Hooked up jumper cables incorrectly

Badkarma8485, From the info you have provided I would say your battery needs charging or replacement.
Suggest you reconnect your jumpers, the correct way, and try and restart the car.
You can't do any further damage.
Because you are getting a clicking noise when trying to start, it is probably the battery.
My $.02

Hey everyone. Thank you so much for your time, knowledge, and suggestions. I could've sworn the battery was fine (it was virtually brand new-just a few months old) because everything was lighting up and working. Turns out I just replaced with another new battery and it started right up. It appears that three seconds of my error was enough to destroy a $165 batttery! The car runs and drives just fine. I love these BMW's. Lesson learned I guess. No matter how much of a hurry Im in, no matter what temperature, I will at least make sure I am working with a light! Thanks again to you all and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Gee, I wonder who said that from the beginning. And kept telling others this when they were going all over the place.

Originally Posted by alex323ci

gee, i wonder who said that from the beginning. And kept telling others this when they were going all over the place.

+1.

where is all the lip service from those others now?

You're asking for praise for a lucky guess rather than proposing a systematic troubleshooting approach?
How much of a jackass approach would your method be if dealers had their mechanics guess at what was wrong and replace parts on that basis rather than troubleshoot the car first and then replace only bad parts?
Parts replacement artists are not valued by real mechanics.

Originally Posted by Stinger9

Parts replacement artists are not valued by real mechanics.

Well said.

Besides, blindly replacing the battery doesn't mean that charging the old one wouldn't have worked.

Please, lucky guess? Rofl, it's called knowing the E46 and cars.
I laid out the steps needed to check first for this situation before going off on some tangent.
Check the power source/battery.
And this is exactly how Any shop would do it.

you're just upset because you look all foolish now trying to call me out.
Yes there are consequences to not reading the thread as you stated. And anyone and everyone reading this thread can see who the egg is on.

just own it and move along

Originally Posted by lcoleman

Well said.

Besides, blindly replacing the battery doesn't mean that charging the old one wouldn't have worked.

exactly
I am of the belief the battery was still fine, just low from being unused. just needed to be charged.

Originally Posted by Alex323Ci

just own it and move along

Ur the insecure one looking to always get the last post.

Originally Posted by Stinger9

Ur the insecure one looking to always get the last post.

it's called answering your false statements. nothing to do with having the last post. now if your last post said nothing completely out of line then i would not have to post correcting it.
so you gone from saying i'm wrong in my diagnosis, to saying i say to replace parts without diagnosing it. (which i clearly did in the posts)
to now trying to turn this around where i'm insecure that i need the last post.

get over it, had you just owned up to your i would not have to correct you over and over. you're usually not so but if you feel you got a case go ahead and continue....

We all said to charge the battery. Only one person is being a d!ck about it.

Bet you can't get to leave the last post with him hanging on for recognition.
Just watch.

I blew my main fuse once, because the battery connections weren't tightened down enough, which caused arcing. There was no click when that happened, nothing at all. So I knew you didn't have that problem right away. I'm sure your old battery is fine and just needs to be charged.

Congrats on the simple fix regardless! And hello from Minneapolis / Battle Lake

Originally Posted by Stinger9

Ur the insecure one looking to always get the last post.

Alex was right- you were wrong. It makes sense for him to have the last word. Idk what's wrong with people these days.

Originally Posted by Kubica

Alex was right- you were wrong. It makes sense for him to have the last word. Idk what's wrong with people these days.

Another jackalope that doesn't believe in troubleshooting which is all I proposed.
Wish you had read my posts.

Originally Posted by Stinger9

Another jackalope that doesn't believe in troubleshooting which is all I proposed.
Wish you had read my posts.

Well FWIW here's how I troubleshot the original post. Didn't read past that before responding.

1.) Battery is less than 2 years old
2.) Went to jump car, hooked cables up wrong.
2.5) No mention of smoke, mention of interior lights working, main fuse is therefore fine.
3.) "Click" sound when the ignition is turned, which is the normal indicator of a dead battery on an e46. When the main fuse is fried or the car is otherwise lacking the ability to supply juice throughout the car, there will be no click.

Solution A: Charge battery all the way, see if it takes a charge and turns over without a jump.
Solution B: Replace battery if it doesn't take a charge.
Side Note: If battery does take a charge and still no start, THEN you have other issues!

Cost to charge battery = Free
Time to take battery out = 20 minutes maximum
Time and effort to dick around with important wires and fuses before checking the battery first = Massive and Pointless

The key to proper troubleshooting is doing the steps in order. You don't replace a fuel pump on an older car before checking to see if the filter is clogged.

Originally Posted by hi its me alec

Well FWIW here's how I troubleshot the original post.
1.) Battery is less than 2 years old
2.) Went to jump car, hooked cables up wrong.
2.5) No mention of smoke, mention of interior lights working, main fuse is therefore fine.
3.) "Click" sound when the ignition is turned, which is the normal indicator of a dead battery on an e46. When the main fuse is fried or the car is otherwise lacking the ability to supply juice throughout the car, there will be no click.
Solution A: Charge battery all the way, see if it takes a charge and turns over without a jump.
Solution B: Replace battery if it doesn't take a charge.
Side Note: If battery does take a charge and still no start, THEN you have other issues!

Cost to charge battery = Free
Time to take battery out = 20 minutes maximum
Time and effort to dick around with important wires and fuses before checking the battery first = Massive and Pointless

The key to proper troubleshooting is doing the steps in order.

thank you, well said.

Originally Posted by Alex323Ci

thank you, well said.

Taking credit for another's thinking seems fitting for you.

The key to proper troubleshooting is doing the steps in order.

Correction:

The key to proper troubleshooting is doing the correct steps in order.