[RedmumbaSeattle]

Good morning, folks,

I've seen a lot of "specialty" shop recommendations, but what do you guys recommend for a battery change and, more importantly, a brake pad change? I'm looking to replace the OEM brakes (they were at 3mm about two months ago, so they need to be changed) with some nicer ceramic ones--I'm tired of having to wash my wheels every other week!

Additionally, I know there's a lot of stuff about the battery, but if there are any indy shops that will do the battery change (and subsequent recoding), that'd be great--the Seattle BMW dealer quoted me $512 (!!!!) for a battery change, and I'm still waiting to hear back from Bellevue BMW. I have coded my car, but in general, it doesn't seem like the coding portion of a battery change has quite been perfected, so I am wary of doing it myself.

I have a 2007 BMW 328xi (e90).

Thanks for any recommendations!

Andrew

[yogi]

go to autozone, buy a battery for 130 and change it yourself. thats what i did for my e90 and e60. no problems here.

[RedmumbaSeattle]

Originally Posted by yogi

go to autozone, buy a battery for 130 and change it yourself. thats what i did for my e90 and e60. no problems here.

From what I understand, though, the alternator adjusts how much voltage gets sent to the battery--so as the battery wears down, it will deliver more power to the battery on ignition. The usual dangers are explosion, fires, etc., but other people have not had issues. My main concern is the fit--the BMW battery is *huge* comparatively, and there's been some discussion about what battery is even supposed to be in there. Have you had any issues with yours? How long as it been in there? What kind of battery, etc.?

[yogi]

Originally Posted by RedmumbaSeattle

From what I understand, though, the alternator adjusts how much voltage gets sent to the battery--so as the battery wears down, it will deliver more power to the battery on ignition. The usual dangers are explosion, fires, etc., but other people have not had issues. My main concern is the fit--the BMW battery is *huge* comparatively, and there's been some discussion about what battery is even supposed to be in there. Have you had any issues with yours? How long as it been in there? What kind of battery, etc.?

on my e90 its been there for 2 years and its a duralast. on my e60 its been there a few months.

i havent had any issues, nor have i heard of any fires or explosions. i have heard of fires due to faulty cables that were recalled. to each their own im comfortable getting into my cars and doing work myself, some arent. maybe you can replace the battery and then pay a shop or dealer to "calibrate" it?

[yogi]

as for indy shops i heard the guys at strictly bmw are good but can be spendy...

[RedmumbaSeattle]

Originally Posted by yogi

on my e90 its been there for 2 years and its a duralast. on my e60 its been there a few months.

i havent had any issues, nor have i heard of any fires or explosions. i have heard of fires due to faulty cables that were recalled. to each their own im comfortable getting into my cars and doing work myself, some arent. maybe you can replace the battery and then pay a shop or dealer to "calibrate" it?

Yeah, I'm not 100% comfortable, but I did my first oil change myself a few weeks ago, so I'm getting more confident. I have no problem getting in there with the battery, but I've heard so many mixed things about installing an aftermarket battery that I can't say for sure if it's safe to do. There's a huge thread about the battery reset, but even so, nobody can say if it's dangerous or not.

[yogi]

JUST DO IT! whats the worst that can happen? lol.

[GetSlideways]

Originally Posted by yogi

JUST DO IT! whats the worst that can happen? lol.

Famous last words lol

[RedmumbaSeattle]

"RedmumbaSeattle's BMW exploded in a large fireball today, after what fellow forum members described as a `half-assed attempt` at changing his battery."

[m34SPD]

Give Haury's in Lake City a call. They have really good prices for service. Or make friends with a tech at BMW.

[RedmumbaSeattle]

I actually went ahead and took it to Broad Stroke Associates (Amy and Parker); they were really great--fast work and good conversation as well. Would recommend.