Registering a new battery?

[jasondlyman]

Hey folks!
I am sure that this topic is located somewhere in these forums but I can't seem to locate it so I thought I would ask the question here. I've got a 2006 X5 3.0 and it has a dead battery. My question is, how crucial is it that I take it to my repair shop to have them install the new battery AND have it registered vs. going to Autozone, picking one up myself and installing it at home? Is my X5 going to explode if I don't take it in? Will the battery die in a month? Additionally I am only about 90% sure it's the battery so I want to replace it to test that theory. Any help would be appreciated, even if it is a link to a previous forum discussion on this topic. Thanks!

[Qsilver7]

An e53 X5 doesn't require battery registration. Your X5 falls on the "old" side of things...prior to the newer LIN & BSD communication bus systems used on BMWs since the new generations started (e90/e65/e60/e70/etc).

Your e53 X5 DOES NOT have an IBS (intelligent battery sensor) nor the LIN or BSD bus where the battery, alternator, and DME are in constant communication of each other.

The IBS started with the e60 5 series and every model that debuted after. The early e90 & e65 models that debuted before the e60...still need battery registration due to communication over the LIN and/or BSD bus...but again, these 2 models are new generation BMWs.

And don't let folks at the local BMW dealership rip you off either...I've read enough threads where owners of e38s/e39s/e46s/e53s have been told & charged for battery registration on these older models...and it is NOT needed. Just swap in your new battery and go.

EDIT: here's info about the IBS & models that need battery registration

[jasondlyman]

THANK YOU! That is exactly the news I was hoping to get.

[StephenVA]

Qsilver7 is the man once again!

[jdstrickland]

HOLY CRAP! Don't I feel like a dinosaur? Register a battery? Monitor the battery for temp and current?

I've never heard of such a thing? Indeed, it was never thought of as a consideration. I've seen circuits where the clock will blink when the battery gets weak so the operator sees that the conditions exist that might make the vehicle unreliable -- an advance warning that the battery needs to be replaced. This is new to me, IBS.

Register the new battery before it works. What will they think of next?

I kinda, sorta, understand what's happening here, I just did not think that in an automotive environment that it would be useful or desirable. But, they are monitoring electronics in a system that is becoming more and more sophisticated, and anomalies in the electrical supply can prove to be problematic. My inner-dinosaur says to drop the new battery in and connect it, and drive happy. Register the battery with the main computer system so the health and well being can be benchmarked is new.

Interesting.

[Joshdub]

Originally Posted by jdstrickland

HOLY CRAP! Don't I feel like a dinosaur? Register a battery? Monitor the battery for temp and current?

I've never heard of such a thing? Indeed, it was never thought of as a consideration. I've seen circuits where the clock will blink when the battery gets weak so the operator sees that the conditions exist that might make the vehicle unreliable -- an advance warning that the battery needs to be replaced. This is new to me, IBS.

Register the new battery before it works. What will they think of next?

I kinda, sorta, understand what's happening here, I just did not think that in an automotive environment that it would be useful or desirable. But, they are monitoring electronics in a system that is becoming more and more sophisticated, and anomalies in the electrical supply can prove to be problematic. My inner-dinosaur says to drop the new battery in and connect it, and drive happy. Register the battery with the main computer system so the health and well being can be benchmarked is new.

Interesting.

My S5 requires batteries to be registered. It'll work if you don't, but apparently it helps the car charge the battery more efficiently as it ages (or something along those lines).

[Qsilver7]

Anyone owning a BMW in the future and it's out of warranty will either need a serious discretionary slush fund...or have a laptop loaded with software and the appropriate cables if they want to be able to work on their car...even for simple stuff like replacing a battery.

The future is here...I see it...and I'm nervous.

[wpoll]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

The future is here...I see it...and I'm nervous.

The future has been here for a while - it just hasn't been distributed very evenly.

[David.X5]

I've registered the battery on my neighbors 5-series for him. As said above, it resets the countdown timer for battery replacement and changes slightly the charging profile. No big deal. Say you extend the life of that new $150 battery by 10% or 20% - you are saving maybe $30 over 5 years.