if possible.

Looking at your handle, I used to have an '03 Orient Blue 330i, one of my most favorite cars. Now my son has it and he just replaced all the suspension components and said it's driving like a brand new car again.

01 330i- it moved on to my brother and i did quite a bit of work to keep it going for about 10 years after he got it. just the normal failure points, water pump, control arms, control arm bushings, etc. the shock towers mushroomed, the rear subframe fatigued, etc. New England rust finally got it.
i still remember eating through a set of summer tires every year, i was very young and very stupid...

I've had this handle since E46fanatics- joined in 2001/2002 and just left it

[COKen]

Originally Posted by Marty in NY

Anyone have an electrical schematic?.

In the sticky posts -
https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1563063

It was last updated in 2020, so it may be out of date.

[COKen]

I just ran across this diagram for a kill switch. I don't think it is what you are really looking to do, but I though it was interesting. When someone tries to start the car with the switch active, it just blows the horn.

[COKen]

The challenge you have is coming up with a way to deter the professional thief as well as the teen joy rider. It is easier to thwart the joy rider just by making your car harder to take than the one down the street. The determined professional thief may also move on to a different car if they think your car has additional protection, but if they want your specific car, they are going to find a way to take it.