[Les Grossman]

Hello chaps. Sorry if this has already been discussed. I did a quick search but couldn't immediately find what I was looking for.

My 1M was registered in July 2011. For the first two years of its life it only covered a little over 3000 miles. It's now on 12000 miles but is still very rarely used. It's not a daily driver.

Just recently it has been complaining about 'increased battery discharge' when I fire it up. It goes away after a few decent runs, but returns again if left sitting for a week. Each time, the car turns over perfectly and starts immediately with no signs of lethargy. When I dig into the warning message through iDrive, there's some comments about electrical connections or some such (from memory).

My first question - is this likely to be a battery issue (given the car's age and only light use) or an actual electrical gremlin as the iDrive might suggest? I'm guessing the former is more likely, but I have extended comprehensive BMW warranty, so the latter should be covered.

My second question - I'm no spanner monkey but I could easily replace a battery. Although, given how compicated cars can be these days, and with their ever increasing reliance on complex systems, would battery replacement be something I'd be better off paying BMW to do?

Thanks.