2011 535i Steering Difficulty and Battery Diagnosis

Tonero · 07-04-2021, 05:49 AM

Hello All,
Last month (June 2021), I bought a 2011 535i from a non-BMW dealer here in Seattle (most likely a trade-in).
Overall, it's a good car with just 89k miles after 10 years of use, however, I have two main issues that I need help with:+

Intermittent No Start, No Crank Battery
The dealer stated during the negotiation that they would change the battery, and it seems they did because the round blue sticker on the battery shows 5/21. However if the car sits for about 3 days, when you push start, the steering rises, the dash lights up, the chime sound that plays when you start the car plays, a message saying "Ignition Switched On!" shows up, but the engine does not crank.
I used the bimmerlink app to check the battery voltage (with the car off) after the car has been parked for 2 days and it read 12.25v. Interestingly, the battery state of charge is 57%.

Looking at the current battery, all I can see is that it's an Interstate battery that is an H7 with 840CCA, has a blue circular sticker written 5/21, and 7M24CN2F engraved on the body of the battery.

I can't see any other details because of the fixtures on the red terminal of the battery.

1) Because of the 5/21 tag, I believe they did change the batteries. I however believe that they did not code/register the new battery so the alternator is not charging it properly. Is this assumption correct? What do you guys think? What does 7M24CN2F mean? Can anyone decode it?

Steering/CAR unstable at high speedss
Steering Requires continuous corrections as the car seems to quickly drift left or right as you drive over road contours or imperfections at high speed.
It feels like a gust of wind kept slightly pushing the car to either side.
Someone suggested it was because they only replaced the rear tires, but I don't see how that will affect steering since the two tires in front are the same.

Driver Front Tyre: Michelin 245/40/R19
Passenger Front Tyle: Michelin Primacy 245/40/R19

Driver Rear Tyre: Continental Extreme Contact 275/35/ZR19
Passenger Rear Tyre: Continental Extreme Contact 275/35/ZR19

For this issue, is the problem coming from the fact that the tires are run-flat? or is it because the 2 front tyres are not the same as the 2 back tyres? How can I fix this?

Will really appreciate your support and guidance on this.

Hoa · 07-04-2021, 08:54 AM

Your car will only charge up to 80%. If it sat for a few days, the electronics may draw a little from the battery so your battery current charged state is probably normal. If you have the app, see if it is registered. It will tell you which date and miles the new battery is registered. If it is not registered, the vehicle may behave weird but I'm not sure about not starting.

Tire brand and type should not matter. What matter is the thickness of each left and right tire. If one side is thicker than the other, it can steer the vehicle to one side. Tire pressure will cause the same problem. Alignment might be an issue as well.

07-04-2021, 05:49 AM	#1
Tonero Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: 2010 F10 535i Join Date: Jun 2021 Location: Washington iTrader: (0)	2011 535i Steering Difficulty and Battery Diagnosis Hello All, Last month (June 2021), I bought a 2011 535i from a non-BMW dealer here in Seattle (most likely a trade-in). Overall, it's a good car with just 89k miles after 10 years of use, however, I have two main issues that I need help with:+ *Intermittent No Start, No Crank Battery* The dealer stated during the negotiation that they would change the battery, and it seems they did because the round blue sticker on the battery shows 5/21. However if the car sits for about 3 days, when you push start, the steering rises, the dash lights up, the chime sound that plays when you start the car plays, a message saying "Ignition Switched On!" shows up, but the engine does not crank. I used the bimmerlink app to check the battery voltage (with the car off) after the car has been parked for 2 days and it read 12.25v. Interestingly, the battery state of charge is 57%. Looking at the current battery, all I can see is that it's an Interstate battery that is an H7 with 840CCA, has a blue circular sticker written 5/21, and 7M24CN2F engraved on the body of the battery. I can't see any other details because of the fixtures on the red terminal of the battery. 1) Because of the 5/21 tag, I believe they did change the batteries. I however believe that they did not code/register the new battery so the alternator is not charging it properly. Is this assumption correct? What do you guys think? What does 7M24CN2F mean? Can anyone decode it? *Steering/CAR unstable at high speedss* Steering Requires continuous corrections as the car seems to quickly drift left or right as you drive over road contours or imperfections at high speed. It feels like a gust of wind kept slightly pushing the car to either side. Someone suggested it was because they only replaced the rear tires, but I don't see how that will affect steering since the two tires in front are the same. Driver Front Tyre: Michelin 245/40/R19 Passenger Front Tyle: Michelin Primacy 245/40/R19 Driver Rear Tyre: Continental Extreme Contact 275/35/ZR19 Passenger Rear Tyre: Continental Extreme Contact 275/35/ZR19 For this issue, is the problem coming from the fact that the tires are run-flat? or is it because the 2 front tyres are not the same as the 2 back tyres? How can I fix this? Will really appreciate your support and guidance on this.
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07-04-2021, 08:54 AM	#2
Hoa Major 672 Rep 1,508 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: May 2010 Location: GA iTrader: (10)	Your car will only charge up to 80%. If it sat for a few days, the electronics may draw a little from the battery so your battery current charged state is probably normal. If you have the app, see if it is registered. It will tell you which date and miles the new battery is registered. If it is not registered, the vehicle may behave weird but I'm not sure about not starting. Tire brand and type should not matter. What matter is the thickness of each left and right tire. If one side is thicker than the other, it can steer the vehicle to one side. Tire pressure will cause the same problem. Alignment might be an issue as well.
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