Increased Battery Discharge issue

Originally Posted by terri_atl

Hi sunny!! That I guess may be the first sign of failing battery? I dunno but at least your battery is about 5 years old. At least you can put it on a battery charger, but I suppose taking only an hour to recharge is not bad at all.

It's 4 1/2 years old so it wouldn't surprise me if it needs replaced.

Originally Posted by sunny5280

It's 4 1/2 years old so it wouldn't surprise me if it needs replaced.

Yup

Originally Posted by terri_atl

Hello x26!! Thanks!!

The dealership charged me $199.99 +tax for the battery, they took care of the labor. Of cos in the end, I got it reimbursed

Exactly!! Actually this car cost over $60,000 including tax. Not to mention I bought tire and wheel warranty on this too, and that's an addition to the $60+k. I hope this new battery will last me for a few years, less than a year is just unacceptable.

I wish I can buy a battery tender too, however there is just no way to use one in a highrise condo

Thanks for writing here

I'm glad you finally got a resolution--Can't believe How "Cheesy" BMW dealerships can be.

Have Fun as you Drive with the Wind at your Back...

Originally Posted by x26

I'm glad you finally got a resolution--Can't believe How "Cheesy" BMW dealerships can be.

Have Fun as you Drive with the Wind at your Back...

I know, actually sad to say seems like all the BMW dealerships here (in the vicinity) have bad reputations. At least the engineer from BMW gives me some credit.

It's too cold to drive with the "Wind at my Back" now. It was 28F when I left home this morning and about the same when came home. The warning chime kept telling me how cold it was outside. Can't wait for Spring to come!!

The BMW engineer called me last evening, he's going to come over my place one of the weekends to check if there is anything here that will drain the car battery. I can't wait!!

Originally Posted by terri_atl

The BMW engineer called me last evening, he's going to come over my place one of the weekends to check if there is anything here that will drain the car battery. I can't wait!!

Are you still having issues?

Originally Posted by sunny5280

Are you still having issues?

Sunny No No. He just called!! I was rather surprised cos the last x I was at the service center (1st wk of Jan), the service director said he would contact the engineer n if he still want to visit my place or wait till I have the same issue again. The service director said he would call me if need to schedule a visit. When he didn't call, I thought maybe they going to wait till I have the same warning message.

Originally Posted by terri_atl

Sunny No No. He just called!! I was rather surprised cos the last x I was at the service center (1st wk of Jan), the service director said he would contact the engineer n if he still want to visit my place or wait till I have the same issue again. The service director said he would call me if need to schedule a visit. When he didn't call, I thought maybe they going to wait till I have the same warning message.

Excellent. Let us know what he says.

Originally Posted by sunny5280

Excellent. Let us know what he says.

Definitely! But honestly I don't think he will find anything but just for peace of mind. That terminal 15 just probably a one time mystery thing.

Originally Posted by terri_atl

Definitely! But honestly I don't think he will find anything but just for peace of mind. That terminal 15 just probably a one time mystery thing.

If it really existed, and they didn't fix anything, then it still exists. I suspect he's coming over examine the state of the battery.

Originally Posted by sunny5280

If it really existed, and they didn't fix anything, then it still exists. I suspect he's coming over examine the state of the battery.

I will definitely want him to check. I plan not to drive the car the day he comes, ie let the car sleeps overnight.
Will post back here

Originally Posted by terri_atl

ctuna: sorry I didn't see your advice on the charger and highway. Charger doesn't seem to be an option for me cos I live in a highrise. I guess you are right, I will just have to burn some gas and wander aimlessly in the highways Thanks for replying

First, I love the car at speed... but have to watch it lest the local gendarmes wish to socialize.

I think these cars love the highway where they get better mileage. And charge better. I just can't imagine the need for BMW power for minor commutes. A hybrid (read Prius) would seem to work better for that kind of driving.

But, I have digressed. After complaining about excessive discharge messages and having sat parked on the bluetooth phone, I complained twice, and finally, just short of maintenance and warranty expiration, they gave me a NEW BATTERY.

They still tell me to leave the car idling if I want to run accessories, such as for receiving a cell phone call. I think the car's parasitic demands (accessories such as radio (can't turn it off, can only mute it, etc.) are a special deal for BMWs. I once had one that would drain the battery if a door was left ajar and the interior light on. (My old, long departed 1984 528e sedan with 4 spd zf auto).

Keep pestering them. I still have a right seat belt extender problem and I will pester them about this.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Bikeshark

First, I love the car at speed... but have to watch it lest the local gendarmes wish to socialize.

I think these cars love the highway where they get better mileage. And charge better. I just can't imagine the need for BMW power for minor commutes. A hybrid (read Prius) would seem to work better for that kind of driving.

But, I have digressed. After complaining about excessive discharge messages and having sat parked on the bluetooth phone, I complained twice, and finally, just short of maintenance and warranty expiration, they gave me a NEW BATTERY.

They still tell me to leave the car idling if I want to run accessories, such as for receiving a cell phone call. I think the car's parasitic demands (accessories such as radio (can't turn it off, can only mute it, etc.) are a special deal for BMWs. I once had one that would drain the battery if a door was left ajar and the interior light on. (My old, long departed 1984 528e sedan with 4 spd zf auto).

Keep pestering them. I still have a right seat belt extender problem and I will pester them about this.

Good luck.

Hi there! Your service center seems really nice to give you a new battery. Mine doesn't until the BMW engineer stepped in and asked them to refund me the new battery. When the first warning message showed up and I brought the car in, everyone there zoomed in on my driving habits. Yes, I live in the city and does almost everything in the city. According to the service center, my occasional weekend highway is not sufficient. They totally ignored the #1 cause in the diagnostics (that was a big problem there n no one mentioned anything about it). I started putting the car on highways a few times on weekdays, warning messages still popped up. That led me to bringing in the car the 2nd time.
Eventually I read the "Battery Care" in BMW book, my commute daily actually passed the BMW's "standard" of battery care. Of cos later in the stage, I did calculate n note the distance of my commute which is actually further than I once thought.

Of cos hybrid cars may work great for city driving, but I have zero experience in Japanese cars. Family members said german cars drive alot better than Japanese cars and something like I "won't like the drive" of Japanese cars. Honestly, after moving from the MB family to BMW, BMW cars are definitely alot more fun to drive. Well, BMW definitely helps to get by Atlanta's traffic and I love how my car handles and power is definitely a plus.

Strangely I was told by pple not to run accessories when car is idle. Hmmm.. maybe that's another question to ask when the BMW personnel comes over. I need to find that out just in case the service center may fault me the next time when anything happens.

Radio can't be turn off? I don't understand. I can turn everything including the iDrive screen off.

Thanks for posting here

PS. Surprise you mentioned about Prius cos seems like many forum members here have something against Prius (and Audis too) :P

Originally Posted by terri_atl

So both of us went to my car, I started showing him how I unlocked the onboard computer, his expression was amazed and very impressed.

Hi Terri. I've recently begun experiencing the same problem - increased battery discharge messages and wonky CA activity. I've read through this thread (admittedly in 2 separate sessions, so I might have missed something) but didn't see how you learned to access the on-board computer. I found these two guides (iDrive and non-iDrive), but the iDrive version (at least) looks like an older version of iDrive. I'd like to gather some data as I expect a fight from the only BMW dealer in town. How did you unlock the OBC?

Thanks!

http://e90.wetpaint.com/page/BC+hidden+menus

use Google translate

the voltage menu item is labeled tension it think its item 9

Originally Posted by ctuna

http://e90.wetpaint.com/page/BC+hidden+menus

OK, that's one of the guides I found, but I wasn't sure if it was current. I will give the iDrive one a shot. If that fails, I'll try the non-iDrive version.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by cronimi

Hi Terri. I've recently begun experiencing the same problem - increased battery discharge messages and wonky CA activity. I've read through this thread (admittedly in 2 separate sessions, so I might have missed something) but didn't see how you learned to access the on-board computer. I found these two guides (iDrive and non-iDrive), but the iDrive version (at least) looks like an older version of iDrive. I'd like to gather some data as I expect a fight from the only BMW dealer in town. How did you unlock the OBC?

Thanks!

Hi cronimi!! Wow, so your 2011 335 starts to have problem like mine. We in the same boat! Okie, your car is a big bro of mine. Anyway, sorry to hear that. I don't wish anyone has the same problem as me. Okie, I did not use the iDrive. I was taught by someone in this forum to use the OBC. The process is tricky to learn at first but hey if I can do it, anyone can Let me send you the steps to your message box k?

Originally Posted by cronimi

Hi Terri. I've recently begun experiencing the same problem - increased battery discharge messages and wonky CA activity. I've read through this thread (admittedly in 2 separate sessions, so I might have missed something) but didn't see how you learned to access the on-board computer. I found these two guides (iDrive and non-iDrive), but the iDrive version (at least) looks like an older version of iDrive. I'd like to gather some data as I expect a fight from the only BMW dealer in town. How did you unlock the OBC?

Thanks!

Oh, and I apologize.. I started this thread and it has gone over 10 pages

Yes, armed yourself with all the readings and facts before you head to the service center. Care to share what's your driving habit?

Originally Posted by terri_atl

Oh, and I apologize.. I started this thread and it has gone over 10 pages

Yes, armed yourself with all the readings and facts before you head to the service center. Care to share what's your driving habit?

Thanks for the info (and the DM), Terri! My bimmer is my daily driver, but my commute is >4 miles and all city streets. The strange thing is this just started within the last 4-6 weeks (I've had it for over a year with no change in driving pattern). I do some highway driving on the weekends. On Sunday I intentionally drove ~45 min. on highway to see if that helped. The next day I was in the airport cell phone lot and lasted all of 5 min. listening to the stereo without the engine running before I got a low battery warning. In addition to the low battery/increased battery discharge warnings, the CA has been giving me problems, esp. the trunk.

I am still shocked and dismayed that our daily drivers can't maintain a decent charge regardless of driving patterns.

Originally Posted by cronimi

Thanks for the info (and the DM), Terri! My bimmer is my daily driver, but my commute is >4 miles and all city streets. The strange thing is this just started within the last 4-6 weeks (I've had it for over a year with no change in driving pattern). I do some highway driving on the weekends. On Sunday I intentionally drove ~45 min. on highway to see if that helped. The next day I was in the airport cell phone lot and lasted all of 5 min. listening to the stereo without the engine running before I got a low battery warning. In addition to the low battery/increased battery discharge warnings, the CA has been giving me problems, esp. the trunk.

I am still shocked and dismayed that our daily drivers can't maintain a decent charge regardless of driving patterns.

Hi Cronimi, you're welcomed Mine is a daily driver too. I read up the BMW "Service & Warranty Information" booklet, before I went to meet with the Service Director & the BMW engineer. I am sure you have the same book. It is page 22. It stated this "If your car is driven only for short distances of less than 10 miles over a prolonged period of time, without an occasional drive at highway speeds, the engine's charging system will not maintain the battery."

I quoted that statement under BMW's guideline for "Battery Care" with the Service Director at the service center. They (service center) love to pin it on the few miles in my car. Your service center is likely to do the same. For my case, there is another fault, ie Cause #1 Terminal 15 was on. The service center ignored that fault and just zoomed in on my "unfavorable driving pattern". I have to show up one month later after putting a whole lot more highway miles which doesn't help with the warning messages kept coming back. The engineer calculated the # of miles I put in after I got a new battery and the first Wednesday of January when I was there to meet him, he said my miles is decent. I said exactly! And I did "passed" the guideline for the battery care.

My friend said no service center should penalize my low miles on the car cos my miles can be all highway miles or mostly highway miles. So when they see few miles on the car, they straight away claim any fault is due to the short distances. So that's quite a nonsense. Of cos I wasn't happy when my salesperson (who moved to another dealership) that all BMWs should be driven like a min of 200miles to get it really charged. That's like a joke to me. Then why won't any salesperson or BMW tells the consumer that any BMW potential buyer should drive on highways and make sure to use it for at least 200miles a week or people who live in city should never own a BMW. I was so upset that time. But of cos I went to read up the "Battery Care" that there is no such thing as 200miles a week.

Anyway, sorry, I can just go on & on...

I was told that the car should preferably not be idle (ignition off) when using accessories (bluetooth, radio, etc). Then of cos someone on this thread told me otherwise. I am quite confused too. So I will want to put this on my list of questions when I meet the engineer again. I am sure you already know, each BMW service center will get visits from an engineer hired by BMW every month. They are the best people to diagnose anything that is out of the ordinary. They have the final say to almost anything. So if you have questions or not satisfy with what the service center tells you, let the service center knows you like to schedule a time with the BMW engineer when he comes in.

Hope that helps. Post back here if you get your readings. I don't know if you use any trickle charger. I don't and I can't. Anything less than 12V in the morning, ie after leaving the car overnight is borderline or bad. The voltage should not drop too fast.

What happened to your trunk?

Originally Posted by terri_atl

What happened to your trunk?

Nothing major. I tried using CA to open the trunk, but it wouldn't engage when I pulled on the handle. Finally I had to hit the button on my keyfob and it would open. This has happened 3-4 times recently. Had a similar experience with my door once. Touched the door handle, pulled on it, and it just wouldn't unlock. Had to hit the keyfob button. I know it sounds like I'm the laziest person on earth, but once you're used to just touching the handle to lock and unlock, it's a (minor) PITA to reach for the keyfob (which is usually buried in a pocket or my briefcase).

I haven't used a battery tender or trickle charger on my 335is, but I do have one on my other car -- because it only gets driven ~ once every 4-6 weeks and it died on me once from having sat so long. It just doesn't seem right to have to plug in a daily driver unless it's an electric car.

Originally Posted by cronimi

Nothing major. I tried using CA to open the trunk, but it wouldn't engage when I pulled on the handle. Finally I had to hit the button on my keyfob and it would open. This has happened 3-4 times recently. Had a similar experience with my door once. Touched the door handle, pulled on it, and it just wouldn't unlock. Had to hit the keyfob button. I know it sounds like I'm the laziest person on earth, but once you're used to just touching the handle to lock and unlock, it's a (minor) PITA to reach for the keyfob (which is usually buried in a pocket or my briefcase).

I haven't used a battery tender or trickle charger on my 335is, but I do have one on my other car -- because it only gets driven ~ once every 4-6 weeks and it died on me once from having sat so long. It just doesn't seem right to have to plug in a daily driver unless it's an electric car.

Oh that happened to me a few times before I have a new battery. So far, it seems fine now. But I realized after I have this new battery installed, whenever I hit the heated seat button, the top screen has this "1- 2- 3- Unassigned" flashed acrossed for a sec. I dunno why, I didn't notice that before. When I brought my car in the 3rd time (when I met the engineer), I told my SA and he said they would take a look. Obviously they did not. Not sure if it is nothing, but well after the battery incident, I am just getting even more paranoid I totally agree that it doesn't make sense to plug in a daily driver and we not talking about a $10-20k car here

Originally Posted by terri_atl

Oh that happened to me a few times before I have a new battery. So far, it seems fine now. But I realized after I have this new battery installed, whenever I hit the heated seat button, the top screen has this "1- 2- 3- Unassigned" flashed acrossed for a sec. I dunno why, I didn't notice that before. When I brought my car in the 3rd time (when I met the engineer), I told my SA and he said they would take a look. Obviously they did not. Not sure if it is nothing, but well after the battery incident, I am just getting even more paranoid I totally agree that it doesn't make sense to plug in a daily driver and we not talking about a $10-20k car here

I told you that back on page one! But, using a battery tender is a must, unfortunately.

Originally Posted by beden1

I told you that back on page one! But, using a battery tender is a must, unfortunately.

Yes, I remember I wish I can use a battery tender Maybe someone should give me a house

It's issues like these that will probably deter me from another BMW (after 3 since 1995).