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Battery Help

2K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  six5ohhh 
#1 ·
So I have been driving my 2005 645ci (54,000 miles) once every other day and now the battery is cranking slow on startup and now I am getting some error messages, ie active steering. Is it time to get a new battery or could this battery become charged if I drove it more. Also, if I need to get a battery do I buy it from the dealer? Thanks.
 
#2 ·
You either don't drive your car enough or you only drive for short distances which is why your battery is draining and causing all the error messages. If you park in a garage then get a battery tender and hook it up when the car is not driven, it should solve the problem.
 
#3 ·
If you still have the original battery then it is more of a problem of age. The battery is nearing the end of it's life and holding a lot less charge than a new battery.

You can try running a desulphation process on the battery which might get you 6 months more life out of the battery. This burns off some of the crystals that form on the lead cells. A CTEK tender will do this and I think Autozone or PepBoys might do it for free too. Anyone know an American chain that does desulphation?

I have yet to see an aftermarket battery better than OEM, which goes for ~ $230 @ Tischer. Considering how sensitive the 6er is to low voltage I would not skimp on a smaller aftermarket battery.
 
#6 ·
So I ordered a battery from Tischer (getBMWparts.com) for $200 and then 4 days later I log on to their website to get a order status and I get the below message. I am not sure why they would let me place the order and then cancel 4 days later. I am going over to Sterling BMW later today.

Payment Info
Credit Card: VISA
xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-

Order Status Details Order Date: 9/2/11 3:56 PM
Description Qty Price Core Price Total Price
Collision Catalog - 2005 - BMW - 6 Series
Electrical, Battery, Battery, 110 amp, 110 amp 1 $187.19 $0.00 --.--
Status: Cancelled
Sub Total $0.00
Tax $0.00
Shipping $0.00
Handling Fee $0.00
Total $0.00

View Other Orders

Credit Card Transactions
Date Charge Type Charge Amount
09/02/2011 3:56 PM Authorization $207.09
09/06/2011 8:05 AM Order Charges $207.09
\ Total Credit Card Charges: $207.09

Supplier Comments:
09/06/11 8:5 AM - Order number 28483446 has been cancelled as we can not ship batteries as they are a special class of hazardous material. Thank you for keeping us in mind. -getBMWparts.com [/B][/I][/I][/B][/B]
 
#7 · (Edited)
Just replaced my battery with a Bosh.. fingers crossed i guess.. I didnt see this thread before and its already installed hopefully it gives me at least a year or two until i sell the car
 
#9 · (Edited)
If you have active steering or dynamic drive I would hook up a tender under the hood before pulling the battery. It will save you the step of having to reset these systems after the battery change. Just be careful not to let the two battery cables touch if you hook up a tender.

I would also pay an indy mechanic $20 or so to register the battery. Since you went for OEM I would want it to last as long as possible. Without registration the car thinks you still have the 5 year old battery installed and will over charge it (higher voltage) and this will shorten the life.

Here are TxTaz's instructions for the two resets just in case.
 
#11 ·
Not to revive an old dead thread for nothing, but figured that I'd chime in here.

My 06 650 with 68K on the clock got the battery problem error message. Actually, all I saw was that the clock needed to be reset and there was a "car-on-a-lift" symbol in the dash info status display. A quick check of the maintenance settings / status in iDrive noted a clock that need to be reset and a battery charging issue.

So I took the car to an indy mechanic and he read the codes and verified that the car needed a new battery (it was a little slow to crank by the 3rd day of error messages so I figured it was time to pay the piper). A new OEM battery and factory code reset was done and for a mere ~$375 I was on my way. I remember when a new battery from Pep Boys was $75! I guess those days are long gone.

Fortunately, I knew what to expect from reading this board so I did not receive too much sticker shock, but still...that a lot of coin for a new battery. The car seems to be a little crisper across the board after the change out? Maybe the weakened battery was sub-optimizing the sixer? Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that I got a little over 5 years on the original battery and that the new one is not cheap as has been discussed.

Keep on drivin' brothers....
 
#13 ·
Not to revive an old dead thread for nothing, but figured that I'd chime in here.

My 06 650 with 68K on the clock got the battery problem error message. Actually, all I saw was that the clock needed to be reset and there was a "car-on-a-lift" symbol in the dash info status display. A quick check of the maintenance settings / status in iDrive noted a clock that need to be reset and a battery charging issue.

So I took the car to an indy mechanic and he read the codes and verified that the car needed a new battery (it was a little slow to crank by the 3rd day of error messages so I figured it was time to pay the piper). A new OEM battery and factory code reset was done and for a mere ~$375 I was on my way. I remember when a new battery from Pep Boys was $75! I guess those days are long gone.

Fortunately, I knew what to expect from reading this board so I did not receive too much sticker shock, but still...that a lot of coin for a new battery. The car seems to be a little crisper across the board after the change out? Maybe the weakened battery was sub-optimizing the sixer? Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that I got a little over 5 years on the original battery and that the new one is not cheap as has been discussed.

Keep on drivin' brothers....
Did you have this done at Pep Boys?
 
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