E90Post
 


TNT Racewerks
 
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > Regional Forums > UK > UK Technical Forum > Battery Low Charge?



Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      09-02-2012, 03:26 PM   #1
J44KPR
Private
11
Rep
91
Posts

Drives: BMW E92 335i
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: London

iTrader: (0)

Battery Low Charge?

I just put my ignition on for a minute to check bulbs & other things as I've just bought the car, and after a minute everything switched off with a low charge warning

I had it on charge for at least 3-4 hours today, and then turned ignition on to see whether it would come on again and after a minute everything shut down again, as if charging had made no difference

anyone seen this before?

does the satnav drain the battery a lot?
luckily most of my drives are 60 mile + so it should recharge and I'm hoping the previous owner was a town driver!
Appreciate 0
      09-02-2012, 04:34 PM   #2
foxy-stoat
First Lieutenant
foxy-stoat's Avatar
12
Rep
346
Posts

Drives: 320 E91
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Sussex

iTrader: (0)

You can access the hidden menu which has an amp meter, so you can see how your battery is charging, or not
Appreciate 0
      09-03-2012, 08:00 AM   #3
Greg330
Major
Greg330's Avatar
67
Rep
1,273
Posts

Drives: E91 335i
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: South Coast

iTrader: (0)

Got the same issue with mine constantly getting the battery warning when the ignition is left on for a minute or so.....

I've tried to charge it in the boot but been told should use the terminal under the bonnet. On the E46 there was a clear earth but doesn't seem to be one on the E92?!
Appreciate 0
      09-03-2012, 09:52 AM   #4
J44KPR
Private
11
Rep
91
Posts

Drives: BMW E92 335i
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: London

iTrader: (0)

I've found how to access it but I don't know where to go after that, someone compiled a list but can't see anything about battery voltage on it :/

I have found out the battery has a colour eye on it that tells you green = ok above 50% charge, black = need charging and yellow = needs replacing
so will check mine next time I'm out!
Appreciate 0
      09-03-2012, 10:22 AM   #5
a11y
First Lieutenant
a11y's Avatar
Scotland
21
Rep
309
Posts

Drives: VW T5 Campervan...
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Central Scotland

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg330 View Post
Got the same issue with mine constantly getting the battery warning when the ignition is left on for a minute or so.....

I've tried to charge it in the boot but been told should use the terminal under the bonnet. On the E46 there was a clear earth but doesn't seem to be one on the E92?!
Assuming it's in the same place on the e92 as the e90, there's a designated pin attached to the driver's side of the engine bay, closer to the front than the location of the +ve terminal. A picture would help me explain - there is in the manual

I know as I've got the same thing going on with my e90, but I think it's largely through lack of use. I stuck it on a trickle charger the other day and drove ~50 miles last night so hopefully will be solved.
__________________
It's gone - no longer an e90 330i owner
Appreciate 0
      09-03-2012, 12:33 PM   #6
Arch Stanton
Second Lieutenant
49
Rep
258
Posts

Drives: BMW 335i touring
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: the smelly bit of the north

iTrader: (0)

i have had the same with mine since i bought it three years ago. It starts/turns the engine over nice and strong so I'm not sure whether it is the battery but parked up engine off but anything electrical on and I get the low battery message then shuts down. Mine doesn't get short journeys either, virtually all of them are 25miles plus so should be plenty to re charge I'd have thought.
Appreciate 0
      09-03-2012, 02:04 PM   #7
zedman
First Lieutenant
United Kingdom
12
Rep
389
Posts

Drives: E92 M Sport 320D,
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Sheffield

iTrader: (0)

ours does that

battery is not holding sufficient charge and needs to be replaced, BMW say this is normal and a battery life of LESS THAN 3 YEARS is acceptable

a new battery will costs loads plus coding, battery places dont want to do the job so its a specialiest or a dealer job
__________________
E92 320D MS Ti CR
Appreciate 0
      09-03-2012, 02:32 PM   #8
greatbm
Major
greatbm's Avatar
United Kingdom
147
Rep
1,060
Posts

Drives: G15 840i Coupe
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: North East

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by J44KPR View Post
I've found how to access it but I don't know where to go after that, someone compiled a list but can't see anything about battery voltage on it :/

I have found out the battery has a colour eye on it that tells you green = ok above 50% charge, black = need charging and yellow = needs replacing
so will check mine next time I'm out!
The green indicator can be confusing as it is only the indication of one of the six cells and presumes that all the others are of the same condition as they are the same age, yet you can end up with a couple of dead cells and the indicator shows green making you look else where for a fault. Best way if you suspect the battery is try a good battery charger with diagnostics or a discharge load test.
Appreciate 0
      09-03-2012, 03:08 PM   #9
sylonien
Major
sylonien's Avatar
United Kingdom
113
Rep
1,326
Posts

Drives: M3
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: UK

iTrader: (0)

Same problem a month ago.
Car is from 2006, same battery since.

Got a new bosch battery at the end £110~ 85Ah. Specialist coded it, to 80Ah. Oem only has 70/80/90 sizes plus the AGM equivalent.

Not a problem since, been and back from Germany.

All lights working fine and no more warning messages.
Appreciate 0
      09-03-2012, 03:21 PM   #10
Greg330
Major
Greg330's Avatar
67
Rep
1,273
Posts

Drives: E91 335i
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: South Coast

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by a11y View Post
Assuming it's in the same place on the e92 as the e90, there's a designated pin attached to the driver's side of the engine bay, closer to the front than the location of the +ve terminal. A picture would help me explain - there is in the manual

I know as I've got the same thing going on with my e90, but I think it's largely through lack of use. I stuck it on a trickle charger the other day and drove ~50 miles last night so hopefully will be solved.
Haha you're so right
Appreciate 0
      09-03-2012, 03:58 PM   #11
Robin330i
Lieutenant
35
Rep
512
Posts

Drives: E90 330i M Sport
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Cheshire

iTrader: (2)

Quote:
Originally Posted by zedman View Post
ours does that

battery is not holding sufficient charge and needs to be replaced, BMW say this is normal and a battery life of LESS THAN 3 YEARS is acceptable

a new battery will costs loads plus coding, battery places dont want to do the job so its a specialiest or a dealer job

Mine did that - it was on its original battery and its a 2005 car so its done a good 7 years, i changed it for a nice bosch one from Eurocarparts, cost me £45 inc 30% off (they had an offer going on at the time) and had no problems since.

When i changed mine i didn't need anything coding.............it was a 10 minute job if that.
__________________
E90 330i M Sport - Honda S2000
Appreciate 0
      09-03-2012, 04:54 PM   #12
Arch Stanton
Second Lieutenant
49
Rep
258
Posts

Drives: BMW 335i touring
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: the smelly bit of the north

iTrader: (0)

am i correct in thinking that it will ony need coding if you change the power of the battery?
Appreciate 0
      09-03-2012, 05:18 PM   #13
greatbm
Major
greatbm's Avatar
United Kingdom
147
Rep
1,060
Posts

Drives: G15 840i Coupe
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: North East

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arch Stanton View Post
am i correct in thinking that it will ony need coding if you change the power of the battery?
The battery coding is supposed to alter the charge rate firstly for the amp/hours e.g. 80,90 A/Hrs and secondly alters the charge rate for the age of the battery to maximise battery life. I take it that means that the charge may be more aggressive whilst the battery is new and tapers the charge as it gets older and more fragile.
Appreciate 0
      09-04-2012, 03:57 AM   #14
nicktyler
Major
United Kingdom
32
Rep
1,271
Posts

Drives: 335i (sadly gone)
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Essex

iTrader: (3)

Garage List
I had this problem when I bought the car. It seems to be quite common from what I have seen on this thread. I charged it for about 24hrs on some special proper meaty digital charger I borrowed from the garage (which apparently cost £2,500). Then I disconnectd the battery for 30 mins (do not let the boot shut) reconnected and not had the problem since. Also I do quite a few short journeys.

I think in my case it just needed to be fully, fully charged. May be worth a try
Appreciate 0
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:45 AM.




e90post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST