Any one received the Battery Cable fix recall yet?

[Judge]

I purposely waited until now to schedule my appointment to give the techs some practice on how to do this fix properly before they get to my car. Unfortunately loaners are now booked through May at my dealership so I'll be prepraing myself for the Optima I'll likely be picking up next Monday, as well as a few bagels and coke cans from the service waiting area.

[My-other-ride-is-a-train]

Took my car in for the fix and left it at the local autobahn for a few days. When I picked the car up on a Friday it was dark outside, the next day I noticed a huge bend on the Tonneau cover that backs up to the trunk. Other than that everything went smoothly

[Mr. Toad]

Originally Posted by Judge

It seems there are a lot of owners getting their cars back in WORSE shape after the recall fix. I wonder if the service departments are getting bad instructions or if it's a complicated fix and more invasive than originally believed.

Apparently this fix requires removal of significant pieces of the dash/console.

[kgaler]

There is no question, a crimped joint is the only way to do this. A crimped joint is better than a solder joint. Soldering wires that large isn't practical anyway. Ideally they would replace the whole wire from the battery.

All high reliability wiring used in aircraft, ships, all military, etc, are all crimped, not soldered. Even with small gauge wire. A crimp has better mechanical support and the solder is actually a contaminate.

Of course, the tech still needs to know what he's doing so I'm not sure if I want my dealer doing this.

[hydroboy35th]

Originally Posted by rjg

Apparently this fix requires removal of significant pieces of the dash/console.

Are you sure about this? Not sure if I want them tearing my dash apart.

[Boosted_N54]

my dealer told me its going to take 2hours and that I can wait for the car there maybe I can sneek in and see what there doing lol

[Boosted_N54]

my dealer told me its going to take 2hours and that I can wait for the car there maybe I can sneek in and see what there doing lol

[FDM68]

Had it done last week. No fuss.

[Kontra]

Had it done while I dropped my car off for maintenance, no clue I even needed it till they told me.

[JimD]

I think the reason BMW has these connections crimped is quality control, not because crimping is inherently superior. Both techniques work well when done correctly and both work poorly when done poorly. If the connection would be exposed to corrosive conditions, I don't think BMW would use a crimp. Soldering, done right, completely seals the joint so it cannot corrode. Stated another way, a correctly soldered joint is better protected against corrosion than the insulated wire. Crimped connections corrode and the resistance goes up, it depends on where they are how long it takes. Using a crimping tool that controls the force and method of application, like BMW does for this retrofit, helps a lot to make sure you get a really good solid connection. And it is relatively simple. The technicial just has to insert the wire into the connector, crimp until the tool won't crimp anymore, and they are done. Soldering takes more skill because the heat has to be enough to flow the solder without being so much it destroys the insulation. That would be difficult for BMW to control. So they crimp. But it doesn't mean a soldered joint would not be superior IF DONE CORRECTLY. There is a much greater chance of the crimps being done consistently correctly. That is why it is used.

Jim

[buckeyedoc]

Had the repair done last week. Took a little longer than expected. Initially quoted 3 hrs but needed to keep it extra day (I think learning curve at the dealer). Seems fine, no problems after fix.

Wife didn't complain, was given a brand new 528xi to drive around town for a couple days.

[Canefan]

I'm being told by my dealer that the parts for this repair are on national backorder and that they don't expect to be able to schedule more repairs until June. Has anyone else had this response when trying to schedule the recall work?

[Tj Hunter]

Originally Posted by Canefan

I'm being told by my dealer that the parts for this repair are on national backorder and that they don't expect to be able to schedule more repairs until June. Has anyone else had this response when trying to schedule the recall work?

Wow I hope not, as I am bringing mine in today and its a 5 hour round trip to the dealer

[kgaler]

Originally Posted by JimD

I think the reason BMW has these connections crimped is quality control, not because crimping is inherently superior. Both techniques work well when done correctly and both work poorly when done poorly. If the connection would be exposed to corrosive conditions, I don't think BMW would use a crimp. Soldering, done right, completely seals the joint so it cannot corrode. Stated another way, a correctly soldered joint is better protected against corrosion than the insulated wire. Crimped connections corrode and the resistance goes up, it depends on where they are how long it takes. Using a crimping tool that controls the force and method of application, like BMW does for this retrofit, helps a lot to make sure you get a really good solid connection. And it is relatively simple. The technicial just has to insert the wire into the connector, crimp until the tool won't crimp anymore, and they are done. Soldering takes more skill because the heat has to be enough to flow the solder without being so much it destroys the insulation. That would be difficult for BMW to control. So they crimp. But it doesn't mean a soldered joint would not be superior IF DONE CORRECTLY. There is a much greater chance of the crimps being done consistently correctly. That is why it is used.

Jim

This is not correct! You don't know what you're talking about.

Sorry.

[Sindarin]

Originally Posted by kgaler

This is not correct! You don't know what you're talking about.

Sorry.

Sounded like a reasonable explanation to me. What is not correct?

[Mach1er]

Originally Posted by Sindarin

Sounded like a reasonable explanation to me. What is not correct?

Electrical engineer here, and I agree that that sounds reasonable. Porque no?

[Zeros and ones]

Originally Posted by Canefan

I'm being told by my dealer that the parts for this repair are on national backorder and that they don't expect to be able to schedule more repairs until June. Has anyone else had this response when trying to schedule the recall work?

I scheduled my recall work last monday. The dealer said the earliest they can do it is Wednesday May 1st. Did not get any other explanation from or that they could not do the repair due to back-order.

[shah269]

09 135I w/ 41k miles and yes....and got new injectors as well.....
car will be in the shop for two days

[Tj Hunter]

Originally Posted by Tj Hunter

Wow I hope not, as I am bringing mine in today and its a 5 hour round trip to the dealer

Brought mine in on Wed (25th):

Battery Recall was in stock
Turbos replaced due to wastegate (On order)
Headlight washer fluid pump (On order)

Its going to be a new car when I get it back on Tuesday or Wednesday!

[JimD]

Well I am a mechanical engineer and did a bit of research before commenting soldering is not inhernently inferior. So it isn't just my opinion. I'm glad to see that several others agree. My main point is not which method is superior, however, it is that crimping is easier to quality control. I plan to keep my 128i a long time and I'd actually prefer it was soldered but only if the technician (or me) really knew what they were doing. For this, I would use a small torch. I have soldered equivalent sized wire before and I know that it can be done well. But I would have problems trusting an average mechanic to solder this joint. I think BMW made the right decision. But 10 years from now or more, it could be a source of an issue.

Jim

[ptack]

Replacement done, no collateral damage. The service guy said they had pretty much gotten it down now.

[1addyfan]

Just purchased my 135i... but I'm not in a rush to get this done, tbh. I'll probably schedule it in a month or so.