Thread: Battery Drain
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      12-03-2014, 09:44 AM   #13
JimD
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Drives: 128i convertible
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Lexington, SC

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I drive my 2009 e88 2-3 times a week but have left it set for as much as a month or so before. I never use a trickle charger and it always starts. It is usually in the garage and our climate is not real cold.

If you are worried about drain when the car is off you can check it. Some multimeters have a current measurement capability. I got one that does it pretty cheaply at Walmart. You have to disconnect a battery terminal and connect the multimeter in series with the battery and terminal (one side of the multimeter goes to the battery, the other to the terminal for the car) and see what the reading is. I did this on my daughter's car that drains a battery if she parks it for a week or so. I found the reading was kind of high but the circuit doing it seems to be the radio circuit - and she "must" have the radio. It's the stock Toyota radio. So there seems to be a weekly connected short in that circuit.

Anyway, a measurement will not solve an issue but it could identify one. If there is no significant continuous drain, I would say you had a bad battery. If there is a continuous drain, maybe the dealer needs to find it and fix it.
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128i Convertible, MT, Alpine White, Black Top, Taupe Leatherette, Walnut, Sport
Ordered 5/22/09, Completed 6/4/09, At Port 6/9/09, On the Georgia Highway 6/13/09, Ship Arrived Charleston 6/24/09 at 10pm, PCD 7/21/09
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