Battery use / drain

stockguru · 08-16-2020, 07:47 AM

Loving the x7 after 3 weeks of ownership so far. Can any more experienced owners share battery levels and any battery drain issues?

I charged my battery to full when I got the car, it went down to less than 40% in 2 weeks. I charged it to full again last week and now battery is at 60% already.

Im monitoring my battery use very carefully because I plan on installing dashcam soon but now worried it will cause problems hard wired.

I have been idling the car more than i would normally since I've done some small mods like removing the warning label on sun visors, installing cargo floor protection and putting leather conditioner on the seats. I'm also guessing when they tinted my windows two weeks ago, it probably drained the battery considerably, but this level of battery drain is concerning.

thenew3 · 08-16-2020, 02:17 PM

How are you measuring battery levels? There are multiple batteries in the X7, which one are you measuring?

MystroX5 · 08-16-2020, 03:00 PM

Battery tender all the way. Parasitic power loss is huge with these new cars. A lot of threads on battery tenders on the X5 forum. I always use one all the time in my garage.

stockguru · 08-16-2020, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thenew3

How are you measuring battery levels? There are multiple batteries in the X7, which one are you measuring?

I'm not going through the trouble of actually tapping directly to the battery in the rear but I'm using a battery gauge connected to front of car.

I use the bmw advanced charger for trickle charge to 100%. I leave it on for the entire weekend. It seems to do about 1-2% an hour.

swissguy · 08-16-2020, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockguru

I'm not going through the trouble of actually tapping directly to the battery in the rear but I'm using a battery gauge connected to front of car.

I use the bmw advanced charger for trickle charge to 100%. I leave it on for the entire weekend. It seems to do about 1-2% an hour.

Where did you purchase your battery charger and how much did it cost if you don't mind my asking?

stockguru · 08-16-2020, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swissguy

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockguru

I'm not going through the trouble of actually tapping directly to the battery in the rear but I'm using a battery gauge connected to front of car.

I use the bmw advanced charger for trickle charge to 100%. I leave it on for the entire weekend. It seems to do about 1-2% an hour.

Where did you purchase your battery charger and how much did it cost if you don't mind my asking?

https://www.shopbmwusa.com/product/1...LLIGATOR-CLIPS

MystroX5 · 08-16-2020, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockguru

https://www.shopbmwusa.com/product/1...LLIGATOR-CLIPS

That is what I am using on both my BMW’s. 4 amp is the way to go with these big 2 battery vehicles. The BMW model is made by Battery Tender and rebranded for BMW. I use the Battery Tender version which is the same. You can use smaller units like the Battery Tender Jr but it takes a bit longer to top off if you let your battery get low.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Battery-T...MaAiQXEALw_wcB

stockguru · 08-16-2020, 07:52 PM

How often are you guys charging the car and what is the battery level at charging? I feel that there is something wrong if I need to charge it weekly.

If I wanted to deal with all the charging, I would have bought a tesla.

Joemac8 · 08-17-2020, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MystroX5

Battery tender all the way. Parasitic power loss is huge with these new cars. A lot of threads on battery tenders on the X5 forum. I always use one all the time in my garage.

How do you actually hook the Battery Tender to the system?

MystroX5 · 08-17-2020, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joemac8

How do you actually hook the Battery Tender to the system?

The easiest way is under the hood on the charge/jump points. Takes 10 seconds.

thenew3 · 08-17-2020, 12:49 PM

I'm not sure if BMW works the same way, MB keeps the battery at around 60 to 70% charge. It doesn't ever fully charge it and if you manually charged it to full, next time you run the car, it'll actually let battery drain down to 60-70%.

I've parked my X7 for 2+ weeks without driving it, when I got in, it started right up. So looks like at least over a 2+ week period it's not draining it to the point where it can't start the car.

Nath4n · 08-17-2020, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thenew3

How are you measuring battery levels? There are multiple batteries in the X7, which one are you measuring?

Are there more than one "charger" accesses for them or is there a common one (under the hood)? My X7 reports i need to replace a battery (after two weeks since purchase/handover) so i tried to charge it but if it has more than one battery with more than one accesspoint... Anyway, thanks!

thenew3 · 08-17-2020, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nath4n

Are there more than one "charger" accesses for them or is there a common one (under the hood)? My X7 reports i need to replace a battery (after two weeks since purchase/handover) so i tried to charge it but if it has more than one battery with more than one accesspoint... Anyway, thanks!

If I remember correctly, in another thread someone had a link to a diagram that shows there are up to 3 batteries in the X7 depending on your equipment. Two lead acid AGM batteries and one Lithium Ion battery. They are all 12V batteries so I would imagine the onboard electronics will monitor and charge them as necessary.

The easiest hook up point is the jack point under the hood. If you hook up a charger to that point, it should (given enough time) charge all the batteries in the car.

If you just got your car two weeks ago and it's been sitting on a dealer lot for a while, it may have a discharged battery. A long drive or a few days on a charger should charge it up. If not, it's under warranty, have the dealer replace it.

Nath4n · 08-18-2020, 05:16 AM

Found the diagram. Thank you for the info!

stockguru · 08-18-2020, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nath4n

Found the diagram. Thank you for the info!

Please share link. I tried searching and couldn't find it.

Nath4n · 08-18-2020, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockguru

Please share link. I tried searching and couldn't find it.

Here you go.

stockguru · 08-18-2020, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nath4n

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockguru

Please share link. I tried searching and couldn't find it.

Here you go.

Thanks. I was searching this forum.

08-16-2020, 07:47 AM	#1
stockguru Second Lieutenant 87 Rep 217 Posts Drives: BMW X7 Join Date: May 2020 Location: NYC iTrader: (0)	Battery use / drain Loving the x7 after 3 weeks of ownership so far. Can any more experienced owners share battery levels and any battery drain issues? I charged my battery to full when I got the car, it went down to less than 40% in 2 weeks. I charged it to full again last week and now battery is at 60% already. Im monitoring my battery use very carefully because I plan on installing dashcam soon but now worried it will cause problems hard wired. I have been idling the car more than i would normally since I've done some small mods like removing the warning label on sun visors, installing cargo floor protection and putting leather conditioner on the seats. I'm also guessing when they tinted my windows two weeks ago, it probably drained the battery considerably, but this level of battery drain is concerning.
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

08-16-2020, 02:17 PM	#2
thenew3 Lieutenant Colonel 650 Rep 1,598 Posts Drives: 2020 X7, 2016 X3, 2021 MME Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Central coast CA iTrader: (0)	How are you measuring battery levels? There are multiple batteries in the X7, which one are you measuring?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-16-2020, 03:00 PM	#3
MystroX5 Major General 6293 Rep 5,328 Posts Drives: 2020 X7 M50i/ 911 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Central Pa. iTrader: (0)	Battery tender all the way. Parasitic power loss is huge with these new cars. A lot of threads on battery tenders on the X5 forum. I always use one all the time in my garage.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-16-2020, 07:52 PM	#8
stockguru Second Lieutenant 87 Rep 217 Posts Drives: BMW X7 Join Date: May 2020 Location: NYC iTrader: (0)	How often are you guys charging the car and what is the battery level at charging? I feel that there is something wrong if I need to charge it weekly. If I wanted to deal with all the charging, I would have bought a tesla.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-17-2020, 12:49 PM	#11
thenew3 Lieutenant Colonel 650 Rep 1,598 Posts Drives: 2020 X7, 2016 X3, 2021 MME Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Central coast CA iTrader: (0)	I'm not sure if BMW works the same way, MB keeps the battery at around 60 to 70% charge. It doesn't ever fully charge it and if you manually charged it to full, next time you run the car, it'll actually let battery drain down to 60-70%. I've parked my X7 for 2+ weeks without driving it, when I got in, it started right up. So looks like at least over a 2+ week period it's not draining it to the point where it can't start the car.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-18-2020, 05:16 AM	#14
Nath4n Private First Class 34 Rep 157 Posts Drives: X7_M50d(2020), X5_30d(2015) Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Dunno, don't have GPS iTrader: (0)	Found the diagram. Thank you for the info!
	Appreciate 0 Quote