[Breach]

My first battery lasted 3 years. According to the dealer it was because I was driving short distances (do they get indoctrinated on this I wonder?). Still, they replaced it under warranty. By the way they flashed my car when they did this so I suspect there was a service bulletin or they wouldn't have done it.

I don't even want to guess how much they'd charge outside of warranty for parts and labor. I do hook the car up to a charger every two weeks or so now, especially when I don't leave town. I am out of warranty now and the current one I have is a BMW rebranded 90 AH AGM Varta, so next time I'm getting that and registering with e-sys myself.

[Bbb34]

Got my replaced this week, few months shy of 5 years. It seems recent cold spell was the end of it. Battery is not that expensive, it's the fees in the dealership that add up quickly, diagnostics... etc.

My understanding is that if you are going with bigger battery you need to have your car reprogrammed, which makes it a lot more expensive. Not 100% sure if replacing with exactly the same battery still requires "registration" - don't have the invoice with me to check exactly what I was charged for.

[EBR]

It seem stupid that BMW and maybe other manufactures, can program in all the info about the batter status and discharge, but don't do it to figure out that a new batter was put in and can be charged higher. They just want more $$$ to program it, I guess.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by EBR

It seem stupid that BMW and maybe other manufactures, can program in all the info about the battery status and discharge, but don't do it to figure out that a new batter was put in and can be charged higher. They just want more $$$ to program it, I guess.

I don't see any problem with the logic of a simple registration to set values for a new battery, as it is not a complex procedure. Registration is not limited to official BMW dealers, we can even do it ourselves if we have the correct bit of software.

For dealers to load the cost, that is the real issue which grates with users.

[Breach]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

Got my replaced this week, few months shy of 5 years. It seems recent cold spell was the end of it. Battery is not that expensive, it's the fees in the dealership that add up quickly, diagnostics... etc.

My understanding is that if you are going with bigger battery you need to have your car reprogrammed, which makes it a lot more expensive. Not 100% sure if replacing with exactly the same battery still requires "registration" - don't have the invoice with me to check exactly what I was charged for.

Changing to a different type of battery / capacity requires coding which is not very different compared to registering - it's done in INPA/P (and probably also e-sys) and takes between 5 and 10 minutes. In a dealership's world that's probably $200 easily

Yes, even if you're replacing with exactly the same battery it needs to be registered so that the IBS module charges it appropriately (another 5-10 minutes).

It's a pretty easy DIY and there's plenty of material out there. Getting the tools set up (laptop, ENET<->OBD cable, finding, installing, configuring the software) is what takes time.

What pisses me off is that battery registration could have been exposed under the dash service menu which would have prevented all this hassle, but of course that's less cashflow for those concerned.

[Surly73]

I'm not so sure it's cash flow as much as the "hey I wonder what this does" user who suddenly finds themselves in a car that won't start because IBS assumed they're old battery was new and let them watch DVDs for an hour with the engine off.

I mean most of this work would be covered under warranty in most cases - that's not the kind of cash flow the company wants

[M5Beast_NYC]

Im getting a constant charge battery message lately. My car i just over 4 year old. I believe I might have to replace the battery soon as the car felt a little weak starting up when we hit 10 deg F the other day...

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by Carbonm3ny

Im getting a constant charge battery message lately. My car i just over 4 year old. I believe I might have to replace the battery soon as the car felt a little weak starting up when we hit 10 deg F the other day...

I don't know about "replacing it" while your battery may need replacing, I had the same warning on brand spanking new loaners (228xi and 320xi) too.

It's BMW "feature" ... unfortunately.
Remember this thread?

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1091975

[M5Beast_NYC]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

I don't know about "replacing it" while your battery may need replacing, I had the same warning on brand spanking new loaners (228xi and 320xi) too.

It's BMW "feature" ... unfortunately.
Remember this thread?

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1091975

LOL. Yes and i just bumped it up last week. my point of replying on this thread cuz the OP was asking for timeline on how long everyone had their battery before replacing

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by Carbonm3ny

LOL. Yes and i just bumped it up last week. my point of replying on this thread cuz the OP was asking for timeline on how long everyone had their battery before replacing

Ooops, I didn't see that, the bump, in fact I went searching for that thread.

Most batteries where we live are good for 3-5 years, some will go longer, but none should go before 3 years in my opinion. I had a good laugh seeing the warning on brand new loaner when I left my car in the shop to get a trickle charge installed. Just to have the same exact thing happen to me this weekend with different (also brand new loner) while I was waiting for my battery to get replaced. I want to be understanding and laid back, and every time I go anywhere at -30 Celsius, I'm impressed that any cars start and work at all. But BMW really needs to do better on this one.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by Breach

In a dealership's world that's probably $200 easily ...... What pisses me off is that battery registration could have been exposed under the dash service menu which would have prevented all this hassle, but of course that's less cashflow for those concerned.

There's money to be made in building and selling the product.
But also money to be made in "services" as well.

You can see more and more companies are taking this approach (we'll "give you" hardware if you sign up for service, and car manufacturers are taking notice. I'm sure dealerships are loving this, as it's pure money generating part of the business. But to be fair to them, I'm sure it's not an easy business to run.

[bake]

How can I tell whether my car has the 90Amp or 105Amp battery? Is the only way to go in the trunk and physically check the label? My car is a 2011 535i. Looking to replace the battery before the winter temperatures hit in the Northeast. Thanks!

[Conserve]

Originally Posted by razfrankel

I got a new battery last week this past week my dad went to Staten Island mechanic program the battery and tightened the starter oil change everything my point is when I went on BimmerLink today it showed 79% battery state of charge why is it draining if I got a new battery?

Do not panic. I say monitor it for next 2-3 weeks on weekly basis then draw conclusion. BTW, you are not including battery replacement brand and amperage.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by bake

How can I tell whether my car has the 90Amp or 105Amp battery? Is the only way to go in the trunk and physically check the label? My car is a 2011 535i. Looking to replace the battery before the winter temperatures hit in the Northeast. Thanks!

Did you register it as a new battery?

[ctcarbonari]

My battery is 9 years old and nearly always reads 80% state of charge (+/- 2)
I'm not sure if this is a product of the IBS or not (i.e. the car maintains @ 80% so as not to overcharge the battery).

Maybe someone much more knowledgable than I will chime in as I've always wondered about this myself.

Definitely don't panic. Monitor it for the next few weeks and I'm sure you'll find that it'll always read around 80% soc. (70%+ range is just fine too. Depends upon driving habits. A lot of start/stop, short trips, etc)

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by ctcarbonari

My battery is 9 years old and nearly always reads 80% state of charge (+/- 2)
I'm not sure if this is a product of the IBS or not (i.e. the car maintains @ 80% so as not to overcharge the battery).

Maybe someone much more knowledgable than I will chime in as I've always wondered about this myself.

Definitely don't panic. Monitor it for the next few weeks and I'm sure you'll find that it'll always read around 80% soc. (70%+ range is just fine too. Depends upon driving habits. A lot of start/stop, short trips, etc)

Don't AGM batteries charge to just 80% capacity in order to extend life? Or is that backwards and that's what lead-acid do. Some battery is like that!

[ctcarbonari]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Don't AGM batteries charge to just 80% capacity in order to extend life? Or is that backwards and that's what lead-acid do. Some battery is like that!

I do believe that is correct (@ AGM charging to 80%), or at least what I've "heard" thru the internetsphere.

I'd love to hear someone more knowledgable with the IBS & BMW charging to shed some light on this.

[razfrankel]

Alright I will monitor it for the 2-3 weeks I will see the results.

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by razfrankel

I got a new battery last week this past week my dad went to Staten Island mechanic program the battery and tightened the starter oil change everything my point is when I went on BimmerLink today it showed 79% battery state of charge why is it draining if I got a new battery?

1/ without using an external charger the systems in the car target 80% as "good enough"

2/ didn't a number of us tell you that the very low state of charge of your old battery (plus any "discharge while stopped" messages you may have said you were receiving) meant that your old battery wasn't your actual problem? And that any replacement battery would also start going dead, because you didn't fix the actual problem?

Hang on a while and see what happens I guess...

[ctcarbonari]

Originally Posted by Surly73

1/ without using an external charger the systems in the car target 80% as "good enough"

2/ didn't a number of us tell you that the very low state of charge of your old battery (plus any "discharge while stopped" messages you may have said you were receiving) meant that your old battery wasn't your actual problem? And that any replacement battery would also start going dead, because you didn't fix the actual problem?

Hang on a while and see what happens I guess...

1/ Thank you for confirmation
2/ I was wondering the exact same! (identifying the cause for "Increased discharge while stopped" much more concerning, imo)

I'm also wondering if the new battery is a 105 AH or if he went with the lower capacity he was asking about.

#popcorn

[e4603]

From https://www.greencarcongress.com/200...troduces_.html

“The battery is charged to only about 80% of its capacity whenever the engine is pulling the vehicle, always maintaining an adequate reserve for the consumption of energy at a standstill and for starting the vehicle. A higher charge level is generated only when the vehicle is in overrun or upon application of the brakes, that is in phases with a better energy balance.

With the number of charge cycles increasing thanks to these specific control functions, BMW combines Intelligent Alternator Control with AGM (absorbant glass mat) batteries able to handle a higher load than conventional lead/acid batteries.”

The owner’s manual says the battery is being charged when the EfficientDynamics blue indicator comes on (when I’m coasting or braking).

[StradaRedlands]

Well gang, that solves the mystery!!!