Weak Battery Symptoms, What to do?

[CL 19]

Hi guys. My battery is acting up lately by showing a little bit amount of time needed to start the engine. I am pretty sure it is not the issue with hpfp since everything is fine and it is not long cranking but just heavy power to start the engine. I am afraid the battery will be dead while I am away from home. Sometimes my air conditioning or radio can turn off by itself while the engine is still running, so I guess it should be related with the battery or car electrical system.

Just for your information, my car is 2011 E82 135i and I just did the recall few months ago. I never had this kind of problem before and the dealer said it is because of short trips so the battery is not recharging properly. I get it but I have pretty much the same trips last year so the battery should be fine if last year was fine. Is it possible because of the recall action perform by the dealer?

If I should replace the battery:
-Which battery should get?
-How much is it?
-Where should I get it?
-Does battery replacement need a coding by the dealership?

I want the best quality and performance battery available just to minimize the chance of having the same problem. Please help me out guys.

Appreciate any comment and though guys!

Thank you,

CL

[dm135is]

I've had three OEM batteries die in the last five years, one BMW & two Acura, and all worked perfectly right up until they died suddenly with no warning whatsoever. Now I occasionally use a CTEK battery maintainer on my cars and bike overnight to bring the batteries up to full charge. Interstate, Optima and Odyssey all have good batteries, and AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) is a good type to get. I believe ideally the dealer needs to register the new battery so the car will charge it optimally. HTH.

[CL 19]

Thanks dm135is! Anyone else can chime on this one?

[Lester]

I would either take it in and have the battery fully charged, or go buy yourself a battery charger - something small form factor that can sit under the hood - a 6 or 10 Amp charger with automatic settings. BMW sell a battery charger, but anything of reasonable quality will do. Of course, you'd have to have a place at home or work with an outside electrical outlet.

[CL 19]

Originally Posted by Lester

I would either take it in and have the battery fully charged, or go buy yourself a battery charger - something small form factor that can sit under the hood - a 6 or 10 Amp charger with automatic settings. BMW sell a battery charger, but anything of reasonable quality will do. Of course, you'd have to have a place at home or work with an outside electrical outlet.

Yeah, that's my problem since I live in an apartment and I don't have private garage. Will the dealer able to charge the battery? Or they will suggest me to directly change it?

[dknl]

get battery replaced or get a equivalent good quality one
like Optima.

Your battery is already on it's way out and its just a matter of time before it strands you somewhere and you'll be kicking yourself, i should have just replaced the battery.

If you don't drive the car for long periods (2+ weeks at a time) and if all you do is short trips, you will need an auto battery minder to keep the battery at peak charge levels....without this, you're just going to kill another battery pretty quickly.

You will need to have battery registered.

[dorkdog]

What is this 'registration' you speak of? Isn't that a little form that comes with the battery that you fill out and send in?

Or is this some code? To replace a battery?

[dm135is]

Your dealer will probably charge your battery for you, but they'll probably charge YOU too!

Maybe you can buy an inexpensive battery charger/maintainer (I have a CTEK 7002, available on Amazon) and use it while visiting family or friends. If you think your battery might leave you stranded, you could carry a booster pack in your car (check out the CLORE ES500C Booster Pac, available on Amazon) to jump start your battery if necessary.

You said the problem started a few months after the dealer did the battery recall, and you already asked the dealer about that and they said your problem was too many short trips, which wasn't a problem before the battery recall. Hmmm, I think I'd go back to the dealer, or maybe to another one, or do some more internet research on the battery recall before accepting that as the final answer.

Finally, you might just bite the bullet and buy a new battery. Have your dealer check your charging system to ensure it's working properly, install a new battery, and register it with the vehicle so it will charge optimally. Normally I'd recommend going to an Interstate Battery shop or similar to save some money on a simple battery swap, but I'm not sure whether or not that's a good idea with late model BMWs - hopefully someone else will chime in on that. Simple battery swaps are usually $100-$150 or so, but be prepared for your friendly BMW dealer to charge somewhat more than that, but at least in theory they'll do it right.

Being a car guy in an apartment sucks, BTDT. HTH.

[JimD]

Registration is a form of coding - programming the car. It takes a special cable to hook a laptop to the OBDII port and some software.

Before I replaced the battery I would at least test it or have it tested. I have a battery/charging system tester that I got from Harbor Freight for about $20. It has a big resister you can momentarily put on the battery to pull amps similar to the starter and you then read the voltage on a scale built into the tester to tell you the cold cranking amps. Very simple to use. You can also start the car and read the voltage on it's scale to see if the charging system is doing it's job.

If the CCA is low, you don't really know if it is the battery or that the battery got run down, possibly at the dealer, and your trips are not bringing it up. That means charging it. In an apartment, your only option could be to take the battery out - no small thing in a bimmer, and bring it inside for charging. Practically, it may be better to park where you can get power to a charger overnight or take a long trip.

A battery for a bimmer is going to cost on the order of $200. The battery itself may be $150 or possibly less but then you need the coding. My dealer advertises he will replace the battery for $175 - seems OK if it includes coding. The cost is high enough I would invest in some tools to check things out. Some parts places will also test batteries, however. I think Advance Auto does, for instance.

[CL 19]

Originally Posted by dm135is

Your dealer will probably charge your battery for you, but they'll probably charge YOU too!

Maybe you can buy an inexpensive battery charger/maintainer (I have a CTEK 7002, available on Amazon) and use it while visiting family or friends. If you think your battery might leave you stranded, you could carry a booster pack in your car (check out the CLORE ES500C Booster Pac, available on Amazon) to jump start your battery if necessary.

You said the problem started a few months after the dealer did the battery recall, and you already asked the dealer about that and they said your problem was too many short trips, which wasn't a problem before the battery recall. Hmmm, I think I'd go back to the dealer, or maybe to another one, or do some more internet research on the battery recall before accepting that as the final answer.

Finally, you might just bite the bullet and buy a new battery. Have your dealer check your charging system to ensure it's working properly, install a new battery, and register it with the vehicle so it will charge optimally. Normally I'd recommend going to an Interstate Battery shop or similar to save some money on a simple battery swap, but I'm not sure whether or not that's a good idea with late model BMWs - hopefully someone else will chime in on that. Simple battery swaps are usually $100-$150 or so, but be prepared for your friendly BMW dealer to charge somewhat more than that, but at least in theory they'll do it right.

Being a car guy in an apartment sucks, BTDT. HTH.

Thanks for your info! I will probably bring my car to nearest auto shop for battery check or diagnostic before bring my car directly to the dealership. I don't really whether it is the battery or charging system, so I have to make sure about that prior going to the dealership.

[CL 19]

Originally Posted by JimD

Registration is a form of coding - programming the car. It takes a special cable to hook a laptop to the OBDII port and some software.

Before I replaced the battery I would at least test it or have it tested. I have a battery/charging system tester that I got from Harbor Freight for about $20. It has a big resister you can momentarily put on the battery to pull amps similar to the starter and you then read the voltage on a scale built into the tester to tell you the cold cranking amps. Very simple to use. You can also start the car and read the voltage on it's scale to see if the charging system is doing it's job.

If the CCA is low, you don't really know if it is the battery or that the battery got run down, possibly at the dealer, and your trips are not bringing it up. That means charging it. In an apartment, your only option could be to take the battery out - no small thing in a bimmer, and bring it inside for charging. Practically, it may be better to park where you can get power to a charger overnight or take a long trip.

A battery for a bimmer is going to cost on the order of $200. The battery itself may be $150 or possibly less but then you need the coding. My dealer advertises he will replace the battery for $175 - seems OK if it includes coding. The cost is high enough I would invest in some tools to check things out. Some parts places will also test batteries, however. I think Advance Auto does, for instance.

Thanks man! I will definitely trying to check it first before replace the battery directly just in case there is something wrong with other things but the battery. Some auto shops in my area do offer free battery check or diagnostic so I will definitely go to one of them to check the battery, alternator and stuffs condition.

[JHZR2]

My early 2011 (one of the first off the line in 2010) sits a lot, and my commute is only about 9 miles. I started getting a yellow car on the lift symbol, which apparently meant that the electric system was acting up. Diagnosis was bad battery, which likely was my doing but they replaced under warranty.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=659135

I'd get some voltage readings from the battery, and see what other info you might get.

[CL 19]

Will the dealer replace the battery under warranty? Because I am not sure if battery replacement is covered under our warranty. Should I just tell them to do electrical diagnostic or what?