"philipilihp" (philiphilip)
06/04/2014 at 11:12 • Filed to: BMW, E90, Battery swap
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"philipilihp" (philiphilip)
06/04/2014 at 11:12 • Filed to: BMW, E90, Battery swap | 0
| 8 |
Unexpectedly, this morning my BMW's battery was kaput. Fun stuff.
And yes, in a BMW (E90 at least), replacing a battery takes a little bit of wrenching.
Thankfully there were two guys working construction in my neighbor's house to help me push my car out of the way so my wife could take her car and take me to buy a new battery. Two hours later, I'm finally at work. Fun stuff.
Now I just have to go get it registered so my car knows that there is a new battery. Dealershipt charges $200, I'm sure a shop can do it for less, and I might be able to buy an OBDII tool and do it myself. Any BMW owners have any experience with this?
Thanks a LOT, BMW.
deekster_caddy
> philipilihp
06/04/2014 at 11:15 |
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Not that it will help you, but I think you should sue BMW or insist that the dealership "register" the new battery at no charge. There is no reason this consumable item should require dealership intervention to replace. Yeah, I get it, there is an extra connection so the system can be aware of the battery condition. But what did that do for you? Were you warned that your battery was about to kaput itself? I thought that's what all the monitoring was supposed to do!
E92M3
> philipilihp
06/04/2014 at 11:19 |
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Thats just stupid. At least you can drive it still. I'm suprised it doesnt have to be towed in to be reset.
Meatcoma
> deekster_caddy
06/04/2014 at 11:24 |
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I agree!
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philipilihp
> deekster_caddy
06/04/2014 at 11:29 |
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For replacing the battery at the dealership, the quoted cost was $590. $300 for the battery, $149 for registering it, and the remaining $140 for labor. I bought a battery from Advanced Autoparts for $200. Same specs, more CCAs (720 vs. 760), and smaller size.
Yeah registering is a bunch of BS. On the forums people are about 50/50 divided on if it is even necessary to register it, but I think with a BT tool I can do it myself.
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philipilihp
> E92M3
06/04/2014 at 11:30 |
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Thank God! I was NOT about to pay close to $600 for a new battery.
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E92M3
> philipilihp
06/04/2014 at 12:53 |
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Lets us know if you can. I'm curious to know myself. I just bought an E92, and its 3 yrs old so its probably due for a battery anyday now.
dkfireblade
> deekster_caddy
06/04/2014 at 14:05 |
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I had the same issue with my e92. My OEM battery lasted 7 years and 110k miles. The way I was explained it, the alternator has to be "reflashed" because it learns the battery over time. It has a variable charge rate, based on battery life and your driving style. When a new battery is installed, it may over load the new one. Others have experienced dead batteries in less than a month and battery explosions(according to bimmerpost, e92, etc)
It ended up being $486 OTD for me and about 2 hours of sitting at the dealer. I could've bought a new battery from a local source for $200ish, but if that dies in less than 4 years, it would be more expensive in the long haul.
Yes, it's ridiculous to pay that much for a battery. Do we, as BMW owners, realize in advance, that there may be some expensive bull shit that we didn't anticipate? You bought a BMW because it's a great car. It isn't the cheapest or easiest to maintain. That comes with the territory. Do we have to deal with a crap ton of brake dust that permanently makes our wheels dirty? Is that bull shit or do we accept it as part of the deal with getting a beamer?
It sucks, but just go to the dealer. It isn't worth the headache down the road.
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deekster_caddy
> dkfireblade
06/04/2014 at 15:49 |
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I understand your sentiment, but it also makes it impossible to have a car that your local mechanic can service. You are tied to dealership only service. A small shop can't afford the various computer tie ins that manufacturers are requiring today. Without getting too deep into it, when you have time take a look at the arguments around Massachusetts' "right to repair" bill.