[325high]

Originally Posted by joelc73

I was wondering the same thing... Does anyone know the answer to this?

it absolutely doesn't lose its registration when you disconnect the battery. i replaced my battery and the issue was the car still had the oem battery as the registered battery. that's why it needed to be re-registered...to let it know that it was no longer the original battery and that it had been changed, not b/c it didn't have ANY battery registered.

[orangedawg]

That's weird, at least on my car. Didn't have error code, disconnect battery, now have error code. Maybe something else is going on in my car.

BTW, if I "register" battery now, will it analyze my battery as it is now, or will it treat it as a brand new battery and charge it as if it were a new battery?

[Spitfirocks]

I have replaced my battery, with a bigger, stronger one over a year ago, and knock on wood have not experienced a single problem to this day.

I would rather not spend $100 if I do not need to.

[John 070]

Would the dealership give me a hard time? I've built my own battery consisting of a wooden box with used laptop 9-cells wired in parallel. Would they register it, or do you think they would look inside the box?

[PostModernHero]

This is BS... if the system requires a re-calibration after simply replacing the battery, then the re-calibration utility should be BUILT IN TO THE CAR. It has an on-board computer for chrissakes. It would be no thing to add a calibration menu to the iDrive. Heck, if it's already measuring so many params from the battery then it sould be able to SELF DETECT a battery swap and adjust accordingly. It is just plain silliness to have to make a dealer trip for such a simple operation...

[orangedawg]

Okay, did some more checking. The error code I got is not related to battery reigstration. It looks like when I removed my battery I broke the blue connector that is the Intelligent battery sensor. Now I need to find that blue connector to get rid of the code so the IBS works properly.

[cb1111]

Originally Posted by John 070

Would the dealership give me a hard time? I've built my own battery consisting of a wooden box with used laptop 9-cells wired in parallel. Would they register it, or do you think they would look inside the box?

Careful - the last time I posed something pithy in this thread I got a 10 point warning.

[cb1111]

Originally Posted by orangedawg

Okay, did some more checking. The error code I got is not related to battery reigstration. It looks like when I removed my battery I broke the blue connector that is the Intelligent battery sensor. Now I need to find that blue connector to get rid of the code so the IBS works properly.

Whoopsie - you might need a whole new cable. Please keep up posted on the price.

[kaigoss69]

Thank you for sharing your experience. If you don't mind, I have some questions/observations:

Originally Posted by auger330

I just came back from the dealership where they ran a full diagnostic check for errors in the my car.

So they checked for error codes stored in the on-board computer, right? Did you have any warnings/faults pop up on the dash or were these all hidden codes?

Originally Posted by auger330

The report was riddled with low voltage errors on several different components due to the non-registration.

Are you sure these error codes were registered POST battery swap, or perhaps from BEFORE, when your battery was very weak and there would have actually been a reason for a "low voltage" environment to cause these kinds of fault codes?

Originally Posted by auger330

They registered it and the errors disappeared.

Yes, and at the same time they cleared the error codes that may have come from the old battery.

Can you provide proof that the "error codes" came POST battery swap? Thanks!

[username604]

how much does an idy charge to register the battery?

[iflyjetzzz]

Originally Posted by PostModernHero

This is BS... if the system requires a re-calibration after simply replacing the battery, then the re-calibration utility should be BUILT IN TO THE CAR. It has an on-board computer for chrissakes. It would be no thing to add a calibration menu to the iDrive. Heck, if it's already measuring so many params from the battery then it sould be able to SELF DETECT a battery swap and adjust accordingly. It is just plain silliness to have to make a dealer trip for such a simple operation...

BINGO!!!!
BMW has built a Rube Goldberg machine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg
Changing a battery in a car is one of the simplest maintenance tasts that one can do; only slightly more complex than refilling the windshield washer fluid. I like to do the minor maintenance items myself - change oil, change air filters, change the battery, etc. Quite frankly, after reading this thread, I fell less comfortable doing any type of maintenance to the car due to unintended consequences.
This is the final nail in the coffin for me; I'll likely sell my car when the license plates are due for renewal next year and either go with a Cayman S or 911 (yes, Porsches are huge maintenance beasts, but I know that going into the purchase). My wife was going to get a BMW as her next car; after seeing the hassle that I've been going through to get BMW to warranty replace my battery (I will have to sue BMWNA in small claims court), she is now sold forever on Acura.
In my humble opinion, BMW is destroying their brand name. It's too bad; it's a nice driving car once you get rid of the run flats.

[aesfah]

frick - adaptive headlight errors came back. its just so random. time to get it registered...this really sux.

Originally Posted by aesfah

Just to add this this post - I recently replaced my OEM with a Pepboys battery. Initially, they installed the wrong battery (size group 92, I believe). Throwing a lot of errors and long-cranks. I took it back and they popped in a group 94. Did not register the battery. This was 2 weeks ago and the only problem I've had so far is that my adaptive headlights failed intermittently but would work again after a restart. That lasted for 2 days. No errors since.

[ShastaMan]

As I have posted before, I use a portable voltmeter to check the charge rate. It has been a consistent 13.7-13.9 volts since the car was new. When I have to replace the battery I will check to make sure the charge rate is the same. If not, I will probably have it registered. It will be a cold day in hell if I ever pay $400 for a battery for a BMW or any other car when I can buy one from Auto Zone or Walmart for $77.

[David1]

Originally Posted by ShastaMan

As I have posted before, I use a portable voltmeter to check the charge rate. It has been a consistent 13.7-13.9 volts since the car was new. When I have to replace the battery I will check to make sure the charge rate is the same. If not, I will probably have it registered. It will be a cold day in hell if I ever pay $400 for a battery for a BMW or any other car when I can buy one from Auto Zone or Walmart for $77.

Those batteries are not for interior use.

[325high]

Originally Posted by kaigoss69

Thank you for sharing your experience. If you don't mind, I have some questions/observations:

So they checked for error codes stored in the on-board computer, right? Did you have any warnings/faults pop up on the dash or were these all hidden codes?

Are you sure these error codes were registered POST battery swap, or perhaps from BEFORE, when your battery was very weak and there would have actually been a reason for a "low voltage" environment to cause these kinds of fault codes?

Yes, and at the same time they cleared the error codes that may have come from the old battery.

Can you provide proof that the "error codes" came POST battery swap? Thanks!

They were all hidden codes, no alerts on the dash. No i can't know for sure if the errors came post battery swap but I have to assume it since registering the new battery fixed the errors. If the weak oem battery caused the voltage issues i don't see why the new battery wouldn't have fixed it. Either way, it's irrelevant--the registration fixed the voltage issues.

[ShastaMan]

Originally Posted by David1

Those batteries are not for interior use.

What do you mean, not for interior use???

[iflyjetzzz]

ShastaMan, I think he's referring to the battery being in the trunk of the car vice under the hood. I consider that (putting the battery in the trunk) to be another Rube Goldberg feat of engineering.

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by David1

Those batteries are not for interior use.

Not true, you just have to make sure you connect the vent tube.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by iflyjetzzz

BINGO!!!!
BMW has built a Rube Goldberg machine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg
Changing a battery in a car is one of the simplest maintenance tasts that one can do; only slightly more complex than refilling the windshield washer fluid. I like to do the minor maintenance items myself - change oil, change air filters, change the battery, etc. Quite frankly, after reading this thread, I fell less comfortable doing any type of maintenance to the car due to unintended consequences.
This is the final nail in the coffin for me; I'll likely sell my car when the license plates are due for renewal next year and either go with a Cayman S or 911 (yes, Porsches are huge maintenance beasts, but I know that going into the purchase). My wife was going to get a BMW as her next car; after seeing the hassle that I've been going through to get BMW to warranty replace my battery (I will have to sue BMWNA in small claims court), she is now sold forever on Acura.
In my humble opinion, BMW is destroying their brand name. It's too bad; it's a nice driving car once you get rid of the run flats.

If you like to do light maintenance work, I'll assume you have a decent set of tools. Why not just get a BMW scan tool that interfaces with the computer modules in the car, and register the battery when the time comes to replace it? It would be a lot less expensive than loosing so much depreciation on your BMW. Also, I don't understand the logic of buying a Porsche knowing that it is a huge maintenance beast, but selling a BMW because you didn't know it was such a maintenance beast. And if you can afford a Cayman or 911, what in the hell is so burdensome about paying an independent mechanic a few bucks to register a new battery?

[kaigoss69]

Originally Posted by auger330

They were all hidden codes, no alerts on the dash. No i can't know for sure if the errors came post battery swap but I have to assume it since registering the new battery fixed the errors. If the weak oem battery caused the voltage issues i don't see why the new battery wouldn't have fixed it. Either way, it's irrelevant--the registration fixed the voltage issues.

Errors don't fix themselves. They get registered in the car's log, and they are still there, even if the problem for the error goes away. They can only be erased by BMW or someone with a scan tool.

Neither did the registration process fix any errors. They just cleared the codes that were there (probably) from before the battery swap.

I think we are back to square one.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by iflyjetzzz

ShastaMan, I think he's referring to the battery being in the trunk of the car vice under the hood. I consider that (putting the battery in the trunk) to be another Rube Goldberg feat of engineering.

It is actually for weight balance and moment of inertia chassis design purposes, and an added benefit is the battery is subject to much less vibration and temperature extremes. It's been a design philosphy of BMW for at least 35 years now.

[MazdaFan]

under normal use you will have to change one battery during the life of the car. probably the car has cost you $50k in depreciation and maintenace/repairs by that time. even if you pay $200 premium for dealer installed battery it might worth it just to avoid potential problems.