[Brendon]

I just replaced the main (and only) battery in my 2019 xDrive40i, and wanted to offer up some advice that I encountered along the way. I did a ton of internet searching and a number of things I had to piece together as there wasn't any good, central source.

Replacement Part: apparently BMW has been massively backlogged on these batteries for quite a while. Called 3 dealerships in my area and none have had any in weeks, and don't know when they'll get more. I was really hoping to go with OEM, but settled on the Napa Autoparts "The Legend" Group 95R battery. It was $346, and the design perfectly matched my OEM battery. East Penn makes many of the BMW AGM batteries, and also supplies Napa. I'm about 95% sure that you're getting the same manufacturer as OEM as every nook and cranny of the battery was identical.

My car came with a Group 49 (92AH, 850 CCA), but Group 95R (105AH, 950 CCA) is also an OEM size. It's a bigger battery, which frankly these cars need. It's likely to last longer given that it's increased size means that it'll be under less stress.

Install: super-straight-forward, as per in this video. Note that the battery bracket that holds the bottom of the battery has a second hole pre-drilled that you an anchor it to for the larger Group 95R battery. Fits the exact same as OEM. Even the vents are in the same location.

I highly recommend having an AGM battery charger, and fully charging your battery prior to install. Batteries tend to sit on shelves for months at a time, and you want it going in at 100% charge for when you code it, as that will be the reference point that the vehicle uses going forward to monitor and manage the battery.

Coding: There's some debate on the internet as to how necessary this is, but I saw a write-up from a seasoned BMW tech who stated that he'd seen many issues and pre-mature battery failures in his time that resulted from the battery not being coded/registered. Thankfully, this is pretty straight forward.

If you changed your battery size (e.g. going from a 92AH to a 105AH), you'll need to first code this into the vehicle. Otherwise, you can skip this step. You can use BimmerCode to easy perform this when you go into the "ECU" category. Very straight-forward.

Then, you need to register the new battery, which in effect tells the ECU to re-learn all of the charging parameters for the unit. This can be done easily with the BimmerLink mobile app. I'd post instructions, but it's so simple that it isn't needed.

Hope some may find this helpful. I learned a lot along the way, and am pretty pleased to have an "aftermarket" OEM battery that's even bigger than what I had before.

[Simple4me]

Thank you very much for the info.

Do you also have the Accessory Li battery?
Mine is an X50i.
I have an error that comes up if I have a few things plugged in (phone, dash cam and or radar detector) "Ok to continue driving. Please contact dealer - Chassis error" or something like that. The dealer was very nice and helped me with the diagnosis. But the replacement quote was horrible. $1200 for the battery and like $580 or so for the labor !?!? Seriously. Total with tax about $1900 - for the accessory battery. I can't find a vid for x7 batteries but I have the front one in the same location like this x5 video
I am looking for info what to do with the accessory battery when I replace the main one. Do I need to disconnect the accessory first or the main first? Connecting back. Do I connect the accessory first or the main?
I am thinking to replace both the main and the accessory in the same time.
Do I have to replace the emergency battery also?
What would be the order of connecting if I replace all 3?
TIA.

[Brendon]

Mine does not have the accessory battery. For what it's worth, the dealer quoted me $450 for the battery, and $250 for install for my vehicle. Not terrible, but I didn't it for half that, and walked away with an upgraded battery.

With regards to your other questions, I'm afraid I'm not sure. I've never replaced batteries in a vehicle that has more than one.

[Cmac518]

Thank you so much for this information it was invaluable and saved hours of research.

Just changed out the main battery in a 2019 drive 40i using the exact method explained. I wanted to add some photos and notes to help others.

• Napa Legend Battery #BAT9895R $347 retail (paid 295 with a 20% coupon code)
• Bimmercode app for iOS is $49.99 - Required if you change/upgrade the size of the battery. (Battery selection is located under the Engine control unit menu)
• Bimmerlink app for iOS is $39.99 - Required to register a new battery
• ODBlink CX ~$79.95
• My car had a spare tire so the install is a little more complex and I couldn’t find videos on removal with a spare tire, but really isn’t necessary as it is quite simple to remove the tire and tire kit. You need to remove the belt entirely by unthreading the belt holding it down.

Attempted to charg the battery before install but it was fully charged still

Bimmerlink shows a 90% battery charge after a week of driving.

Thank you again!

[Qsilver7]

Since the time of the original post in 2023…you may want to call or check with your local BMW dealership’s parts department to see if they have the 92AH or 105AH battery in stock.

You may find that the BMW battery costs less than the aftermarket batteries. My local BMW dealership sold me a BMW branded 105AH battery (it’s the larger 95R/H9 battery class size) for $227 out the door (after the return of the $18 core charge). All the aftermarket 95R/H9 batteries cost more and were only 100 AH…and the 1 vendor that sold a 105AH 95R was Batteries Plus and they wanted over $300.

So FYI…don’t assume that your local BMW dealer’s parts department will cost more or won’t have the battery…give them a call first…you may end up with the better bargain.

I replaced my battery in Jan/2023…and the battery came with a new little black elbow (used to connect the vehicle’s vent tube to the battery) and an additional plug to use on the opposite side of the battery to prevent any off gasses from venting into the enclosed battery compartment.

[AvGeek]

Given there is some coding involved in moving to the larger battery, I assume those of us with LCI models needn't bother, as it will either throw an error, or just not "utilize" the extra 13Ah's. I imagine the LCI is too new (or would be covered under warranty perhaps?), but would love to know for the future.