[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by tomyang

I got the message today. Could I take out the battery and bring it to advance auto to charge it or no?

I don't think that's right way to handle this, BMW recommends trickle charger installed (apx. $200 at the dealership).
When it's cold, this WILL happen, no exception, read the info in other two threads I provided in my earlier post.

My battery is brand new and I forgot to plug in trickle charger last night.

[MavRick]

i've had the message for about 2 months, now. my commute to work is about half a mile so i figured that the car just wasnt running long enough to allow the alternator to fully compensate for the draw that starting the car, courtesy lights, etc being put on the battery.

took a road trip to charlotte and for the next week, no dash warning. once i got into my normal routine, it came right back. its a pain in the ass because when someone changes your seating position, you cant go to the memory function until you start the car. also sucks that the dome light doesnt come on when you open the door, either.

its not a priority to get fixed, as the car runs fine, but its definitely bothersome.

[krautmeister]

Yeah I have forgotten what a dome light is like on a late model luxury car with a MSRP as optioned $90k

Sure is annoying when I get in the car when I go home since it's dark so early now.

[MavRick]

Originally Posted by krautmeister

Yeah I have forgotten what a dome light is like on a late model luxury car with a MSRP as optioned $90k

Sure is annoying when I get in the car when I go home since it's dark so early now.

i'll bite the bullet and get it checked, next week. i think i read something about them reprogramming/lowering the threshold that causes the code to be thrown. we will see on tuesday...

[top ramen]

I appreciate the infos. I guess it's time to invest in a trickle charger. The past years I never had the message during the winter months. I had the battery replaced during this summer by BMW when my comfort access was acting up and it drained my battery pretty bad. They fixed the door handle and replaced the battery instead of recharging it out of good will. My commute to work is only 6 miles so I know for a fact that 6 miles ain't going to charge the car back to full. BMW needs to step up and correct these issues, these cars ain't cheap. It's just going to be a inconvenience during the winter months to keep trickle charging your car everytime you come home so the car could startup the following morning. I really hope the newer G20 don't have any of flaws, if it does, I'm done and going to Audi for my next car.

@MavRick- please come back and post up your findings.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by tomyang

I appreciate the infos. I guess it's time to invest in a trickle charger...

I got mine from Costco.

[top ramen]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

I got mine from Costco.

My brother got a Costco membership. Could you show me the trickle charger you got from there.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by tomyang

My brother got a Costco membership. Could you show me the trickle charger you got from there.

Sure.....

Deltran Battery Tender p/n 022-0202-COS-WH. I also hard wired the connector to the terminals under the hood.

[Dandle]

You shouldn't need to trickle charge the car all the time but they do need to be topped up now and then. The alternator isn't a very good battery charger and is designed to run the services more than charge the battery (unlike a dynamo which is a very good battery charger).
Our cars they are very heavy on the batteries with all the electrics so they deserve a charge now and then. I do mine once a year and generally it takes about 6 hours to charge the battery up to full.
I read people say that they only expect about 5-6 years out of a BMW battery but that is normally because the battery hasn't been looked after at all during that time.

I use one of these but dont know if you can get them in the USA.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by Dandle

You shouldn't need to trickle charge the car all the time but they do need to be topped up now and then. The alternator isn't a very good battery charger and is designed to run the services more than charge the battery (unlike a dynamo which is a very good battery charger).
Our cars they are very heavy on the batteries with all the electrics so they deserve a charge now and then. I do mine once a year and generally it takes about 6 hours to charge the battery up to full.
I read people say that they only expect about 5-6 years out of a BMW battery but that is normally because the battery hasn't been looked after at all during that time.

I use one of these but dont know if you can get them in the USA.

I use a trickle charger on all our cars once a month, regardless of use.

[krautmeister]

I had my car plugged in for a week while out of town and it warmed up to the 70s last week and finally I got my dome light and vent fan back!!!

Here's my plug in "hybrid".

[top ramen]

Originally Posted by krautmeister

I had my car plugged in for a week while out of town and it warmed up to the 70s last week and finally I got my dome light and vent fan back!!!

Here's my plug in "hybrid".

How you like that battery charger? I was going to buy the deltran battery charger that ezaircon4jc recommended but I purchased a ctek charger from amazon for only a few buck more with the options to do a battery, starter, and alternator test. I saw this charger too but didn't have enough reviews.

[krautmeister]

Originally Posted by tomyang

How you like that battery charger? I was going to buy the deltran battery charger that ezaircon4jc recommended but I purchased a ctek charger from amazon for only a few buck more with the options to do a battery, starter, and alternator test. I saw this charger too but didn't have enough reviews.

The charger works well enough, but its only capable up to 400AH... and the BMW battery is I believe 900 or so. I was going to return it, but the quick connect battery cable is a good feature and I figured I could throw it on my boat in the future. I did have to leave it on for a week for it to make a difference. I try to plug it in every night now so it gets 10 hours of charge.

[MavRick]

Originally Posted by tomyang

I appreciate the infos. I guess it's time to invest in a trickle charger. The past years I never had the message during the winter months. I had the battery replaced during this summer by BMW when my comfort access was acting up and it drained my battery pretty bad. They fixed the door handle and replaced the battery instead of recharging it out of good will. My commute to work is only 6 miles so I know for a fact that 6 miles ain't going to charge the car back to full. BMW needs to step up and correct these issues, these cars ain't cheap. It's just going to be a inconvenience during the winter months to keep trickle charging your car everytime you come home so the car could startup the following morning. I really hope the newer G20 don't have any of flaws, if it does, I'm done and going to Audi for my next car.

@MavRick- please come back and post up your findings.

sorry that i forgot to update. my repair guy told me that the short answer is that i need a new battery. the longer answer is that the battery is beginning to go bad and will need to be replaced in the future. so yeah...im not in any hurry to spend $400 on a battery (with the requisite registering) when the only sign that the battery is going bad is this stoopid charge message on the dash....

i'll look into replacing next month...

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by MavRick

....when the only sign that the battery is going bad is this stoopid charge message on the dash....

Well, the warning on the dash, but also certain features are disabled as a result.

Things like DHP (if you have it), heating in the car (all but windshield defrost), can't recall about heated seats or steering wheel, but basically bunch of stuff is disabled once your battery charge drops under certain percentage.

[TTG]

Mine is always on a charger when it is not going to be driven over 24 hrs. Battery Tender is one of those products that is a must for folks with multiple vehicles.

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by krautmeister

I had my car plugged in for a week while out of town and it warmed up to the 70s last week and finally I got my dome light and vent fan back!!!

Here's my plug in "hybrid".

Originally Posted by TTG

Mine is always on a charger when it is not going to be driven over 24 hrs. Battery Tender is one of those products that is a must for folks with multiple vehicles.

we had a thread on this last year's winter regarding trickle charging and i thought it was ideal to hook it up from the trunk...or does it really matter

[TTG]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

we had a thread on this last year's winter regarding trickle charging and i thought it was ideal to hook it up from the trunk...or does it really matter

I have always used the battery access terminals in the engine bay in all of my BMWs and had no problems. Next to the 5er there is a 2002 MINI and its original battery lasted 13 years!

My car was also plugged in from the engine bay terminals when it was BMWs showroom. So, I would say, either way is ok.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by TTG

I have always used the battery access terminals in the engine bay in all of my BMWs and had no problems. Next to the 5er there is a 2002 MINI and its original battery lasted 13 years!

My car was also plugged in from the engine bay terminals when it was BMWs showroom. So, I would say, either way is ok.

Engine bay terminals is the way recommended by BMW. (BMW data). It ensures the IBS is in the circuit.

[krautmeister]

So i guess if you put off something long enough... it does fix itself... just kidding.

I took my car in for oil service and other issues like vent motor noise. The SA told me that the battery is being replaced under warranty! SWEET! I'm not sure if BMW recently changed their tune on this so check it out!

[joemulder]

it happened to me a couple weeks ago..charge it with a battery charge for 2 days. it will be fine after..

[krautmeister]

Originally Posted by joemulder

it happened to me a couple weeks ago..charge it with a battery charge for 2 days. it will be fine after..

I guess u haven't seen the entire thread. I think for some, spot charging for maintenance when it gets cold helps. Some, the battery is too far gone, which mine has been limping by for a few months.