Battery replacement

[cpt97m3]

The latest Bimmer magazine says you have to take the car to the dealer to replace the battery since it has to be electronically registered to the car. 1.1 hour charge they say. I've not heard of this before. Anyone know if this is true, or can us DIY'ers just replace the battery at home?

[Alekshop]

Originally Posted by cpt97m3

The latest Bimmer magazine says you have to take the car to the dealer to replace the battery since it has to be electronically registered to the car. 1.1 hour charge they say. I've not heard of this before. Anyone know if this is true, or can us DIY'ers just replace the battery at home?

It is true.

Every time you replace the battery, you need to register it with your car. You can take it to the dealer, or find an Autologic shop who can program it for you.

[Dackelone]

Some people here have said that as long as you replace the battery with the same cold cranking amperage... you will be fine. So they say.

Or... replace the battery and reset the ECU with a BT scan tool.

Or... go to the dealer and PAY!

[JimD]

I found the attached interesting. Apparently the logic for charging the battery is fairly sophisitcated in our bimmers and it needs to know when you put in a new battery so it charges it appropriately. It matters if it is AGM - some sort of mat instead of just water/acid - or conventional water/acid (which is basically not recommended since it gives off more gas and the battery is inside the car). It also matters if it is old or new and I'm sure the size matters too. The article describes the process.

"Registering" is basically telling the charging logic that the battery is new and a little information on the battery. The penalty for not "registering" is potentially shortened battery life. You need a better OBD-II interface than I have but people other than a dealer should have it.

Jim

[Lester]

Why not just charge it up with a tricke charger before installing?

[m_thompson]

Originally Posted by Lester

Why not just charge it up with a tricke charger before installing?

The issue is not replacing the battery with one that is fully charged, it is with the behavior of the alternator with the original battery and the new one. The alternator charging behavior adapts to the type of battery and the age of the battery. The alternator behavior after 2-3 years of adaption may not be appropriate for a new battery.

Even the trickle charger needs to know which type of battery you have. There are two available from BMW; one for regular wet cell lead acid batteries and one for the newer AGM batteries.

[AntonV]

im trying to figure out if im using the right charger for this battery. i dont want to do more harm than good. all of the lights seem to indicate that its working properly.

i posted this last night. the pic says programmed for gel batteries, but mine doesnt have that sticker. I purchased it 2 years ago for my aging e36, with new battery.

[JimD]

I would not worry about using whatever battery charger you have to get a battery to usefull condition. I don't think you can do much damage charging a battery once even if the charger is not ideal for your battery. The question is more if you can really do any damage if you charge it every single time over a period of months or years somewhat wrong for that battery, how much damage can you do.

I have two battery chargers. The one I usually use has a 6 and 12 volt switch, 10A and 2A switch and a switch for deep cells or normal. Nothing for AGM or gell cells. If I ever need to use this charger on my bimmer, I will. And if I ever get a gel cell for anything, I would use it for that too. I do try to get the 6 versus 12 volt switch in the right position, however.

Jim

[cpt97m3]

JimD, thanks for the PDF, that's what I was looking for. Sounds like no issue to replace the battery at home, but once you do, you need to have it registered soon after. Hopefully there will be a way to do this at home before my '09 needs the battery replaced. At least I don't have to go to the dealer to replace it.

[chntllm]

I was trying to be proactive, and replace the battery on my 09 135i convertible before I got stranded. Dealer quoted me $635 including reprogramming! Yippeedoo~he will put me in a free loaner lol! Advance auto will install one with 700+ cca for $160, but doesn't know a thing about reprogramming,and from what I've read that will mess up my alternator. I think I will put in an order for a 235, lease it w scheduled maintenance and warranty, and hope the battery lasts that long.

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by chntllm

I was trying to be proactive, and replace the battery on my 09 135i convertible before I got stranded. Dealer quoted me $635 including reprogramming! Yippeedoo~he will put me in a free loaner lol! Advance auto will install one with 700+ cca for $160, but doesn't know a thing about reprogramming,and from what I've read that will mess up my alternator. I think I will put in an order for a 235, lease it w scheduled maintenance and warranty, and hope the battery lasts that long.

If you look in the 3-series forum, there are ways to register/program a new battery yourself. The member smooth1 is selling the cable for $99 I think and the software is free.

[JimD]

This is the cable that I use and others use for coding:

http://www.one-stop-electronics.com/...&product_id=16

It's $99 and has a serial to digital converter built in. There are lots of comments on coding forums from people wanting to know if a cheaper cable will work. Some probably do. But there are also comments from people who bought a cheaper cable and had to buy another because the first one didn't work.

Registering is a one or two step process depending on whether the replacement battery is the same size and type. If it is, one step. If not, then you also have to tell the car about the battery and that's an additional step in a different piece of software. I haven't done a battery yet but the coding I've done wasn't hard but it can be frustrating when something doesn't work and you don't know why. If nothing goes wrong, it only takes a few minutes. I've seen comments about people coding remotely.

[cpt97m3]

Has anyone tried this:

http://www.autoenginuity.com/product.../bmw-sr01.html

Seems like a good deal for the price, both service reset and battery registration

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by cpt97m3

Has anyone tried this:

http://www.autoenginuity.com/product.../bmw-sr01.html

Seems like a good deal for the price, both service reset and battery registration

Wow, looks pretty good... Maybe worth checking eBay for a used one.

[JimD]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

Wow, looks pretty good... Maybe worth checking eBay for a used one.

I'd love to see feedback but my guess is this could "register" the new battery of the same type and size but not reprogram the car for a different size or type of battery. The reason I say that is the register operation is a one command thing. The reprogramming operation is done either by changing the vehicle order or changing a line in a part of the car's program by downloading the entire program area into a laptop, changing a line, and then uploading the program. The change is a function of the new battery.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by JimD

I'd love to see feedback but my guess is this could "register" the new battery of the same type and size but not reprogram the car for a different size or type of battery. The reason I say that is the register operation is a one command thing. The reprogramming operation is done either by changing the vehicle order or changing a line in a part of the car's program by downloading the entire program area into a laptop, changing a line, and then uploading the program. The change is a function of the new battery.

Ah, good point.

[kobeballer96]

Originally Posted by chntllm

I was trying to be proactive, and replace the battery on my 09 135i convertible before I got stranded. Dealer quoted me $635 including reprogramming! Yippeedoo~he will put me in a free loaner lol! Advance auto will install one with 700+ cca for $160, but doesn't know a thing about reprogramming,and from what I've read that will mess up my alternator. I think I will put in an order for a 235, lease it w scheduled maintenance and warranty, and hope the battery lasts that long.

A free loaner? LOL more like they saw you coming so they are putting a stick up your ass. they are lending you a car because it doesn't cost that much for a battery Job also it's not a whole days work why do you need a loaner car?

[geeyore]

Despite my preference for the economical battery replacements of the 1970's through 1990's (e.g., Sears Die Hard), I do recognize that the E82 I'm now driving is a mechnical system operated largely by a computer (DME) that has many hundreds - or thousands - of parameters.

The battery replacement cost is absolutely a sting compared to "the good old days," but then again I wasn't driving 130MPH on a track "back in the good old days." Definitely I won't be looking for workarounds to BMW engineering. I have to trust that they designed and spec'ed the battery in exactly the way they did for sound engineering reasons and with the entire mechanical and electrical/electronic system in mind (what the heck else would they have done?).

So, ya know, I'll suck it up and pay what's needed to have this major component replaced correctly and according to spec rather than to second-guess BMW engineering. Kinda think that bootstrapping a "cheap" battery and half-guessing the correct DME coding for it is a bit shortsighted.

But that's just me.

[litebulb]

Should I be worried, I checked on my P3 gauge before I start my car and my battery is sitting anywhere from 11.7 to 12 volts on cold starts? I think I read somewhere it should be at 13. When my engine is running its around 14.7. Thanks

[project jayden]

just get the bmwhat app and register the battery yourself. it's a $50 app but you can do tons of stuff with it from diagnostics to coding on/off features in your vehicle.

[imported_mega]

I run a ctek on my OEM 2008 battery every few months, hoping oem lasts me another 5 years

[Oughourj]

What kind of batteries are you guys replacing the OEM with? Mine is on its way out and after some playing around with BMWhat apparently my original is an 80Ah (140RC) non-AGM. Thinking of going with an AGM especially since BMWhat can program and register it for a fraction of what the stealership will charge!!