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Battery or Alternator?

13K views 67 replies 19 participants last post by  Nordic_Kat 
#1 ·
Yes, I've already done the search, in fact I spent most of Sunday afternoon, while the E93 was stranded in the driveway with a battery charger attached reading two years worth of battery threads; so here goes:

Two or three times in the last 4 weeks the car has choked and sputtered a little while starting, but never has it had significant trouble turning over. I've never had any battery low warnings.

This weekend was car detailing weekend, so there were 4 consecutive starts which amounted to starting the car moving it either out of or into the garage then shutting it off. On the 5th time, when I was finished with my work and was ready to get in the car and run an errand, the car suddenly wouldn't start at all. BTW: I have done this type of pattern of starts and stops before and never had any ill effects.

When we hooked the car to the battery charger on the 6 amp setting the needle immediately pegged at 6 amps and it took about 3.5 hours to get the battery charged enough to start the car up and get it moved back into the garage. We then put the battery charger back on it, on the "trickle" setting and continued to let it charge for another hour until it indicated that it was at capacity. Interestingly, while the car was on the charger in the garage, just doing things like opening the doors, opening the trunk would cause the draw on the battery charger to spike again to 6 amps and then it would gradually return to 2 amps. When charged to capacity, we unplugged everything and let the car sit overnight. This morning, enough charge had dropped that the battery charger was again indicating 3.5-4 amps when attached to the car and plugged in.

At noon we took the car and made a short trip. When SO got back home with it he again checked it with the battery charger and again the charger spiked at 6 amps then slowly came back down to two amps.

THe car DOES NOT have Comfort Access so I wasn't draining the battery with the CA system this weekend. I also do not have i-drive, so no parasitic drain there.

As I am still in warranty, the car is scheduled for a visit to the dealership in the morning, but would appreciate hearing what input knowledgable 'festers might impart.

TIA

-Kat
 
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#2 ·
I'm thinking you have one bad cell in the battery. One bad apple is spoiling the whole barrel. Things happen, especially in the heat you seem to get down there in Houston. You will have a current draw test, and if you're lucky your dealer will have a newfangled device which can really test a battery without ever putting a load on it. They may even check the specific gravity of each cell but that alone never tells you for sure if a battery is good, though it will tell you for sure if your battery is bad.
 
#3 ·
I had the same exact issue, but the car was hopefully still turning over and actually took it in this morning to my local Dealership. They ran some tests and the battery was in good shape (almost a 4 year old battery and still in good shape, kind of confused) They told me that the problem was the Radio system, it was drawing energy out of the battery, so they were going to replace it no charge.

I didn't quite understand why the radio, but yes it was the radio.

They told me that hopefully my car will be available tomorrow morning, since they have to reprogram the whole car for it. (that actually sucks, these cars needs to be reprogrammed if the OEM Stereo is replaced??).

Let's see. I keep you posted tomorrow.
 
#4 ·
Yes, I've already done the search, in fact I spent most of Sunday afternoon, while the E93 was stranded in the driveway with a battery charger attached reading two years worth of battery threads; so here goes:

Two or three times in the last 4 weeks the car has choked and sputtered a little while starting, but never has it had significant trouble turning over. I've never had any battery low warnings.

This weekend was car detailing weekend, so there were 4 consecutive starts which amounted to starting the car moving it either out of or into the garage then shutting it off. On the 5th time, when I was finished with my work and was ready to get in the car and run an errand, the car suddenly wouldn't start at all. BTW: I have done this type of pattern of starts and stops before and never had any ill effects.

When we hooked the car to the battery charger on the 6 amp setting the needle immediately pegged at 6 amps and it took about 3.5 hours to get the battery charged enough to start the car up and get it moved back into the garage. We then put the battery charger back on it, on the "trickle" setting and continued to let it charge for another hour until it indicated that it was at capacity. Interestingly, while the car was on the charger in the garage, just doing things like opening the doors, opening the trunk would cause the draw on the battery charger to spike again to 6 amps and then it would gradually return to 2 amps. When charged to capacity, we unplugged everything and let the car sit overnight. This morning, enough charge had dropped that the battery charger was again indicating 3.5-4 amps when attached to the car and plugged in.

At noon we took the car and made a short trip. When SO got back home with it he again checked it with the battery charger and again the charger spiked at 6 amps then slowly came back down to two amps.

THe car DOES NOT have Comfort Access so I wasn't draining the battery with the CA system this weekend. I also do not have i-drive, so no parasitic drain there.

As I am still in warranty, the car is scheduled for a visit to the dealership in the morning, but would appreciate hearing what input knowledgable 'festers might impart.

TIA

-Kat
I presume that your battery has a "window" and does it still show "green"??
 
#5 ·
Yesterday in the day light with the battery charger attached it showed black.

After we charged it, but it was in the dark garage, I thought I might be able to discern green, but it certainly wasn't screaming green. It isn't showing yellow so I guess that's something positive.
 
#6 ·
what is the battery voltage when its "fully" charged with no load?
whats the battery voltage with a decent load on it (car in radio readiness state)?
 
#7 ·
Unknown.

We don't own a battery tester per se, and we didn't do any measurements with a multi-meter. Should we? Meaning to say, is there a way with a multimeter we might be able to ascertain via the battery connectors under the hood, the voltages unloaded and in radio ready mode?
 
#10 · (Edited)
You can read the voltage with this

http://e90.wetpaint.com/page/BC+hidden+menus
number 9 is voltage

Although a 20 dollar 3.5 digit multimeter is a good thing to have.
Also when you lock the car while charging the battery does the amperage
drop below 6 amps?

Also there is a glass eye on top of the battery that indicates its condition.
green=good, black not enough charge or marginal ,yellow bad

12.6 is a pretty well charged good battery . Under 12 volts is probably not OK
Mine is fairly new and will measure around 12.4 while its awake and 12.6 after sitting awhile with
the car locked and asleep.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Kat - have you ever changed the battery on your 09? If not, it's probably due for one. My experience is I get about four years out of a battery.

Okay so I've never had to check a BMW battery but I don't imagine they use a significantly different battery than the rest of the automotive world and I've dealt with plenty of batteries and alternators over the years.

Quick and simple check with a voltmeter: check the voltage across the battery terminals with the car off and with the car running. If the voltage with the car running is noticably higher, it's probably the battery at fault. Ideally you should see something in the 13 volt range with the car running. Off, you should see in the 12V range as ctuna mentions. This one can be deceptive though as a weak battery might show close to 12V with no load and the drop voltage quickly with a load.
 
#12 ·
Dead battery
 
#15 ·
When charged to capacity, we unplugged everything and let the car sit overnight. This morning, enough charge had dropped that the battery charger was again indicating 3.5-4 amps when attached to the car and plugged in.
When you said you unplugged everything, do you mean that you discount the battery from the terminals? If yes, that would indicate you might have a bad battery.
If you mean you unplugged your cell phone, ipod or other devices and the battery still drained, you might have some sort of constant draw from an electrical circuit when the car is off.
 
#16 · (Edited)
When we hooked the car to the battery charger on the 6 amp setting the needle immediately pegged at 6 amps and it took about 3.5 hours to get the battery charged enough to start the car up and get it moved back into the garage. We then put the battery charger back on it, on the "trickle" setting and continued to let it charge for another hour until it indicated that it was at capacity. Interestingly, while the car was on the charger in the garage, just doing things like opening the doors, opening the trunk would cause the draw on the battery charger to spike again to 6 amps and then it would gradually return to 2 amps. When charged to capacity, we unplugged everything and let the car sit overnight. This morning, enough charge had dropped that the battery charger was again indicating 3.5-4 amps when attached to the car and plugged in.
Your battery has lost its Mojo!

To charge, or not to charge: that is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of doubtful voltage,
Or battery purchase against a sea of troubles,
And by installing end them?

To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand start attempts
That cars are heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To crank, dropped amperage;
To start: perchance a dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in those cranks of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off these faintly sparking coils.



.
 
#17 ·
BRAVO performance! :clap:

Lost its Mojo, indeed!!

This morning when the SA put the key in the reader it came up with NO reading for the battery voltage.

Per the discussion before I left the dealership, battery replacement will be covered by warranty as long as no "driver induced" fault codes are present. Have not heard anything back as yet from the SA. However, the car started beautifully this morning - no hesitation or hint that it is ailing.
 
#21 ·
Update:

The E93 is currently spending the night in the service bay at the dealership hooked up to an EEG to monitor its behavior when it wakes up overnight to pulse check itself, and record if it doesn't go back to sleep. So far the only code they have is "unfavorable condition" and the alternator and battery both seem to be fine. They are at this point taking the "good" battery report with caution knowing that we trickle charged it on Sunday.

At first I thought I was being a bit obsessive when I bought a Bentley Manual. I'm now really glad I did, because while I may not use it to fix anything; there is a tremendous amount of information contained inside which makes understanding the process much easier. For example, I just learned that the car will do 3 pulse checks every six hours. This now explains why the occasional buzz or hum happens hours after the car has been turned off.
 
#25 ·
The E93 is currently spending the night in the service bay at the dealership hooked up to an EEG to monitor its behavior when it wakes up overnight to pulse check itself, and record if it doesn't go back to sleep. So far the only code they have is "unfavorable condition" and the alternator and battery both seem to be fine. They are at this point taking the "good" battery report with caution knowing that we trickle charged it on Sunday.

At first I thought I was being a bit obsessive when I bought a Bentley Manual. I'm now really glad I did, because while I may not use it to fix anything; there is a tremendous amount of information contained inside which makes understanding the process much easier. For example, I just learned that the car will do 3 pulse checks every six hours. This now explains why the occasional buzz or hum happens hours after the car has been turned off.
Freeeaky...

 
#23 ·
Kat:
There is little doubt it is your battery.
I think you will be fine again for a while then suffer the same problems eventually getting the dealer to replace the battery. Mine is now 5 years 8 months but with a battery tender on it all the time and it is a part time DD with 54K miles.
I fully expect to have to replace mine in the next few months.

Looking forward to hearing what the dealer will be saying regarding this. I think ours is an AGM and I have sourced one for my install. I see Tischer has them for a good price.
Good luck.
 
#26 ·
And the winner is . . . . . . . . .



At 4:45 pm today I got the call to come pick up the car.

The service report reads:

22436 PERFORMED SHORT TEST AND FOUND NO FAULTS. PERFORMED ENERGY DIAG TEST PLAN AND FOUND UNFAVOURABLE USER BEHAVIOUR. PERFORMED MIDTRONICS TEST AND FOUND BATTERY AND CHARGING SYSTEM TO PASS. RETESTED SYSTEM WITH MIDTRONIC IN THE MORNING AND BATTERY PASSED. RECHARGED BATTERY. AFTER CHARGING BATTERY RESET ADAPTATIONS AND CLEARED FAULTS.

SA and Service Tech recommendations are: Lock car when coming home at night even though it is in garage, as it will make car go to sleep more rapidly. Drive it more.

Concensus is that I'm not putting enough miles/time interval on the car.

Other option is to opt for the trickle charger/battery tender approach as it doesn't wear out tires and burn gasoline.

Soooo, redirecting my own thread here:

1) Is a battery tender the same thing as a battery charger with trickle charging capablilites? i.e. we have a vintage JC Penneys battery charger that can also trickle charge at 2 amp. What makes a branded "Battery Tender" better?

2) How often is it prudent to trickle charge or "tend" the battery and can it be overdone?

3) Is christening the car Christine at this point a little harsh and just asking for trouble? :D

Hopefully, this really was a one time glitch and not a 'bug' in the car's electronics. I am really fighting the urge to go tear the trim panels out of the trunk and check the status of the Magic-Eye.
 
#27 ·
1) No, a maintenance charger will be continually reading the condition of the battery, which means that 2) it can't be overdone (some folks just leave it hooked up the entire winter), and otherwise it's hard to say what "prudent" is. I tend to do hook mine up roughly every month, well I should say probably less often that that during most of the year, but then at least that often in the winter months (when battery capacity drops with lower temperatures).

3) I don't know her real name, but it does seem a little harsh to me.

I'd like to put in a plug for the Ctek 3300 I use, a bit pricier than the Battery Tender, but it's water resistant, sealed, and there happens to be a marketing video of a car running over a CTEK, with it holding up just fine. It looks chic, and is extraordinarily easy to use. There are pics by B-737 showing how he hardwired the other quick release plug with the eyelets (there are two sets, the other is with the clamps that most everyone else uses) so that it's (literally?) plug 'n' play. I'm not sure if it was him, but I think he was considering the idea of running it all the way to the grille somehow, where you don't even need to open the hood, but I'm not sure how that could be secured, and I'm pretty sure the wire it comes with isn't long enough anyway. Anyway, it's also sold by Phil at DD (though surely cheaper at Amazon), and was originally the OEM for Porsche, then MB, then a host of exotic car companies (Ferrari, Lambo, Rolls, Bentley, etc).

Here is the process of how their chargers work, according to their site, but I honestly don't know how much is marketing fluff:

http://smartercharger.com/smarter-process/

BTW, I'd like to apologize again for my poor recommendation in the other thread. So, I'm not sure how seriously you will take this rec either now. :eeps:

The first time I charged my car, it took 24 hours. :yikes: Never again that long since.
 
#29 ·
BTW, I'd like to apologize again for my poor recommendation in the other thread. So, I'm not sure how seriously you will take this rec either now. :eeps:

The first time I charged my car, it took 24 hours. :yikes: Never again that long since.
ILMC:

No worries about the Bug thread.... Honestly, with this issue I've had little, OK, no time or ability to address my little hitchhikers.

Your comments are always interesting and appreciated.

Looks like I have something else I need to research.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Kat:
I use only Battery Tenders on all my rides, 3 BMWs, others vehicles and on and on.
I use them and other like CTEK I think that is right because they do measure the voltage and have a good algorithm for not overcharging the battery and keeping it topped off to a full charge.
As proof I have my M3/4 which doesn't get driven much with a Batteries Plus battery from 2004. It is just fine. My E93 is 5 1/2 years old, my two diesel truck batteries were over 6 years old each and were just your run of the mill Durolast when I changed them out for Optimas.

I have the Sear battery charger and that is good for a good amp charge but not trickle charge. The ones Walmart sells too I tried and they lasted about one season so in the long run I use the battery tender and have for a long time now since about 2002.

CTEK is another company making quality chargers and the BMW model is also an intelligent charger. By the way I never buy the full size battery tender because my cars and trucks sit for days to weeks and the battery tender junior is cheaper and does the job just fine. I have 5 of these and none have failed and all are currently working charging my vehicles.

Hope that helps and didn't want to come on too strong for the battery tenders but any of those intelligent charging models is the way to go. On my BMWs and diesel truck I leave the battery tender junior in the engine bay and just run a cord to the bay. Has had no ill effects in my BMW M3 bay for the last 10 years so a little heat doesn't seem to hurt them...
 
#30 ·
Fun2Drive:

Thanks for the post. I'm not going to quote you here for space, but a couple of questions:

My driving style is 5 days a week generally 2X5.5 miles. Sometimes on Saturdays we'll take the E93 for errand hopping (50-75 mi). Once maybe every 8-12 weeks I get to air it out a little on an airport run or like this weekend it will get to stretch it's legs with a run to Austin and back. So, with this profile, how often would you put the car on a tender?

I can't imagine coming home from work every day and hooking it up, but I wouldn't be adverse to hooking it up on Friday if I knew I wasn't going to drive the car until Monday. Likewise, if I knew the car wasn't going to be driven for a week or 10 days that would be a no-brainer.

Recommendations?
 
#33 ·
We are reminded of BMW's dire warning:

"if your car is driven only for short distances of less than 10 miles over a prolonged period of time (what's that?) without an occasional drive at highway speeds, the engine's charging system will not maintain the battery. Insufficient use of the vehicle (what's that?) could result in short term starting problems and, in the long term (what's that?) could damage the battery."

We've seen previous posts in here of "short distance" low mileage drivers who had batteries die on them and were denied battery warranty service.

I fall into this category. :yikes:

Watch for future "Dealer argument" threads. :(
 
#31 · (Edited)
Ok good, whew. :) If you want to ask any curious questions about my charger or how I use it, feel free to ask at any time, though I guess it's pretty self explanatory. (I always use the "winter" mode with the snokflake icon, per the instructions when using an AGM battery.) I may even have a pic somewhere of the cords, as my brother recently had electrical/battery issues in his Lexus (they seemed to have gone away). It might be a bit of effort for you, but FWIW, I don't start my car to pull it out to the driveway before washing it. I get it slowly rolling by leaning against the door jamb, have a seat, and hit the brakes (I believe they all work with my fob in, not 100% sure if the brake pedal does without fob, but I put in just in case.) There's always the parking brake of course. I figure I might as well spare the battery, as well as the number of cold starts on the engine.

I too always immediately lock the car to put it to sleep. Now, I have seen people make claims, or at the least wonder about the idea of having a fob within a certain close proximity to the vehicle, making the battery drain more quickly. Well, my fob is never that far away, and I am hoping and assuming that it's a non issue.

edit: I see your response to Fun2Drive now. One way to get an idea of how hungry your battery is at any given time is to observe how long it takes to charge. I've had the 24 hr experience, 12ish, 8-or-less-ish, and even just several hours before. It only takes 30 secs to hook up, I say hook it up whenever you feel like it. Just one evening per week should be plenty*, in my opinion that is. Hm, I did forget that you do have the origami top, well . . .
 
#32 ·
It might be a bit of effort for you, but FWIW, I don't start my car to pull it out to the driveway before washing it. I get it slowly rolling by leaning against the door jamb, have a seat, and hit the brakes (I believe they all work with my fob in, not 100% sure if the brake pedal does without fob, but I put in just in case.) There's always the parking brake of course. I figure I might as well spare the battery, as well as the number of cold starts on the engine.
I would love to do it this way, but our garage is narrow, our driveway too, and as I have both a fence and the garage doorjamb on the driver's side, gettting the car moving, then me inside while rolling and the door closed before intersecting with the garage door jamb might be a little heroic. I'm sure there is a physics word problem here somewhere.
 
#34 · (Edited)
You've gotten some great advice from F2D and ILMC, and you can count me in as a 'second' on their suggestions, though I guess I'm really a third.;)

I'll add some info for others who might be in a similar situation. There are really 3 types of chargers. There's the more powerful ones which can charge at 12-100 amp rates, they can start a 'dead' car almost immediately to a few hours. Then there's the 2-10 amp units which take overnight or longer to invest enough current to start an engine. Both the aforementioned types cannot be left on the battery continuously, and both often have the ability to charge at a fast rate at first, and then slide on down to a slow rate as the battery 'fills up'.

Neither type is good for long term maintenance. For that you want the category, including the specific model, mentioned by F2D. They are 'smart' chargers and have the ability to determine optimum rejuvenation techniques and flow rates to bring a dead battery back to life. I am told that a battery that has been run down to the point where your directionals won't work can never be brought back to it's full life span, but it seems to me that things like the CTEK do a darned good job.

Now a word about what the dealership told you. Horsepuckey. That's the word. Your driving habits should not be killing your battery. Who are they trying to kid? Eleven miles a day with two start cycles and longer trips on the weekend? That should not be running down a battery that has more capacity than a Mack truck, fed by an alternator that can power a small town.

I know of the device they used to test your battery (a Midtronics tester). I have one! They are great for safely testing batteries, explode very few and don't burn out alternators. Kid techs love them because they are 'high tech', give you a print out to dazzle the customer, and make it look like you're smart as hell. The problem is they don't stress the battery and can't pick up certain failure modes which can leave you on the side of the road.

Analogy: You often get chest pains and are short of breath. You go to Dr. Wetbehindtheears. He hooks you up to an EKG, an EEG, a CIA and an FBI. He says there's nothing wrong with you and sends you home where the next morning you die of a heart attack. Or...

You go to Dr. Oldschool. He puts you on a treadmill and watches your EKG traces rapidly become irregular. He knows you have a problem and responds appropriately.

You went to Dr. W. He didn't load the battery with a good old fashioned scary carbon pile load tester. Those'll pick up a weak battery like nothing else. They also look very impressive as they glow like Chernobyl and smoke like a cold tractor.

So, to put your mind at ease about whether you really have a bad battery or not, here's what Dr. Oldschool recommends. Next Saturday morning press your 'Start' button without your foot on the brake pedal (the engine won't start). Turn on your headlights, your radio and your blower fan at max. Wait five minutes, actually time it. Then turn everything off, remove the key, reinsert the key and start the engine. If it starts as strong as ever chances are they were right. If it cranks the least bit slowly, or not at all, they were wrong and you need a battery. Go back and tell them what Dr. O. said. Be prepared for more horsepuckey.
 
#36 ·
snip...

Analogy: You often get chest pains and are short of breath. You go to Dr. Wetbehindtheears. He hooks you up to an EKG, an EEG, a CIA and an FBI. He says there's nothing wrong with you and sends you home where the next morning you die of a heart attack. Or...

...snip
You missed the NSA. NSA captures the data points and disseminates them. Sorry, but it was too tempting. :)
 
#40 ·
I was afraid they were going to pull that "unfavorable user behavior" BS on you.

It's shameful for BMW to sell an expensive car that a "normal" non high mileage driver can't depend on.

The new BMWs with "regenerative braking" are even worse as they now disconnect the alternator from charging the battery during acceleration and other driving conditions.

If your battery does fail under the warranty / maintenance period I'd push the dealer hard for replacement (did that successfully).

All that said, a battery tender is an inexpensive peace of mind accessory to top off your charge!
 
#45 ·
I was afraid they were going to pull that "unfavorable user behavior" BS on you.

It's shameful for BMW to sell an expensive car that a "normal" non high mileage driver can't depend on.

The new BMWs with "regenerative braking" are even worse as they now disconnect the alternator from charging the battery during acceleration and other driving conditions.

If your battery does fail under the warranty / maintenance period I'd push the dealer hard for replacement (did that successfully).

All that said, a battery tender is an inexpensive peace of mind accessory to top off your charge!
Yes, your previous post in this thread had me ready for it, so I wasn't too surprised when they said it.

You will need a battery next month.
Kat:
I do think your battery is on its way south. I think mine is too but keeping on the tender will prolong its life a good bit since mine is 5 years and 7 months old.
I agree that the problem is they didn't load test the battery. That is the only way to determine if it will be OK or is getting weak.. . . . .

I am guessing we will see a post from you in the next few months about battery replacement too. /snip
Yeah, I'm pretty much thinking the same way you guys are that the battery is on its way out. It's not like I've suddenly changed my drive style or cold/start behavior.
I will do the load test and see what that brings.

My E93 is in Ohio until the end of this month of I would have taken pics of where I store it and the clips too which would give you an idea of where it sits patiently waiting to be used again...
Your description is very good but pictures are always worth a thousand words. I may pester you for a photo once you get re-united with the E93.

As far as naming the Cabrio Christine, I'd hold off but be on guard. If you ever scratch the paint and the primer comes up red, I'd sell. :eeps:
LOL. :)

I do have a question about alternators. When the SA was giving me the lecture about driving it more, he said something to the effect that "if you don't get the car up to 60-70 miles for a sustained amount of time the alternator won't spin fast enough or long enough to charge the battery." Does speed really make the alternator spin faster? Or is it just plain old time with the engine running that counts. If it's just time, then I could easily double my commute time by sitting in the gridlocked traffic on the freeway.
 
#54 ·
(or 'break' as it seems to be now on this forum:eeps:)
One of my favorite driving techniques I read about here is "engine breaking". :D It's a close second to PnG's technique of using the turn signal on the track. :D j/k, but I do like that story.

Kat, following the google shopping links, I realize my charger is only 4-step, not 8-step like the other link I had provided that shows off the higher end 7002 model. (If I bought mine all over again, I'd probably get that one "just because", even if I probably don't need what it can do).

Maybe Fun's hypothesis is correct about your battery going south, but I won't be the least bit surprised if your battery is just fine. I think I originally bought it when I suspected a hungry battery after a slightly longer crank one day when starting the car. My car is not a DD, my battery is now just a couple of months shy of 5 years, it took 24 hrs of charging and of these, were +20 hrs of the "fast charging mode" to get it up to 80% capacity? I mean, that's a lot of charging for a battery that has been acting perfectly since. I push the start button and no hesitation ever since.

Also, I almost can't keep track of all the cars it's been used on. I have a friend who had an Explorer that was basically non-operational (3rd car, maybe even briefly a 4th car?) that he finally wanted to sell. He couldn't get it to start at all, and remembered that I had my "special charger". I told him how I would give it at least 24hrs for a fair chance, and to their happy surprise, it revived the battery just fine. That vehicle was sitting there for a quite long time too.

I realize after seeing DSX's shopping link, that our sponsor DD could be pretty competitive once you apply a coupon code. I believe I got mine from DD, now that I think about it, and I was surely timing it with a detailing supply purchase I'm sure.
 
#57 · (Edited)
One of my favorite driving techniques I read about here is "engine breaking". :D It's a close second to PnG's technique of using the turn signal on the track. :D j/k, but I do like that story.

Kat, following the google shopping links, I realize my charger is only 4-step, not 8-step like the other link I had provided that shows off the higher end 7002 model. (If I bought mine all over again, I'd probably get that one "just because", even if I probably don't need what it can do).

Maybe Fun's hypothesis is correct about your battery going south, but I won't be the least bit surprised if your battery is just fine. I think I originally bought it when I suspected a hungry battery after a slightly longer crank one day when starting the car. My car is not a DD, my battery is now just a couple of months shy of 5 years, it took 24 hrs of charging and of these, were +20 hrs of the "fast charging mode" to get it up to 80% capacity? I mean, that's a lot of charging for a battery that has been acting perfectly since. I push the start button and no hesitation ever since.

Also, I almost can't keep track of all the cars it's been used on. I have a friend who had an Explorer that was basically non-operational (3rd car, maybe even briefly a 4th car?) that he finally wanted to sell. He couldn't get it to start at all, and remembered that I had my "special charger". I told him how I would give it at least 24hrs for a fair chance, and to their happy surprise, it revived the battery just fine. That vehicle was sitting there for a quite long time too.

I realize after seeing DSX's shopping link, that our sponsor DD could be pretty competitive once you apply a coupon code. I believe I got mine from DD, now that I think about it, and I was surely timing it with a detailing supply purchase I'm sure.
Quote:
It's a close second to PnG's technique of using the turn signal on the track.

I somewhat object that you bring this up. An explanation is in order... As Buttonwillow Raceway in CA can be configured in many different ways and the "A" (me) and "D" (novice) driving groups can be on the track at the same time in certain circumstances, it was only MY INTENT and courtesy effort to point the "D" group into the APPROPRIATE turns.

There...you have the truth. Needless to say, my E46 M3 was "victorious" in humiliating the "hamster" "D" group in spite of a few arrogant Porsche drivers who could never pass me.

I was always the "lead" car of course...sans driving instructor. Actually, one Porsche driver left the schools in frustration and in a "huff" as he couldn't drive his car up to its capabilities...even in the novice class. His name sounds familiar in here.
 
#41 ·
You will need a battery next month.
 
#60 ·
Guess where the E93 is this morning!
 
#43 ·
Kat:
I do think your battery is on its way south. I think mine is too but keeping on the tender will prolong its life a good bit since mine is 5 years and 7 months old.
I agree that the problem is they didn't load test the battery. That is the only way to determine if it will be OK or is getting weak.
I am guessing we will see a post from you in the next few months about battery replacement too.

In regards to how do I keep mine charged I honestly leave the tender in the car on the pass side where the jump posts are. I hook up the jump clips to the posts and lay the tender in that general area. When I can I pop the hook and just run an extension cord to the tender. I have also on my M3 just run the clips to the hood and pop the hood open and plug it in too but leaving it in the car engine bay has not caused any issues with it moving around or getting over heated from engine heat in 10 years so I am guessing it is fine in that location.

I experiemented with the best way for me to not spend time doing this and leaving it in the engine bay serves me the best. It really only takes a minute or less to do this and the only down side is to not forget you plugged it in. Yes I have forgotton a couple times and pulled the extension cord loose but other than that it works well.
Smart chargers regardless of which one you pick should keep your battery up.

I will now lock my car in the garage since I was not aware until now of the car doing a pulsing of the system which can only drag your battery down. Why BMW would do this I have no idea but it seems excessive as does battery registration...

My E93 is in Ohio until the end of this month of I would have taken pics of where I store it and the clips too which would give you an idea of where it sits patiently waiting to be used again...
 
#44 ·
Some good info in here! So it seems that locking the car will make the car behave a little less like a Christine and actually put it to sleep. I have been in the habit of locking it in the garage anyway, just to make sure the little one does not get in if she happens to stroll out in the garage (pending damage aside, with our 100+F summers, a potential lethal trip for a young child). Seems like I have even more reason now to ensure the car is locked.

As far as naming the Cabrio Christine, I'd hold off but be on guard. If you ever scratch the paint and the primer comes up red, I'd sell. :eeps:
 
#55 ·
I know my car is only one example, and I tend to discount anecdotal evidence, but FWIW: Accepted on redelivery Nov 2007, very rarely driven in the Winter, I commute to work and back on the nicest days 2 miles each way, on weekends I might put a hundred miles on the car, occasional track days. In short I am a battery's worst nightmare. The engine has never failed to crank like new and start immediately.
I don't lock the doors in the garage either. So what's going on? Did I get an upper third sigma battery or what?
 
#56 ·
I think your car just has good Mojo. That, and I'd bet a steak dinner that your car spends at least some of its garage time on a battery tender, especially during those cold winter months where she's in hibernation. Not having unending months where the temperature range is lows of 78 and highs of 104 probably doesn't hurt either. I'll also bet those 100 miles of weekend driving if its done regularly helps.
 
#58 ·
One more question

Sorry to dredge this up from page four, at least it's not four years old.....

So in light of the computer keeping track of starts and stops and how long and hard and fast you drive, if you have to access car electronics, i.e. for me retracting my top, is it better to start the engine and do it via the center console buttons or do it via the metal key in the drivers door (manual) system? I am not going to alter my routine of cleaning and lubricating my top seals on a somewhat weekly basis, but I can't imagine that doing this simple thing is causing a huge drain on my battery. It's counter-intuitive, but it seems like starting the car and using the power generated from the engine upsets the computer more than using a draw off the battery. All in all both scenarios seem to be "negative" imputs to the computer. Which is the more detrimental?
 
#59 ·
Sorry to dredge this up from page four, at least it's not four years old.....

So in light of the computer keeping track of starts and stops and how long and hard and fast you drive, if you have to access car electronics, i.e. for me retracting my top, is it better to start the engine and do it via the center console buttons or do it via the metal key in the drivers door (manual) system? I am not going to alter my routine of cleaning and lubricating my top seals on a somewhat weekly basis, but I can't imagine that doing this simple thing is causing a huge drain on my battery. It's counter-intuitive, but it seems like starting the car and using the power generated from the engine upsets the computer more than using a draw off the battery. All in all both scenarios seem to be "negative" imputs to the computer. Which is the more detrimental?
Sounds like a distinction without a difference. Both actions will drain the battery. If you go with your concept of connecting a trickle-charger over the weekend and during periods of non-use, you shouldn't have to worry about which activity is going to be more or less detrimental.
 
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