Battery for E53 2005 4.4i

[wpoll]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

Under 12 before starting not great. Yes sounds end of life to me unless you have a ground problem or such. Get a reading at the battery


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Heck of a load on the battery for this test though - ignition on, engine off but headlights and accessories running is probably 20-30 amp load... Even a good battery could show under 12v on the BC under these conditions (due to the battery's own internal resistance and the various losses in the BC measuring circuits).

[andrewwynn]

True that might be an absolutely normal value

[Russianblue]

I have officially 'outsourced' my batteries to AAA. Their battery service came to my house and installed the thing for $190. they got there in 45 min on a Saturday.

It's totally not my M.O. to not research it and figure out the absolute top performing, best bang for the buck etc, but the battery I replaced was also a AAA battery from an emergency install in 2012. it lasted 7 years. no issues whatsoever.

I know not everyone is a AAA member but if you are, a lot of folks don't know about their battery service, which in my n=1 experience, has been very good.

the new battery came with the little plastic elbow for the new vent connecting it was super easy.

[andrewwynn]

Was the battery liquid or AGM?


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[Drevco]

Originally Posted by talljames

Hi all, I am looking at getting the Varta H3 100AH 830A Lead Acid for my X5 E53 2005 4.4i petrol. I dont think I need a AGM version which is a lot more expensive. Are these the ones BMW use? Also, I think Zi can replace my battery myself. Is this a good choice?



regards

I changed it in my E53 (same 4.4i) almost 3 years ago, for one with CCA650 and 100A. and the X5 in 150m went from a sluggish almost bore car into a sharp, direct and powerful machine.
It might be the most (simple) rewarding thing I’ve done to the car. Really amazing.
I didn’t expect that.

[andrewwynn]

For a daily driver never taken off road I would not veto a liquid axis battery. The BMW branded battery I replaced last year on my x5 was liquid but I upgraded to AGM when I found a good value at Sam's club


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[bcredliner]

Before you replace the battery I suggest you have it load tested. The test will be conclusive one way or the other. Keep in mind that BMWs are very sensitive to voltage variations so there should be some urgency replacing the current battery if it test bad and should be considered in what the specs are on the new battery. I wouldn't purchase a battery that doesn't at least meet the original specs. I think the purchase of a battery is not about what is sufficient for normal conditions. It should be about what will still be sufficient in extreme conditions. Also consider the length of the warranty and how long the two types of batteries normally last as part of the pricing decision. The AGM battery could be a better value even at the higher price. Based on the importance of a good battery, it has always served me well replacing original batteries with heavier duty batteries.

[andrewwynn]

It actually is not conclusive. My battery that could start my 3.0 at 0°F and tested 550 CCA on an old school resistive tester couldn't run an iPhone for 30 minutes nor the hszzards for 8 minutes and start the car after.

All I can figure is that somehow the plates were covered in such a way it affected only capacity not current or voltage. Basically rather than having an 800A,100AH battery it was a 550A, 1AH battery (could supply 200A for a start a couple times but the capacity being literally about 1AH means I could crank a few times at best or run the iPhone charger maybe 20 minutes (30 and I couldn't start the car)

That all said: normally bc is correct, a load test *should* by all means give you a definitive answer about the battery condition, but only a long term load test (eg pull 10A for half a day) will test the battery fully. Nobody ever performs that test but it really should be done occasionally. An 80AH battery should be able to run a 1A load for 80 hours, and a 10A load for maybe 6A for 10-11 hours (internal resistance costs you some storage the higher the draw)

My dad has a 100A load tester I think it might have a lower setting I'll have to check.

+1 on the upgrade a bit concept, especially if you live in a cold climate. There's a very good reason nobody talks about the hot cranking current

[bcredliner]

I disagree that you have to do more than a load test these days. Current equipment even that used in chain auto parts stores checks all the boxes. A load test is easy to have done at least in US and is free. It's an important troubleshooting step as It eliminates the question if the problem is elsewhere such as the alternator voltage output.

[andrewwynn]

You maybe missed the point of my previous message:

A load test "confirmed" that my battery was perfectly ok and they sent me on my merry way. Less than a week later my car wouldn't start after 8 minutes of blinking the flashers.

A load test can as it did in my case give you a false sense of security. It can't be trusted trusted blindly as proof it's ok. It will definitely prove a battery is shot though so it's the first test to perform.

The problem is they can't test capacity which is also pretty important, it determines literally, how long the car can sit before it won't start, and good long leaving on an accessory will take to cripple the car. A normal battery will run an iPhone for perhaps a week or more, my "passed the test" battery 1/500th of a week did it in.

You definitely should do a load test it's the most important factor in determining if your battery has reached end of life, but a completely worthless end of life battery CAN pass a load test with flying colors and then leave you stranded when you go into a store for 20 minutes and your kid has his iPhone plugged in. (True story)

If your battery (like mine) passes a load test but you are bewildered when your car won't start after sitting overnight or with the radio on for an hour (a normal battery can probably run the radio for at least 30 hours and still start the car), then some more testing is needed. Eg. Run the radio for six hours and see what voltage is left and if you can start the car.

If a battery can start the car after 2-4 hours of radio play AND passes a load test, I would call that acceptable. it would be worth figuring out a combination like high beams on but nothing else to get a standard load test to perform once in a while rather than just wait to be stranded method that is the normal test for end of life