I have a 2001 (Y) BMW 530I Touring, owned from new. In the last 15 months I have occasional flat battery trouble. I replaced the original battery in August 2005 to a high quality Bosch battery. I had to jump start this in March 2006 and had to call the AA last week when it failed in town. The battery is being recharged properly and there is no drain occurring (I have had this checked both by a BMW dealer and an independent).
The problem appears to be the nature of the cars use (high volume short journeys) and the manual indicates that in this scenario the battery should be periodically recharged. My questions are:-
1 I assume I can purchase a battery recharger from Halfords (any product recommendations?)
2 The battery does not have to be removed for this?
3 The engine must be switched off?
4 Can I recharge the battery through the connectors in the engine bay or should I recharge the battery directly in the boot?
5 How long does it take to fully charge the battery.
Apologies for the simple questions, but I have no expertise under the bonnet (check oil / change washer fluid / jump starts is as far as it goes).
Thanks
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Perhaps an interior light, boot light, glove box light or similar is intermitently sticking on.
1 I assume I can purchase a battery recharger from Halfords (any product recommendations?) Yes, no specific recommendations.
2 The battery does not have to be removed for this? No.
3 The engine must be switched off? Yes.
4 Can I recharge the battery through the connectors in the engine bay or should I recharge the battery directly in the boot? Best directly comnnected to the battery.
5 How long does it take to fully charge the battery. Depends on the charger and how flat the battery is.
You can damage a modern car's electrics if you are not careful when jump starting, leave the donor car switched off, disconnect the jump leads from the donor car as soon as the other car starts.
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Tell us more about high volume short journeys. You can use the connectors under the bonnet if that is more convenient they are direct very heavy duty connection to the battery. When you say you have had it checked out what was the standing current 15 mins after the engine was turned off. Regards Peter
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"Tell us more about high volume short journeys"
We own a guest house in the Highlands. A lot of my visits are to Supermarkets / DIY shops and last but ny no means least the communal dump. I also go a few proper blasts down to Edinburgh and back. We also suffer quite a lot of snow up here. When the weather is bad I use our Navara Pickup and the BMW gets used less (snow & RWD not being a good combination).
"When you say you have had it checked out what was the standing current 15 mins after the engine was turned off."
This has been checked by the AA on one of their previous years visits and apparently this is normal, although I believe it takes a full half hour for all BMW electrics to fully switch off. This was checked by the independent garage.
"You can damage a modern car's electrics if you are not careful when jump starting, leave the donor car switched off, disconnect the jump leads from the donor car as soon as the other car starts"
The manual recommends leaving the connection for several minutes
Thanks for your ongoing help
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The manual recommends leaving the connection for several minutes >>
The main thing is not to have the donor car running.
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For your type of infrequent usage of mainly short journeys, the logical answer is to invest in an automatic trickle charger, which will maintain your battery in peak condition at all times.
BMW are not normally prone to premature battery failure, and I would be surprised if your original battery needed changing in the first place.
Living in the Highlands, the heavy winter demands on your battery would be very considerable, so if it were me I would check out one of the chargers PDQ, as detailed in the Auto Express review :-
www.autoexpress.co.uk/product_test/59293/battery_c...l
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"the logical answer is to invest in an automatic trickle charger"
iS this fitted inside the car or is it something that you periodically plug in (apologies for my ignorance!)
"and I would be surprised if your original battery needed changing in the first place."
The AA said that batteries in this sort of car last 4-6 years. The new battery has a four year guarantee.
"the heavy winter demands on your battery would be very considerable"
There is no question about this. Most of the problems are in winter. As I said before if we have an extended snowy spell (like March), the BMW sits in the car park and we use the Navara Pickup more.
Thanks again for ongoing help
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The unit would need to connected as per a conventional battery charger, the only difference is that a trickle charger monitors the battery and keeps it to a constant 13.5 volts without damaging the electronics.
Presumably this problem only occurs in the depth of Winter, so should not present too much hassle and is surely better than being constantly let down, when you need the vehicle and prematurely replacing batteries.
I know you can`t generalise, but I have known of instances where a BMW battery has lasted up to 10 years.!!!!
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How far is it to the supermarket, DIY shops, and dump. Regards Peter
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