Quote:
Originally Posted by getty150
...I was safe in simply purchasing from Sam's  (good prices for reputable batteries)
...And its not the best practice to take the sales persons strong suggestion  (misinfo from a sometimes under-informed sales person)
...Heck I've been lied to at the auto parts store  (they're just upselling, by order of management)
...you're going to need a charger but not just any charger (use a "smart" charger-maintainer)
...BMW driver...? (famed for German over-engineering and resultant problems, like the Tiger tanks of WW2)
then, it's Best to charge that puppy up on the weekends and before long trips, or if Letting the car sit for a considerable amount of time...? then
Put the battery on a trickel charger..... |
Good choice for your battery..
Even after dealing with dozens of car batteries over the past 59 years ('65-'24), I'm still learning about them. I've learned to do my research before buying, and go after my final choice, unswayed by sales people (autoparts stores are for emergency sourcing of parts only, IMHO, therefore I avoid them).
As for battery problems with my X: I have subjected it to the worst combination of usage scenarios possible. Under-used (it might sit for weeks), short trips when driven, over-testing (I might run it at idle for hours, or not at all, when scanning or such), hot-climate use (summer, spring, & fall, usually), and I have no idea the history of the charging system preceding my ownership (it was probably never charged, regularly, while the PO was prepping it for me). Compared to my other old vehicles (not counting the '14 Lexus), the X5 has twice (or more) modules that require good power to function.
P.S. In addition to using several different brands & types of chargers & charger-maintainers on my vehicles, I have started to carry an "emergency kit" along with me, whenever I drive away from home (if the wife remained at home, and could bring me the kit, if left behind). It contains two scan tools (Innova 3100i, and Foxwell NT510 Elite...with BMW, General Motors, and Toyota-Lexus software), multimeter, DC amp clamp, relay bypass kit, generic "power probe", Lithium-ion jump box, some hand tools, electrical & Gorilla tape, gloves, and even a spare cell phone with OTG endoscope. And some Texas-specific spare equipment. The X5 (and the Chevy 2500HD) already have their own large tool & spare parts supplies onboard already (even with chargers, jacks, air pumps, etc), the other vehicles don't, so the "emergeny kit" (in a 15" tool bag) was born. Just in case.