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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum Dealer/Battery Warrant issue on 550i (N63)
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      01-06-2016, 01:11 PM   #1
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Dealer/Battery Warrant issue on 550i (N63)

Hey guys,

So along with my N63 customer care package, my battery was replaced in January 19, 2015. The car was still under warranty at that time so actually I'm not sure if the battery was replaced as part of the N63 customer care package or the warranty. Anyway, the car is no longer under warranty but the battery is. The car is giving me a message indicating increased battery discharge. I called my dealer who advised there would be a $174 diagnostic fee. I was alarmed at the fee. Has anyone else ever heard of this? It seems odd to me that they would charge a fee to diagnose what Idrive is already telling me. On a side note, does anyone know if it is Ok to charge these batteries with battery charger? Thanks
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      01-06-2016, 01:59 PM   #2
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I received the low battery message on my car over the past couple of days and simple hooked up my ctek charger and left it charge overnight...all messages have gone away and my battery looks good. I used the CTek 3300 charger connected to the leads under the hood.
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      01-06-2016, 02:32 PM   #3
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Thanks bscarlett. I have an Autozone charger that I use to charge my other cars, but was a little skeptical about this car with all of its electronics. I will give it a shot.
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      01-06-2016, 02:32 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by E46-C6-F10 View Post
Hey guys,

So along with my N63 customer care package, my battery was replaced in January 19, 2015. The car was still under warranty at that time so actually I'm not sure if the battery was replaced as part of the N63 customer care package or the warranty. Anyway, the car is no longer under warranty but the battery is. The car is giving me a message indicating increased battery discharge. I called my dealer who advised there would be a $174 diagnostic fee. I was alarmed at the fee. Has anyone else ever heard of this? It seems odd to me that they would charge a fee to diagnose what Idrive is already telling me. On a side note, does anyone know if it is Ok to charge these batteries with battery charger? Thanks
The battery issues are directly related to the efficient dynamics, if your not sure what that is I'll explain it for you. In order for bmw to increase the fuel economy the alternator only charges the battery while you are braking or coasting it's also supposed to charge the battery when it gets low but it doesn't (obviously) and bmw won't correct the problem by updating the program to have the alternator charge all the time like every other car on the road. If they were to update the program the alternator would put a higher load on the engine and it would decrease the fuel economy by 3% and it wouldn't meet its fuel economy rating anymore and we could sue them, so they just tell people who are out of warranty to buy a new battery when you get the oil changed. Some dealer ships handle the battery differently I for example had to pay for the battery when I had the CCP done. You can charge the battery and your error will go away, I picked a battery charger at Walmart for $80 that will charge lead acid, agm and gel cell batteries ours is an AGM, it's better than the bmw battery tender because it can charge up to 10 amps and you can jump start your car with it also. When I put my car on the charger it's usually at 65% and it takes 3 hours to charge at 10amps, it will take all night to charge with the bmw battery tender. Sometimes you don't have all night to charge up the car. BMW also says in the owners manual to drive the car 10 miles everyday to keep the battery charged but that doesn't work and I think it's BS to put miles on the car to charge the battery.

Last edited by Teddylongtooth; 01-07-2016 at 11:55 AM..
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      01-06-2016, 04:02 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by E46-C6-F10
Hey guys,

So along with my N63 customer care package, my battery was replaced in January 19, 2015. The car was still under warranty at that time so actually I'm not sure if the battery was replaced as part of the N63 customer care package or the warranty. Anyway, the car is no longer under warranty but the battery is. The car is giving me a message indicating increased battery discharge. I called my dealer who advised there would be a $174 diagnostic fee. I was alarmed at the fee. Has anyone else ever heard of this? It seems odd to me that they would charge a fee to diagnose what Idrive is already telling me. On a side note, does anyone know if it is Ok to charge these batteries with battery charger? Thanks
Although the car is saying increased battery discharge, they still won't know what is causing the problem. They need to run diagnostic to get to the root of the problem and figure out what is causing the increased battery discharge. Happened to me too....sucks
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      01-06-2016, 04:07 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Teddylongtooth
Quote:
Originally Posted by E46-C6-F10 View Post
Hey guys,

So along with my N63 customer care package, my battery was replaced in January 19, 2015. The car was still under warranty at that time so actually I'm not sure if the battery was replaced as part of the N63 customer care package or the warranty. Anyway, the car is no longer under warranty but the battery is. The car is giving me a message indicating increased battery discharge. I called my dealer who advised there would be a $174 diagnostic fee. I was alarmed at the fee. Has anyone else ever heard of this? It seems odd to me that they would charge a fee to diagnose what Idrive is already telling me. On a side note, does anyone know if it is Ok to charge these batteries with battery charger? Thanks
The battery issues are directly related to the efficient dynamics, if your not sure what that is I'll explain it for you. In order for bmw to increase the fuel economy the alternator only charges the battery while you are braking or coasting it's also supposed to charge the battery when it gets low but it doesn't (obviously) and bmw won't correct the problem by updating the program to have the alternator charge all the time like every other car on the road. If they were to update the program the alternator would put a higher load on the engine and it would decrease the fuel economy by 3% and it wouldn't meet its fuel economy rating anymore and we could sue them, so they just tell people who are out of warranty to buy a new battery when you get the oil changed. Some dealer ships handle the battery differently I for example had to pay for the battery when I had the CCP done. You can charge the battery and your error will go away, I picked a battery charger at Walmart for $80 that will charge lead acid, agm and gel cell batteries ours is an AGM, it's better than the bmw battery tender because it can charge up to 10 amps and you can jump start your car with it also. When I put my car on the charger it's usually at 65% and it takes 3 hours to charge at 10amps it will take all night to charge with the bmw battery tender, sometimes you don't hava all night to charge up the car. BMW also says in the owners manual to drive the car 10 miles everyday to keep the battery charged but that doesn't work and I think it's BS to put miles on the car to charge the battery.
Teddy you have a link or model number to the battery charger you purchased?
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      01-06-2016, 04:15 PM   #7
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Battery charger link,
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher...arger/25955535
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      01-06-2016, 04:16 PM   #8
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This is the charger I use.

http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SC-...ry+charger+AGM
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      01-06-2016, 04:48 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Teddylongtooth View Post
The battery issues are directly related to the efficient dynamics, if your not sure what that is I'll explain it for you. In order for bmw to increase the fuel economy the alternator only charges the battery while you are braking or coasting it's also supposed to charge the battery when it gets low but it doesn't (obviously) and bmw won't correct the problem by updating the program to have the alternator charge all the time like every other car on the road. If they were to update the program the alternator would put a higher load on the engine and it would decrease the fuel economy by 3% and it wouldn't meet its fuel economy rating anymore and we could sue them, so they just tell people who are out of warranty to buy a new battery when you get the oil changed. Some dealer ships handle the battery differently I for example had to pay for the battery when I had the CCP done. You can charge the battery and your error will go away, I picked a battery charger at Walmart for $80 that will charge lead acid, agm and gel cell batteries ours is an AGM, it's better than the bmw battery tender because it can charge up to 10 amps and you can jump start your car with it also. When I put my car on the charger it's usually at 65% and it takes 3 hours to charge at 10amps it will take all night to charge with the bmw battery tender, sometimes you don't hava all night to charge up the car. BMW also says in the owners manual to drive the car 10 miles everyday to keep the battery charged but that doesn't work and I think it's BS to put miles on the car to charge the battery.
Thanks Teddy,

When I had the battery replaced last year, the dealer did indeed explain how the efficient dynamics system works (idiotic if you ask me). I only drive my car a couple days a week, but when I do, I now purposely try to coast a bit more to see the little guage go into the blue "efficient dynamics" zone. I'm going to charge my batt tonight. I have the same charger that snj1013 uses.
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      01-06-2016, 05:21 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by E46-C6-F10 View Post
Thanks Teddy,

When I had the battery replaced last year, the dealer did indeed explain how the efficient dynamics system works (idiotic if you ask me). I only drive my car a couple days a week, but when I do, I now purposely try to coast a bit more to see the little guage go into the blue "efficient dynamics" zone. I'm going to charge my batt tonight. I have the same charger that snj1013 uses.
No problem, please post back after you charge to let us know what your results are.
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      01-06-2016, 08:43 PM   #11
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Had my '14 550xi in for regular service (~13k on the clock) this December. They replaced the battery to my surprise. I never had any discharge messages, but the tech said it was just part of a routine service. I told him I was very surprised that the battery on a 2 year old car had to be replaced. He rebutted that the car was likely built several months before I got it... haha. So, OK... a 2.5 year old car needs a new battery?? My previous BMWs only had their batteries replaced at around the 6 year mark. The last one before the 550xi I owned 6 years and NEVER replaced the battery.

The battery management is definitely screwy on the F10... and glad they replaced it on their dime.
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      01-07-2016, 03:37 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ezmaass View Post
Had my '14 550xi in for regular service (~13k on the clock) this December. They replaced the battery to my surprise. I never had any discharge messages, but the tech said it was just part of a routine service. I told him I was very surprised that the battery on a 2 year old car had to be replaced. He rebutted that the car was likely built several months before I got it... haha. So, OK... a 2.5 year old car needs a new battery?? My previous BMWs only had their batteries replaced at around the 6 year mark. The last one before the 550xi I owned 6 years and NEVER replaced the battery.

The battery management is definitely screwy on the F10... and glad they replaced it on their dime.
Aren't BMW NA simply covering themselves due to the possibility of customer complaints (and bad publicity) due to poor driving profiles? Not sure we'd see the same pro-active battery change, here in the UK.

I'd imagine anyone driving decent mileage will not have any issues and the battery will last at least 4 years. I'm at over 4-years with my 535i and driving low mileage. (8k per annum). Not had any warnings due to driving profile, but do as a matter of choice use a CTEK charger, two or three times in a winter, to ensure the battery is kept topped up. Have done this with other cars, so not for the F11 in particular.

Seems ironical that the Eco features are supposed to save fuel/CO2 and throwing away a good battery just wastes resources. Not very joined up.
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      01-07-2016, 01:27 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighlandPete View Post
Aren't BMW NA simply covering themselves due to the possibility of customer complaints (and bad publicity) due to poor driving profiles? Not sure we'd see the same pro-active battery change, here in the UK.

I'd imagine anyone driving decent mileage will not have any issues and the battery will last at least 4 years. I'm at over 4-years with my 535i and driving low mileage. (8k per annum). Not had any warnings due to driving profile, but do as a matter of choice use a CTEK charger, two or three times in a winter, to ensure the battery is kept topped up. Have done this with other cars, so not for the F11 in particular.

Seems ironical that the Eco features are supposed to save fuel/CO2 and throwing away a good battery just wastes resources. Not very joined up.

That is generally what happens with most Eco anything. It's far more expensive than any of the Eco savings gained. Unfortunately there is a premium to pay for anything healthy, Eco friendly, and or generally good for humanity. Kinda makes you feel like this
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      01-07-2016, 02:13 PM   #14
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I had my battery replaced with my CCP but never had low charge indicators or anything come on.
I certainly have adapted my driving style to coast more often to get that little blue indicator to come on once I read about all this. Certainly has helped with gas mileage a bit and apparently helps keep the battery going.
Again, ridiculous we even have to worry about this on a $70-80k (new) car, but oh well.
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      01-07-2016, 08:21 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighlandPete View Post
Aren't BMW NA simply covering themselves due to the possibility of customer complaints (and bad publicity) due to poor driving profiles? Not sure we'd see the same pro-active battery change, here in the UK.

I'd imagine anyone driving decent mileage will not have any issues and the battery will last at least 4 years. I'm at over 4-years with my 535i and driving low mileage. (8k per annum). Not had any warnings due to driving profile, but do as a matter of choice use a CTEK charger, two or three times in a winter, to ensure the battery is kept topped up. Have done this with other cars, so not for the F11 in particular.

Seems ironical that the Eco features are supposed to save fuel/CO2 and throwing away a good battery just wastes resources. Not very joined up.
Pete - yes, certainly seems like they're trying to cover themselves. I never had any warnings. When I do drive the car, I tend to drive further distances (lots of highway), so I'm sure it's well charged. I just found it odd, and somewhat wasteful. But I'm sure they wouldn't be doing it if there wasn't a better than average chance it would become a problem.

But hell, I wish they'd pay attention to the horrible tires on this car - of which I've now replaced THREE in two years and 13k miles. I find that completely unacceptable, much more so than a battery that would be replaced prematurely.
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      01-07-2016, 11:35 PM   #16
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Update: I charged the battery and all is well....for now. As I mentioned, I have 3 cars so I'm used to having to charge batteries periodically. I generally drive the F10 every weekend so I didn't expect to have to recharge a less than 1 year old battery. Not to mention I was a bit nervous about plugging in my $40 charger to my $70,000 highly technical vehicle. Oh well...the good news is that the dealer won't be getting my $174 "diagnostic fee." Thanks guys.
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      01-09-2016, 07:29 AM   #17
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I had my 550ix in for service last week right before the warranty expires in a month. I asked the service manager about the battery since it has been replaced twice (once about two years ago during a very cold winter and once last year with CCP repairs). He told me that I would be responsible to pay for replacement after warranty expires (about $500 total) but that BMW would stand behind it for two years. So, I guess I can look forward to about $500 every other year I keep the car.

For what it is worth, I bought a charger designed for AGM batteries two years ago when I first had problems with the battery, and the battery would not hold a charge. Service manager also noted that they had no success in charging batteries once they drained to a certain point. Thus, the replacement approach.
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      01-09-2016, 09:03 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 5fix View Post
I had my 550ix in for service last week right before the warranty expires in a month. I asked the service manager about the battery since it has been replaced twice (once about two years ago during a very cold winter and once last year with CCP repairs). He told me that I would be responsible to pay for replacement after warranty expires (about $500 total) but that BMW would stand behind it for two years. So, I guess I can look forward to about $500 every other year I keep the car.

For what it is worth, I bought a charger designed for AGM batteries two years ago when I first had problems with the battery, and the battery would not hold a charge. Service manager also noted that they had no success in charging batteries once they drained to a certain point. Thus, the replacement approach.
I'd be keeping on top of battery condition, not let it drain to levels of possible failure. I'd wager that there will be much more life in the battery than needing replacements every year or two. 4 - 6-years, is more like it, if using a smart charger. I'm doing so with my 535i battery, now over 4-years and counting...

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      01-09-2016, 09:42 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 5fix View Post
I had my 550ix in for service last week right before the warranty expires in a month. I asked the service manager about the battery since it has been replaced twice (once about two years ago during a very cold winter and once last year with CCP repairs). He told me that I would be responsible to pay for replacement after warranty expires (about $500 total) but that BMW would stand behind it for two years. So, I guess I can look forward to about $500 every other year I keep the car.

For what it is worth, I bought a charger designed for AGM batteries two years ago when I first had problems with the battery, and the battery would not hold a charge. Service manager also noted that they had no success in charging batteries once they drained to a certain point. Thus, the replacement approach.
Found a couple replacement batteries on the net for $200-$250 and there is a DIY for changing it out on the forum. Looks pretty basic. Just have to get it coded by a friend/forum member or import garage after that. Might save you a couple hundred.
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      01-09-2016, 04:44 PM   #20
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I read in a battery topic where the infamous "they" said that a battery's life can be extended for a very long time just by putting it on a charger/maintainer once a month. I've been doing that for a couple of years now and the one car that seemed to eat batteries for lunch has now gone 3+ years on the same battery.

I have a Battery Tender that I rotate between our cars. I bought the pigtails to attach to the battery (or in my case the under-hood connection) and a 20' (I think) extension. I just look at as another maintenance item...
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      02-05-2016, 09:36 PM   #21
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I Don't Use the Autostop to Save Battery

Using the autostop with lights on definitely drains the battery. I push the small button each time we start up Tasmanian just so we don't drain the battery on a 4 year old car.

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