Battery not covered by warranty?

[Simma]

I never seem to understand why the reps at Parkview act as if their dads own the dealership.

[peanuboy]

I took my car to Endras this morning and determined the battery needs to be replaced, which they did

as expected not covered by warranty (I have extended warranty) and it cost me $465 with tax, ouch

[99leeric]

forgive my ignorance, but why not replace with an aftermarket battery? $500 for an OEM battery seems insane.

[Rudeman]

I had the same issues, and the first SA I spoke with said I had to replace the battery. $$$.

The next advisor gave far better advice. I don't know if this part is true, but he said the "charging" system in M3s (and presumably other BMWs) is more of a "maintaining" system, and that it can keep up with the car's electrical demands, but not really add a significant charge to the system at the same time.

His advice was to buy a charger, and not a trickle charger. I went to Canadian Tire and bought a "smart" charger, that switches between charging and trickle charging based on the the current state of the battery. It was about $90.00 regular, on special for $70. I gave it an over night blast with it, and watched as the amperes going into the battery went from 3.5 down to 0.5, to zero.

I haven't had the problem since, and the battery is now 1.5 years older than when the first SA told me it had to be replaced. No more warnings, and I can again be less careful about using the "rest mode" on the climate control when I'm parked, and using all the gadgets recklessly.

I'm sure there are other chargers that do the same thing, but I couldn't be happier with the cheesy Canadian Tire unit.

good luck.

a.

[Gearhead999s]

According to the BMW Canada service menu a battery replacement is $311 + HST.

http://crm.bmw.ca/microsites/aftersa...P.aspx?lang=en

[swifty]

Originally Posted by Rudeman

I had the same issues, and the first SA I spoke with said I had to replace the battery. $$$.

The next advisor gave far better advice. I don't know if this part is true, but he said the "charging" system in M3s (and presumably other BMWs) is more of a "maintaining" system, and that it can keep up with the car's electrical demands, but not really add a significant charge to the system at the same time.

His advice was to buy a charger, and not a trickle charger. I went to Canadian Tire and bought a "smart" charger, that switches between charging and trickle charging based on the the current state of the battery. It was about $90.00 regular, on special for $70. I gave it an over night blast with it, and watched as the amperes going into the battery went from 3.5 down to 0.5, to zero.

I haven't had the problem since, and the battery is now 1.5 years older than when the first SA told me it had to be replaced. No more warnings, and I can again be less careful about using the "rest mode" on the climate control when I'm parked, and using all the gadgets recklessly.

I'm sure there are other chargers that do the same thing, but I couldn't be happier with the cheesy Canadian Tire unit.

good luck.

a.

Does this charger need a power outlet?


Also are their better aftermarket batteries that last longer than this for the M3s? I'm sure there has to be an upgrade to the OEM one since the car has been out for over 5 years now.

[HPF_E92]

Originally Posted by Rudeman

I had the same issues, and the first SA I spoke with said I had to replace the battery. $$$.

The next advisor gave far better advice. I don't know if this part is true, but he said the "charging" system in M3s (and presumably other BMWs) is more of a "maintaining" system, and that it can keep up with the car's electrical demands, but not really add a significant charge to the system at the same time.

His advice was to buy a charger, and not a trickle charger. I went to Canadian Tire and bought a "smart" charger, that switches between charging and trickle charging based on the the current state of the battery. It was about $90.00 regular, on special for $70. I gave it an over night blast with it, and watched as the amperes going into the battery went from 3.5 down to 0.5, to zero.

I haven't had the problem since, and the battery is now 1.5 years older than when the first SA told me it had to be replaced. No more warnings, and I can again be less careful about using the "rest mode" on the climate control when I'm parked, and using all the gadgets recklessly.

I'm sure there are other chargers that do the same thing, but I couldn't be happier with the cheesy Canadian Tire unit.

good luck.

a.

You are the man! Can you give us the specific model of the charger or the link so we can look into it !!

Thanks!!

[speedaddictM3]

Originally Posted by peanuboy

I took my car to Endras this morning and determined the battery needs to be replaced, which they did

as expected not covered by warranty (I have extended warranty) and it cost me $465 with tax, ouch

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

According to the BMW Canada service menu a battery replacement is $311 + HST.

http://crm.bmw.ca/microsites/aftersa...P.aspx?lang=en

I got a quote from Town and Country of over $360 just for the battery alone.

Screw BMW. If anyone needs a new battery you can buy MotoMaster Eliminator Ultra Flat Plate AGM Automotive Battery Groul L5/49 from Crappy Tire which is just a rebranded Exide Edge AGM Car Battery (Group L5/49). Exide is or at least was one of the OEM battery suppliers to BMW and this particular battery matches the specs of the OEM battery in my car. 90 Ah, reserve capacity 160 min, 850 CCA (close enough to the 900 CCA on my OEM battery).

I just got mine yesterday from Crappy Tire on sale for just $185. With free BMWLogger and a K+DCAN cable I'll install and register it myself. I'll take that extra $400 in savings and use it for brake pads and fluids for the track next summer

[Rudeman]

Hey guys. Just to followup on your questions.

1) Swifty: Yes, this charger needs to be plugged into a wall outlet.

2) HPF_E92 - I just found it again on Canadian Tire's site. Guess what. It's on sale for ½ price. Don't know if I can post links, but here goes:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mo...l#.UrjKjXnGbOg

An absolute bargain at that price.

[VanSky]

Which mode/setting did you use to charge the battery? My battery is acting up so will pick up the battery charger tomorrow.

Originally Posted by Rudeman

Hey guys. Just to followup on your questions.

1) Swifty: Yes, this charger needs to be plugged into a wall outlet.

2) HPF_E92 - I just found it again on Canadian Tire's site. Guess what. It's on sale for ½ price. Don't know if I can post links, but here goes:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mo...l#.UrjKjXnGbOg

An absolute bargain at that price.

[Thik]

I've dealt with James at Parkview and he was great. Replaced the differential bolt under warranty, no hassle at all.

As for the battery, is your car parked outdoors? I know the cold temperature pushes any dying battery over the edge. My battery died last year around this time. If it's parked outdoors, I would definitely get the charger.

[Rudeman]

Originally Posted by VanSky

Which mode/setting did you use to charge the battery? My battery is acting up so will pick up the battery charger tomorrow.

Just plug it in, and it goes into a fully automatic mode, sensing how much charge is required.

I just topped my battery off again overnight. Started at ~1.7amps, then after a few minutes, I heard the fan on the charger going, and it was putting in 3.5amps.

This morning, it was reading FUL. You can guess what that means. Like I said, I had the same problem, and charging it up every 4 or 5 months keeps it topped off and gives me peace of mind to run seat heaters, defoggers and to use the rest mode when the car isn't running.

[swifty]

OP, I still don't understand how dealer can say the battery is not under warranty. It should last the 4 years, 80k original warranty you have.

[Chowster]

Originally Posted by Rudeman

Just plug it in, and it goes into a fully automatic mode, sensing how much charge is required.

I just topped my battery off again overnight. Started at ~1.7amps, then after a few minutes, I heard the fan on the charger going, and it was putting in 3.5amps.

This morning, it was reading FUL. You can guess what that means. Like I said, I had the same problem, and charging it up every 4 or 5 months keeps it topped off and gives me peace of mind to run seat heaters, defoggers and to use the rest mode when the car isn't running.

Rudeman. Awesome tip. I had the same issues with increase battery discharge and low battery levels. I picked up the exact Motomaster unit you specified for 1/2 price, plugged it in, and voila, all my errors disappeared! Thanks so much!