[Juiced46]

Originally Posted by ShastaMan

And not all batteries are at full capacity when you first take delivery of the car. I had to charge mine for approx. 5 hrs. before it reached full charge. I test mine on a regular basis with a voltmeter.

You are very correct. It all depends on how long it sat for, if the dealer maintained the battery properly while it was on the lot etc. Once the battery drops below 12.4 volts it actually starts doing damage to itself. Most people put a volt meter on it, and see 12.0v and think its good, which its not.

Originally Posted by Saintor

It is totally a waste and against a lean process, "having" to bother about something that competitors don't. I call it inefficient.

BMW's attitude to impose stuff that we didn't ask just screws their reputation for reliability. It has to be easily serviceable with no special knowledge for things so common. They have to think leaner and more efficient, instead of focusing on selfish techno-orgasms that has limited or NO value to the end user, much less to driving experience.

They need the same lean consultants who revolutionized Porsche 10-15 years. They just seem to design in the opposite direction.

Ohh Im sorry, I didnt know you engineered these cars? Maybe you should call BMW and tell them how their electrical system sucks and the parts they use are not needed. Actually its a very good system, and it works very well. There is a reason for the registering process and the rest of the stuff they do. But you are going off your opinion, so what do you know?

So BMW imposes stuff you didnt ask for?

Consumers asked for better gas mileage, heated seats, comfort access, pdc, nav, better steering feel, better suspension, better handling, more power, ipods, bluetooth etc etc etc. Well Im sorry to say that, for all this stuff that consumers wanted, they had to add modules and such for. Do you think slapping your standard 12v battery and basic alternator that a 1990 Buick had in it would be sufficient? NO! Like I said, why dont you go educate yourself on how the systems work as a whole, then come back and complain. The system is actually very efficient unlike what you say.

[Juiced46]

Common knowledge would be to read your owners manual, or a repair manual before replacing any parts. Its clearly stated in the owners manually for your basic repairs on what to do.

This is out of the 2011 3series manual. Page 244

"Only use vehicle batteries that have been
approved for your vehicle by the manu-
facturer; otherwise, the vehicle could be dam-
aged and systems or functions may not be fully
available.<
After a battery replacement, have the battery
registered on the vehicle by your service center
to ensure that all comfort functions are fully
available."

[cb1111]

Originally Posted by Juiced46

You are very correct. It all depends on how long it sat for, if the dealer maintained the battery properly while it was on the lot etc. Once the battery drops below 12.4 volts it actually starts doing damage to itself. Most people put a volt meter on it, and see 12.0v and think its good, which its not.



Ohh Im sorry, I didnt know you engineered these cars? Maybe you should call BMW and tell them how their electrical system sucks and the parts they use are not needed. Actually its a very good system, and it works very well. There is a reason for the registering process and the rest of the stuff they do. But you are going off your opinion, so what do you know?

So BMW imposes stuff you didnt ask for?

Consumers asked for better gas mileage, heated seats, comfort access, pdc, nav, better steering feel, better suspension, better handling, more power, ipods, bluetooth etc etc etc. Well Im sorry to say that, for all this stuff that consumers wanted, they had to add modules and such for. Do you think slapping your standard 12v battery and basic alternator that a 1990 Buick had in it would be sufficient? NO! Like I said, why dont you go educate yourself on how the systems work as a whole, then come back and complain. The system is actually very efficient unlike what you say.

That's a bit harsh. Saintor's dream car is a Yugo - simple controls and easy to fix - you can use any battery. Of course it doesn't have any advanced features like adjustable seats, but he didn't ask for those.

[Saintor]

Originally Posted by cb1111

That's a bit harsh. Saintor's dream car is a Yugo - simple controls and easy to fix - you can use any battery. Of course it doesn't have any advanced features like adjustable seats, but he didn't ask for those.

Keep your imbecile replies about personal stuff for yourself, thank you.

There is a reason for the registering process and the rest of the stuff they do. But you are going off your opinion, so what do you know?

And the specific reason is...? Ah you don't know and speak with no knowledge.

A good reference, as I said, are the competitors. Do they have to do this too? Let me guess; most can have an operating electrical that works ok and oh miracle, most of them don't have to "register" a new battery. I wonder how they can do this awesome achievement.

[stressdoc]

Porsches are brilliant.

However, not only do you need to register a replacement battery, but you have the option of a completely engineered LI battery option for the paltry fare of $1700!

Yes, I loved the simplicity of my old 2002tii. But this is 2010 and auto electrics are waaaay more complex. Because that is what the market demanded.

Saintor I like your posts, but I disagree with your comment about Juiced46. He seems very knowledgeable to me about the issue here.

[Juiced46]

Originally Posted by Saintor

Keep your imbecile replies about personal stuff for yourself, thank you.



And the specific reason is...? Ah you don't know and speak with no knowledge.

A good reference, as I said, are the competitors. Do they have to do this too? Let me guess; most can have an operating electrical that works ok and oh miracle, most of them don't have to "register" a new battery. I wonder how they can do this awesome achievement.

Considering I work on these cars everyday, and have been trained on these systems, I would venture to say I do have more knowledge on this subject then you.


Do you have proof that other competitors do or do not have to do something like this? Every manufacturer does things differently. If BMW doesnt do things the way YOU feel, then maybe you should go buy a Nissan

[bsamoul]

This is a really weird story. But I'm sorry it happened

[Saintor]

I would venture to say I do have more knowledge on this subject then you.

So please tell us *exactly* why BMW has this requirement (but not most of its competitors who happen to have modern and complex electrical systems as well), and how it gives BMW an edge. Inquiring mind would like to know really.

[Saintor]

Info from a past thread.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6904395

Battery Replacement Registration

This Service Function informs the PM that the battery has been replaced. It completes the following operations:

- Battery capacity is set to 80%
- Current Odometer reading are stored. The odometer readings at which the last seven battery replacements took place can be read off from the Diagnosis Requests of Control Unit Functions
- Stored battery statistics (current, voltage , battery charge level) are deleted
- Stored temperature statistics are deleted

[Juiced46]

Originally Posted by Saintor

So please tell us *exactly* why BMW has this requirement (but not most of its competitors who happen to have modern and complex electrical systems as well), and how it gives BMW an edge. Inquiring mind would like to know really.

I already explained the reason for registering the battery in this thread. If you would like a better explanation, im sorry its not going to happen today. Im posting from my phone and trying to spend christmas with my family.

[Saintor]

BMW doesn't manufacture batteries. I guess that we wouldn't have to complain if there were not so many reports of 350$+ quoted by dealers.

On realoem, there is a list of non-AGM batteries with reasonable price.
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...99&hg=61&fg=30

How retail 123$, 136$ and 144$ batteries end up to the 350$ quotes above seem excessive, IMO.

[Juiced46]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

Porsches are brilliant.

However, not only do you need to register a replacement battery, but you have the option of a completely engineered LI battery option for the paltry fare of $1700!

Yes, I loved the simplicity of my old 2002tii. But this is 2010 and auto electrics are waaaay more complex. Because that is what the market demanded.

Saintor I like your posts, but I disagree with your comment about Juiced46. He seems very knowledgeable to me about the issue here.

Thank you! Very good info. So I guess BMW is the only one who does this

[Juiced46]

Originally Posted by Saintor

BMW doesn't manufacture batteries. I guess that we wouldn't have to complain if there were not so many reports of 350$+ quoted by dealers.

On realoem, there is a list of non-AGM batteries with reasonable price.
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...99&hg=61&fg=30

How retail 123$, 136$ and 144$ batteries end up to the 350$ quotes above seem excessive, IMO.

The $350 quote is also including labor and registering it as well. I guess you forgot about that.

[Morpheus]

So...what about using battery chargers? It seems to me these would confound the system. I often use a battery tender if I'm not going to drive the car for a week or so. I noticed when I hooked it up it took quite a while to get to 80% charged which in my opinion is pretty low. I was thinking of using it more, but now I'm not sure.

[Saintor]

Originally Posted by Juiced46

The $350 quote is also including labor and registering it as well. I guess you forgot about that.

Not at all. Considering that changing a battery is a 20-30 minutes job top, 350$ is prohibitive, even with registering the battery (that sounds like a 2 minute process). I wouldn't be surprised if those quotes include a "diagnostic fee", or other kind of BS.

[Juiced46]

Originally Posted by Morpheus

So...what about using battery chargers? It seems to me these would confound the system. I often use a battery tender if I'm not going to drive the car for a week or so. I noticed when I hooked it up it took quite a while to get to 80% charged which in my opinion is pretty low. I was thinking of using it more, but now I'm not sure.

A battery tender is a very good idea if the car is going to sit for periods of time. Or if the car is driven on frequent short distances where it doesnt have the chance to charge the battery properly. Very short drives are another cause of battery failure on these cars. Your regular battery charger from say autozone etc is not a good idea because of the way it charges. The BMW tender is perfect. If you are going to use a charger and not a tender, just do a few mins of research to see what chargers are compatible with your battery, I dont have the info off hand.

Originally Posted by Saintor

Not at all. Considering that changing a battery is a 20-30 minutes job top, 350$ is prohibitive, even with registering the battery (that sounds like a 2 minute process). I wouldn't be surprised if those quotes include a "diagnostic fee", or other kind of BS.

It all depends on the car. Most labor time on newer BMW vehicles range from 1.0-1.5hrs of labor. This includes replacing the battery and the registering process which takes longer then 2 mins. There isnt a diagnostic fee, but you still need to use the same diagnostic tools to connect to the vehicle which takes much much longer then 2 mins for the whole process. Replacing the battery may take 20-30mins (depending on vehicle) but registering the battery is another good 20mins or so (also depends on vehicle)

[stressdoc]

Dan Marinucci writes useful pieces for Motor. Here is a link to his explanation of the BMW battery registration process:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...g=content;col1

He indicates that battery registration is necessary for vehicles equipped with the MOST bus system. I gather this is because of the data processing capabilities that this provides, allowing for sophisticated adaptation algorithms, that can be assessed/modified via a ISTA hookup.

I would add that it is probably a good idea to get the relevant parts of the electrical system tested (e.g., alternator stuff) when changing battery.

[ShastaMan]

If registering the new battery is so important, why is there NO INFORMATION about this in the owner's manual under battery replacement??? The only thing the manual stresses is proper disposal of the old battery!!

[Juiced46]

Originally Posted by ShastaMan

If registering the new battery is so important, why is there NO INFORMATION about this in the owner's manual under battery replacement??? The only thing the manual stresses is proper disposal of the old battery!!

I already quoted straight out of the manual, but I will do it again.

Originally Posted by Juiced46

Common knowledge would be to read your owners manual, or a repair manual before replacing any parts. Its clearly stated in the owners manually for your basic repairs on what to do.

This is out of the 2011 3series manual. Page 244

"Only use vehicle batteries that have been
approved for your vehicle by the manu-
facturer; otherwise, the vehicle could be dam-
aged and systems or functions may not be fully
available.<
After a battery replacement, have the battery
registered on the vehicle by your service center
to ensure that all comfort functions are fully
available."

[ShastaMan]

Originally Posted by Juiced46

I already quoted straight out of the manual, but I will do it again.

What manual are you quoting from? Certainly not the owner's manual where
the info should be; at least it is not in mine!

[Kikken]

BMW batteries and sex offenders ... both require registration or else you never know what they're going to do.

[ShastaMan]

JUICED46: Well, my car is an '09 not a 2011, and THERE IS NOTHING IN MY OWNER'S MANUAL ABOUT THE REQUIREMENT TO DO ANY REGISTRATION!! So I guess what I will do is what I have always done when the time comes to replace my battery-of course by then the warranty will be over and I intend to sell this complex POS with failing fuel pumps! Conversation over.