An 05 has a MAP rather than MAF. In the case of a mass air flow/volume fault the crankshaft pulley would be one of the suspects, but the hard to start and light blinking symptoms point elsewhere. Usually the car will start OK, but generate a code & limp mode when rpm increases, also there was an operating interval with no problem.
As with most long distance diagnostics, there are always omissions of critical detail. I suggest the OP locate a BMW code compatible reader to extract the code.
