[Idaho335D]

How is my battery different than the other ones I've seen posted? I'm traveling for work so my wife got the pic for me. Which replacement do I need?

[Persian Whisperjet]

I believe that is a Group 94, but you have options. My car (2011) came with a Group 94 battery, which was fine but when I went to Pep Boys they only had the (monster) Group 49, which is a tight fit but had more CCA. Do you live in the cold part of Idaho? Both batteries are fine for all but the most demanding applications. If you switch amps or from lead acid to AGM you will want to code the new battery, which will probably require help. My mechanic, Kevin at AKTIV Automotive, did it for free but he is an outlier. My teenager helped me with getting the battery mounted for free but she did not know I would have gladly paid her for the help, that is a tight fit.

[Idaho335D]

Originally Posted by Persian Whisperjet

I believe that is a Group 94, but you have options. My car (2011) came with a Group 94 battery, which was fine but when I went to Pep Boys they only had the (monster) Group 49, which is a tight fit but had more CCA. Do you live in the cold part of Idaho? Both batteries are fine for all but the most demanding applications. If you switch amps or from lead acid to AGM you will want to code the new battery, which will probably require help. My mechanic, Kevin at AKTIV Automotive, did it for free but he is an outlier. My teenager helped me with getting the battery mounted for free but she did not know I would have gladly paid her for the help, that is a tight fit.

The car actually spends no time in cold weather. It's used seasonally for work mostly in Texas and Florida. I was planning on going with a duralast gold from autozone but now I'm unsure that I've picked out the right one.

http://www.autozone.com/ignition-tun...32331_399699_0

[Persian Whisperjet]

That is a Group 49, should fit fine.

[Idaho335D]

Perfect, thanks for the help

[BB_cuda]

That duralast has a better amp hr rating of 95 vs 90 in picture. Also, the reserve capacity is 185 vs 160 in picture. The group 49( H8 is same thing ) has more umph than the 94R OEM battery you have. When you register, make sure to reflect the batterie's specs

[Idaho335D]

Originally Posted by BB_cuda

That duralast has a better amp hr rating of 95 vs 90 in picture. Also, the reserve capacity is 185 vs 160 in picture. The group 49( H8 is same thing ) has more umph than the 94R OEM battery you have. When you register, make sure to reflect the batterie's specs

If im not able to get the battery registered right away are there any issues that could come up?

[Torqu3]

Originally Posted by Idaho335D

If im not able to get the battery registered right away are there any issues that could come up?

It'll take awhile for anything to really get messed up. You're fine putting it off a week or two, but just be sure you get it done.

[montr]

Originally Posted by Idaho335D

If im not able to get the battery registered right away are there any issues that could come up?

I changed my battery 2 years ago and I used the free BMWLOGGER to register the new battery.

b i m m e r s o f t w a r e .com/bmwlogger-2

I also have Carly for BMW, but I did not want to spend more to active the battery registration.

I use BMWLOGGER because it differentiate between shadow codes and hard codes, something that Carly does not do. SES light turn ON only for hard code.

[BB_cuda]

I'm unsure at what point that I make the call to get a new battery. I last got it replaced by dealer in January 2014. They gave me the larger Group 49.

Last weekend, I had to have the car "on" but not running to be able to put car in neutral and rotate the rear wheel. I had it in this mode for about 20 minutes. I finished the work and drove the car around the block to test the brakes. I then parked it and it sat all week in garage. I started it Friday and got the increased battery discharge message on Nav screen. I had planned to drive it but decided to leave it home and connected to battery tender. I charged it off and on about a day and half. I drove it Saturday night (30 minute drive, each way) and brought home. On Sunday, I checked the voltage and it only read 12.4 VDC. Seems like that would be degraded but not gone, yet.

The original battery lasted from Nov 2010 to Jan 2014 (3 yrs 2 months) and this one is at 3 yrs 4 months. I do put the battery tender on it but only about every 2 months.

I do recall Hooper doing something to "desulfate" his, if that is the right term.

[Idaho335D]

So last night I replaced the battery. Today I get in it and up pops error "Restraint System Malfunction" could this be coming on because of the new battery? I read in a different forum about someone having same message and people asking if he had changed the battery lately but it never got resolved. Anybody have this issue after new battery? I have gotten this error a time or two before but it turned itself off right away each time

[Torqu3]

Originally Posted by Idaho335D

So last night I replaced the battery. Today I get in it and up pops error "Restraint System Malfunction" could this be coming on because of the new battery? I read in a different forum about someone having same message and people asking if he had changed the battery lately but it never got resolved. Anybody have this issue after new battery? I have gotten this error a time or two before but it turned itself off right away each time

Replacing a battery is always a funny topic. You're powering down your electronics completely, so there's a high chance of it throwing random codes. Clear the code and see if it comes back.

[Idaho335D]

Originally Posted by Torqu3

Replacing a battery is always a funny topic. You're powering down your electronics completely, so there's a high chance of it throwing random codes. Clear the code and see if it comes back.

I've got a regular OBDII handheld I used to tune a different vehicle, will that be able to clear the codes or do I need something different?

[Torqu3]

Originally Posted by Idaho335D

I've got a regular OBDII handheld I used to tune a different vehicle, will that be able to clear the codes or do I need something different?

Should be fine. Give it a shot and see.

[Idaho335D]

No luck with my handheld, tried a few times it either said "no trouble codes" or "no ecu found" considering I know it should have trouble codes and an ecu I need another way to check them. Can a place like autozone do it or do I need to buy a code reader? Any good ones that arent expensive?

[Torqu3]

Originally Posted by Idaho335D

No luck with my handheld, tried a few times it either said "no trouble codes" or "no ecu found" considering I know it should have trouble codes and an ecu I need another way to check them. Can a place like autozone do it or do I need to buy a code reader? Any good ones that arent expensive?

Let autozone give it a shot. Remember, if you have comfort access, you need to press the start button twice without your foot on the brake. If you don't have comfort access, put the key in the hole, and press the start button once without your foot on the brake. Then try to read the codes. I reccomend installing a software that will read BMW codes, or I use this: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...Hu7GgKJ8vD_BwE

BMW throws hidden codes that a generic reader won't see. If you plan on owning the car awhile, invest in a scanner of some kind. There is computer software that is free, and all you'll need is a cable. I like the Schwaben tool because it is portable and easy to use.

[Persian Whisperjet]

+1 for the Schwaben tool. I wish I had bought this instead of iCarly.

[dmanb2b]

Originally Posted by Persian Whisperjet

+1 for the Schwaben tool. I wish I had bought this instead of iCarly.

+2...I really like it so far!

[Thecastle]

Originally Posted by BB_cuda

I'm unsure at what point that I make the call to get a new battery. I last got it replaced by dealer in January 2014. They gave me the larger Group 49.

Last weekend, I had to have the car "on" but not running to be able to put car in neutral and rotate the rear wheel. I had it in this mode for about 20 minutes. I finished the work and drove the car around the block to test the brakes. I then parked it and it sat all week in garage. I started it Friday and got the increased battery discharge message on Nav screen. I had planned to drive it but decided to leave it home and connected to battery tender. I charged it off and on about a day and half. I drove it Saturday night (30 minute drive, each way) and brought home. On Sunday, I checked the voltage and it only read 12.4 VDC. Seems like that would be degraded but not gone, yet.

The original battery lasted from Nov 2010 to Jan 2014 (3 yrs 2 months) and this one is at 3 yrs 4 months. I do put the battery tender on it but only about every 2 months.

I do recall Hooper doing something to "desulfate" his, if that is the right term.

So, depending on what type of battery you have (Agm or flooded) 12.4v would indicate a healthy 70% state of charge. Which means it's okay. http://www.aussiebatteries.com.au/de...battery-guide/

But that isn't the whole story, it may show a healthy resting voltage but under a draw it may not yield the indicated capacity which would indicate a degraded battery.

I don't know what kind of battery charger your using from the description, but say it's a trickle charger in the 2amp range. If you have a 90ahr battery and it was more than 50% depleted your charger would take more than 24 hours to charge the battery plus what ever drains from the car due to various draws. so you may need several days on a trickle charger before reaching full charge.

For reference I charge my 95ah Agm battery monthly to full capacity around 12.9v. Over the course of a month the car Gradually depeletes the battery to around 12.3-12.5v. Something to keep in mind is normally the lower the battery charge is the more amps it can accept for faster recharging. Once it reaches 80% it runs in trickle mode which takes hours to days to,fully recharge a battery. The charging strategy on cars allows for quick bulk charging to around 70% capacity. But are not able to fully charge the battery in normal drive cycles (too short you need many hours) so the use of an extrernal charger is helpful to maximize battery life. Especially in light of the large current draws these cars have while off.

If you can't reach full charge on your battery it may indicate a bad cell, led sulfate crystals on the plates, or tired plates. You can try using a charger that has a battery reviver aka desulfurization mode to see if it helps. Frankly it only works if your battery has surface sulfation and hasn't been running in a mostlyndischaged state for long periods.

Also given our climate you'll be doing well,if your battery lasts more than 3 years. Hot weather significantly shortens battery life.

[DYOOS]

Anyone have a Duralast Platinum 49 H8 AGM in their car? If so, any issues? I'm looking to pick this up from AutoZone today.

http://www.autozone.com/batteries-st...?checkfit=true

[Persian Whisperjet]

Originally Posted by RepBolt

Anyone have a Duralast Platinum 49 H8 AGM in their car? If so, any issues? I'm looking to pick this up from AutoZone today.

http://www.autozone.com/batteries-st...?checkfit=true

A group 49 battery will fit, it's just tight. If your current battery is not AGM you will want to visit with some spiffy expert type who can code in ISTA or equivalent. Foxwell 510 can code new battery but not new battery type.

[DYOOS]

Originally Posted by Persian Whisperjet

A group 49 battery will fit, it's just tight. If your current battery is not AGM you will want to visit with some spiffy expert type who can code in ISTA or equivalent. Foxwell 510 can code new battery but not new battery type.

I believe I have a flooded battery since it has a white top, so I will be upgrading to an AGM battery. Since I'm upgrading to a new battery type, I'd have to get it registered AND coded correct? Pretty sure that's what I have been reading constantly. If I'm getting just a new battery that's the same type, then all I'd need to do is register it.