Is my battery about to die? weird stuff happening

[pbonsalb]

A fully charged battery is 12.6V. How long it will hold that charge without running the car is the more interesting measurement.

[Siciliano611]

Strange, Ever since this post last Wed. the car everytime I unlocked it would turn on the taillights and angel eyes like normal...this morning I go out to unlock the car and no taillights/angel eyes again. I do have an appt with BMW this morning, I'll see what they say

[jerseygirl]

Originally Posted by Siciliano611

I've owned a 09' m3 for a year now and it is out of warranty next June. It now has just passed 27k miles on it and only today have I started noticing that the angel eyes and taillights (with the headlight switch on AUTO) are not coming on when i unlock the car after locking it....this is now consistent with 4x i've tried today....The strain to start the engine seems like a little bit longer as well. Usually If u unlock and lock the car a certain amount of times the angel eyes and taillight welcome lights won't come on but I'm talking about the 1st time i unlock the car after being out of it the taillight and angel eyes do not come on.... I notice the clock in the car is correct and not stalling yet though. Any opinions on this? Obviously I would like to get the battery replaced under warranty if this is indeed the issue....

just had a new battery put in at 40000 miles. under warrenty

[Siciliano611]

So I head out to run an errand and then the car barely starts and i get a SES (INCREASED EMISSIONS)...I take it to BMW and the car won't even start once I get into the bay. Turns out for sure it is the battery, big problem though....Nationwide battery shortage, at earliest I'll get my car back (with the new battery) on Thursday, although it could take til next week or later...damn

[roddyc]

Just got mine back with a new battery after waiting 10 days...I was fortunate, when my car was towed in (wouldn't start even with a jump), they had someone who had been on the waiting list for a battery for 19 days. 6 weeks ahead of warranty expiration too...

[BimmerCoy]

Originally Posted by Siciliano611

I've owned a 09' m3 for a year now and it is out of warranty next June. It now has just passed 27k miles on it and only today have I started noticing that the angel eyes and taillights (with the headlight switch on AUTO) are not coming on when i unlock the car after locking it....this is now consistent with 4x i've tried today....The strain to start the engine seems like a little bit longer as well. Usually If u unlock and lock the car a certain amount of times the angel eyes and taillight welcome lights won't come on but I'm talking about the 1st time i unlock the car after being out of it the taillight and angel eyes do not come on.... I notice the clock in the car is correct and not stalling yet though. Any opinions on this? Obviously I would like to get the battery replaced under warranty if this is indeed the issue....

I went out and purchased one of the BMW battery chargers. I used it today. Charged my battery up to 100% in a few hours. Quick and easy to use. I recommend getting one. It's only 69 bucks at the dealership.

[justrx]

Originally Posted by Siciliano611

So I head out to run an errand and then the car barely starts and i get a SES (INCREASED EMISSIONS)...I take it to BMW and the car won't even start once I get into the bay. Turns out for sure it is the battery, big problem though....Nationwide battery shortage, at earliest I'll get my car back (with the new battery) on Thursday, although it could take til next week or later...damn

It will be long wait for me as well with this nationwide shortage for the oem battery. At least I got hooked up with the new 3 active-hybrid. Pretty nice ride!

[M3PO]

I have 57K miles. My clock lost 10 minutes over the weekend. My radio was muted every time I started the car. A couple of times when I shut off the engine, it immediately powered down all other electronics and refused to reboot for more than a few seconds.

A local dealer (Sterling) replaced to for $375. Everything is normal again. Just an FYI.

[W///]

Originally Posted by slo_guy

Sorry for any confusion... he said the job was around 1000. He wasn't referring to just the battery.



He told his boss he ran the tests 3 times and said the customer still complained of a weak battery. I guess it's worked a few times for other customers. He mainly told me that if they weren't driven enough, BMW wasn't responsible for the battery.

Come over here and I'll do it for $900. I bought a new battery for under $200 (same rating as OEM) and got my coded.

These BMW's have had the same feature since the E65 or E60. You guys really think that they are all running OEM batteries? No. Heck, most of them probably didn't get the battery adaptation reset either and they are fine.

[slo_guy]

Originally Posted by W///

Come over here and I'll do it for $900. I bought a new battery for under $200 (same rating as OEM) and got my coded.

These BMW's have had the same feature since the E65 or E60. You guys really think that they are all running OEM batteries? No. Heck, most of them probably didn't get the battery adaptation reset either and they are fine.

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiet... mine was done under warranty remember? No way I go back to the stealership to get it done. All I'm doing is relaying what the tech told me.

[Sleeper519]

As OP said, Is my battery about to die?

...I didn't drive my car for a week and now requires clock resets every time I start it. Also, the keyless access entry balks, requires keyfob button push. Engine start is fine and no probs with radio presets tho prob stored in key each time.

Does it HAVE to be a BMW battery replacement? How about good ole Interstate, etc.?

[jaehshim]

Yes
Slow clock running and no angel eye ( when unlock angel eye setting is on) are two popular indicator of our M's low battery.

[Sean05]

fudge.. lost 5 minutes over the weekend.

after 75k miles and almost 5 years... now i think its time ...

[Sleeper519]

Originally Posted by Mike Benvo

I've talked to quite a few clueless techs. Some of the techs and service advisors I'm surprised even have a job being as clueless as they are.

I do agree that the factory battery is the best suited match for the car. But the battery is not $1000. I think it's around $300 ish if I'm not mistaken. And it's not hard to put in your self. Only thing needed is the battery reset afterwards which the dealer will usually bend you over hand over heels for.

Mike, what makes the factory battery so darn fancy?

And what is a "reset"?

I''m still thinking of getting top-tier but "regular" battery...

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by MMME30W

Fwiw I took a few measurements today.

I had a single occasion this morning of a DSC fault and Engine Malfunction/reduced power, that cleared upon restart.

Not running
At the trunk: 12.55V
At the engine jump start lug: 12.19V

Running, same places
14.19V
14.30V

I have a P3 gauge, and one of the readings is for battery voltage. I notice while driving that it fluctuates between 14.2-14.5V. It drops into the 11s and 12s when pulling away from a stop for some reason.

[Crypty]

I suspect my battery is flaking too. My seatbelt butlers hardly extend on a cold start but are fine after that. I've heard that the computer will skip various "turn-on" functions to save power. How it chooses what to skip is beyond me. Going to test my bat this morning and will report back.

[HighandDry]

LOL a grand for a battery and "labor"!

My 911 needed a new battery once. I took it to the dealer and they tried to charge me 150 for the battery and 150 for labor! I saw the guy put in the battery (3 minutes). I told them to take out the battery and I would put it in myself. They capitulated and just charged me for the battery.

[SUBFRAMERIPPER]

All you guys with 08's and 09's are most likely gonna need to replace it soon.

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by whats77inaname

I have a P3 gauge, and one of the readings is for battery voltage. I notice while driving that it fluctuates between 14.2-14.5V. It drops into the 11s and 12s when pulling away from a stop for some reason.

With the rpm up, the alternator is working. Looks like the battery is failing though. Fully charged is 12.6, 75 percent is 12.4, 50 percent is 12.2. If it won't hold the charge your alternator is giving it chances are pretty good it is failing. Test it with the engine off.

[drvai]

Originally Posted by slo_guy

Isn't it??? The tech told me that it's best to go with the factory one because they made everything so touchy that if you're off by a little voltage-wise, it throws everything out of whack. He said it was a bullshit thing for them to do, and I agree with him.

I had to replace mine. I did it in a BMW dealership and was between 300 and 400. I dont remember exactly.

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

With the rpm up, the alternator is working. Looks like the battery is failing though. Fully charged is 12.6, 75 percent is 12.4, 50 percent is 12.2. If it won't hold the charge your alternator is giving it chances are pretty good it is failing. Test it with the engine off.

*lol*, oh, I'm sure it's failing. First hint was when all the service lights came on. After charging the battery, the only one that didn't return to normal was the "Increased Emissions!" warning. Conclusive proof came yesterday when I was setting up the p3. With the car in the ignition position, the voltage was 11.4V when I first started playing around. It held steady for about 7 mins, then I watched as it started discharging by .1 literally every 2 seconds. It was like I was watching a countdown or something *lol*. It got down to 9.4V, and then I tried to start the car and it wouldn't turn over. Given the year, though, it was to be expected.

I picked up the same AGM Diehard battery Sean05 picked up for $165.xx w/core exchange, so after I get the BT tool sometime this week, I'll go ahead and install it. For those that don't want to install yourself, Sears charges $19.99.

For the price of picking up an OEM battery from the dealer and having them code it, you can pick up the Sears battery w/installation and the Bavarian Technic Enthusiat's Kit and *still* come out ahead. The latter is obviously a much better choice, IMO.

[pOKa]

My '09 E92 (37k miles) was showing signs of weak battery the past week. i.e. "Battery Charge Very Low!" While ignition still on when at gas pumps.
3x in the past week, clock resets to 00:00 while getting a warning on the display.
Angel n tail lights doesn't come on after remote unlock.

Had it replaced by a BMW specialist (3rd party)2 hours ago. According to them, battery was at 45% and was showing signs of leakage at the terminals. (I forgot to ask them to show me the old battery )
Took them 30mins while I waited, and labour + parts (AGM Battery 90ah)= $488.90.

It's all good now oh and they also checked the alternator and its working fine. So it's just the dying battery.

I think the next thing I need replaced is my AC evaporator. It's hasn't been very cold for awhile, they quoted me $1'570 and 2 days in the shop. Apparently the whole dash has to removed, labour intensive stuff. I'll get that fixed in the near future.

Hope this helps!