[iancarroll_]

I’ve had my 2014 320i sitting out in the cold for about two weeks this Dec/Jan (in NYC so never below like 20°F / -7°C) and on start the car threw three completely new messages at me:

• “Chassis stabilization: drive moderately”
• “Drive moderately, increased steering effort required”
• “Adaptive headlight malfunction”

(Also a temperature warning — “below 37°F” which duh)

Power steering was completely gone but everything else seemed fine. No CEL, no battery warning, no unexpected sounds from the engine block. And I drove it around for about 30 mins to see if the battery needed a recharge, which didn’t seem to do anything. Is it just a combination of the cold and the idle time?

I’m new to the Northeast so cold-related issues are totally foreign to me. FWIW this vehicle has lived its entire life in Texas until a couple months ago. And since then I only drive it around the block a few times to juggle street parking: it’s short distances.

The second response to this post seems most aligned to what I’m dealing with. “If the battery is cold, it disables a bunch of stuff”.

Would love some advice! Ofc taking it to the shop soon.

[rlesko]

Tbh 20 degrees really isn’t that cold for you to be blaming it on weather. That being said, due to the chemical reaction that occurs inside in batteries it is true that they do not “like” cold weather.

[Billfitz]

If the battery has enough juice to start the car it has enough for the power steering to function. You might get a warning if the battery is low, and driving infrequently for short distances in cold weather pretty much guarantees that, but within a few seconds after starting the car the alternator is providing all the current the car needs. You need to pull error codes. That's always the first step.