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DIY F30 Battery Replacement (Helpful) Info

80K views 73 replies 29 participants last post by  Jackomo 
#1 · (Edited)
DIY F30 Battery Replacement (Helpful) Info

I went to the dealer for a routine checkup and my SA informed me that it’s time to replace the battery. What? Really? Seemed strange to me since all of my electronics were working pretty stellar along with the fact that I routinely forget to turn my lights off when I walk into a store or restaurant and when I return, I’ve never had a problem! I wondered why I had seen no indication that the battery was on the outs.

In any event, my SA insisted that diagnostics revealed that the battery absolutely needed to be replaced and that it would be $540 to do it at the dealership. Seemed crazy excessive to me, but he went on to explain that it is a special kind of battery designed for modern cars with tons of electronics and the ECO start/stop feature, blah, blah, blah. He further explained that after the new battery is physically installed, it must be registered - which basically means you have to tell the car’s computer that it is a new battery so that it’s power management will readjust to the new, more robust source of power. He further explained that registration is done via computer. So, he says that THAT is what justifies the $540 price tag. Of course I wasn’t biting. So I set off to buy a battery and do the installation myself. This posting details how I did it myself for less than $200. I am hoping it will help someone else with an F30 (which is what I have - 335i Sports to be exact). In the end, I replaced the battery and registered it myself and it was ultra simple! …but finding the right battery wasn’t! Here’s my experience:

Although the install and registration was truly a breeze, finding the right battery and the tools (software and ODB2 adapter) to do the registration was an utter nightmare! A couple of days of scouring the internet and forums as well as making a bunch of phone calls resulted in my getting everything I needed. So to start, my OEM battery was BMW branded and had 2 part numbers on it, listed as follows:

S: 61 21 7 575 327
AW: 61 21 6 924 022

Not sure why it has 2 part numbers, but thought I’d share that for reference. The battery has a rating of 12V - 90Ah - 900CCA and is an AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) type.

I’ll spare you all the details of my arduous hunt for the right replacement, but will say that I discovered that there is only a small hand-full of auto battery manufacturers out there and BMW is NOT one of them. Like many other companies, BMW simply chooses a battery manufacturer, purchases the batteries from them and then slaps a BMW label on the battery and then neatly tucks it into the trunk of our cars. Turns out that my battery with the part numbers I listed above is manufactured by Exide. But BMW has since discontinued that battery and replaced it with a battery of slightly different specs. The battery they are now using to replace the above listed part number is made by EastPenn. The power ratings on it is 12V - 92Ah - 850CCA. The EastPenn part number is 9A49. EastPenn’s exact branding is EastPenn Intimidator 9A49. BMW’s part number is 61 21 2 353 812. I searched high and low for the EastPenn battery and could not find it for less than $214. So I bookmarked it and shopped for alternatives with the exact same specs.

I wound up finding a Bosch battery, made by Exide with the exact specs of the EastPenn (12V - 92Ah - 850CCA) at PepBoys. To be exact, it is the Bosch Premium AGM Battery, part #49-850BAGM. 4 year warranty/guarantee - It was on sale (25% off)! So, I pulled the trigger! (I know the Bosch battery is made by Exide because I called Bosch customer service and they told me as much) I Installed it in less than 15 minutes and then registered it with the BimmerLink app on my iPhone!

To register the battery, you will need an app for your iPhone or Android AND a compatible ODB2 adapter to plug into your car. I decided to go with the BimmerLink app instead of the more popular Carly app because with Carly you have to pay $50+ a year if you want to keep the full version working. Personally, I am just not cool with the whole annual fee bit. I mean, I hear from many that the Carly app is truly awesome! I’d gladly pay $100 or more for it - ONE TIME - because of all that it offers. But having to pay a $50+ fee every year… I dunno… It’s just me I suppose. And I am not cheap at all, but somehow I am rubbed the wrong way being forced to pay an annual fee for an app that should be like a tool in a toolbox. Surely, some of you may be inclined to flame me for my position there. Flame on, but please be civil. Maybe there’s a stellar justification for the annual fee that I am unaware of or have not considered. Make the case …maybe I’ll be persuaded.

In the meantime, as I mentioned above, I went with BimmerLink which is $26 one time and a Veepeak OBDCheck BLE OBD2 Bluetooth Adapter for $27 on a flash sale at Amazon. (If you go with Carly, you will have to buy their adapter, which is $75 I believe).

I registered my battery with BimmerLink in less than 2 minutes!

NOTE 01: If you’re using Carly, when you go to register the battery, since the original battery was 90Ah and the new one is 92Ah, you might be inclined to select the REGISTER OTHER BATTERY TYPE option. Don’t do that. The Carly app does not have a 92Ah option. Just select REGISTER SAME BATTERY TYPE. If in your own research you find a battery that that you want to purchase and it’s 80Ah or 105Ah, in that case select REGISTER OTHER BATTERY TYPE, then, when presented with the different amp options, select the appropriate one.

NOTE 02: With the BimmerLink app, you basically have no choice but to register same battery type. So if you get a battery that’s 90Ah or 92Ah, you’re fine. But if you have anything other than those 2 values, you cannot use BimmerLink to register your battery (at least that is the case as of the date of this writing). But in my opinion, I don’t think you should deviate from the specs BMW is using and recommends. And again for your reference, they are - as of this writing - using the EastPenn 12V - 92Ah - 850CCA battery to replace BMW batteries in F30s with the following part numbers on it:

S: 61 21 7 575 327
AW: 61 21 6 924 022

NOTE 03:
If you go the BimmerLink route and get the same adapter I got (Veepeak OBDCheck BLE OBD2 Bluetooth Adapter) and have a penchant to forgo reading instructions, do not try to pair the adapter by going to SETTINGS / BLUETOOTH. Instead, Just plug the adapter into the car’s OBD2 port and confirm the little light on it comes on. Then open BimmerLink on your phone and go to the SETTINGS option. The adapter will be auto detected in the ADAPTER TYPE category.

LINKS:

Bosch battery @ PepBoys
https://www.pepboys.com/bosch-premium-battery/product/838838/2013/BMW/335 Series/6-2979 3.0L DOHC

Info on EastPenn intimidator AGM (chart shows the 9A49 specs) - This is the battery that BMW is using to replace battery in our car.
http://www.eastpennmanufacturing.com/wp-content/uploads/Intimidator-Automotive-Flyer-1737.pdf

BimmerLink App
BimmerLink - The direct link to your BMW or MINI.

Veepeak OBDCheck BLE OBD2 Bluetooth Adapter
Amazon.com

I really hope this post is helpful!

Cheers!
 
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#2 ·
Thanks for sharing your experience! I also replaced my OEM battery recently myself without paying anything! Why even pay the $26 for the app when you can register it using ISTA-D, the same tool used by BMW shops and not some 3rd party app? All it takes is opening up ISTA-D, read vehicle info, activities tab, service function->body,->voltage supply->battery->register battery change and follow prompts :thumbup:
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Indeed, you're right! But I have a Windows X VM with ISTA-D that I ran on my Macbook Pro... but I recently sold the MBP in prep to get a brand new one. So I'm without the use of ISTA-D till I get my new laptop. Spending the few $$ for the app and adapter was not too bad an investment anyway since Bimmerlink has some other cool features in addition to battery registration PLUS it shows any and all faults and allows you to clear them as well! It's pretty handy to have that functionality on my iPhone since I can use it in a pinch!

BTW, what battery did you get?
 
#4 ·
Dealer installed my new 105 AH AGM and registered for ~$350 (cost of battery, labor and computer time). The AGM-VRLA battery is indeed different and fragile.
 
This post has been deleted
#6 ·
DIY F30 Battery Replacement (Helpful) Info

I went to the dealer for a routine checkup and my SA informed me that it's time to replace the battery. What? Really? Seemed strange to me since all of my electronics were working pretty stellar along with the fact that I routinely forget to turn my lights off when I walk into a store or restaurant and when I return, I've never had a problem! I wondered why I had seen no indication that the battery was on the outs.

In any event, my SA insisted that diagnostics revealed that the battery absolutely needed to be replaced and that it would be $540 to do it at the dealership. Seemed crazy excessive to me, but he went on to explain that it is a special kind of battery designed for modern cars with tons of electronics and the ECO start/stop feature, blah, blah, blah. He further explained that after the new battery is physically installed, it must be registered - which basically means you have to tell the car's computer that it is a new battery so that it's power management will readjust to the new, more robust source of power. He further explained that registration is done via computer. So, he says that THAT is what justifies the $540 price tag. Of course I wasn't biting. So I set off to buy a battery and do the installation myself. This posting details how I did it myself for less than $200. I am hoping it will help someone else with an F30 (which is what I have - 335i Sports to be exact). In the end, I replaced the battery and registered it myself and it was ultra simple! …but finding the right battery wasn't! Here's my experience:

Although the install and registration was truly a breeze, finding the right battery and the tools (software and ODB2 adapter) to do the registration was an utter nightmare! A couple of days of scouring the internet and forums as well as making a bunch of phone calls resulted in my getting everything I need, so to start, my OEM battery was BMW branded and had 2 part numbers on it listed as follows:

S: 61 21 7 575 327
AW: 61 21 6 924 022

Not sure why it has 2 part numbers, but thought I'd share that for reference. The battery has a rating of 12V - 90Ah - 900CCA and is an AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) type.

I'll spare you all the details of my arduous hunt for the right replacement, but will say that I discovered that there is only a small hand-full of auto battery manufacturers out there and BMW is not one of them. Like many other companies, BMW simply chooses a battery manufacturer, purchases the batteries from them and then slaps a BMW label on the battery and then neatly tuck it into the trunk of our cars. Turns out that my battery with the part numbers I listed above is manufactured by Exide. But BMW has since discontinued that battery and replaced it with a battery of slightly different specs. The battery they are now using to replace the above listed part number is made by EastPenn. The power ratings on it is 12V - 92Ah - 850CCA. The EastPenn part number is 9A49. EastPenn's exact branding is EastPenn Intimidator 9A49. BMW's part number is 61 21 2 353 812. I searched high and low for the EastPenn battery and could not find it for less than $214. So I bookmarked it and shopped for alternatives with the exact same specs.

I wound up finding a Bosch battery, made by Exide with the exact specs of the EastPenn (12V - 92Ah - 850CCA) at PepBoys. To be exact, it is the Bosch Premium AGM Battery, part #49-850BAGM. 4 year warranty/guarantee - It was on sale (25% off)! So, I pulled the trigger! (I know the Bosch battery is made by Exide because I called Bosch customer service and they told me as much) I Installed it in less than 15 minutes and then registered it with the BimmerLink app on my iPhone!

To register the battery, you will need an app fro your iPhone or Android AND a compatible ODB2 adapter. I decided to go with the BimmerLink app instead of the more popular Carly app because with Carly you have to pay $50+ a year if you want to keep the full version working. Personally, I am just not cool with the whole annual fee bit. I mean, I hear from many that the Carly app is truly awesome! I'd gladly pay $100 or more for it - ONE TIME - because of all that it offers. But having to pay a $50+ fee every year… I dunno… It's just me I suppose. And I am not cheap at all, but somehow I am rubbed the wrong way being forced to pay an annual fee for an app. Surely, some of you may be inclined to flame me for my position there. Flame on, but please be civil. Maybe there's a stellar justification for the annual fee that I am unaware of or have not considered. Make the case …maybe I'll be persuaded.

In the meantime, as I mentioned above, I went with BimmerLink which is $26 one time and a Veepeak OBDCheck BLE OBD2 Bluetooth Adapter for $27 on a flash sale at Amazon. (If you go with Carly, you will have to buy their adapter, which is $75 I believe).

I registered my battery with BimmerLink in less than 2 minutes!

NOTE 01: If you're using Carly, when you go to register the battery, since the original battery was 90Ah and the new one is 92Ah, you might be inclined to select the REGISTER OTHER BATTERY TYPE option. Don't do that. The Carly app does not have a 92Ah option. Just select REGISTER SAME BATTERY TYPE. If in your own research you find a battery that that you want to purchase and it's 80Ah or 105Ah, in that case select REGISTER OTHER BATTERY TYPE, then, when presented with the different amp options, select the appropriate one.

NOTE 02: With the BimmerLink app, you basically have no choice but to register same battery type. So if you get a battery that's 90Ah or 92Ah, you're fine. But if you have anything other than those 2 values, you cannot use BimmerLink to register your battery (at least that is the case as of the date of this writing). But in my opinion, I don't think you should deviate from the specs BMW is using and recommends. Ana again for your reference, they are - as of this writing - using the EastPenn 12V - 92Ah - 850CCA battery to replace BMW batteries in F30s with the following part numbers on it:

S: 61 21 7 575 327
AW: 61 21 6 924 022

NOTE 03:
If you go the BimmerLink route and get the same adapter I got (Veepeak OBDCheck BLE OBD2 Bluetooth Adapter) and have a penchant to forgo reading instructions, do not try to pair the adapter by going to SETTINGS / BLUETOOTH. Instead, Just plug the adapter into the car's OBD2 port and confirm the little light that come on on it. Then open BimmerLink on your phone and go to the SETTINGS option. The adapter will be auto detected in the ADAPTER TYPE category.

LINKS:

Bosch battery @ PepBoys
https://www.pepboys.com/bosch-premium-battery/product/838838/2013/BMW/335 Series/6-2979 3.0L DOHC

Info on EastPenn intimidator AGM (chart shows the 9A49 specs) - This is the battery that BMW is using to replace battery in our car.
http://www.eastpennmanufacturing.com/wp-content/uploads/Intimidator-Automotive-Flyer-1737.pdf

BimmerLink App
http://www.bimmerlink.com/

Veepeak OBDCheck BLE OBD2 Bluetooth Adapter
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073XKQQQW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I really hope this post is helpful!

Cheers!
Excellent post, this should be a sticky! :thumbup:

Do you know if Pep Boys stores have the capability to register the battery in an F30 car?
 
#10 ·
You should be the Bimmerfest New York regional battery registerer. Possibly have office hours one weekend hour per quarter and have people get their battery registered for a fee.
 
#14 ·
That sounds about right. I recall in my research that folks who purchased Carly before a certain date are exempt from the new annual subscription model they have in place now.

IMO, it's a tool. A very good one, but nevertheless a tool. Personally, I cannot jive with the idea that one day I may reach into my toolbox and grab a tool I need but when I attempt to use I am faced with having to pay a fee before I can use it. That would completely annoy me. Like I said, I'd gladly pay $100 or even more possibly for the app ONE TIME. But an annual fee for a tool in my toolbox does not work for me.
 
#15 ·
Great post, thank you!
This would come in handy someday since my battery would be 7 years old in a couple months.
I plan to recharge it again soon to see how long I could extend its life. If recharging brings it close full charge (almost like a new battery), why doesn't it require a registration?
 
#16 · (Edited)
I don't think you can effectively recharge a battery whose cells are diminished and gradually diminishing. From my research, I've found that the AGM battery life in the F30 line is 5 to 6 years. If you've managed to have it going 7 years, I'd say count your blessings! If at this point she's dying, she has served you well. Get a new battery and bury old faithful with love and dignity. :)
 
#19 ·
Modern batteries (those made in the last 20 years) will start you car and work fine - until they don't. I have had the experience of starting my car with no problems, driving to work and at the end of the day the battery was stone dead. You don't wait until your tires go flat to replace them, do you? Be proactive and avoid being stuck.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Even a 6v battery from a 1949 Dodge would start the car until it didn't. What has changed is is all the systems that continue to drain the battery with the engine off. A marginal battery can be drained down over a day.

But driving long enough to get the battery to an optimum charge or using a smart charger will help extend battery life.
 
#25 ·
The car knows more about the condition of the battery than the CTEK does.

The BULK charge phase ends when nominal charge voltage (you selected 14.4 VDC) is reached while charging at 4.3 Amps. Then the charging voltage is held constant while the charging current declines to some unstated value, when ***8216;charging***8217; is ended with the ANALYSE phase.

The car tracks State of Health - SoH - which is available for query by a capable communications program. SoH is a ratio expressed as percent of some unstated actual current battery parameters compared to those parameters at registration. The / a parameter may be minimum voltage during starter operation maximum current.

You can roughly track the declining battery capacity by noting the time required to recover your typical battery use discharge.

Battery capacity primarily diminishes due to loss of electrolyte water. As the water is lost the electrolyte level decreases making a smaller plate area available to the process. That reduces AH capacity. Also as water is lost the acid becomes more concentrated and that raises apparent battery voltage.

As the battery ages the charging will end sooner at lower capacity, which you will see as shorter and shorter completion times.

I usually charge with my CTEK 4.3 MUS weekly, the winter charges are longer, by about twice, than the summer charges. You can estimate the capacity charged as one-half of the hours charged times the maximum charging current 4 Amps. I charge about 10 AH in the winter and 5 AH in the summer. Milady Wife loves the bun warmers and as soon as the engine is running she has the bun warmers on. Also, in Wisconsin, the 1000 Watt 80 Amp PTC electric heater is on more often and longer.

What the ECU knows about the battery comes from the Intelligent Battery Sensor - IBS - which measures and reports Coulombs discharged, Coulombs charged, battery (system connected) voltage, and temperature. A Coulomb of charge per second is an ampere.
 
#26 ·
The car knows more about the condition of the battery than the CTEK does.

The BULK charge phase ends when nominal charge voltage (you selected 14.4 VDC) is reached while charging at 4.3 Amps. Then the charging voltage is held constant while the charging current declines to some unstated value, when 'charging' is ended with the ANALYSE phase.

The car tracks State of Health - SoH - which is available for query by a capable communications program. SoH is a ratio expressed as percent of some unstated actual current battery parameters compared to those parameters at registration. The / a parameter may be minimum voltage during starter operation maximum current.

You can roughly track the declining battery capacity by noting the time required to recover your typical battery use discharge.

Battery capacity primarily diminishes due to loss of electrolyte water. As the water is lost the electrolyte level decreases making a smaller plate area available to the process. That reduces AH capacity. Also as water is lost the acid becomes more concentrated and that raises apparent battery voltage.

As the battery ages the charging will end sooner at lower capacity, which you will see as shorter and shorter completion times.

I usually charge with my CTEK 4.3 MUS weekly, the winter charges are longer, by about twice, than the summer charges. You can estimate the capacity charged as one-half of the hours charged times the maximum charging current 4 Amps. I charge about 10 AH in the winter and 5 AH in the summer. Milady Wife loves the bun warmers and as soon as the engine is running she has the bun warmers on. Also, in Wisconsin, the 1000 Watt 80 Amp PTC electric heater is on more often and longer.

What the ECU knows about the battery comes from the Intelligent Battery Sensor - IBS - which measures and reports Coulombs discharged, Coulombs charged, battery (system connected) voltage, and temperature. A Coulomb of charge per second is an ampere.
That is an informative post!

So is there any personal experience using the RECOND mode, which supposedly heat up the battery electrolyte, leading to water loss?

Also is your AGM battery charged with 14.7V weekly?
 
#33 ·
CTek goes through a diagnostic check when it is first connected. If you watch the lights it will give you an indication of your battery's health. I recently had a MB wagon battery show it was failing. I fully charged it and then started up Ctek again and it showed it was failing. Very handy device to have.
 
#36 ·
So does charging at 14.4V prevent loss of electrolyte?

Now CTEK does have a RECOND mode that charges at 15.8V during recond stage in order to loosen up the deposit, so that step probably will lead to excessive gassing that will trigger release.

But does that mean frequent 14.8V/14.7V (and not exceeding) can be good to prevent deposit anyway?
 
#40 ·
Just observed that at highway speed, alternator off is 14.2V, and alternator on is 14.8V. The voltages are consistent at those speeds(>50mph).

Also, after the car is stopped, and engine still on, the voltage drops to 14.2V to 14.3V. When engine is off but ignition still on, voltage drops to 12.8V.

So it looks like the alternator clutch is 2-stage, partial (14.2V) versus fully engaged(14.8V).
 
#41 · (Edited)
I had to replace the battery on my 2013 F30 a few weeks ago, along with the alternator. About $1050 for both installed at my INDY. I do love my two BMWs but I smile when I think of my 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 diesel with 80,000 miles. Still has the original batteries, still starts like a champ, and the batteries test strong. It's not near as much fun to drive as the F30 or Z3 Coupe, but it sure tows my fifth wheel.
 
#42 ·
holey moley $1050 for battery and install...come on bmw!
 
#50 · (Edited)
Hey Tonsum16! Do you need a battery because you bought the car with no battery? Or do you just need to replace the original battery?

If it is the latter, then just look at the part numbers on the battery in the car and cross reference with what I posted in the original post:

S: 61 21 7 575 327
AW: 61 21 6 924 022

If it's the original BMW battery, it will most likely match up with that. If so, I assure you that the Bosch battery as well as the EastPenn battery I linked in the post are a direct OEM match for you.

...and by the way, as you know from my original post, I got the Bosch battery from Pep Boys - it's now 11 months later and everything is perfect!

Best to you!

Cheers!
 
#57 ·
Man, for me thank gawd for my local Indie shop, made friends with the manager at that shop and he is also an car enthusiast has a Golf R. They got me a OEM battery installed and coded for under $300, took them about 15-20 mins tops, also i found out just to make sure i needed a new battery when i bought my CTEK MXS 5.0 trickle charger, if that things doesn't go pass the first yellow light, you definitely need a new batt ASAP...
 
#60 · (Edited)
So I just got my battery replaced in my 2014 328xi with this battery from PepBoys - Champion AGM Battery, Group Size H8 | 2071679 | Pep Boys

But noticed that the specs are slightly different from the oem battery specs.

H8-900CHAGM (900 CCA 95Ah 12V) vs OEM (900 CCA 90Ah 12 V)

Is 95Ah vs 90Ah going to be an issue?

And would it be ok to register the battery with the same battery type? I believe PepBoys just reset the battery via a generic OBD2 reader.

Or do I really need to actually register the car battery with the exact battery specs that was installed (95Ah vs 90Ah)
 
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