Battery Cable Recall = New Battery

So I take my care into the dealer for the battery cable recall, and I ask my SA if he'd also check the battery as I noticed the car seemed to be cranking slowly. He started to balk at the idea, but finally relented and had the batttery checked. My SA called later in the day to inform me that the battery failed the test twice, so they replaced it under warranty. I'm grateful they checked and replaced it, but it makes me wonder why BMW batteries have such a short life. The car only has 18K miles on it and is driven almost daily. If you car is affected by the recall, have the dealer check the batery when they replace the cable.

That's bull ****. A battery needs to last 6 years at least. My 2007 has the original. There have way to many things drawing off the battery in the newer cars. I don't think I would buy a BMW. Maybe lease one. Although after driving the new 328ix 2013 I was glad to get my 2007 back. Drives way better. That new car floats all around. No torque either have to drop the hammer to get it to move and the sound is awful.

Battery life depends on the car, the way it is used, how often and how long it is driven, and what type of battery it is.

Some car models typically have batteries which don't last over 3-5 years. Others tend to last much longer. My Nissan Murano is part of a series where batteries tend to only last a few years, and the cars act really weird when batteries start to decline. Go figure.

YMMV.

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

Battery life depends on the car, the way it is used, how often and how long it is driven, and what type of battery it is.

Some car models typically have batteries which don't last over 3-5 years. Others tend to last much longer. My Nissan Murano is part of a series where batteries tend to only last a few years, and the cars act really weird when batteries start to decline. Go figure.

YMMV.

Exactly. Average for BMWs seems to be around 5 years so the OP's battery failure is a bit premature - which is why BMW covers them under the OEM 4 year warranty.

Tom

Originally Posted by Red bull

That's bull ****. A battery needs to last 6 years at least.

No.

Originally Posted by Rainman519

So I take my care into the dealer for the battery cable recall, and I ask my SA if he'd also check the battery as I noticed the car seemed to be cranking slowly. He started to balk at the idea, but finally relented and had the batttery checked. My SA called later in the day to inform me that the battery failed the test twice, so they replaced it under warranty. I'm grateful they checked and replaced it, but it makes me wonder why BMW batteries have such a short life. The car only has 18K miles on it and is driven almost daily. If you car is affected by the recall, have the dealer check the batery when they replace the cable.

Judging by your sig, the car is a 2010. If you drive it everyday, how could it have 18k on it? If its a lot of short trips, the battery may never get a chance to charge.

Originally Posted by Red bull

That's bull ****. A battery needs to last 6 years at least. My 2007 has the original. There have way to many things drawing off the battery in the newer cars. I don't think I would buy a BMW. Maybe lease one. Although after driving the new 328ix 2013 I was glad to get my 2007 back. Drives way better. That new car floats all around. No torque either have to drop the hammer to get it to move and the sound is awful.

Totally agree! The newer cars fell so cheap (at least the 3 series).

Originally Posted by Rainman519

So I take my care into the dealer for the battery cable recall, and I ask my SA if he'd also check the battery as I noticed the car seemed to be cranking slowly. He started to balk at the idea, but finally relented and had the batttery checked. My SA called later in the day to inform me that the battery failed the test twice, so they replaced it under warranty. I'm grateful they checked and replaced it, but it makes me wonder why BMW batteries have such a short life. The car only has 18K miles on it and is driven almost daily. If you car is affected by the recall, have the dealer check the batery when they replace the cable.

Did you notice the text in your manual indicating that operation of less than 10 mi per trip may degrade battery life? Suggests: Take frequent longer trips to better charge your battery.

My E46 battery lasted just less than 4 years. The OEM replacement, about 40 months IIRC. Sold it with a Walmart battery at 8 years and 100k.

Lived in Fl, so maybe hot weather affected the like, dunno.

I've seen a lot of 'battery dies at 4ish years' threads here on the Fest over the years, for sure.

Our 07 E91 got a new battery in '12, my nickel. Guy said it was ok. I think actually the issue was the E9x recall.

My '09 E92 is on the Original battery. Had an odd DSC fail, then power reduced message in December. I had been traveling a lot and the car was sitting. Since I drive it more regularly, this fault hasn't recurred.

My $0.02 anyways.

The car has low mileage because 1) it's a 2010 that I bought in Feb 2011 with 0 miles on it, and 2) I have others that I drive. I drive it on average of four days p/week (give or take) to work and back which equals 36 mi round-trip so it's not that short trips or letting it sit caused the failure. BMW batteries are notorious for going bad early. I just wonder why, is it the batteries themselves, or the the way the car keeps them charged.

Originally Posted by Rainman519

So I take my care into the dealer for the battery cable recall, and I ask my SA if he'd also check the battery as I noticed the car seemed to be cranking slowly. He started to balk at the idea, but finally relented and had the batttery checked. My SA called later in the day to inform me that the battery failed the test twice, so they replaced it under warranty. I'm grateful they checked and replaced it, but it makes me wonder why BMW batteries have such a short life. The car only has 18K miles on it and is driven almost daily. If you car is affected by the recall, have the dealer check the batery when they replace the cable.

I have you beat... my 2012 had only 7500 miles when the battery started to fail ("low battery charge" warning message on start up). It was replaced around 8000 miles after one of the cells in the battery died completely.

The battery in my wife's 2011 335is was also replaced when I took it in for the battery cable recall. I mentioned that she's seen the "Low Battery" indicator a couple of times in the last month. One night a few weeks ago we went out for takeout and while I was getting the food she sat in the car with the engine off and the radio on. She got the "Low Battery" warning and the car shut off on her. It restarted OK, but I mentioned this when I took the car in. The tech tested the battery and found that the battery health was at 29% so they replaced the battery. Tech is a good friend and fellow BMW CCA member, dealership is a strong BMW CCA supporter, so no hassle getting the battery replaced.

The write-up said "Performed short test, performed energy diag. Found battery health @ 29%. Recharged battery, performed Midtronics test. Per Midtronics replace battery. Cause: defective battery".

Her car will be two years old in May and has just under 22,000 miles on it. She has been working insane hours since the beginning of the year, 7 days a week most weeks, and since January 3 has averaged only 20.1 miles per day in her car according to my MPG spreadsheet. She locks her car in the garage every day, so there shouldn't be any problem with the car not going to "sleep" right away and putting a drain on the battery. When we experienced the incident with the car shutting off I bought a CTEK battery charger and put it on the battery overnight a couple of times and each time the light was green in the morning. Apparently the battery was already shot.

In contrast I had a 2000 S2000 for 13 years before I sold it last July. The battery was replaced once after about 7 years. Just before I sold it I was cleaning it and left the passenger door open by mistake while I went inside. I forgot about it, then discovered it several hours later and closed the door. When the buyer, a neighbor from down the street, came to test-drive the car the next day it wouldn't start, so we jumped it and went for a test-drive. The battery's been fine since then. My wife's previous car, a Toyota, was 12 years old and I think that the battery was replaced once.

I just changed my original battery in my 2007 e90 (Sep 2006 build date) a couple of months ago with 95K miles. It had started to sound a little weak when starting on days it was parked outside when the temps were very low. I would probably have kept it longer but my daughter was taking the car to college out of state and I didn't want any issues. No complaints here I suppose I will get around to taking it in for the recall before too long.

Unless you drive every day and not for short trips, you should get the battery tender. BMW sells exactly the same item as this one in Amazon but you will pay considerably more.
http://tinyurl.com/d5s3r56

I have an 08 328i with 79k miles and changed the battery for the first time a week ago. Long story short I was the first one on scene when a car had flipped over, therefore I pulled over to the side to help. Luckily everyone was fine. When I was ready to leave my car didn't start. Does this normally happen with out notice?

Originally Posted by Rainman519

The car has low mileage because 1) it's a 2010 that I bought in Feb 2011 with 0 miles on it, and 2) I have others that I drive. I drive it on average of four days p/week (give or take) to work and back which equals 36 mi round-trip so it's not that short trips or letting it sit caused the failure. BMW batteries are notorious for going bad early. I just wonder why, is it the batteries themselves, or the the way the car keeps them charged.

Where do you get that BMW batteries are notorious for going bad early? That's not been my experience at all over the 7 BMW's I've owned over the years.

Originally Posted by sptt144

Totally agree! The newer cars fell so cheap (at least the 3 series).

Same here, had a service loaner 2013 3 series. What a piece of crap. it drove just like my wife's Lexus. Boring. No road feel, none. Light silly steering feel. No wanting to go fast in a curve. Worrisome car.
It did no drive like any BMW I've ever driven. Puke city.

I just had the battery in my 2007 replaced and now comfort access doesn't work. I have the right battery, but it was not installed by the dealer and my mechanic doesn't know how to fix the problem. Any suggestions?

Originally Posted by Red bull

That's bull ****. A battery needs to last 6 years at least. My 2007 has the original. There have way to many things drawing off the battery in the newer cars. I don't think I would buy a BMW. Maybe lease one. Although after driving the new 328ix 2013 I was glad to get my 2007 back. Drives way better. That new car floats all around. No torque either have to drop the hammer to get it to move and the sound is awful.

The new 328i is actually a good deal faster than your vehicle and it has more torque.

Originally Posted by rsandez

I have an 08 328i with 79k miles and changed the battery for the first time a week ago. Long story short I was the first one on scene when a car had flipped over, therefore I pulled over to the side to help. Luckily everyone was fine. When I was ready to leave my car didn't start. Does this normally happen with out notice?

Isn't this contrary to what IDrive is supposed to do? Constant voltage and amp checks with the ECU able to sequester and isolate various electrical draws enough to allow the car to start, even with a problem?

Get a Battery Tender. Have one for each of our cars. It's a bit of a PITA but it truly saves batteries. The 2000 Z-3 (48000 miles) is on it's second battery. Ditto the 2006 325ixT with 110000 miles. We use Interstate batteries as the cost v. a "BMW" battery is less.
IMHO, this is the price we pay for driving four wheeled computers.

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

The new 328i is actually a good deal faster than your vehicle and it has more torque.

Yep, the new turbocharged 4-banger has more hp and torque than the outgoing E90 328i (not to mention better MPG) , but I suspect that the OP's subjective impression of the car is influenced by the new car's increased heft and loss of traditional BMW "sportiness" as far as handling and steering feel are concerned.

Also the four banger's NVH characteristics are a bitter pill to swallow after coming out of the E90 with its N52 in line six, which is a much smoother and better balanced engine. Horsepower and torque aren't the only measure of an engine and BMW inline sixes are revered for their smooth turbine-like power delivery and sonorous engine note.

The motoring press has been near unanimous in it's assessment that the F30, while faster and more cossetting, has lost some of it's traditional BMW sports sedan moxie.

As far as his car's short battery life is concerned he mentioned that his car is a 2010 that he bought in Feb 2011. This means his car probably sat on the lot unused for perhaps a year.

So his battery may have been sitting without being charged for a long period of time. Unless it's a "deep cycle" battery this will shorten battery life.

My 2006 325i's original battery lasted 7 years.

Not to beat a dead horse (so please put a cork in any "we've talked this to death" remarks) but here is just one of the many article's lamenting the loss of sports sedan cred of the F30 vs the E90.

"Review: The 2013 BMW 328i Series, not quite the sporty 3 Series we were expecting"

http://www.egmcartech.com/2012/08/20...series-review/

Originally Posted by BashedBarrique

Not to beat a dead horse (so please put a cork in any "we've talked this to death" remarks) but here is just one of the many article's lamenting the loss of sports sedan cred of the F30 vs the E90.

"Review: The 2013 BMW 328i Series, not quite the sporty 3 Series we were expecting"

http://www.egmcartech.com/2012/08/20...series-review/

If you read the review carefully, it tells pretty much the same story as others. At some point they will inevitably say " ... but for the roads here, F30's softer suspension is heaven sent" or something to that effect.

So, long story short, excessive number of people complained about crashiness of the E9x suspension pre 2010. People in South, Southwest and Pacific West weren't complaining nowhere near as much as North East. Unfortunately, U.S. is the major market (still) for BMW and North East U.S. is the largest portion of U.S. market. So, instead of asking their representatives to get them out of Third World country status by building proper roads, they bitched at BMW. BMW didn't have much choice than to oblige.

And that's how we got F30. And F10, mind you. I know MY car had zero problems with run-flats for first 1,600 miles driven in First World countries during European Delivery. It took less than couple of hundred miles in Third World country to realize that those tires cannot stay on that car. Yes, those are bad tires regardless, but it certainly didn't help to drive on Ohio roads with them.

The important thing to learn from this is that it always pays to bitch at the right entity, not where it is the easiest. When you bitch at wrong but easy-to-bitch-to entity, unintended consequences will hit hard, no question about it.

2009 E92, 75000 miles, RWD, MT, Sport package
Battery: still the original, no problems yet
Suspension: Just fine around here. Love it.
Run flats: I have RFT summers and winters. No issues. 'Glad to have them.