[mrtanz]

Hi All
My battery in the 325i is dying. My time is now losing about 5 minutes everyday
every couple of days my fuel range resets as well as average speed
Think i need to change it ASAP
I have RACV roadside through BMW. Was wondering if the batteries they use would be suitable. They say they have the battery for my car but want to make sure.
From what i have read on the forums you cant just go to repco or supercheap to buy our battery

This from RACV website:
We carry an extensive range of maintenance free batteries that cover most makes and models of vehicles, including hard-to-find European and North American sized batteries. These batteries utilise state-of-the-art manufacturing and product technology which enables us to offer a warranty of up to 3 years on our premium range.

[NBTBRV8]

Go to somebody like an exide agent, but generally it is pretty straight forward in getting one.

[DR-JEKL]

I paid $150 fitted for a bosch S5 battery that by memory has 5 years warranty and is their top of the range offering (im certain they are a tad more expensive then this though since i purchased through a mate who knows a bosch rep)

[Freefreefive]

You'll need to get the battery coded to the vehicle - basically the alternator pumps more and more into the battery as its ability to store charge decreases. If you put a fresh battery without telling the car, the alternator will overcharge the new battery and severely reduce its ability to hold charge. Some accounts claim that within 6 mths the new one will be stuffed too.

[mrtanz]

Coding is not problem as i can code it myself

[keungleung]

i actually got a straight replacement, so the same rated non-agm battery that originally came with the car, I still need someone to code "register" it for me

apparently if you go with something with a different rating, or switch between lead acid/agm you'll need to "program" it

OEM white's the regular lead acid battery, black's an agm

[nosmash]

Originally Posted by mrtanz

Coding is not problem as i can code it myself

Hey mrtanz, interested in the coding bit. Will you be using the same software and cable that you used when you coded some of the cars in this forum? I had a quick research and apparently there's a free tool called BMWLogger that can register a new battery only if it has the same rating.

Thanks,
nosmash

[Kiwi Peter]

We do battery coding with Autologic for a red and blue note

[drjekl]

Originally Posted by skycat

We do battery coding with Autologic for a red and blue note

Can you code a battery that has different specs to the oem item Pete?

[Kiwi Peter]

Originally Posted by drjekl

Can you code a battery that has different specs to the oem item Pete?

Yes with Autologic all good AGM gel or lead acid

[mrtanz]

had a response from Bosch rep today

Still waiting on pricing on the S5
getting desperate now as i go overseas in just over a week and need the battery fine while i am away

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by mrtanz

had a response from Bosch rep today

Still waiting on pricing on the S5
getting desperate now as i go overseas in just over a week and need the battery fine while i am away

I reccomend buying a ctek battery tender, the bmw item is actually a rebranded ctek.

Most modern cars these days recommend one when the car is not in use (as the electronics still draw power from the battery)

You can buy these at repco, or of course on ebay:

http://www.ctekbatterychargers.com.au/ctek-xs-08.html



I have been using these for years on my cars and my bike (being a v twin it has huge compression and saps a lot of juice from the battery to crank - so a solid charge is required otherwise a weak battery can damage the starter) and im a firm believer in these chargers extending battery life.

[keungleung]

Originally Posted by mrtanz

had a response from Bosch rep today

Still waiting on pricing on the S5
getting desperate now as i go overseas in just over a week and need the battery fine while i am away

How long u overseas for?

I had the same battery issue as you (even BMW tested the battery and told me it was dying), drove around as per normal for like 3 months, just had clock n stuff restart randomly, went on a 3 week holiday and car started just like normal

I do have to say, apart from the clock resetting and music going on mute etc, starting the car itself was never an issue all these months, like no need to crank the button or anything for me