Vehicle battery needs to be replaced on a 10 months old car????

Or just let the dealer do it and be on your way.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Bimmer App

I thought I would stir up this old thread which has been resurrected a few times by frustrated owners.

I got bit by the bad battery bug on my 2012 535i after 1 year 3 months and 10,400 miles. I bought a battery tender and have used it every night since delivery at 3 miles. My car has been 100% trouble free until recently when my wife and I left for a 1,100 mile round trip vacation. We had an early morning departure and the when I went to start the car, it was totally dead. My father-in-law provided a jump start. I followed the jump start procedure in the manual and it took almost 10 minutes to get enough charge through the jumper cables before I could start the car. The low battery warning light remained on during our initial 435 mile drive and I did not dare turn it off until we reached our destination. The following week the car ran normal without any problems or warning lights. Apparently the long drive was enough to return the battery to full charge. On the trip home I hit a large unavoidable hole on the freeway and got a huge bubble on the left front tire. Other cars experienced blow outs, but luckily I was able to limp 300 miles home with an annoying thumping that made my stomach turn...chalk one up for the run flat tire this time.

We made it home and the next day, I took the car to the dealer to have the tire replaced under my BMW tire and wheel warranty and got a loaner car. No questions asked by the dealer and a new tire was installed. My car was ready and when the service attendant went to get my car, he returned to tell me that it would not start. The only life in the car was the air bag light. I was told the car ran fine when they took it to be washed earlier in the day. They apologized profusely, told me to take the loaner and said they would rush my car into the shop. I received a call that the battery was critically low and they were going to charge it overnight to see if it could be recovered. The battery completely charged and I got the car home without any issues the next day.

About 10 days later (after using my battery tender for full charge every night), I returned home from work and parked the car in my garage. Fifteen minutes later, I left to run an errand. I pushed the start button and all hell broke loose. The navigation screen turned blood red, and I got malfunction warnings on the instrument panel for everything you could imagine. The tail lights began to strobe like I had a police car package. I could not turn off the car or do anything but let the battery completely die. Being optimistic, I hooked up the battery tender and prayed for a full charge overnight. I was not happy because my briefcase and other personal belongings I needed were in the power trunk and I had no way of getting it open manually.

The next morning I woke up extra early and rushed to the garage to see if the car would start. Nothing! I knew it was hopeless now. I contacted BMW roadside assistance and they were unbelievably impressive with their response. I was given an arrival time for a tow truck that was down to the second. The driver walked into my garage and said, “Let me guess, the battery failed”. He said he tows new BMW’s to the dealership every day for the same problem and wasn’t surprised. He jumped my car and loaded it onto the flatbed truck. I rode with him to the dealership to pick up the loaner car I was promised. My service advisor called later in the day and said the battery was critically low and BMW recommended trying to charge it overnight again and test in the morning.

The next day I got the dreaded call that the battery could not be recovered. I could tell by the advisor’s voice that he was going to tell me some bad news. The computer showed I left the lights on and the battery was fully drained. BMW would not cover the $699 cost of a replacement battery. Plus I had low miles on my car which were not allowing the battery to fully charge. Total BS and I was pissed. So it was my fault. I drive this car no different than any other car I have owned and never experienced this problem. My lights are always set to automatic and no way had I left them on in my garage. I always hook up the battery tender, lock the doors to make sure everything is off and never leave the comfort access key in the car, which I was told will drain the battery. I was polite and asked my advisor, then how do you explain the battery going dead at your dealership...maybe it was ruined when I left it to have the tire replaced. He said I had a point and didn't argue with me. He had already talked to the service manager who agreed to call BMW to get a low mileage, one-time, goodwill replacement of the battery because they felt that it failed prematurely. I got approval and so far so good.

I guess its BMW’s policy to blame the customer for any battery problems. I have read many comments from others who were made to feel like an idiot as well. I questioned my service advisor and specifically asked him if this was a common problem with the F10. He was careful with his response but ultimately said they do have a lot of battery issues. I asked him what I could do other than drive a lot more miles. He said to get a battery charger. As I waited for my car after the battery installation, I had a few minutes to converse with a very pleasant service greeter/attendant. He remembered me from the last visit when they could not start my car and asked if the battery was the reason for this visit. I said yes and he whispered that they have this problem a lot and BMW needs to do something about it because they get a lot of upset customers.

Besides all the previous posts, it there anyone else that has had a similar problem with their battery recently?

Originally Posted by jmfan

The next day I got the dreaded call that the battery could not be recovered. I could tell by the advisor's voice that he was going to tell me some bad news. The computer showed I left the lights on and the battery was fully drained. BMW would not cover the $699 cost of a replacement battery. Plus I had low miles on my car which were not allowing the battery to fully charge. Total BS and I was pissed. So it was my fault. I drive this car no different than any other car I have owned and never experienced this problem. My lights are always set to automatic and no way had I left them on in my garage. I always hook up the battery tender, lock the doors to make sure everything is off and never leave the comfort access key in the car, which I was told will drain the battery. I was polite and asked my advisor, then how do you explain the battery going dead at your dealership...maybe it was ruined when I left it to have the tire replaced. He said I had a point and didn't argue with me. He had already talked to the service manager who agreed to call BMW to get a low mileage, one-time, goodwill replacement of the battery because they felt that it failed prematurely. I got approval and so far so good.

I guess its BMW's policy to blame the customer for any battery problems. I have read many comments from others who were made to feel like an idiot as well.

This is concerning. Luckily they took care of it. Personally, I don't think this is BMW policy but a lame attempt from the dealer to double dip. I've heard stories like this before with Benz's too. I'm sure some people bit and its good you fought back.



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1- "was told i had low miles on my car which were not allowing the battery to fully charge."
2- "a low mileage, one-time, goodwill replacement of the battery because they felt that it failed prematurely"

low miles caused the problem, and yet also resolved it?

im cuious if these "goodwill battery replacements are also gonna fail in another year of two?
does the good will suddenly become bad will.

i actually remember when i purchased my car,the dealer rep was trying his hardest to sell me an over inflated tire and wheel insurance package. he had mentioned that everything on the car was covered but the tires,the wheels and the battery.

i asked him the battery?
just to be sure i heard correctly or perhaps he made an error.
he said yes ,the battery is not covered. i had never heard of that from a car dealerever before when buying a car. now i know why they dont cover it. much higher then normal incidenst of failure. accompanied by a much higher then average cause,owner irresponsibilty.
im suprised they dont push battery insurance.

so you take a road trip and have to sweat both a battery and a tire problem. a bmw double header.
not the way it should be .not in a bmw,and certainly not at this price.
continual stories such as yours reduce confidence in taking this car on an extended trip.
although few will actaully have a problem,the perception is worse then the reality.

we expect both confidence and peace of mind, and its the responsibilty of bmw to provide it.
with the exception of the added cost of tire insurance,and good will, is anyone aware of any steps bmw has taken to improve either specific tire or general battery performance?

i didnt see the need to purchase tire insurance since good year was already providing it at no cost,and i out right refuse to purchase and use a battery tender.
and $700. to replace a battery is something else i find hard to accept.

BMW has serious problems with their charging systems. And the tender is pretty much worthless. I keep my 6 on charge during the winter using BMWs tender. I drive it once a month or so to keep the fluids moving (and for a chance to hear that glorious exhaust ). Almost every time I get a warning that the battery is substantially drained, even while the tender is plugged directly to the battery (which is a real PITA!).

I replaced 3 batteries in my 5 without concern or cost from the dealer but it is BS that others are not so lucky. They need to get rid of this ridiculous "inefficient dynamics" crap and go back to a regular alternator.

Are you all locking your car when you park in your garage? If you don't lock the car, it seems to be in a "suspend" mode, waiting for you to come drive it.

We had this problem (battery) on a 2009 528, because my wife's total commute is <6 miles a day.

After paying to replace the battery out SA mentioned about locking the car while its garaged. Our commute did not change, but no more battery issues.


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Originally Posted by jjrandorin

Are you all locking your car when you park in your garage? If you don't lock the car, it seems to be in a "suspend" mode, waiting for you to come drive it.

We had this problem (battery) on a 2009 528, because my wife's total commute is <6 miles a day.

After paying to replace the battery out SA mentioned about locking the car while its garaged. Our commute did not change, but no more battery issues.


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No, I don't lock my doors in the garage. And if BMW can't make a car that can be left in a garage with the doors unlocked, then they shouldn't make cars. In the meantime they can keep replacing my batteries... I'm tired of BMW blaming the customer for everything...

Originally Posted by jjrandorin

Are you all locking your car when you park in your garage? If you don't lock the car, it seems to be in a "suspend" mode, waiting for you to come drive it.

I do always lock the doors every time the car is turned off because I have read many times that this helps assure the car is completely shut down.

I love this car, but it is becoming increasingly annoying to have to go through a “post flight” checklist to make sure the delicate battery is properly maintained. Every time I hook up the battery tender I think this is what a Tesla or Volt owner has to go through every day. I didn’t buy an electric car, so I must look like an idiot. It seems I have been wasting my time and needlessly increasing my utility bill to use the battery tender. I have now spent more money on a portable battery pack to keep in the trunk to jump the car if it fails to start again. This is ridiculous on any new car in today’s world. All I know is that I am going to be really mad if the battery fails prematurely again and BMW will know it. I have already requested BMWNA contact me so I can get my concern documented for future use.

Originally Posted by LukeS

I've heard stories like this before with Benz's too.

Not so sure. With their extensive electronics, our modern day BMW's are defective in design, as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class has two batteries to compensate (one to start the car, one to run the electronics).

This is a top down, corporate culture problem with BMWNA and its privately owned dealers; failing to honor what should be warranty work by attempting to shift liability to the customer. Enough is enough with the "cannot duplicate complaint" / "operating as designed" BS.

What's wrong with this company!? What can be done about this!?

Embarassing through and through...

Originally Posted by jjrandorin

Are you all locking your car when you park in your garage? If you don't lock the car, it seems to be in a "suspend" mode, waiting for you to come drive it.

I do lock my car every time I leave it in the garage, but reading threads like this make me wonder which is worse for the battery - the 'suspend mode' it stays in when unlocked, or the anti-theft alarm triggered by locking the car?

Originally Posted by MoldCAD

I do lock my car every time I leave it in the garage, but reading threads like this make me wonder which is worse for the battery - the 'suspend mode' it stays in when unlocked, or the anti-theft alarm triggered by locking the car?

My concern is why should you have to care? I have had many cars from MB to Caddy to you name it- I've never had to worry about a car battery....

BMW includes exculpatory language in the owners manual to be able to blame owners for their implementation of the charging algorithm- 'if you take too many short trips you may be at fault' or some such

Then the SA says 'buy a charger'

but here is the catch 22: BMW tracks the use of the car, short trips, etc, but they cannot know if you are using a charger at night...so even if you do, they can deny you based on the trip histogram they capture from your car!

but here is the catch 22: BMW tracks the use of the car, short trips, etc, but they cannot know if you are using a charger at night...so even if you do, they can deny you based on the trip histogram they capture from your car!

it seems much easier to blame short trips by the driver,
then to look at why short trips are a problem.
and what exactly are short trips?

what does bmw suggest we do?
take unnecessary extended drives on a parkway every few days just to satisy the battery?
surely there has to be a better fix.

if they can blame drivers for not driving often or long enough they also need to define exactly how long or often they recommend we drive.
otherwise its just subjective and they can use it to their adavantage and our disanvantage without ever having clearly defined it.


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This comes up against a legal concept of 'fitness for an intended use'...BMW cannot really say "any drives under 100 miles will ruin your car'- because people buy cars to make short trips. Unless they broadly and explicitly tell buyers "this car will not work for short drives' they may have an implied warranty that the car as designed will handle short drives.... can you say class action?

Anyway, people have posted info on the tests BMW looks at, and the histogram they get- and I believe I saw a threshold discussed as to what they consider 'too many short trips'.


A

Originally Posted by ard

BMW includes exculpatory language in the owners manual to be able to blame owners for their implementation of the charging algorithm- 'if you take too many short trips you may be at fault' or some such.

BMW tracks the use of the car, short trips, etc.

Yes, how ridiculous is this!? A real mea culpa. They know what they're up to.

They should engineer cars correctly, instead of the legalese and intrusive programming...

Very sad.

BMW offers a very popular 36 month 10,000 mile/year lease for its cars. Then they tell you 10,000 miles a year are not enough miles to keep the battery in proper condition, you need to drive more. Perhaps they should stop offering low mileage leases.

I suggest they put a big disclaimer on the window sticker:
“WARNING: This car is not intended to be driven short distances or low annual mileage. Higher than normal braking and coasting are necessary to keep the battery charged properly. The battery requires constant attention by trickle charging regularly because we are incapable of engineering the electrical system to handle all the power toys we have designed into this car. The burden for any battery troubles will be placed on the owner”.

Had mine replaced at 12k miles. Strictly under warrantee.

Originally Posted by jmfan

I suggest they put a big disclaimer on the window sticker:
"WARNING: This car is not intended to be driven short distances or low annual mileage. Higher than normal braking and coasting are necessary to keep the battery charged properly. The battery requires constant attention by trickle charging regularly because we are incapable of engineering the electrical system to handle all the power toys we have designed into this car. The burden for any battery troubles will be placed on the owner".

YES, agreed.

The cost of ownership is not what it seems and is not similar to that of other makes.

A similar disclaimer is needed for the runflat tires too.

This is unbelievable and needs to be addressed...

Battery issues? Hmmm, and to think BMW will soon be coming out with ELECTRIC cars. Using nothing BUT batteries...hmmm.

Originally Posted by Emilner

My concern is why should you have to care? I have had many cars from MB to Caddy to you name it- I've never had to worry about a car battery....

I am not disagreeing with you, really. I am just telling you what I was told, and what I witnessed as well.

If you dont lock your doors (which I was not in the habit of doing in my garage, since I never had to do so before) the car takes a LONG time to turn "OFF". If you couple that with a shorter commute the battery does not seem to ever get a full charge.

I did check what the SA said by parking in my garage, and not locking my doors, waiting about 3-4 minutes, then hoping in the car and pushing the button. I then turned the car off, hopped out, and locked it with the remote.

Waited 2-3 minutes and unlocked it.

There seemed to be a difference in the "boot up" time for things like the navigation, etc. The car is basically a rolling computer, and if it does not get enough drive time to charge, I was told I could have battery issues.


Now, I AGREE that this is silly, but I also know that on our 2009 528 when I started locking the door, no more problem. My wife and I now have both a 2013 AH5, and a 2013 335i. We lock them both every night in the garage.

Only had them for just under 2 months so, will see how the batteries go for these.

Originally Posted by dbs600

YES, agreed.

The cost of ownership is not what it seems and is not similar to that of other makes.

A similar disclaimer is needed for the runflat tires too.

This is unbelievable and needs to be addressed...

It's a defective and poorly designed car and BMW deserves to get sued for these two issues. Class Action! Class Action! It's the only way they will address this unless we stop buying their cars . . but there are enough of us suckers lining up to buy their defective products anyway My wife's X5 will not cool the cabin unless the car is in motion . . another so called fuel saving "feature"