Strange problem,
A few weeks ago I took wifes 2000 320 out to the store. Parked the car then decided to move to a different spot. Couldn't get car out of park. Finally read the manual and used the pen in the hole trick to get the car out of park. When leaving the store, noticed BAS / ETS lights were on, so figured that maybe the shift lock used the same switch as the BAS/ETS system. (by the way, those lights come one infrequently and normally when it's damp outside)

So....father-in-law borrowed car for a week, and used the pen trick with no problem. Wife got car back and it's working fine....

Any ideas what can cause this? I'm not going to worry to much, because she knows how to make the car work, but I'm just curious.

thanks - great forum, just found it - will be asking many questions in the upcoming weeks I'm sure!

Rob