Xoutpost.com - View Single Post - Preparations for main battery replacement or key fobs dying

workingonit · #4 06-26-2024, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motordavid

Fellow Geezer here, so limited opinions vs the younger/still mechanically inclined fellow posters...

Batt R&R is a PIA, but not impossible. It requires getting to batt and a long pair of arms. Maybe do it in a cool/shady indoor spot?

This time of the year, there are no cool/shady spots for my vehicles. The wife's car gets the good spot (of course, my yard equipment, air compressor, and my homebuilt squareback camping trailer take up the other two bays in our garage).When it comes time to replace the battery, I'll probably have to set up my pop-up canopy and aim a box fan at the trunk. Or, somehow convince the wife to move her Lexus outside, risking sun. rain, or hail for the time period needed to replace the battery.

If something goes wrong (as my previous post outlines), then it'd be safer for my ears if her car had to remain outside for too long (I'd have to cover it again, with a tarp over moving pads, as I did the last time it sat outside overnight, to protect it from possible hail...always a possibility in my neck of the woods). I sorta wish I could replace it today, while she's out of town for three more days...but the battery tested good yesterday.

I have done a batt R&R a few times on our 2001 E53, and it is probably due for a new one. I have had v good luck with sealed AMG type batts from Battery+ or AutoZone, over the last 23 yrs.

I have never changed a BMW battery, but have done dozens of replacements over the years. On my current vehicles, in recent years, I've seldom had to, because once I started using charger/maintainers, the batteries have lasted from 7-13 years (the Optima Yellowtop in my trailer is 13, and still OK). The Yellowtop was my first and only AGM, so far, but I've had great luck using

1) Walmart Everstarts the most,
2) AC Delco second,
3) Autozone Duralasts third,
4) O'Reilly SuperStarts fourth,
5) and most recently, a couple of Duracells from Sam's Club. Sam's Club & Walmart prices fit my limited budget better.

I would skip the task of 'How is my current battery doing' and just get a new sealed batt of proper rating/size/physical size and R&R it, or have a shop do it...our year(s) do not require any 'coding' or matching like new X5s do.

Since you say there's no coding necessary, then I can do the battery myself; it's crawling underneath the cars that might require sending a vehicle to a shop, to do any repair...a recent "brakeline replacement/rear calipers+shoes+drums/brake flush repair job" was the only job I farmed out in the last 30 years. I'm still suffering from "sticker shock" from reading their bill.

But, I'm waiting to see signs of an impending battery failure (low voltage readings on my monitor before a start, or a slower than normal crank & fire-up) before I spend $200 or so, on a battery (I'll probably use my wife's Sam's Club Rewards balance, to get it for free, like I did buying the last battery for my HHR, hahaha).

I do a low amp Battery Tender on newly purchased batt for a day or so, when I get them home to bring them up to full easy charge, before installing, fwiw.

Not a bad idea, but since my X5 can sit idle for days (weeks) at a time, it's not a critical step. But, I'll take the advice, and use my new Clore Solar Pro-Logix PL2320 20-Amp Fully-Automatic Smart ChargerMaintainer, and Stable Power Supply to bring the battery up to snuff, before starting the truck.

Key: I have lost one of the orig/OEM fob & key, but I passed on the side bar versions and spent the ~ $250 at a BMW dlr for a new 'real' version. Easy and quick and they work without fiddling, and they did the 'coding' or key synch for me for at that price. Was worth it for me vs fiddling....

I'd really like to get a "real" key from BMW, but as you might not know, I've been on a low/no budget since I retired 8.5 years ago (demolishing our old house and replacing it in year two, took most of my free "happy money", so I have to use my "allowance" wisely).

It didn't help that my wife decided to quit working at the same time as I, despite being 14+ years younger, and without ever drawing unemployment or having good health insurance for herself (I pay out-of-pocket for her), my car repair and project money is further limited.

My 50Cts...
GL, mD

Good advice, many thanks for your reply!

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