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E46 Replacement Battery Info Here

257K views 106 replies 69 participants last post by  Spectre 
#1 ·
I have seen this mentoned in older threads, but a quick search for "new battery" and "replacement battery" did not identify the thread... so thought I would post a new thread with a clear title for others.

Last weekend the battery on my 2003 330i (two years since delivery) started slow cranking, so I decided to replace the battery. I remembered reading in a forum somewhere that Autozone Duralast 49-DL was a direct replacement.

Cruised down to the local Autozone and purchased 49-DL for $64.99 (the sales dude will tell you it is not in his computer and won't fit... but ignore him).

The install was simple and it fits perfectly. The battery even includes the rubber vent tube. You will need to trim about a quarter inch from the battery side of the rubber tube to get clearance for the hold-down bracket. Works great.

Hope this helps some fellow Bimmerfester's looking for a new battery.

P.S. Before someone asks.... I know the car warranty would have replaced the battery, but for $64.99 I did not want to take the day from work to mess with the dealer. Plus this is a higher CCA battery then OEM.
 
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#3 ·
Nice to know. I was sold an AutoZone battery for $111.24 on 3/27/05 on a car delivered 10/18/00.
 
#4 ·
Weird timing - I see this thread was revived a couple of days ago, and my battery died this morning. Went with the 49DL (thanks for the tip, Alan). Wasn't too sure at first since the DL is a little longer than the OEM battery (a little less than an inch, I'd say) and the drain hose is in a different spot. No issues - went in quickly and fired right up.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the info!

Just adding my notch to the recent battery failures... 2000 BMW 323i running fine since May '2000. Tonight, the headlights(Xenons) rapidly blinked and the car won't turn over. The internal lights are going dim and I'm not getting sound from the radio.

I HOPE it's an expiring battery. I'm very thankful for the replacement info in this forum. First thing tomorrow, I'll be looking for this replacement.

Many thanks.:thumbup:
 
#12 ·
Freaky.

My battery seems to have died today. It was slow cranking yesterday but today it was a no go.

I guess I will be driving to autozone today.

Anybody knows if the battery is a maintenance item? I have extended maint.
 
#98 ·
So 6.5 years later my Autozone battery died. It had 7 year warranty so I went back to Autozone.
Actually I called them first, asked if they had 49-DL. They didn't. They asked for the car model and said that they had some "94X" for a low low price of $150:rolleyes:. I wasn't going to pay that much but I went to Autozone just in case.
On the shelf I found the 94X but next to it was "H8-DL". The sizes were similar. On the label it said that the size was 49, same as my old battery. I had them compare the sizes of the 2 and they were identical. The new battery was $120. Actually the label on the shelf said $120 but when they scanned it, the price was $130. I got it for $120 because of the tag. The old one (49DL) was $60 back in 2007. I still had a balance of $6 on the warranty which they gave me. The new warranty is much much worse. It's only 2 yr replacement, nothing after that. I got it anyway. It ended up being a little taller so to be able to lock the clamp on top I had to rip out the little white piece of plastic on the bottom of the battery compartment. The new battery didn't have the spout for venting, just a hole, so I was not able to connect the venting tube.

I am not happy with the increase in pricing and reduction in warranty. I think it's dumb on the AZ part. Because of the warranty on the old battery they got me in the store buying a new one and it cost them all of $6. Now, if the car lasts long enough for this battery to die, I will buy the next one elsewhere.
 
#13 ·
battery

This started last week, my car would not start. So I jumpstarted it. I figured if I drive it to work, it may bring the battery back to life.

i took it for a ride to work, which is about an hour drive one way. (i usually don't drive the car this far since I take public transportation). On the way home, the car almost didn't start, but it did, and i didn't need a jumpstart. AFter that I left the car unused for a week. We went out of town with the other car until last night.

Last night, I started the car and again it was kinda weak, but it starts and it didn't need jumpstarting. I was surprised since the battery kept up for a week.

This morning, however, it wouldn't start at all. There is a clicking sound, that's about it. maybe because last night i only started it, but didn't drive it or leave the engine long enough to have the battery charged.

I peeeled off the sticker on top of the battery and added distilled water and drove it for a like 20 minutes or so. still didn't help, the car wouldn't start.

So i went to Monument AutoParts and coughed up $90 for the ACDelco Battery. Installed it and it's working fine now.
 
#17 ·
E46 Battery Replacement, too

Actually, Alan's instructions were perfect. The 49-DL from AutoZone fits like a charm -- the whole change process was less than an hour, including purchasing the battery, installing it, and returning the core and I live about 4 miles from the nearest AutoZone. The price in January 2007 was $59.99!

Thanks Alan.
 
#18 ·
The battery in my '02 M3 Cab went out on New Years Eve.

The stealership wanted some outrageous amount of money ($380 I think somthing like that) to replace it. Hacking, coughing, writhing and collapsing onto the floor, I managed to crawl out of there and rescue both my car and myself from their greedy meathooks. Next. :flipoff:

Sears indicated that they don't carry a battery for my car and that the stealer is the only one who carries it. :cry:

I almost returned to the rape room but instead decided to try AutoZone. Autozone saved my schphinctor by revealing the lies Sears told me. :liar: Not only does AutoZone carry them but this particular location only had one left--which doesn't surprise me after seeing the number of similar postings on this thread.

I purchased "Item no. 603386 - 94R-DLG Gold B 8 Year Battery" and installed it in a matter of minutes. It works perfectly. :)

The price I paid is what concerns me. I paid $119.00 for mine! WTF! :mad:

Someone please tell me that there's a difference between my "Item no. 603386 - 94R-DLG Gold B 8 Year Battery" and the $59.00 batteries some of you have purchased which would account for the price difference. Please!

If not, I'm going to have to go back to Autozone and eat someones lunch.
 
#20 ·
Additionally:

Duralast Gold Battery
• Three-year free replacement
• Eight-year prorated warranty
• Up to 875 cold cranking amps
• Up to 1,000 cranking amps

Duralast Battery
• Two-year free replacement
• Seven-year prorated warranty
• Up to 850 cold cranking amps

They seem to be handing out 3 years of "free" jumpstarts with the Gold Battery as well... I'll be picking up a 49-DL soon... :thumbup:
 
#21 ·
So, I stepped up and got the 49-DL over the weekend... Installation was relatively easy, just had to remove a small white block that held the previous (slightly smaller) battery in place, and trim the vent hose as other have indicated. The only other issue I had was that the clamp that presses down on the battery seemed still allow a little movement even when fully tightened. To alleviate this, I used the Positive post cover that came with the new battery (the old BMW battery cover fit on the new battery, so I used it over the clamp) and placed it under the foot of the clamp... this additional 5mm or so of material was all I needed to get a tight fit. Car cranked right up, no problems. Thanks to the OP for the info! :thumbup:

BTW, I paid $59 plus a $10 core charge... Have to roll by there with one of my other old batteries and get my $10 back! :thumbup:
 
#23 ·
It came with the tube and a little plastic "L" shaped piece taped to the top of the battery. Did not have to ask for the piece, it just came with the battery.

Did it at least come with the L shaped plastic elbow that pops in the battery top? If you have that the old hose might fit onto the elbow or you could just get a piece of tubing from a hardware store maybe?
 
#26 ·
Not sure if the convertibles use the same battery as the sedan. You might call the dealer parts department and ask for part number for both and if the part number is the same, you are in business. I would think the batteries would be the same though.
 
#27 ·
Thanks guys

I also had a dead battery. I called the local dealership in Seattle, and they were asking for $215. I called my nearest autozone and asked for the 49-DL. They claimed it wouldn't fit on my car, but I told them I will get it anyway.

Just came back from the store and installed the battery ($89.99). It fit in the housing cleanly. Fired up the engine and it was all good.

Thanks for all your help. I save over $100.
 
#28 ·
This thread is relevant to my interests. Twice in one month, I've had the battery die on me. This was mainly due to human error, as I left the blinker activated while the car was off and it drained the battery. I'm not sure if the battery was on its last legs anyway (got the 2003 325i used 4/07), but I got a quote from the dealer for a battery and it's 170 bucks here, so if I were to get the duralast battery, it would only be a 30 dollar discount.

Regardless, this is great information to have and I have bookmarked this thread. Thanks for all of the info!
 
#30 ·
I took delivery of my 325i on 07 NOV 2000. The battery got a little weak on 12 JUN 2008. The battery died on 14 JUN 2008. I found, as many of you have already, that you will have difficulty at parts houses obtaining a replacement. With no stealership parts dept. open on Sat, I resorted to calling around. I was not impressed. I then got the bright idea to search here...and........tah dahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much! I paid $81.82, after I returned the core, at Autozone for the 49-DL. The battery fit...the vent hose kit supplied worked with the factory vent hose...and my car started great! Thanks again everyone! :)
 
#31 ·
mine went out today in my 99 e46. no warning at all, no slow cranking nothing. didnt want to turn over this mornig, i called AAA they ran a battery test and said it was a bad cell, gave me a jump, i cruised on down to autozone and bought a duralast 48-DL for $96. So i think the prices went up. the 49-DL was the same price.
 
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