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      03-04-2011, 11:09 PM   #45
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I knew a guy with an '06 m5 he picked up on CPO. He had the exact same symptoms for 2 months. Finally the dealer decided to be a real mechanic and trace back the power draw.
They found a unit the previous owners insurance mandated be installed. It was called a boomerang. like a lo-jack.
it was slowly draining the battery, so if he left the car for more than 2 days, the battery would be dead.
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      03-08-2011, 05:48 PM   #46
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Apparently BMW's view of battery problems are always "driver habits" .

BMW battery drains car owner's patience
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...2222378.column
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      03-08-2011, 05:56 PM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmlgc View Post
Apparently BMW's view of battery problems are always "driver habits" .

BMW battery drains car owner's patience
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...2222378.column
Its so sad it has come to this. It is no good for resale either. I wish BMW would wake up and fox these problems.
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      01-03-2014, 09:52 AM   #48
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hello,

i have a 2009 X6 35i and right now i am noticing the battery is having issues, mind you, for the first time since i received my car back in Dec 2008... that is to say the battery has performed without incident for me through 5 winters.

this being my 6th winter, here are the symptoms i'm now seeing:
- saw battery drain warning sign on dashboard a few times
- need to reset time/date almost each time i enter my car
- car starts are becoming very hard - hear slow cranks before firing

batteries operate less efficiently in cold weather so i need to add that it is very cold here in Toronto. this winter is shaping up to be the one of the coldest in recent memory, today for example, is -25°C but with the wind chill it is -35°C. so this cold weather is no doubt making it harder for my battery to perform.

after reading many posts it seems i have an unusually long-lived battery. so my case may be the exception, and that my problems may simply be that it is finally time to replace my battery. but before doing so, i will be implementing the following tips starting today to see if they help:

- remove my iphone charging cable that is plugged in to my lighter socket
this past summer i bought a new iphone car charger and since have it plugged permanently to the cigarette lighter.. i read that it does trickle drain the battery even if it's not charging anything so over time this can't be good for the battery

- place my comfort access car key away from my car
that is, when i park my car in the garage at the end of each day. the reasoning here is that some say there is constant communication happening between the key and the car if they are in close proximity. not sure if this is true but sounds reasonable. trivial to do, so worth a try at least.

- take a long drive (at least once per week?):
even though it seems that everyone hates this advice since it's been the top excuse abused by the bmw dealer, i believe there is some truth to it since i used to drive about 46 miles round-trip for work each day, but for the past 3 years i am driving progressively less and less - now only 18 miles everyday and that is on city streets not on highway like before. the reasoning here is that your car battery does not get fully charged unless you drive long and hard. not sure if there is any truth to this, but some say that the alternator does not actually kick-in to charge the battery if the car has not warmed up to a certain temperature (to avoid putting undue stress on the engine and lessen emissions). others say it also helps to drive at higher speeds (i.e. long highway drives) of at least 90km/h (55mph). it is true, i don't drive nearly as long as i used to so this will be the best suggestion for me to try.

i might also try using a battery tender (BMW advanced battery charging system) since this charges the battery as well.

if i find my symptoms persist after all this, then it's time for me to finally replace my battery since it'll be evident that it can no longer hold any significant charge.

UPDATE:
=======
i just found this at Canadian Tire. it is the exact "Advanced Battery Charging System" that BMW sells (just rebranded): http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/ba...-0111941p.html

i will be trickle charging my battery instead since driving long in this winter weather with snow and slippery conditions and in slow and messy traffic is not ideal.

Last edited by victorc; 01-03-2014 at 10:48 AM.. Reason: updated my strategy
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      01-03-2014, 01:15 PM   #49
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5 winters is pretty good.
Last year the dealers changed the chargers to 24V/5amp from the older version 12V/2.5 amp.
Even with clearance price I bought the 5amp. A charger is cheap compared to battery cost plus instal, resetting codes.

Last edited by barcelona; 01-03-2014 at 01:16 PM.. Reason: ^ VictorC
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      01-06-2014, 07:35 AM   #50
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UPDATE TO MY PREVIOUS POST
========================

the $70 battery tender 12v/1.25A i bought at Canadian Tire worked beautifully. i attached it to my car battery as per instructions and left it charging through the night in my cold garage. the next day the charger indicator light turned solid green (from red) to indicate that the battery is fully charged.

it's only been two days since i charged but the car starts are back to normal. i haven't yet needed to set the car date/time (i had to do this at least each day at least once). and bonus, i noticed even my headlights are shining *much* brighter as a result of the full battery.
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      01-06-2014, 03:38 PM   #51
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I'm taking mine in for the 4th time for this problem. They told me just wasn't driven enough - even after a 300 mile one day trip. They said it wasn't fully charged - they charged it - problem came back. Then I charged it, problem came back. (Charging makes the problem go away for a month or two). Last time into the shop is was "surely fixed" with a new charge controller and a negative battery lead.

victorc, if your headlights are brighter with a full battery then the alternator is not keeping up with the current drain.
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      01-06-2014, 09:18 PM   #52
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Quote:
Originally Posted by E90076 View Post
I noticed a thread a while back that discussed a software update fix for the battery drain. Any word of that from the dealer?
Probably was my post, had the same issue a couple of times, so they re-coded the car for fast charge instead of slow charge, this coding is for people like me that drives very short distances on a daily basis, so ask the dealer to re-code yours, my battery problems are 100% gone after that, good luck
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      01-07-2014, 07:39 AM   #53
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rodell View Post
I'm taking mine in for the 4th time for this problem. They told me just wasn't driven enough - even after a 300 mile one day trip. They said it wasn't fully charged - they charged it - problem came back. Then I charged it, problem came back. (Charging makes the problem go away for a month or two). Last time into the shop is was "surely fixed" with a new charge controller and a negative battery lead.

victorc, if your headlights are brighter with a full battery then the alternator is not keeping up with the current drain.
that's true, my symptoms may come back. i will see how long the charge lasts before that happens.

yes, you're right! i installed after-market HID lights a couple of years ago (http://www.alpinemss.com/product_p/hidan.htm) which came with ballasts and had to be connected directly to the car battery for additional power.
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      01-07-2014, 07:44 AM   #54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by motex View Post
Probably was my post, had the same issue a couple of times, so they re-coded the car for fast charge instead of slow charge, this coding is for people like me that drives very short distances on a daily basis, so ask the dealer to re-code yours, my battery problems are 100% gone after that, good luck
thanks for the great suggestion, i will keep this in mind next time i bring in my car for servicing!

but the obvious question i have is, what happens if your driving habits change to long and far distances? would the fast charge re-code harm the battery in this case (and should be re-coded to slower charge)?
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      01-07-2014, 09:24 AM   #55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by victorc View Post
thanks for the great suggestion, i will keep this in mind next time i bring in my car for servicing!

but the obvious question i have is, what happens if your driving habits change to long and far distances? would the fast charge re-code harm the battery in this case (and should be re-coded to slower charge)?
As far as I understand, the system starts with a fast charge and after some miles it turns into regular charge speed, no harm at all.
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      01-07-2014, 01:16 PM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by motex View Post
As far as I understand, the system starts with a fast charge and after some miles it turns into regular charge speed, no harm at all.
that's great. thank you!
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      01-07-2014, 03:21 PM   #57
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good luck!
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