[GeneralXception]

Hi,

I've got an 05 330i that's covered 26k and I guess it's spent it's life doing short runs because the battery is starting to fail.

It's just about turning the car over but after taking it on a fairly long run (40 miles) the low battery light will appear after only 5 minutes of listening to the radio with the engine switched off. I've tried connecting my optimate charger to the car and leaving it overnight to give it a boost but it's made no difference.

Anyway, I read that when you change the battery on the e60 you need to register its replacement with the car, so that it alters its charging pattern, and this is a dealer only process. Does anyone know if this also applies to the e90?

Also, I've also read that you need to keep power to the car, presumably via the charging points, whilst you swap over batteries and if you don't do this then a trip to the dealers is required to reprogram it / remove some fault codes. Is there any truth in that? Lots of other DIY guides mention disconnecting the battery and none of them mention this problem - but I thought I'd ask outright!

Has anyone changed their battery yet?

Cheers guys (and gals).

Steve

[Dr Dave]

Hi & Welcome to the forums Steve

Can't say I've ever heard of a battery requiring 'registering' with a car or vice-versa.

The only thing I would say is use a genuine battery - they're not that expensive.

You will need to see what one you have fitted - a 70A, 80A or 90A one, it is marked on top of the battery.

For the record, I enquired about a battery for my 330d from BMW, it was the 90A one and it was about £130.

Are you going to be changing the battery yourself?

[GeneralXception]

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, I was going to fit the battery myself but I was concerned about the car throwing some errors afterwards. I think the active steering can be reset by turning from lock to lock a couple of times - other items I'm not so sure. Hopefully, if I keep 12v attached to the charging points at the front of the car I presume all will be ok?

Registering the battery appears to an e60 5 Series thing, at least nobody has mentioned the e90 having the same 'feature' but I thought I'd ask anyway.

I'll enquire at the dealer to see how much a replacement battery will be for supply only & supply+fit.

Ta


Steve

[milesr3]

I've just had to take my 535d back to the dealer due to the battery becoming discharged by a faulty "KGM Body Gateway Module". Whilst googling to see what it does, I found a pdf which says:

Change battery
Important: Risk of irreparable damage to the IBS and the wires when changing the battery
When the battery is replaced, the IBS (intelligent battery sensor) and the wires could be damaged beyond repair
by mechanical stressing.
Please note the following when replacing the battery:
- Always proceed in accordance with the Repair Instructions.
- Avoid subjecting the integrated battery sensor to mechanical stress.
Note: When changing the battery, perform service function "Register battery renewal".
When changing the battery, use the battery size (capacity) installed in production. The battery size needed for the
vehicle is encoded in the Car Access System (CAS) and in the engine electronics (DME/DDE).
- If a battery with a different capacity is fitted, the CAS must be recoded. Run "Battery" retrofit with Progman.
- Erase any fault memory entry in the engine control unit relating to the battery replacement.

it also talks about how the charging system is calibrated to the battery in the factory, so I'd at least ensure you put in a battery of the same capacity if not an OEM BMW battery to be on the safe side.

Here is the pdf: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&sou...TOhsAMwrCUmUOw

[Dr Dave]

Bloody hell, what a run around!!

Agree - stick to OEM batteries and you'll not go far wrong.

[Baldrick 320d]

may be something to do with the eff. dynamics ie overrun battery charging

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by Baldrick 320d

may be something to do with the eff. dynamics ie overrun battery charging

Ah good point infact a very good point! I could see the sense in that.

[xenon]

The e9x does not have the IBS.

The "overrun battery charging" is not relevent either; this simply switches the alternator in on the over-run but then is the same as any other car, and this was only in cars from 08 onwards. You can change it yourself.

[Dr Dave]

Good....then we can all relax!

I can't see what the benefit of overrun battery charging is!

[xenon]

It only loads the engine on the over-run when the engine generated by the slowing car would otherwise be wasted. Good idea.

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by xenon

The e9x does not have the IBS.

The "overrun battery charging" is not relevent either; this simply switches the alternator in on the over-run but then is the same as any other car, and this was only in cars from 08 onwards. You can change it yourself.

My 07 320d had it.

[Dr Dave]

So the overrun battery thingy is just a way of slowing the car down, a bit like a retarder on a truck??

I'm confused! Surely the alternator is working at all times?

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

So the overrun battery thingy is just a way of slowing the car down, a bit like a retarder on a truck??

I'm confused! Surely the alternator is working at all times?

It's a way to put power back into the battery, when the engines under load it disengages, unless the batteries low, or under a high load condition.

[xenon]

No. If the battery level is sufficiently charged then the alternator stator is open circuit so the rotor just free-wheels and takes no energy from the engine. When you're on the over-run the stator is closed and the alternator works as usual. In essence, you're only taking power from the engine when the engine has it to spare. If the battery is too drained and / or the load is too high then the alternator works as normal.

It's part of the ED pack which is 08 onwards. Del's car was 07 registered but I assume it was an 08 model year(?)

[F104]

Originally Posted by xenon

The e9x does not have the IBS.

The "overrun battery charging" is not relevent either; this simply switches the alternator in on the over-run but then is the same as any other car, and this was only in cars from 08 onwards. You can change it yourself.

Well mine (March 07) has the IBS, it is a small black box on the negative battery terminal, and a red lead from the positive terminal goes into it as well. When i shine a flashlight ont it it reads "Bosch IBS".

[xenon]

Does your car have i-Drive?

[GeneralXception]

Just to let you all know that I got a replacement battery from the dealer for £104(inc) and fitted it this afternoon.

The only thing that I had to reset was the clock (but strangely not the date?). No error codes, warning lights or anything.

I've added a guide for replacing the battery because it's not quite as simple as other cars. Well not for me anyway!

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=292200

Thanks

Steve

[zippy_2005]

Hi GeneralXception

Just found your thread re battery...

Could you tell me where you got your battery from? I am assuming it was a dealer in Birmingham as you are Brimingham based...

Was it £104 supply only, or fitting as well?

I have a 2005 330i M Sport and on a couple of occasions, I have been getting the Yellow battery icon on the dash, but only when the car is on my driveway, maybe with the boot open for 5 mins or so. The car starts everyday and drives ok, no warnings.

So far only had the warning twice - so not sure if the battery is on its way out.

Thanks

[GeneralXception]

Hi Zippy,

I bought the battery from Sytner Oldbury. I just called them, spoke to the parts department and picked it up the next day (bloody heavy though ).

The price was supply only but it's fairly straight forward to fit it yourself. Take a look at my thread on how to replace.

In the 6 months since replacing it I've not seen the battery warning and I used to get it within 5 minutes of switching the engine off if I kept the TV or Radio switched on. I never had any problem starting the car or any issues whilst the engine was running only when it wasn't running.

I'd suggest that yours is having the same problem.

I hope that helps.

Steve

[zippy_2005]

Hi Steve

Thanks for your reply...

Was the battery charged and ready to use from the dealer?

I did take a look at your procedure but the photos have been removed...any chance you could post again please if you still have piccys?

I am based in Solihull so will give a few dealers a call tomorrow...only problem is Sytner have dominated most dealers in the Midlands so price matching goes out of the window...but there are a couple of non-Sytner dealers still about to get a price first then go to sytner to better it

So the only thing to set was the time, no other problems since fitting it?

Cheers!

[willhollin]

Originally Posted by zippy_2005

Hi Steve

Thanks for your reply...

Was the battery charged and ready to use from the dealer?

I did take a look at your procedure but the photos have been removed...any chance you could post again please if you still have piccys?

I am based in Solihull so will give a few dealers a call tomorrow...only problem is Sytner have dominated most dealers in the Midlands so price matching goes out of the window...but there are a couple of non-Sytner dealers still about to get a price first then go to sytner to better it

So the only thing to set was the time, no other problems since fitting it?

Cheers!

Remember Sytner the forum sponsors are offering 15% discount on parts. Contact Anneka@Sytner.

[zippy_2005]

Cheers willhollin,

wasn't aware of the discount!