Battery issues and airport parking
 

We are planning to park our X3 at the airport for over a week. The problem is that we are concerned about the battery since even though we have a brand new battery, our 2005 X3 failed to start twice in the cold weather recently. Keeping it parked for over a week will likely be a problem. If I disconnect the battery, the car is unlocked which isn't good! The airport is quite a distance from us and it would be inconvenient to get a taxi. What to do???

Get a "Battery Buddy" for $30 or so at your friendly auto supply store, charge it up and keep it in the back. Then if your X3 lets you down you have a ready made jump to get you out of the long term lot and back home. Practice hooking it up in the daylight using the terminals in the "box" located at the righthand side of the engine compartment (read the manual) so it won't have to be a "learning experience" at midnight during a snow storm. BTW your X3 shouldn't be discharging the battery this way, you almost certainly have something wrong that your dealer/shop can't find. You need to get another shop's opinion IMHO.

BMW sells a solar battery charger. You just place it on your dash and plug it into your power port. If you will be parking your car outdoors, it might be worth a try.

If you google "BMW solar charger" you will find some examples.

BMW part number: 82 30 0 143 365

Good luck

AAA road side service if you are beyond the BMW road side assistance. I don't know how BMW road side assistance is.

At least in the past you could sign up for AAA, even let your membership lapse and then call their 800 number for help and renew your membership over the phone. I don't know if it still works that way.

They have always been terrific plus they give you tons of maps. In case of towing though they had to be asked to bring the flatbed.

I had the same problem, the x3 sat in the cold for a couple of weeks, wouldn't start. I'm going to have the dealer check the battery next time I come in for a service. The solar charger sounds interesting, but is pricey. And it'll be no good if you get snow on the windshield which blocks out the sun. The $30 battery/starter unit is the way to go in my opinion as long as it works as advertised.

I have left my 05 out in the snow and cold for a week or more numerous times with no problems.

Cheers