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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 change? or get a battery charger?



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      01-16-2013, 04:47 PM   #1
insane79
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battery change? or get a battery charger?

Hi Guys,
I m in a dilema, my car is a 2009 e90 lci with the stock battery, recently i got a low battery warning as i was getting my interior clean't & forgot to turn of the interior lights, my car does hardly any running around 300miles a month as its my weekend ride & i got another car for my main commuting/driving. I m confused if i should get a battery charger or just use this battery till it dies off. The battery is around 3.5yrs old now so should a replacement be due even if i charge it up with a charger frequently when the car isn't used much? Should i just use this battery & get a new one later on? what you guy recommend me to do.

Thanks..
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      01-16-2013, 05:08 PM   #2
NTXE92
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If the battery is holding a charge there is no sense in replacing it.

Since you're only driving 300 miles a month you should get a trickle charger. BMW makes one that plugs into your lighter socket for convenience.
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      01-16-2013, 05:15 PM   #3
John 070
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Load test the battery after a full charge.
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      01-16-2013, 06:00 PM   #4
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Battery

These cars need batteries that are in great shape to run and to just sit and use electricity. If the battery is 3+years old and it was close to completely discharged, it may have been damaged to the point that it wont be usable.
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      01-16-2013, 06:03 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jchastn View Post
These cars need batteries that are in great shape to run and to just sit and use electricity. If the battery is 3+years old and it was close to completely discharged, it may have been damaged to the point that it wont be usable.
after i got the warning i did take it for a spin for around 50miles & everything seemed fine after that, there is a hidden menu that allows you to check the battery voltage so what voltage will tell me if the battery is ok?

Thanks..
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      01-16-2013, 06:44 PM   #6
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Lol
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      01-16-2013, 09:54 PM   #7
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Battery tender or CTEK is what you should buy and use. I have used them for over 10 years. My current M3/4 which I bought from the dealership has a battery I put in 2004. Using the tender I am still using this battery what almost 9 years later. My E93 3/2007 manufacturer same thing, just fine but I will most likely replace it anyway in a few months. Batteries are expensive and consider you also need to get it registered and also recoded if you use an AH battery that is different (if it is close in AH no problem) than what the OEM battery was.
I buy Battery Tender juniors and have 6-7 of them all in use.
You don't need a full Battey Tender. In fact I ordered one on Amazon tonight for a friend for 24.91 and also some Teflon Lube for our E93 seals free shipping.

You can leave the tender in the car by the jump posts in the engine compartment and just unplug it when you want to drive it. Takes maybe 30 secs.
That is what I have done to all my rides and no failures yet...
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      01-19-2013, 02:02 PM   #8
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i went to the dealer & told them to check my battery & all they did is toke the key & then gave me a printout about the car, it said battery voltage 13.8v
They said anything above 12.5v is enough so i guess my battery is fine?


Thanks.
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      01-19-2013, 02:35 PM   #9
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I would difinitely use Ctek battery charger and leave it connected to the car to charge the battery if not using for a couple of days. It will even re condition your battery and desulphate it.
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      01-19-2013, 04:56 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raj55 View Post
I would difinitely use Ctek battery charger and leave it connected to the car to charge the battery if not using for a couple of days. It will even re condition your battery and desulphate it.
If the battery is 3 years old and this is the first time he's gotten a low voltage indicator, it's pretty unlikely that there's any sulfation.

Basically, the car's power system is super complicated. It uses lots of power when the car isn't running, and as a result, does a lot of power monitoring and consumption management. If you don't drive the car all that frequently, it won't charge up the battery, and thus it'll be pretty easy for you to drain it by, for example, accidentally leaving a light on.

That said, you won't damage the battery unless you deep discharge it multiple times.

Bottom line, if you get a low battery indicator, drive the car to charge it up. If you get one frequently, get a battery tender as people suggest.
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      01-19-2013, 04:59 PM   #11
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i got a battery charger from the dealer today, will charge it up when i don't use the car often, is 13.8v reading from the battery good?

Thanks..
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      01-19-2013, 05:08 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by insane79 View Post
i got a battery charger from the dealer today, will charge it up when i don't use the car often, is 13.8v reading from the battery good?

Thanks..
13.8V is what's called the "float charge" voltage for lead acid batteries. I'm going to assume you had the charger plugged in when you got that reading?

Anyway, yes, that's fine. If you're driving, you may get in the 14V range (depends on the alternator's MO, it's not going to be constant voltage in a bimmer). Anything down to just under 12V is probably acceptable. Not sure what the threshold for a low battery warning is. A deep discharge will be somewhere around 10 or 11V
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      01-19-2013, 05:11 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alexwhittemore View Post
13.8V is what's called the "float charge" voltage for lead acid batteries. I'm going to assume you had the charger plugged in when you got that reading?

Anyway, yes, that's fine. If you're driving, you may get in the 14V range (depends on the alternator's MO, it's not going to be constant voltage in a bimmer). Anything down to just under 12V is probably acceptable. Not sure what the threshold for a low battery warning is. A deep discharge will be somewhere around 10 or 11V
Hi,
I went to the dealer with my car key & he checked it on the key reader & toke a print out & said the car battery voltage is 13.8v, even i was surprised hwo he can check it without checking the battery in front of him
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      01-19-2013, 05:18 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by insane79 View Post
Hi,
I went to the dealer with my car key & he checked it on the key reader & toke a print out & said the car battery voltage is 13.8v, even i was surprised hwo he can check it without checking the battery in front of him
The key reader stores a bunch of diagnostic info, including the battery voltage as of last removal. I forget why, but there you go .

For that matter, the car can check its own voltage, which you can read with an INPA cable. You can open the trunk and measure it with a multimeter, but then, hey, why bother.
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      01-19-2013, 05:20 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alexwhittemore View Post
The key reader stores a bunch of diagnostic info, including the battery voltage as of last removal. I forget why, but there you go .

For that matter, the car can check its own voltage, which you can read with an INPA cable. You can open the trunk and measure it with a multimeter, but then, hey, why bother.
so i guess what the key reader is saying 13.8v is fine then?
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      01-19-2013, 05:26 PM   #16
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quite.
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      01-19-2013, 06:34 PM   #17
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LOL is there any particular reason you don't want to do a load test? When you have a battery under warranty say at Sears, with a free 36 mo. replacement, they don't just take your word for it and give you a new battery whenever you want. They load test it. Sorry, but this reminds me of the dollar store commercial where the guy goes through the whole store and keeps asking how much things cost.
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