X5 battery replacement

I replaced the battery in my wife's X5 3.0 yesterday. It hasn't left her sit yet, but it will be 5years old in Feb. Since I'm the one who will get the lucky phone call to retreive her when it does die, I figured I'd do it proactively on my own terms.

Anyway, the OEM battery is a Douglas 94R. It is identical to the factory installed battery, the only thing missing is the BMW sticker. I called around and found one at a BatteriesPlus store about an hour away from me for $89 (no deposit). Dealer wanted $299.

Douglas sold their battery division this summer to East Penn Manufacturing, near Reading PA. FWIW, the X5 battery will be manufactured under the Deka brand name and sport a black case.

Took about 30mins to R+R and that included cleaning out the beach sand from the hatch/trunk well.

Thanks for sharing. Just curious...did you plug a charger or something in the cigarette ligher to keep things from getting reset?

Originally Posted by dkl

Thanks for sharing. Just curious...did you plug a charger or something in the cigarette ligher to keep things from getting reset?

Good question; I though about it, but didn't. I searched the TIS for battery replacement and didn't come up with anything specific to the E53/X5. Just generic stuff on the safe handling of batteries, how to properly jump start, etc.

After I installed the new battery and started the car, the airbag light and the DSC warning "triangle" lit up. I left it charge for a few mins figuring they might self reset. They didn't. I shut it off, restarted it a few minutes later and drove out of the garage; within 20 feet the dash chimed and they reset themselves.

Interestingly, I didn't lose my radio or my seat presets. Everything stayed in memory.

How do you get to the battery in order to replace it? My husband is going to do it but as with everthing with the bmw's there is always a trick to it.
Thanks!

Originally Posted by fetener

How do you get to the battery in order to replace it? My husband is going to do it but as with everthing with the bmw's there is always a trick to it.
Thanks!

Lift out rear deck panel, pull out spare tire and have at it!

The black turtle looking cover has only three bolts that hold it down:
undo those and lift it out of the way.

Here's my DIY post with pics from another board...also see link at end of first post,
just above first pic, for detail on which bolts to undo from "turtle", if that is confusing.

Be certain to reinstall the vent tube on battery. Whole job is <30mins, including breaks.
Easy stuff.
GL,mD

http://www.x5world.com/x5-e53-forum/...apped-out.html

Originally Posted by Scott ZHP

Good question; I though about it, but didn't. I searched the TIS for battery replacement and didn't come up with anything specific to the E53/X5. Just generic stuff on the safe handling of batteries, how to properly jump start, etc.

After I installed the new battery and started the car, the airbag light and the DSC warning "triangle" lit up. I left it charge for a few mins figuring they might self reset. They didn't. I shut it off, restarted it a few minutes later and drove out of the garage; within 20 feet the dash chimed and they reset themselves.

Interestingly, I didn't lose my radio or my seat presets. Everything stayed in memory.

Hi, I own a 2004 X5 E53 diesel, I am from Melbourne Australia and I am not quite sure if CCA ratings differ in different parts of the world due to weather conditions however my battery is rated 720 CCA and I am curious if you had fitted a battery with an identical CCA rating. Is it ok to replace with a higher CCA rating? I spoke to a BMW dealership and he advised if you are replacing with a non genuine battery it must have exact CCA rating to avoid issues.

Thanks in advance,
maba

Originally Posted by maba

Hi, I own a 2004 X5 E53 diesel, I am from Melbourne Australia and I am not quite sure if CCA ratings differ in different parts of the world due to weather conditions however my battery is rated 720 CCA and I am curious if you had fitted a battery with an identical CCA rating. Is it ok to replace with a higher CCA rating? I spoke to a BMW dealership and he advised if you are replacing with a non genuine battery it must have exact CCA rating to avoid issues.

Thanks in advance,
maba

Higher is fine. Lower might be an issue, especially for a diesel (they're harder to start).

I have replaced this battery since authoring this thread. The best battery on the market for the E53 is the Deka "Exact Fit" EAS9AGM49. It's AGM/valve regulated and something like 1100CCA.

Hi all,

For members in Melbourne Australia, Just wanted to share with everyone my experience regarding a battery replacement for my X5. To put it simply BMW wanted $455 for the battery plus $110 to initialize it. Naturally did some research and found a Bosch battery designed for european cars which is perfectly suited to the cars specs regarding dimentions and CCA 800 for just $275 (part number 60038) including a 15% discount fitting inclusive. The company is HOLLYHOCKBatteriesPLUS located at 35 Yarra Street Abbotsford Victoria 3067. Check out their website. Anyone interested is eligible to receive 15% discount when you mention this forum. Excellent service!! Very happy...All the best.

Regards
MABA

I installed a new battery (AutoCraft H8-AGM) from Advance Auto Parts last Saturday. So far everything works great. It's only $125.99 after using a link my friend sent to me. The link saved me $35 instantly. The battery can be used on X3, X5 and 5 Series. I got free installation at local store.

Here is the link (up to 40% on everything): http://advanceautoparts.**************************

H8-AGM Spes:
Acid Included: Yes
Battery Type: AGM
Battery Usage: Auto/Truck
BCI Group Size: H8
Cold Cranking Amps: 900
Cranking Amps: 1000
Deep Cycle/Starting: Dual Purpose
Maintenance Free: Yes
Reserve Capacity: 160
Terminal Type: SAE
Weight: 59.45
Length: 13.94
Width: 6.938
Height: 7.5

Warranty:
7 Year Warranty (3 Year FREE Replacement)

Originally Posted by bowang

I installed a new battery (AutoCraft H8-AGM) from Advance Auto Parts last Saturday. So far everything works great. It's only $125.99 after using a link my friend sent to me. The link saved me $35 instantly. The battery can be used on X3, X5 and 5 Series. I got free installation at local store.

Here is the link (up to 40% on everything): http://advanceautoparts.**************************

H8-AGM Spes:
Acid Included: Yes
Battery Type: AGM
Battery Usage: Auto/Truck
BCI Group Size: H8
Cold Cranking Amps: 900
Cranking Amps: 1000
Deep Cycle/Starting: Dual Purpose
Maintenance Free: Yes
Reserve Capacity: 160
Terminal Type: SAE
Weight: 59.45
Length: 13.94
Width: 6.938
Height: 7.5

Warranty:
7 Year Warranty (3 Year FREE Replacement)

Has this worked out well for you?

Yes, the battery has worked great so far.