The cold weather got me.

[Diesel X5]

Had to call BMW roadside assist as the cold weather got to my battery and cracked it. It was covered by warranty, including the new battery. The tech advised me to add the Power Tender Plus and plug it in anytime you're not driving your vehicle. Here are pics of the one they recommended.

[gmaurer]

I have the Genius G3500.
About $60.
Leave it on the battery whenever the vehicle is garaged.
Highly recommend it.

[JVX6M]

Why would any of our cars need this I guess that's just doesn't make sense to me! Shouldn't be any different than any other vehicle with a new battery so why would it require a charge between days?

[gmaurer]

Originally Posted by JX5M

Why would any of our cars need this I guess that's just doesn't make sense to me! Shouldn't be any different than any other vehicle with a new battery so why would it require a charge between days?

As the SA explained it to me, there's a lot going on even when the car is parked. Alarm system, remote, keyless entry, etc.
I was told not to keep the key fob near the car, as it senses this and keeps certain things active.
One solution would be to do like a boat does - have a "house" battery and a "starter battery." But then you have cost, space, and weight issues.

[Diesel X5]

I bought the one from BMW for $129.00 but based on the info, it has a short circuit protection where others don't. Also they informed me that you must have a battery tender that keeps the battery charged but also turns on and off when required. A trickle charger will keep on charging even when the battery is fully charged. I found that these battery tenders are all different $ amounts and I could have saved some money, but BMW changed the battery for free and recommended this one.

The Tech also informed me that the vehicle takes about 15 minutes to go to sleep after you turn it off and about halfway into the night it turns back on to check the system like the temp out side ??, Got me.

[Sylvan Lake V35]

I have a genius for like $50 it shuts off when the battery is full and has circuit protection. I only charge mine over night every second weekend or so and my M has never had issues, I didn't charge my wife's diesel for over a month (the weekend I planned to charge it she went out of town) and she was out of town and the vehicle was left outside in -30c weather all weekend and it needed a boost after. That is the only issue I have had I charged it before we went to Mexico for 10days when it was left in airport parking and it started fine when we got back. In the summer I charge it less maybe once a month. I typically put on 2-3,000km/month with a 150km hi way trip Mondays and Fridays I think people that do short trips or just stop and go city driving seem to have more issues.

[Draper]

Can you post the part number for the one you bought?

I found this one on Amazon, but it looks a little different.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003AP95O4/..._S9Bhtb1F67R82

[JVX6M]

What about with an X5M and the battery drain issue? Which I have had majority of the winter. It's my daily driver and literally has been coming on every other day. It's a known issue but I'm sure when I go to the dealer the "increased battery discharge" error will be gone and they will say the battery has tested fine. So do all you guys just remove the cover in back and just ride with it off bc of charging every other evening? Seems odd to have to go that route...

[nabizzy]

Originally Posted by JX5M

What about with an X5M and the battery drain issue? Which I have had majority of the winter. It's my daily driver and literally has been coming on every other day. It's a known issue but I'm sure when I go to the dealer the "increased battery discharge" error will be gone and they will say the battery has tested fine. So do all you guys just remove the cover in back and just ride with it off bc of charging every other evening? Seems odd to have to go that route...

I guess either that or screw it on and off every night lol.... I am glad I don't get this message knock on wood

[JVX6M]

Originally Posted by nabizzy

I guess either that or screw it on and off every night lol.... I am glad I don't get this message knock on wood

It's only a matter of time. Atleast according to all the X5M owners that have too had this issue. Not sure if it's an only cold weather thing? I'm interested to see if this shitty Chicago winter ever breaks.

[Diesel X5]

The part # from the dealer here in Alberta is 82-11-2960579 . So I have not installed it yet but the tech says it will slide down in beside the battery with two screws and you can leave it there,Just plug it in when needed.

[upstate650]

Originally Posted by JX5M

What about with an X5M and the battery drain issue? Which I have had majority of the winter. It's my daily driver and literally has been coming on every other day. It's a known issue but I'm sure when I go to the dealer the "increased battery discharge" error will be gone and they will say the battery has tested fine. So do all you guys just remove the cover in back and just ride with it off bc of charging every other evening? Seems odd to have to go that route...

You don't have to attach it directly to the battery - you can use the connections under the hood for charging. really quite simple. There is even a dedicated location for the ground.

[Draper]

Originally Posted by JX5M

What about with an X5M and the battery drain issue? Which I have had majority of the winter. It's my daily driver and literally has been coming on every other day. It's a known issue but I'm sure when I go to the dealer the "increased battery discharge" error will be gone and they will say the battery has tested fine. So do all you guys just remove the cover in back and just ride with it off bc of charging every other evening? Seems odd to have to go that route...

From what I've heard it's mainly caused by routinely taking short trips. I've been bitten by this as my office is literally 5 minutes from my house, and my X5 rarely gets driven on weekends.

The only way to avoid it is to go for a long(er) drive at least once a week, or get a battery tender.

[JVX6M]

Originally Posted by jzbm3

From what I've heard it's mainly caused by routinely taking short trips. I've been bitten by this as my office is literally 5 minutes from my house, and my X5 rarely gets driven on weekends.

The only way to avoid it is to go for a long(er) drive at least once a week, or get a battery tender.

See for me that's not the case as I drive 30 minutes one way to work almost 6 days a week and it does it every other day. It did not do it last summer or fall only so far this winter with this vehicle. My previous E70 never had this issue but my 12' X5M obviously does.

[Diesel X5]

Mine I drove on the Friday just fine and Sat no start,Called BMW roadside to boost and no go, I tried my booster pack and no go.Call BMW service on Monday and towed into shop.

Towing company wanted to drag it on the flatbed and could not put it into neutral.Said goodby to him,Second tow truck showed up and before I could get outside already had it on the truck but he used these things called skates. When asked how he would get it off the truck he said they shake it off. Well I pissed him off really fast when I said I don't think so.

I made him wait for a BMW tech to come out and put it into neutral, Took 10 Minutes.
They had to unscrew a cover under the truck and back off the linkage.As for the battery it had cracked and was defective.

[serge1]

Originally Posted by gmaurer

As the SA explained it to me,

that's your problem. Anything to get you out of the door untill warranty runs out. Better yet, anything to get you buy a "BMW approved" battery tender from them untill warranty runs out. Once there, come back, we will try to throw parts at your battery issues, this time for $$.

Originally Posted by gmaurer

there's a lot going on even when the car is parked. Alarm system, remote, keyless entry, etc.

Not that much going on. I left my vehicle for 20 days parked outside when I left the country in autumn. There were some nights it got below 25F. No issues starting the car. That battery was 1.5 yrs old.

Originally Posted by gmaurer

One solution would be to do like a boat does - have a "house" battery and a "starter battery." But then you have cost, space, and weight issues.

Oh my...

[Draper]

Originally Posted by serge1

that's your problem. Anything to get you out of the door untill warranty runs out. Better yet, anything to get you buy a "BMW approved" battery tender from them untill warranty runs out. Once there, come back, we will try to throw parts at your battery issues, this time for $$.

I'm not sure that you actually grasp how warranties work...

[serge1]

Originally Posted by jzbm3

I'm not sure that you actually grasp how warranties work...

I think I do.
Even though a dealership gets paid for warranty work, if an issue is not "reliable" (i.e. no codes thrown) it may be a bit harder for them to get approval and be paid from corp. No code - no problem.

On the other hand, if you come to them w/out warranty, absolutely all work, including diagnosis is paid for by you right there.

I have seen people on these forums come to service department with horrible noises, battery drain issues, etc, and be told "no code, it is normal".

[Draper]

Originally Posted by serge1

I think I do.
Even though a dealership gets paid for warranty work, if an issue is not "reliable" (i.e. no codes thrown) it may be a bit harder for them to get approval and be paid from corp. No code - no problem.

On the other hand, if you come to them w/out warranty, absolutely all work, including diagnosis is paid for by you right there.

I have seen people on these forums come to service department with horrible noises, battery drain issues, etc, and be told "no code, it is normal".

True, but they do not get paid to go on wild goose chases. If you come to them with a phantom issue (code or not) they will unlikely be able to do anything...and you can't really blame them.

The best course of action if an issue comes up is to seek out some info on your own (through forums like these to find the TSB if possible) and go for a ride with a tech to ensure they know exactly what you're talking about (if it's a drivability issue). Make it easy for them, and they'll be more than happy to tackle just about anything you can find.

In the case described in this thread, this is a well documented 'quirk' of most newer BMWs, so there is nothing to fix. The dealer will charge the battery overnight then test it - if it's within the standard limits they will send you on your way. Whether you want to believe it or not, there are a ton of electronics in these cars, and and if you're doing a lot of short trips it will be an issue sooner or later.