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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Battery exploded in my trunk; Please read so this doesn't happen to your E9X.



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      12-23-2010, 02:32 PM   #23
Spitfirocks
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I changed my battery by myself with one that is OEM spec, well over a year ago, and Knock on wood(now that i said it, its gonna happen-___-) I am in the clear.

I have a feeling this issue isnt related to programming your battery. If anything when you put in a new battery, it gets UNDERcharged because it knows the old battery wasnt capable of holding enough charge. I did plenty and plenty of research on this matter and even asked my old SA. Its just to "get the absolute most out of your battery." But for $280 (which is what my local dealer asks just to program it) I can buy 2 more brand new batteries. Sooo....Im good
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      12-23-2010, 02:40 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Suckr4Straight6s View Post
I'm having the shop save the old battery for me. As soon as I get the car back along with the old battery, I can answer this question for you and anyone else wondering the same thing.
There is also the option of a refund for the battery from Napa.
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      12-23-2010, 02:46 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spitfirocks View Post
I changed my battery by myself with one that is OEM spec, well over a year ago, and Knock on wood(now that i said it, its gonna happen-___-) I am in the clear.

I have a feeling this issue isnt related to programming your battery. If anything when you put in a new battery, it gets UNDERcharged because it knows the old battery wasnt capable of holding enough charge. I did plenty and plenty of research on this matter and even asked my old SA. Its just to "get the absolute most out of your battery." But for $280 (which is what my local dealer asks just to program it) I can buy 2 more brand new batteries. Sooo....Im good
Read the last paragraph, #2. It explains why undercharging is bad.

http://www.tecmate-int.com/tm_mini_s...dercharged.php

Your sentence in bold is kinda contradictory to the rest of your paragraph now.
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      12-23-2010, 02:47 PM   #26
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Here's another possibility -- did you get a non-sealed battery? If so, there needs to be a vent to remove H2 gas generated during charging. Sounds like you may have had a hydrogen explosion.

The only way to blow up a battery directly by charging it is to MASSIVELY overcharge the battery. Unless your charging system went haywire (always possible) it is very unlikely that you could have pumped enough charge into that battery in a short drive to overcharge it to the point of explosion.

My vote is "battery in unvented location, no vent, H2 buildup, BOOM!"
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      12-23-2010, 02:49 PM   #27
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^Our cars have an explosive charge on the positive terminal to disconnect the battery in the event of an accident....though OP wasn't in an accident.

Our cars have this vent tube....I think.
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      12-23-2010, 02:57 PM   #28
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i changed the battery on my e90 325i sedan 3 years ago no problems idk....???
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      12-23-2010, 03:10 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chromisdesigns View Post
Here's another possibility -- did you get a non-sealed battery? If so, there needs to be a vent to remove H2 gas generated during charging. Sounds like you may have had a hydrogen explosion.

The only way to blow up a battery directly by charging it is to MASSIVELY overcharge the battery. Unless your charging system went haywire (always possible) it is very unlikely that you could have pumped enough charge into that battery in a short drive to overcharge it to the point of explosion.

My vote is "battery in unvented location, no vent, H2 buildup, BOOM!"
I'm kinda on the same lines as you on this, but I think maybe the battery was defective and the venting system was not working correctly, which caused the gas buildup.

I'd really be worried about the acid leakage into the rear quarter panel. The acid will eat though the bottom of the battery well in no time. I hope the shop is flushing and neutralizing the acid that has collected in the bottom of the fender well. I see major rust issues down the road.
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      12-23-2010, 05:07 PM   #30
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The amount of charge a battery can hold will decline over time. The amount of time it takes to reach a full charge will also increase as efficiency decreases. Your car accommodates for this. You need to register a new battery so it doesn't overcharge it.

Hence the thread a couple months ago from another member who decided to not have it done, and had his battery explode.
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      12-23-2010, 05:37 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spitfirocks View Post
I changed my battery by myself with one that is OEM spec, well over a year ago, and Knock on wood(now that i said it, its gonna happen-___-) I am in the clear.

I have a feeling this issue isnt related to programming your battery. If anything when you put in a new battery, it gets UNDERcharged because it knows the old battery wasnt capable of holding enough charge. I did plenty and plenty of research on this matter and even asked my old SA. Its just to "get the absolute most out of your battery." But for $280 (which is what my local dealer asks just to program it) I can buy 2 more brand new batteries. Sooo....Im good
Yeah but wouldn't you think that the reason its getting undercharged is because its not programmed.
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      12-23-2010, 05:38 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matrix76 View Post
There is also the option of a refund for the battery from Napa.
Oh I plan on doing this. I still have the receipt and I'll have the old battery. I'm also going to have the mechanic jot down a note explaining what happened so i can present it in hopes of getting a refund.

Last edited by Suckr4Straight6s; 12-23-2010 at 05:43 PM..
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      12-23-2010, 05:39 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chromisdesigns View Post
Here's another possibility -- did you get a non-sealed battery? If so, there needs to be a vent to remove H2 gas generated during charging. Sounds like you may have had a hydrogen explosion.

The only way to blow up a battery directly by charging it is to MASSIVELY overcharge the battery. Unless your charging system went haywire (always possible) it is very unlikely that you could have pumped enough charge into that battery in a short drive to overcharge it to the point of explosion.

My vote is "battery in unvented location, no vent, H2 buildup, BOOM!"
Not sure whether its sealed or non-sealed.
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      12-23-2010, 05:40 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ********* View Post
^Our cars have an explosive charge on the positive terminal to disconnect the battery in the event of an accident....though OP wasn't in an accident.

Our cars have this vent tube....I think.
The mechanic said this very thing himself. He asked me if i hit any big potholes or bumped into anything prior to the explosion which i did not.
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      12-23-2010, 05:45 PM   #35
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Yeah, maybe you didnt have a vent tube? That is important!
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      12-23-2010, 05:49 PM   #36
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I totally agree with you being as pissed as you are.

We're talking about a BMW here. A BMW. This is not a Chevy Beretta for crying out loud.

I'd drive the thing through a dealership window.
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      12-23-2010, 05:54 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by JohnnyT View Post
I totally agree with you being as pissed as you are.

We're talking about a BMW here. A BMW. This is not a Chevy Beretta for crying out loud.

I'd drive the thing through a dealership window.
And you'd be ignorant for doing so.

The little black book in your trunk obviously states that the battery must be recoded. Sure, it may not explode if you dont, but it just might.
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      12-23-2010, 06:00 PM   #38
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I mean a battery is a battery is it not?

12 volt battery, similar cold cranking amps?

I still dont get how this happened?

Like physically what happens when you dont get a OEM BMW battery and have it "coded".

Excuse my ignorance but I think all of us still have this question.

Just trying to figure out what the registering/coding does.
It happens because BMW designs their cars so that you MUST go back to a dealership for just about everything. This is a huge boon to their bottom line when you include all the service that they ring up for even under warranty repairs that we don't pay for. If not you go to an indy shop that is a little less of a rip off.

Even minor things like changing a battery make you think twice. I can't believe I even went to a dealership to put air in my tires after I got a low tire alert for fear of doing something "wrong" myself and voiding some clause in a warranty.

BMW, sadly, sends a clear message that their target market should be people for whom money is no object.

Its a disgrace.
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      12-23-2010, 06:01 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JayKay335i View Post
And you'd be ignorant for doing so.

The little black book in your trunk obviously states that the battery must be recoded. Sure, it may not explode if you dont, but it just might.
The "little" black book is more like a library. God forbid you should miss something or perhaps assume something as simple as changing a battery should require you to check the manual.

Screw you.
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      12-23-2010, 06:24 PM   #40
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Originally Posted by mthomas View Post
Sorry for your misfortune, hopefully others can learn from it. There are a lot of threads here about " i changed my battery and did not register it, and it works fine". Unfortunately you got stung and learned first hand what can happen when a battery is not charged properly. Registering the battery is about telling the charger what kind of battery is installed (wet, AGM,etc), and what stage of life the battery is in so that overcharging does not occur.
+1. Sorry to hear that this happened, but don't blame BMW for your mistake. This is not 1998, car designs change. The point is not to make a monopoly on an 'exclusive' battery that you have to get from a BMW dealer; it is a sophisticated electrical system with specific requirements.
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      12-23-2010, 06:35 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stressdoc View Post
+1. Sorry to hear that this happened, but don't blame BMW for your mistake. This is not 1998, car designs change. The point is not to make a monopoly on an 'exclusive' battery that you have to get from a BMW dealer; it is a sophisticated electrical system with specific requirements.
I concur
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      12-23-2010, 06:37 PM   #42
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Thanks for the advice. Next time, i'll know when I change my battery.
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      12-23-2010, 06:40 PM   #43
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A battery change should not cost $300, I don't care how sophisticated the car or battery.

I suspect this has nothing to do with the registering process and can likely be attributed to the battery itself. The registration process, as stated above, is there to lengthen the life of a new battery. Not doing it might shorten the battery life but certainly should not cause a battery to explode.

Last edited by acdHQK713K; 12-23-2010 at 06:47 PM..
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      12-23-2010, 06:51 PM   #44
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For how long you did you drive on new battery before it exploded?
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