Changing Vehicle Battery

[ToyoBimmer]

Hi All,
Having dramas with my vehicle battery due to the car not being driven regularly enough.
Used a trickle charger to give the battery some juice and whilst the dash lights up, it will not crank at all.
Was going to remove the battery and take it to Battery World to ensure that the battery is the problem.
When I remove the battery terminals, a car alarm goes off.
I didn’t even know the Supra had a car alarm?
So how do I remove the battery and stop the alarm please?
Any other tips about why the car is not cranking (just a single click) would be greatly appreciated.
I cannot even jump start the car.
Again, it just won’t crank.
Are there any fuses or relays involved / linked to the starter motor please?

Thank you,
James

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[Sup2]

Have you read your maintenance manual? I know the battery has to be programmed to the car. I just had my battery replaced through warranty and it cost about 750$

 

[downshift00]

No need to pay to have a battery programmed? Just use Protool like all the BMW people do.

Just buy a license to code a lot of things so you dont have to visit a dealer. https://www.bimmergeeks.net/protool

 

[ToyoBimmer]

Have you read your maintenance manual? I know the battery has to be programmed to the car. I just had my battery replaced through warranty and it cost about 750$

At this stage, I am simply trying to remove the battery.
After I fit a new battery, I intend to drive to Battery World so they can program it.

 

[Rocksandblues]

If battery is even swap in capacity, amps, etc. no need to program.

In fact, as a life long BMW owner I have never had a car programmed for a replacement battery.

With my Supra i have switched to a Lithium battery and never programmed that!
People do not have a realistic grasp on the process and I guess are willing to part with stealership $


OP, if there is no battery I do not see how alarm goes off?
Battery is clearly dead, if you cannot even jump.

Go buy a replacement and then if (small odds) it is something else you can keep old battery as a backup or something. But is 3+ years old it is likely gone. Especially if you do not drive often and key is stored in proximity to car.

 

[Sup2]

If battery is even swap in capacity, amps, etc. no need to program.

In fact, as a life long BMW owner I have never had a car programmed for a replacement battery.

With my Supra i have switched to a Lithium battery and never programmed that!
People do not have a realistic grasp on the process and I guess are willing to part with stealership $


OP, if there is no battery I do not see how alarm goes off?
Battery is clearly dead, if you cannot even jump.

Go buy a replacement and then if (small odds) it is something else you can keep old battery as a backup or something. But is 3+ years old it is likely gone. Especially if you do not drive often and key is stored in proximity to car.

I guess I don’t have a grasp on reality with this car since I’ve owned it for two weeks now. I took the car into the dealership and they warrantied the battery. I just saw the cost. I will refrain from suggestions since I have no experience with this car.

 

[climhazzard]

If battery is even swap in capacity, amps, etc. no need to program.

In fact, as a life long BMW owner I have never had a car programmed for a replacement battery.

With my Supra i have switched to a Lithium battery and never programmed that!
People do not have a realistic grasp on the process and I guess are willing to part with stealership $


OP, if there is no battery I do not see how alarm goes off?
Battery is clearly dead, if you cannot even jump.

Go buy a replacement and then if (small odds) it is something else you can keep old battery as a backup or something. But is 3+ years old it is likely gone. Especially if you do not drive often and key is stored in proximity to car.

Much of this is incorrect, or misleading, depending on what you mean by ‘program’. There’s a lot of information out there on how BMW’s IBS works, notably within ISTA and the shop manual, but in short a new like-for-like battery should be registered. If the capacity (aH) or type (AGM/lead acid/lithium) changes then it should also be coded. Here’s a thread on Bimmerpost with some information, although I’ll note some of the details on tooling may be dated.

The reason the alarm is going off is because the Op’s (Australian spec) car likely has an auxiliary battery in the engine bay. I’m not certain on this, but I believe in the US the 6 cylinder vehicle have a single primary battery whereas the 4 cylinder vehicles have both a primary and an auxiliary battery. That said, BMW is well known for inclusion of an aux battery varying greatly; even within the same model car (e.g. X5 40i) the number of batteries can change based on how the individual vehicle was optioned from the factory, or the intended market.

Op, I don’t have much insight into managing aux batteries (fortunately, I don’t have one on my US spec 6 cylinder) but hopefully this offers some insight into what you’ll need to figure out. If it were me I’d probably do a bit more digging on aux batteries and determine if it makes sense to disconnect both to fully “de-energize” (BMW speak) the vehicle while replacing the primary battery.

 

[Rocksandblues]

Haven’t had a battery programmed ever. Either bmw or Mercedes. No charging or battery issues

Maybe you “should” but I promise a non programmed battery will last and operate just fine.

The ecus will handle the charging rates.

A modern battery will last 4-5 years regardless

All based on my experience. Your mileage may vary.

 

[climhazzard]

Haven’t had a battery programmed ever. Either bmw or Mercedes. No charging or battery issues

Maybe you “should” but I promise a non programmed battery will last and operate just fine.

The ecus will handle the charging rates.

A modern battery will last 4-5 years regardless

All based on my experience. Your mileage may vary.

This is a lesser version of “I never wear my seatbelt and haven’t died yet.” Everyone is free to do as they wish with their own car, but to suggest going against extensively documented guidance by the engineers who designed the car is rather silly, especially when there are widely available tools that easily perform the necessary functions.

 

[razorlab]

This is a lesser version of “I never wear my seatbelt and haven’t died yet.” Everyone is free to do as they wish with their own car, but to suggest going against extensively documented guidance by the engineers who designed the car is rather silly, especially when there are widely available tools that easily perform the necessary functions.

Do you also only use 0w-20 oil? If so, what flavor?

 

[Rocksandblues]

This is a lesser version of “I never wear my seatbelt and haven’t died yet.” Everyone is free to do as they wish with their own car, but to suggest going against extensively documented guidance by the engineers who designed the car is rather silly, especially when there are widely available tools that easily perform the necessary functions.

Guess everyone who mods their cars- certainly against well documented engineers- is silly

Go rip the tag off your Matress- you will feel better. Were you a hall monitor in school?

 

[climhazzard]

Guess everyone who mods their cars- certainly against well documented engineers- is silly

Go rip the tag off your Matress- you will feel better. Were you a hall monitor in school?

BMW consistently stresses the criticality of registration for battery lifespan. It takes seconds… why would you not?

 

[Rocksandblues]

BMW consistently stresses the criticality of registration for battery lifespan. It takes seconds… why would you not?

BMW consistently stresses the criticality of not modding the engine. Voids warranty, reduces potential life span. And yet…. Bold people, not scared of their shadow strive for more

Actual battery life depends more importantly on climate, how far away or close your key fab is stored, trickle charger, daily use, weekend use, etc- more than programming the same specs into the Ecu.

 

[climhazzard]

We’re not talking about engine modifications… that’s a straw man.

I agree the factors you outlined are important for battery lifespan, along with battery registration. I’m seeing no empirical evidence to go against the intended (and extremely simple) service procedure.

 

[Rocksandblues]

Maybe. But true. The only Fallacy is in the strategy of argument

I will see your straw man and raise you a false dilemma-

Code battery don't code battery. Doesn’t really matter. If you pay a dealer hundreds of dollars to do it you are wasting money.

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