Battery

[Grendel-13]

BMW manufactures their own batteries.

Pro tip for those who haven’t experienced them - once they’re dead they can’t be jumped, and you need to replace it with a BMW battery because they have a computer chip that tells the ECU how much charge it has. The cars will pull harder on an older battery to make sure the computer systems have enough juice. This also means the dealer has to install the battery to reset the ECU. Quite costly.

The battery can be recharged if it has drained completely. My previous BMW had sat on the lot so long that the battery had gone dead. The were able to recharge it and it worked fine for the next four years. I also had problems toward the ned of the battery's life. When I had to recharge it from dead again. It was an outside car, so the extremely cold winter didn't help things. I ended up replacing it because it was start to have consistent problems keep enough of a charge. BMW dealers charge between 5 to 600 to replace denpending on the dealer.

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[Prodrift]

Strange... I have a Toyota battery in mine..

 

[JasonO]

Strange... I have a Toyota battery in mine..

Mine is Toyota as well. Likely same battery different label than the other one posted.

Yours was either changed at the dealership or Toyota finally has their own inventory in Austria. It is still a large bastard for a sports car at 90 AH.

 

[A70TTR]

If it's not stamped Panasonic, then it's not a Toyota (Primearth) battery

 

[thedude]

The battery can be recharged if it has drained completely. My previous BMW had sat on the lot so long that the battery had gone dead. The were able to recharge it and it worked fine for the next four years. I also had problems toward the ned of the battery's life. When I had to recharge it from dead again. It was an outside car, so the extremely cold winter didn't help things. I ended up replacing it because it was start to have consistent problems keep enough of a charge. BMW dealers charge between 5 to 600 to replace denpending on the dealer.

Good to know. I said it couldn’t be jumped, which seems to be the case with these. Haven’t tried to recharge one with a charger.

 

[thedude]

Here's a detailed discussion onbattery coding and the reason why these battery are sucked dry. Different battery type and capacity necessitate different charging voltage and duration.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1338302

That’s cool. I knew about the algorithm and having to reset it when a new battery is installed but I was not aware that you could specify the ah for a different battery type. Seems the aftermarket options are viable now.

 

[thedude]

I thought batteries are big these days because of the start-stop thing.

I’m sure that’s some of it. It’s also due to the extensive use of electric accessories in BMWs (water pump, AC compressor, etc...), and also the large number of computer systems.

 

[John8]

I bought one yesterday, Supra not the battery, and they had just replaced the battery. Apparently they had left it on with the instruments etc., and the battery was dead.

 

[huntjunky]

My instrument cluster had a "replace battery" indication, when I bought the car. The dealership checked it out and it was just a software flash to address the issue. I'm sure it would have been a $500 replacement if it was on my bill. Just sayin

 

[digicidal]

My instrument cluster had a "replace battery" indication, when I bought the car. The dealership checked it out and it was just a software flash to address the issue. I'm sure it would have been a $500 replacement if it was on my bill. Just sayin

Yep, same with mine... I drove a few long runs with it on and then took it to the dealership for clearing (re-registering it basically). I'd already been told that with some on their lot it took more than 8hrs for the charge computer to signal the OK and let it be registered... mine took barely 2 hours from drop off to pick up (they called at about 1.5 hours)... so it likely took the shortest time for verification as it was fully charged from driving.

If nothing else it's in the service history so I have proof it was them and not me that ran it down in the first place.

 

[AustinGRSupra]

I’ve already had to replace my battery at around 5k miles. $650. That was $ I had saved for my front power brace. Dealer said the TX temp swings will eat these batteries up, and I should plan on replacing it every 4 months.

 

[consultadrone]

I’ve already had to replace my battery at around 5k miles. $650. That was $ I had saved for my front power braces. Dealer said the TX temp swings will eat these batteries up, and I should plan on replacing it every 4 months.

man I gotta call BS on that! I live in the California desert and it regularly stays in the triple digits for weeks on end out here with daily temp swings of 20-30 degrees. This place is littered with BMWs and I highly doubt they’re all replacing their batteries every few months. Besides, a battery that fails “early” should be a warranty issue. Especially after only 4 months. I’d be looking for a new dealership

 

[Axix23]

I’ve already had to replace my battery at around 5k miles. $650. That was $ I had saved for my front power brace. Dealer said the TX temp swings will eat these batteries up, and I should plan on replacing it every 4 months.

they didn’t warranty it??

 

[AustinGRSupra]

No warranty. Dealership says BMW batteries are not covered. 350 (including tax) of the cost was labor and “parts” (185.00). The battery itself was just under 300.

 

[Tsar]

Wut .. what kinda temp swings are we talking about here. My mother and my gf both have bmws. Neither has had any issues.

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