Replacing Battery Options

Move Over · 11-10-2015, 08:11 PM

Hey guys, the time has come to replace my battery - it's been giving me voltage warnings the past couple of weeks and I've just been trickle charging it. Time to get a new one.

What is everyone doing for aftermarket batteries these days? I did quite a bit of searching, and didn't really find a whole lot of concrete answers as to what works well, and what doesn't. My 2010 came with a 90AH 900CCA battery by Exide. I have a friend that does coding/registration for a small fee, so I can go aftermarket if needed.

I seem to have several options at sears/Advance/AZ - but those will not be exactly 90AH/900CCA, but very close. Would like to hear from those who have used a battery that was not an exact ah/cca as their stock battery.

I drive the car maybe 4-500 miles a month, live in FL - so no cold weather, I would also like some weight savings if at all possible. I didn't some of the cons of the mini battery in the thread I read through. I can scoop up an OEM battery for $208 at my local dealership, so that will be my last resort as I would rather have a 3-5 year warranty. Not to mention, I hate buying stuff from the dealer, regardless of the cost, lol.

Let me know your thoughts. Thank you guys!

Move Over · 11-12-2015, 03:02 PM

Just for anyone who stumbles across this in the future I will share my experience.

I went to the BMW dealer today to go with OEM, and he wheeled out a battery that was 850CCA, 92AH. Thought that was surprising because it was listed differently on GetBmwParts and RealOEM. He said the part number on top of my battery was obsolete. This was 328 dollars with a distributor account number (my friend owns Bimmertech here in town). Would have been 399 without the discount.

I strolled on over to sears, and they had the same exact battery 850CCA, 92AH for 179.99. I'm wondering if the dealership batteries are DieHard AGM batteries. Not to mention, it has a 3 year warranty and BMW has 0.

Anywho, just thought i would share. Don't waste your money on OEM, it is a rebranded Diehard from what I can tell. Make sure to get your new battery registered so it is charging properly!

aus · 11-12-2015, 10:52 PM

You have the part number for the DieHard battery?
.

double yu · 11-12-2015, 10:54 PM

Link to the battery you bought?

EW/// · 11-13-2015, 12:31 AM

Just replaced mime with this
http://www.autozone.com/batteries-st...9459_726903_0/

atruelunatic · 11-13-2015, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tto///M

Just replaced mime with this
http://www.autozone.com/batteries-st...9459_726903_0/

Same thing I did. Attached a picture to show that they're basically the same.

Move Over · 11-13-2015, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tto///M

Just replaced mime with this
http://www.autozone.com/batteries-st...9459_726903_0/

Damn. Which you chimed in before haha, could have saved myself a few bucks with a 20% off autozone.

M3Bimmer77 · 11-13-2015, 11:55 AM

So basically our battery is size 49 and you can get it from BMW dealers, Autozone as Duralst or Diehard from Sears. There are several more from Bosch sold at Pep boys and from Varta. What I don't beleive is that BMW is using Duralst or Diehard for their BMW battery. I think BMW could be more of a Varta or Bosch that comes from Germany. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway it should be at least 900CCA and 90 Ah.

Don't forget that our cars need coding/registration otherwise the alternator may damage the battery.

Move Over · 11-13-2015, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M3Bimmer77

So basically our battery is size 49 and you can get it from BMW dealers, Autozone as Duralst or Diehard from Sears. There are several more from Bosch sold at Pep boys and from Varta. What I don't beleive is that BMW is using Duralst or Diehard for their BMW battery. I think BMW could be more of a Varta or Bosch that comes from Germany. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway it should be at least 900CCA and 90 Ah

Don't forget that our cars need coding/registration otherwise the alternator may damage the battery.

The BMW dealer tried to sell me an 850 92ah battery and they stated that is the one for me car, and is the strongest one they carry.

The part number off the top of my old battery was an obsolete part number.

The Bosch battery from pep boys is a 760 CCA with an ah of 70. I wasn't comfortable with those numbers.

lmendz71 · 11-13-2015, 07:31 PM

I have a Bosch 850 with no problems!

Move Over · 11-13-2015, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmendz71

I have a Bosch 850 with no problems!

What's the AH?

anselmw · 11-14-2015, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Move Over

What's the AH?

Go to advanced auto, they have 900 ah gel cell battery. That is the one I got and with online coupon was much cheaper than BMW one. Based on the specs, it is pretty much the same as the one BMW discontinued.

M3Bimmer77 · 11-14-2015, 09:03 AM

Older batteries in group 49 will have less CCA, 850, 820 even 750. Newer ones will have 900 CCA. Newer BMW batteries are black. Old ones where white. To measure the CCA they put a battery in a cold environment (0°F/-18°C) and measure the discharge load in amperes that a new, fully-charged battery can deliver for 30 seconds, while still maintaining terminal voltage equal to or higher than 1.20 volts per cell. So unless you are going to use your car in freezing conditions your chances are you will be ok with 820 or 850 CCA. I wouldn't buy a battery with less than 850 for our cars. Specially if the car is equipped with nav and sound amplifier. Check your original battery specs and go with a closer one. A little higher is better. Don't forget to code it/ program it / register it.

M3Bimmer77 · 11-14-2015, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Move Over

The BMW dealer tried to sell me an 850 92ah battery and they stated that is the one for me car, and is the strongest one they carry.

The part number off the top of my old battery was an obsolete part number.

The Bosch battery from pep boys is a 760 CCA with an ah of 70. I wasn't comfortable with those numbers.

It's should be ok if you are not driving on freezing or subzero temps and depends on your cars spec. Is the CCA close to the one you have installed? What I've seen is that older M3s have less CCA. Newer ones have more.

Move Over · 11-14-2015, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anselmw

Go to advanced auto, they have 900 ah gel cell battery. That is the one I got and with online coupon was much cheaper than BMW one. Based on the specs, it is pretty much the same as the one BMW discontinued.

Not too sure what a gel cell battery is, but if it's not an Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) battery, you may not want to use it with our cars.

Quote:

Originally Posted by M3Bimmer77

Older batteries in group 49 will have less CCA, 850, 820 even 750. Newer ones will have 900 CCA. Newer BMW batteries are black. Old ones where white. To measure the CCA they put a battery in a cold environment (0°F/-18°C) and measure the discharge load in amperes that a new, fully-charged battery can deliver for 30 seconds, while still maintaining terminal voltage equal to or higher than 1.20 volts per cell. So unless you are going to use your car in freezing conditions your chances are you will be ok with 820 or 850 CCA. I wouldn't buy a battery with less than 850 for our cars. Specially if the car is equipped with nav and sound amplifier. Check your original battery specs and go with a closer one. A little higher is better. Don't forget to code it/ program it / register it.

I don't think that is the case (see second post). My car was manufactured in 10/09 with a black AGM battery 900CCA, 90AH. Not white. I believe the new ones are now manufactured with 850cca/92ah. But who knows, things seem to change day by day at the stealership.

When i visited the BMW dealership this week, they showed the replacement is an 850cc, 92ah. And, that was the most powerful battery that they had to offer. They also mentioned "If we were to install a battery in your car, this would be it." The original 900CCA 90AH battery is no longer made/offered at the bmw dealer. That's when i looked up the sears battery and it matched the new one that BMW had to offer. I went with the sears battery as it was the exact spec as BMW.

I installed it thursday and coded it/registered it Friday. Works great so far and have no had issues.

Quote:

Originally Posted by M3Bimmer77

It's should be ok if you are not driving on freezing or subzero temps and depends on your cars spec. Is the CCA close to the one you have installed? What I've seen is that older M3s have less CCA. Newer ones have more.

My friends 2008 has the same 900CCA/90ah battery as mine. Maybe they differ from package to package, not year to year.

Agent-GHQ · 11-14-2015, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M3Bimmer77

So basically our battery is size 49 and you can get it from BMW dealers, Autozone as Duralst or Diehard from Sears. There are several more from Bosch sold at Pep boys and from Varta. What I don't beleive is that BMW is using Duralst or Diehard for their BMW battery. I think BMW could be more of a Varta or Bosch that comes from Germany. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway it should be at least 900CCA and 90 Ah

Don't forget that our cars need coding/registration otherwise the alternator may damage the battery.

how soon after new battery is installed tho?

vsix · 11-14-2015, 04:43 PM

Yeah but he could also code his battery all alone without the need to "go" to "someone"

Move Over · 11-14-2015, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agent-GHQ

Quote:

Originally Posted by M3Bimmer77

So basically our battery is size 49 and you can get it from BMW dealers, Autozone as Duralst or Diehard from Sears. There are several more from Bosch sold at Pep boys and from Varta. What I don't beleive is that BMW is using Duralst or Diehard for their BMW battery. I think BMW could be more of a Varta or Bosch that comes from Germany. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway it should be at least 900CCA and 90 Ah

Don't forget that our cars need coding/registration otherwise the alternator may damage the battery.

how soon after new battery is installed tho?

I did mine within 17 miles.

Longboarder · 11-14-2015, 05:33 PM

I save 50 pounds off the car by getting a BMW Z4M battery. Full win.

Move Over · 11-14-2015, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Longboarder

I save 50 pounds off the car by getting a BMW Z4M battery. Full win.

Can you share what part number that is? I was looking for that thread and couldn't find it. Thank you!

Also curious to how you saved 50? The OEM battery is 60. Unless the z4m battery is 10 lbs then that's a hell of a lightweight battery!

M3Bimmer77 · 11-14-2015, 07:18 PM

I just replaced mine. BMW 850 CCA 92Ah. Dealer told me that they will install the 900!!!! I'm in hot climate so no worries. Maybe up north is different.

Coding should be done right after installation of new one. The sooner the better. Basically it's telling the car the specs of the new battery.

spr · 11-14-2015, 07:38 PM

What is the point of the coding?

11-10-2015, 08:11 PM	#1
Move Over Colonel 1257 Rep 2,492 Posts Drives: M3 6MT Join Date: May 2015 Location: Peninsula iTrader: (9)	Replacing Battery Options Hey guys, the time has come to replace my battery - it's been giving me voltage warnings the past couple of weeks and I've just been trickle charging it. Time to get a new one. What is everyone doing for aftermarket batteries these days? I did quite a bit of searching, and didn't really find a whole lot of concrete answers as to what works well, and what doesn't. My 2010 came with a 90AH 900CCA battery by Exide. I have a friend that does coding/registration for a small fee, so I can go aftermarket if needed. I seem to have several options at sears/Advance/AZ - but those will not be exactly 90AH/900CCA, but very close. Would like to hear from those who have used a battery that was not an exact ah/cca as their stock battery. I drive the car maybe 4-500 miles a month, live in FL - so no cold weather, I would also like some weight savings if at all possible. I didn't some of the cons of the mini battery in the thread I read through. I can scoop up an OEM battery for $208 at my local dealership, so that will be my last resort as I would rather have a 3-5 year warranty. Not to mention, I hate buying stuff from the dealer, regardless of the cost, lol. Let me know your thoughts. Thank you guys!
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11-12-2015, 03:02 PM	#2
Move Over Colonel 1257 Rep 2,492 Posts Drives: M3 6MT Join Date: May 2015 Location: Peninsula iTrader: (9)	Just for anyone who stumbles across this in the future I will share my experience. I went to the BMW dealer today to go with OEM, and he wheeled out a battery that was 850CCA, 92AH. Thought that was surprising because it was listed differently on GetBmwParts and RealOEM. He said the part number on top of my battery was obsolete. This was 328 dollars with a distributor account number (my friend owns Bimmertech here in town). Would have been 399 without the discount. I strolled on over to sears, and they had the same exact battery 850CCA, 92AH for 179.99. I'm wondering if the dealership batteries are DieHard AGM batteries. Not to mention, it has a 3 year warranty and BMW has 0. Anywho, just thought i would share. Don't waste your money on OEM, it is a rebranded Diehard from what I can tell. Make sure to get your new battery registered so it is charging properly!
	Appreciate 1 Quote

11-12-2015, 10:52 PM	#3
aus Major General 890 Rep 9,031 Posts Drives: Odysse Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Seal Beach, CA iTrader: (10)	You have the part number for the DieHard battery? . __________________ Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by some of the top engineers in the world because some guys sponsored by a company told you it's "better??" But when you ask the same guy about tracking, "oh no, I have a kid now" or "I just detailed my car." or "i just got new tires."
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11-12-2015, 10:54 PM	#4
double yu Private 3 Rep 65 Posts Drives: 2011 e92 AW M3 6mt Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: So Cal iTrader: (1)	Link to the battery you bought?
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11-13-2015, 12:31 AM	#5
EW/// Private First Class 37 Rep 121 Posts Drives: ///M Join Date: May 2012 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	Just replaced mime with this http://www.autozone.com/batteries-st...9459_726903_0/
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11-13-2015, 11:55 AM	#8
M3Bimmer77 Captain 340 Rep 947 Posts Drives: 2011.5 M3 E90 Jet Black Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: West Palm Beach iTrader: (2)	So basically our battery is size 49 and you can get it from BMW dealers, Autozone as Duralst or Diehard from Sears. There are several more from Bosch sold at Pep boys and from Varta. What I don't beleive is that BMW is using Duralst or Diehard for their BMW battery. I think BMW could be more of a Varta or Bosch that comes from Germany. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway it should be at least 900CCA and 90 Ah. Don't forget that our cars need coding/registration otherwise the alternator may damage the battery. Last edited by M3Bimmer77; 11-14-2015 at 07:16 PM..
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11-13-2015, 07:31 PM	#10
lmendz71 Private First Class 30 Rep 146 Posts Drives: 2008 M3 Sedan Interlagos Blue Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: CA,USA iTrader: (0)	I have a Bosch 850 with no problems! Attached Images
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11-14-2015, 09:03 AM	#13
M3Bimmer77 Captain 340 Rep 947 Posts Drives: 2011.5 M3 E90 Jet Black Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: West Palm Beach iTrader: (2)	Older batteries in group 49 will have less CCA, 850, 820 even 750. Newer ones will have 900 CCA. Newer BMW batteries are black. Old ones where white. To measure the CCA they put a battery in a cold environment (0°F/-18°C) and measure the discharge load in amperes that a new, fully-charged battery can deliver for 30 seconds, while still maintaining terminal voltage equal to or higher than 1.20 volts per cell. So unless you are going to use your car in freezing conditions your chances are you will be ok with 820 or 850 CCA. I wouldn't buy a battery with less than 850 for our cars. Specially if the car is equipped with nav and sound amplifier. Check your original battery specs and go with a closer one. A little higher is better. Don't forget to code it/ program it / register it.
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11-14-2015, 04:43 PM	#17
vsix Lieutenant Colonel 602 Rep 1,611 Posts Drives: M3 E92 sold, M4 F82 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: ATL iTrader: (0)	Yeah but he could also code his battery all alone without the need to "go" to "someone"
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11-14-2015, 05:33 PM	#19
Longboarder Major General 3427 Rep 6,769 Posts Drives: 2016 BMW i8 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Monarch Beach iTrader: (1) Garage List 2012 BMW e92 M3 [0.00] 2021 BMW X5M [10.00] 2015 Porsche 991 Tu ... [10.00] 2015 Porsche 991 GT3 [10.00]	I save 50 pounds off the car by getting a BMW Z4M battery. Full win. __________________ Current BMWs: 2022 X5 40i, 2016 X5 50i 2015 Porsche 991 Turbo S 1979 Porsche 911 Turbo a couple others IG: longboarder949; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT1...eoFBszPIK0gf9w
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11-14-2015, 07:18 PM	#21
M3Bimmer77 Captain 340 Rep 947 Posts Drives: 2011.5 M3 E90 Jet Black Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: West Palm Beach iTrader: (2)	I just replaced mine. BMW 850 CCA 92Ah. Dealer told me that they will install the 900!!!! I'm in hot climate so no worries. Maybe up north is different. Coding should be done right after installation of new one. The sooner the better. Basically it's telling the car the specs of the new battery.
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11-14-2015, 07:38 PM	#22
spr Major 93 Rep 1,089 Posts Drives: F80 M3; e92 ESS650+ M3 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Diego iTrader: (1)	What is the point of the coding? __________________ F80 M3 HRE FF04 275/305.
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