[slasheer]

Hello,

So recently I'm having a problem with my car. Sometimes it starts with any issue, and sometimes it just struggle a lot. I was trying to catch it on the video and after 2 days the issue came back. I have no clue what might be the issue, after starting a car there are no errors at all, everything works fine. Somewhere around august my car was standing in the parking lot for 3 months without starting, I know that might broke my battery, due to the fact i was not even able to open the doors. My computer was showing that my battery is low etc. However after a while of charging everything went back to normal. I don't know if that may be the reason that after a while the battery is getting crazy and doing that kind of problems? Any suggestions?

[stormlv]

Could you go into the service menu

And see if you have any faults (item 13) or check messages (item 17 in the video)?

[IndotagSwizz]

Originally Posted by slasheer

Hello,

So recently I'm having a problem with my car. Sometimes it starts with any issue, and sometimes it just struggle a lot. I was trying to catch it on the video and after 2 days the issue came back. I have no clue what might be the issue, after starting a car there are no errors at all, everything works fine. Somewhere around august my car was standing in the parking lot for 3 months without starting, I know that might broke my battery, due to the fact i was not even able to open the doors. My computer was showing that my battery is low etc. However after a while of charging everything went back to normal. I don't know if that may be the reason that after a while the battery is getting crazy and doing that kind of problems? Any suggestions?

most likely the battery, even tho your lights might come on it might just not have enough amps to start the car, if you are still under warranty bmw assist can send over a truck and check your battery and even charge it if that's what it needs

[slasheer]

Originally Posted by IndotagSwizz

most likely the battery, even tho your lights might come on it might just not have enough amps to start the car, if you are still under warranty bmw assist can send over a truck and check your battery and even charge it if that's what it needs

Don't you think that there would be a information on the screen that i do have a low battery?

I'll check the item 13 in a minute.

Edit :

Okay, i get into the service, click test and after that information about low battery pop'ed up. So i guess its time to change it.

[401FlaGATOR]

I had a similar problem with my E90, suspected the battery but it ended up being the starter..It could also be another issue like fuel pump. The best way to diagnose is to eliminate the possibilities starting with the battery, you can check your battery with a low cost volt meter to see what the volts are when the car is off. A battery that has been sitting all night will still show 12.x in the morning..12.25 to 12.5 at 75 degrees F is a good indicator in most circumstances. Measure at the battery terminals..I have found discrepancies from the OBD due to voltage drop I think. You can take another reading with the car on..Voltage would be around 13.5, 13.75 V, or higher..

In a minority of cases the two checks above can look ok but the battery can still not have enough high current capacity to start the motor, you would need a load tester to check that which is more expensive. However in my experience the checks with the voltmeter are about 95% definitive.

Usually when your battery cannot turn on the car it will not be able to start it on subsequent attempts. This is just physics, if it doesn't contain enough energy to do it the first time it will have even less on the subsequent attempts. If it routinely starts on the subsequent attempt there is less probability that the battery is bad and more probability that you have a problem elsewhere.

You could forego the voltmeter initially and just use OBD scanner or secret menu to get a quick idea of your battery voltage. A voltage of 11.9 or lower is a red flag that your battery or alternator is defective.

[slasheer]

I was shopping at walmart and i came up with idea to step by to their car service. I asked them nicely to check hows my battery doing. They plug in their device and it was saying that battery should be replaced. Now my question appear, whenever I'm looking for batteries for F30 it shows up that battery should be AGM. After reading about the difference I'm not sure why? Can I actually purchase normal, Lead Acid battery or it will won't work with my car?

[401FlaGATOR]

I would recommend staying with AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) if your car currently has an AGM battery. Different chemistries require different charging profiles. The charge voltage\profile for a flooded battery versus an AGM are not compatible. On the E90 the coding of the car is locked to one or the other profile so you have to replace with the same type. Don't know if the F30 changes things may be someone will chime in shortly, it would seem to me that the new platform should be sophisticated enough to contain both profiles. Perhaps changing a parameter via coding could invoke the appropriate charge profile for your battery chemistry.

From the part number of your existing battery you can probably determine it's chemistry type.

AGM batteries are generally superior to flooded batteries, they lose less electrolyte than other types of batteries making them suitable for very dry climates. They are Non-Spillable making them easy to handle and are legal to ship via UPS or FedEx which means you can order one online.

[401FlaGATOR]

The guy at Walmart had a load tester that presents a heavy load to the battery to check its' cranking amps. As long as the battery is well charged it should be able to pass this test. A discharged battery would fail the test but it might still be good.

Do you drive very short distances? Driving short distances without ever going on longer distance trips will eventually discharge your battery. If you have done a long trip recently the battery should have been charged and therefore should have passed.

[claykin]

Walmart? Your car has 15K miles. Take it to the stealership.

[401FlaGATOR]

If your car takes AGM and you put in a flooded what might happen is that the battery never fully charges because the charge voltages for flooded batteries are higher than for AGM.

It won't probably damage it though, however putting an AGM in a flooded setup would result in overcharging the AGM destroying it or limiting it's lifespan.

[slasheer]

Originally Posted by 401FlaGATOR

The guy at Walmart had a load tester that presents a heavy load to the battery to check its' cranking amps. As long as the battery is well charged it should be able to pass this test. A discharged battery would fail the test but it might still be good.

Do you drive very short distances? Driving short distances without ever going on longer distance trips will eventually discharge your battery. If you have done a long trip recently the battery should have been charged and therefore should have passed.

I'm driving usually around 6 miles a day, friday/saturday around 100-200 miles.

Walmart? Your car has 15K miles. Take it to the stealership.

My car was purchased with salvage title so i don't have a warranty, as far as i know. It was standing a good while without turning on, so it is possible that battery just simply got broken.

Now there is a question if there is a point of spending over 220$ for the AGM battery, while I'm not using start and stop as well as i do not have a braking charging feature. I can purchase 8H battery, 900 CCA (same as the one which I've got now) with 3 year warranty for 123$. Also I'm pretty sure that ill change my car somewhere in 1-2 years, so investing in better battery is most likely giving a money for future owner

If your car takes AGM and you put in a flooded what might happen is that the battery never fully charges because the charge voltages for flooded batteries are higher than for AGM.

It won't probably damage it though, however putting an AGM in a flooded setup would result in overcharging the AGM destroying it or limiting it's lifespan.

Aint every F30 got AGM?

[chaoyu]

Hi Slasheer,

I had exactly the same issue found these days. May I know is this finally caused by battery ? Does replace battery finally fix the problem or it's caused by other reasons.

Thanks,
James from Taiwan.

Originally Posted by slasheer

Hello,

So recently I'm having a problem with my car. Sometimes it starts with any issue, and sometimes it just struggle a lot. I was trying to catch it on the video and after 2 days the issue came back. I have no clue what might be the issue, after starting a car there are no errors at all, everything works fine. Somewhere around august my car was standing in the parking lot for 3 months without starting, I know that might broke my battery, due to the fact i was not even able to open the doors. My computer was showing that my battery is low etc. However after a while of charging everything went back to normal. I don't know if that may be the reason that after a while the battery is getting crazy and doing that kind of problems? Any suggestions?

[bimmer456]

If you only drive a few miles a day that would explain it. You are not charging the battery enough. When the battery is low it looks different than in most cars because of how the charging system works and because of the cars electronics. The replacement battery may or may not be covered if it was due to insufficient charging. You may want to invest in a trickle charger if you're not driving much. The efficient dynamics system charges the battery only when you're applying the brake unless your battery is discharged so you may have to drive further to charge the battery.

[T1g3r01]

So on my 2008 328xi, the car wont start, but I still hear the ignition sound, which gets cut off almost immediately. the interior lights and everything get power, but I thought the starting problem was caused by the battery.

[FXT]

Originally Posted by chaoyu

Hi Slasheer,

I had exactly the same issue found these days. May I know is this finally caused by battery ? Does replace battery finally fix the problem or it's caused by other reasons.

Thanks,
James from Taiwan.

Hi,
I have the same issue , how did you solve yours ?

[FXT]

Originally Posted by T1g3r01

So on my 2008 328xi, the car wont start, but I still hear the ignition sound, which gets cut off almost immediately. the interior lights and everything get power, but I thought the starting problem was caused by the battery.

So what was the issue then ?

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by FXT

Hi,
I have the same issue , how did you solve yours ?

So what was the issue then ?

When you resurrect a zombie thread at the very least look at the public profile of those you're looking to get answers from to see if they still frequent the forum. These two members haven't been here in more than two years, so an answer is most likely not forthcoming.