My BMW 316ti wont start. the ignition lights come on and the headlights flash whilst it is trying to start, cannot hear the starter turning over. any ideas? cant take it to the garage without a tow at the moment!

check battery

With out knowing more of your symptoms it is hard to say. Turn on your head lights for a second and make sure they are nice and bright, This tells you two things, you have power in you battery and you have a good connection to the car. Next with the headlights turned on try starting the car,have someone watch the headlights to see if they dim when the car tries to crank. If the headlight intensity does not change and you don't hear an audible clicking sound coming from under the hood check to see that the shifter is in park or clutch is fully depressed. If that is ok you are likely looking at a ignition switch problem or the starter itself is bad. Can you tell me if the dash lights up or if you hear the car go click when you try to start it?

Turn the head lights on , then get someone to turn the ignition switch to the start position , whilst you look at the headlights . When the ignition is switched to the start position and if the headlights go off then replace your battery , on the other hand if the headlights go dim you have a starter motor problem . Before you do this test make sure your battery is fully charged and the battery terminals are clean .

Test the alternator with a multi-meter for the right voltage generation.
sammyc47

Sounds more like a dead battery. The one click you hear is the starter solenoid.
Turn on your headlights and try to start if your headlights go real dim your battery is dead.
If they stay bright then it could be your starter

When you say you have power, do you mean the dash lights come on?
The power requirements of the starter motor are a lot higher than that of the dash lights or even the headlights and accessories.

Turn the headlights on and try to start the engine, if the headlights go really dim or right out then your battery doesn't have the capacity that the starter needs to turn the engine over and you need to replace it.

First make sure the battery in in good confition and fully charged. Turn on the headlights and have someone attempt to start the car whilst you observe the headlights. If they go dim, the starter could be poling and drawing too much current. If you can, feel the starter motor, it should not be hot unless you have tried many times to start. If quite hot, headlights are dim and engine wont crank over, recheck the battery and if ok, overhaul the starter motor.

shorting to start motor will allow the motor to turn but the ignition system is still off.
try with key turned to ignition position.
suspect starter solenoid on starter motor.
suspect fuses maybe there is a fuse which has blown.
suspect ignition key switch maybe defective.

The flash may be a faulty brake light switch located on the rear of the brake pedal

Today 11-12-08 my 2003 H2 Hummer would not start. Checked battery it ischarged. Cables tight. Tried to start with portable booster pak. No go. Tridto jump start with my wife's Suburban. Still no go.
When I turn the switch I hear a single click and that is it. No engine turning over. While trying to start with key the headlights go out. Out of ideas, Will take to Chevy garage in am. Will post solution.