[mlifxs]

Thanks in advance for any help / comments you can offer

Best I can tell, my battery is dead. 87k miles on the car, battery is nearly 5 yrs old. Wouldn’t start last night, jumped it, drove around for 20 minutes, came home, turned it off. Immediately tried starting it and it started with no problem. This AM, won’t start again.

Expecting to spend some time today replacing the battery to avoid a large ticket at the dealer. From reading posts here I have some sense of what I should do: get a battery, install battery, get battery registered. Still, have a some questions.

a. Registration. After new battery install, how long can I wait before registering it? I’d like some time to shop the price but would be concerned if there are risks to driving around for a couple days without registering?

b. My original battery is white. From posts here, this is a lead-acid battery, not AGM? (pics posted of battery).

c. Assuming b. is true (this is a lead acid battery), I should replace with lead-acid battery? Wondering if buying AGM just complicates things in some way (with registration, how the computer manages the battery, etc).

[123Britt]

Buy a BMW BAT from dealer. Approx $200
.
Buy a BT Tool ... Approx $300
.
.
Regis the Bat yourself in less than 5min
.
.
OR

Have the dealer do the job for $500
.
.
BT tool is really good for most simple resets and makes this a no brainer.

[Weaselboy]

For the money, your best option is to put in a new lead acid battery yourself then have a local indy shop do the registration. There has been no indication from anyone waiting a few days or so to register will harm anything. Or you could just have the indy shop do the install and registration both.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by 123Britt

Buy a BMW BAT from dealer. Approx $200

Buy a BT Tool ... Approx $300
Regis the Bat yourself in less than 5min
OR
Have the dealer do the job for $500
BT tool is really good for most simple resets and makes this a no brainer.

As my dealer quoted $400 including registration, I think I'll save the $100 when the time comes.

Tom

[MaximusJ]

BT tools can register the battery?

I checked all the options and couldnt find it?

Go OEM for your battery. I didnt and I went for a OEM replacement with a higher capacity then the original (which should had been ok) and had cold start issues. Tested the battery inside out; even changed the battery. Still the same. I regret my decision; should have paid the full price at the dealer.

[mlifxs]

thanks for your thoughts. The BT scan tool idea sounds like an interesting investment. I'm seeing $80 for registration from an indy so maybe the BT tool is worthwhile. I've got a couple calls in to other shops to see if I can do better. If someone shows me $50 or less I'll probably pass on the tool idea and let someone do it for me

MaximusJ can you share what non-oem you bought? Haven't ruled out non-oem, maybe here in the south the cold cranking issue will be less of a risk? Either case thanks for chiming in...oem sounds like the least risky option but maybe the priciest?

[Weaselboy]

There is absolutely no reason to buy the OEM battery. If you get the same group size and CCA rating battery, it is the same and will work fine. A battery is a battery and there is nothing special about the OEM.

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by Weaselboy

For the money, your best option is to put in a new lead acid battery yourself then have a local indy shop do the registration. There has been no indication from anyone waiting a few days or so to register will harm anything. Or you could just have the indy shop do the install and registration both.

[mlifxs]

got this done
Everstart Maxx-94R battery from Walmart: $119 including tax
Battery registerd - $21
Total cost $140

nice DIY on this site helped me with removal / install

thanks everyone for your input

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by mlifxs

got this done
Everstart Maxx-94R battery from Walmart: $119 including tax
Battery registerd - $21
Total cost $140

nice DIY on this site helped me with removal / install

thanks everyone for your input

Who whoa whoa, where did you get the battery registered for $21?!?!

[mlifxs]

Originally Posted by Chriztofor

Who whoa whoa, where did you get the battery registered for $21?!?!

an indy here in Tampa.

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by mlifxs

an indy here in Tampa.

Nice!!!

[Weaselboy]

Originally Posted by mlifxs

got this done
Everstart Maxx-94R battery from Walmart: $119 including tax
Battery registerd - $21
Total cost $140

nice DIY on this site helped me with removal / install

thanks everyone for your input

Wow... nice deal!

[e90-ZeRo]

Make sure you get a battery that has the specifications listed, such as CCA, CA, RC, AH. I got an Everstart MAXX-H8 in December but now I don't know how to really register it since it only has CCA listed but to program it/code it/register it requires more info than just the CCA. I called Everstart and they can't release the specifications to me due to WALMART restricting them/not advertising them. So now I can't register my battery and now it's been a month

[mlifxs]

Originally Posted by TyPe-ZeRo

Make sure you get a battery that has the specifications listed, such as CCA, CA, RC, AH. I got an Everstart MAXX-H8 in December but now I don't know how to really register it since it only has CCA listed but to program it/code it/register it requires more info than just the CCA. I called Everstart and they can't release the specifications to me due to WALMART restricting them/not advertising them. So now I can't register my battery and now it's been a month

I contacted Johnson Controls via the website, they gave me an estimate for Ah.

[///M3NACE]

I would just get OEM so i don't have to worry about anything and sleep better knowing everything is OEM. I would probably buy the battery and get it done by a reputable INDY shop.

[mlifxs]

Originally Posted by ihsanshaik

I would just get OEM so i don't have to worry about anything and sleep better knowing everything is OEM. I would probably buy the battery and get it done by a reputable INDY shop.

towards the end, I was thinking "Walmart's got my back for three years (warranty), what's more expensive, registration or another new Walmart battery?"

then I found a shop that would register for $21 and figured oh well why not then.

battery may not be a perfect match but we'll see how it goes.

[jsublime]

Originally Posted by mlifxs

got this done
Everstart Maxx-94R battery from Walmart: $119 including tax
Battery registerd - $21
Total cost $140

nice DIY on this site helped me with removal / install

thanks everyone for your input

Did just about the same, it's been 15 months. No issues. Except for a coil pack, but thats another thread.

[lucasmjl]

mlifxs,

Can you PLEASE tell me where you got your battery registered for $21??? I too am in Tampa! Thank you!!!

[mlifxs]

Originally Posted by lucasmjl

mlifxs,

Can you PLEASE tell me where you got your battery registered for $21??? I too am in Tampa! Thank you!!!

just sent you a "visitor message"

[rdub315]

considering this battery from Advance Auto... $128.99 plus tax. thoughts? it's 730 CCA vs the OEM battery's 720 CCA.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...GRPBATTAM2____

[Weaselboy]

Originally Posted by rdub

considering this battery from Advance Auto... $128.99 plus tax. thoughts? it's 730 CCA vs the OEM battery's 720 CCA.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...GRPBATTAM2____

That should be fine. Higher CCA is never a bad thing. Keep the CCA info for the battery registration.