Home Forums Articles How To's FAQ Register
Go Back   Xoutpost.com > BMW SAV Forums > X5 (E53) Forum
Fluid Motor Union
User Name
Password
Member List Premier Membership Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Xoutpost server transfer and maintenance is occurring....
Xoutpost is currently undergoing a planned server migration.... stay tuned for new developments.... sincerely, the management


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 06-26-2024, 12:11 PM
workingonit's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: May 2021
Location: DFW Texas
Posts: 883
workingonit is on a distinguished road
Preparations for main battery replacement or key fobs dying

I've had my X5 for just over three years now, with a battery of unknown age installed, a single OEM key, and two generic Ebay fobs; I'm dreading the inevitable failure of one or all of the above items, and want to be prepared to replace them, and not get locked out of my X.

It's about time for one or more of them to fail, and a current thread https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...ml#post1239546 reminded me of the upcoming problems. As the OP of that thread stated
Quote:
Originally Posted by JUUT
There is no option to input an unlock code, I think that's only certain models with the radio which mine does not have ( Usually appears on the dash cluster as C O D E _ _ _ _ If I remember correctly)
I might not be able to start my X, afterwards, if the EWS loses sync.


Battery replacement?
  • 1) my trunk is full of tools and spare parts that I might need to work on the X (my personal truck, an '04 Chevy 2500HD, and my old daily driver, a '09 Chevy HHR Panel, both have/had the same sort of stuff always aboard)...it'd be a bear to remove all, and the spare tire, just to examine the battery for age and condition, especially since I'm old, and the X is always in the hot Texas sun (It'll be 100+ all week),

  • 2) I'd like to test the battery with my carbon pile tester, but I have tested it via my old Innova 3100i scan tool (does my Foxwell NT510 Elite have a battery test capability ?), and it tested OK,

  • 3) I keep a 1.25a Battery Tender charger/maintainer in use at all times at home, so it is always strong, but I fear eventually evaporating the electrolyte from constant charging in the heat of summer (I also charge three other vehicles, and I top their batteries up wit distilled water every summer)...I can't recall if I noticed what type of battery was in the X5, last time I was in there, so I might need to top up the electrolyte there, too,

  • 4) if and when I have to replace the battery, I'm going to get an "OBD II Memory Saver Connector", so I won't lose the EWS coding,;is 9v enough or just use 12v?

OEM diamond key failure?
  • 1) I only have a single OEM key, with the VL2020 rechargeable battery inside; I cut open the key to replace the dead battery three years ago (it died on the second day I owned it), and use a Philips Sonicare toothbrush charger on my desk to keep it charged during the extended periods of disuse,

  • 2) I bought a generic VL2020 from Amazon, as the Panasonic battery wasn't available at the time, so I can't rely 100% on it lasting 20 years like the first fob battery did,

  • 3) When I cut the fob open back then, I accidentally cut a small wire inside, and had to solder it back in place, so that might come loose at any time, necessitating the carrying of an extra key fob with me (to lock/unlock the doors/trunk, without using the doorswitch),

  • 4) I have a replacement fob+key blade (with the blade already laser-cut) to transfer the OEM key's innards into (while also checking the state of the VL2020 battery, and the soldered wire, but I'll wait to swap it out until the original key fails

Cheap generic key fobs, second purchase?
  • 1) I bought two new generic fobs from Ebay, three years ago, that I synced to the EWS at the same time I re-synce the repaired OEM key; the blades are uncut, and I only use them occasionally, usually if I'm just needing tools from the X5's trunk, and carry one with me just to use as a fob, if the OEM key fails,

  • 2) the two keys came sealed from the seller, so I have no idea what kind of battery is inside, or the expected lifespan; I've used one for three years (the expected lifespan of most lithium watch batteries, like I suspect is inside), and I didn't use the other for the first 2.75 years, after misplacing it amongst the tools in the trunk, so it might last longer,

  • 3) my plan is to order a second set once the first one fails, from the same seller, sync them, and continue using them sparingly as backup fobs for doors & alarm use

Possible EWS problems?

  • 1) there's always the chance that my X will lose sync with the EWS, if trunk battery dies before replacement, one or more keyfob batteries (or internal wiring of same) fails before replacement/refurbishment, or the ignition key cylinder/switch/sensing ring assembly goes bad,

  • 2) since my X5 has had the radio and MID removed and thrown away, how do I

    • a) find the special EWS code,

    • b) reset the EWS code,

    • c) or bypass the rolling EWS code,

    in a no-start situation, following one or more of the situations outlined above?
__________________
01 BMW X5 E53,3.0i-5L40E, 7/13/01
topas-blau,Leder-grau,"resto-project car"

Here:
14 Lexus ES350,3.5L-U660E
09 HHR Panel,2.2L-4T45E
04 Chevy 2500HD,6.0L-4L80E
98 GMC Sierra 1500,5.7L-4L60E

Gone:
66 Chevelle Malibu 2dr ht.,327>441c.i.-TH350>PGlide/transbrake
08 Cobalt Coupe,2.2L-4T45E
69 & 75 C10s,350c.i.-TH350
86 S10,2.8L-700R4
73 Volvo 142,2.0L-MT4
72 & 73 VW SuperBeetles,1.6l-MT4
64 VW,1.2l-MT4
67 Dodge Monaco 500 2dr ht.,383c.i.-A727
56 Chevy 210 4dr,265c.i.-PGlide
Reply With Quote

Sponsored Links

  #2  
Old 06-26-2024, 12:57 PM
motordavid's Avatar
RetiredBum & Semi-RenaissanceMan
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Mtns of Western NC, & SW FLA
Posts: 16,824
motordavid will become famous soon enoughmotordavid will become famous soon enough
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?

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 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.

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.

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..

My 50Cts...
GL, mD
__________________
Ol'UncleMotor
From the Home Base of Pro Bono Punditry
and 50 Cent Opins...

Our Mtn Scenes, Car Pics, and Road Trip Pics on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4527537...7627297418250/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4527537...7627332480833/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45275375@N00/

My X Page




Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 06-26-2024, 01:47 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 2,285
80stech is on a distinguished road
+1 on most of that Replace the battery with an AGM and get a second key from the dealer plus make sure that the drivers door manual key operation is good, best way would be to replace the actuator shaft thingy that breaks or at least lube it well in any case and you have all the bases covered. I have never heard of anybody losing EWS synch when replacing battery, I think it only happens if the voltage is low for long enough for one module to loose the code and not the other.
__________________
1988 325is (purchased new) sold
2004 X5 3.0 2005 X3 2.5
2008 X5 3.0 (new to me)
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 06-26-2024, 02:59 PM
workingonit's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: May 2021
Location: DFW Texas
Posts: 883
workingonit is on a distinguished road
good advice

Quote:
Originally Posted by motordavid View Post
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!
__________________
01 BMW X5 E53,3.0i-5L40E, 7/13/01
topas-blau,Leder-grau,"resto-project car"

Here:
14 Lexus ES350,3.5L-U660E
09 HHR Panel,2.2L-4T45E
04 Chevy 2500HD,6.0L-4L80E
98 GMC Sierra 1500,5.7L-4L60E

Gone:
66 Chevelle Malibu 2dr ht.,327>441c.i.-TH350>PGlide/transbrake
08 Cobalt Coupe,2.2L-4T45E
69 & 75 C10s,350c.i.-TH350
86 S10,2.8L-700R4
73 Volvo 142,2.0L-MT4
72 & 73 VW SuperBeetles,1.6l-MT4
64 VW,1.2l-MT4
67 Dodge Monaco 500 2dr ht.,383c.i.-A727
56 Chevy 210 4dr,265c.i.-PGlide
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 06-26-2024, 03:14 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 2,285
80stech is on a distinguished road
Waiting for a problem with the battery is how you are much more likely to lose the EWS synch. If you don't want to spend any more money on the key fobs then at least make sure that the manual lock is working and dependable.
__________________
1988 325is (purchased new) sold
2004 X5 3.0 2005 X3 2.5
2008 X5 3.0 (new to me)
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 06-26-2024, 04:48 PM
Henn28's Avatar
Premier Member
 
Join Date: May 2021
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 837
Henn28 is on a distinguished road
I go thru a battery every 4 to 6 years it seems on my x5. No warning when they fail, and the lights, etc usually work but the car just won’t crank.

I had similar concerns about my 22 year old keys so I bought one OEM BMW key for peace of mind. The BMW/Mini site that gets mentioned a lot on the forums was the cheapest and easiest place. Now I’ve got one new master key and two 20 year old back-up keys to turn the lock if I loose the new one. I worry about the EWS system, as well, but not sure what to do about it other than a full delete which I’m not sure I’m ready for.
__________________
Current
Original owner 2002 E53 X5 4.4i to 4.6i swap
2025 G06 X5 50e
Former
1972 Audi Fox
1986 Saab 900S
1996 BMW Z3
1998 BMW E36 M3 Sedan
2004 BMW E46 M3
2006 Audi A3 Quatro
1993 Mopar 318 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2015 V6 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 06-26-2024, 04:51 PM
wpoll's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: South Island, New Zealand
Posts: 4,760
wpoll will become famous soon enough
Reading about EWS issues can skew our perception of how much of a problem it really is. Most of us never have any issues with it but when you DO have a problem, it's a show-stopper and gets lots of column inches on forums like this!
__________________
Wayne
2005 BMW X5 3.0d (b 02/05)
2001 BMW F650GS Dakar (b 06/01)
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 06-26-2024, 05:25 PM
workingonit's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: May 2021
Location: DFW Texas
Posts: 883
workingonit is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by 80stech View Post
Waiting for a problem with the battery is how you are much more likely to lose the EWS synch. If you don't want to spend any more money on the key fobs then at least make sure that the manual lock is working and dependable.
I test the manual door lock every three months, but hopefully that's not so much to cause problems.
__________________
01 BMW X5 E53,3.0i-5L40E, 7/13/01
topas-blau,Leder-grau,"resto-project car"

Here:
14 Lexus ES350,3.5L-U660E
09 HHR Panel,2.2L-4T45E
04 Chevy 2500HD,6.0L-4L80E
98 GMC Sierra 1500,5.7L-4L60E

Gone:
66 Chevelle Malibu 2dr ht.,327>441c.i.-TH350>PGlide/transbrake
08 Cobalt Coupe,2.2L-4T45E
69 & 75 C10s,350c.i.-TH350
86 S10,2.8L-700R4
73 Volvo 142,2.0L-MT4
72 & 73 VW SuperBeetles,1.6l-MT4
64 VW,1.2l-MT4
67 Dodge Monaco 500 2dr ht.,383c.i.-A727
56 Chevy 210 4dr,265c.i.-PGlide
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 06-26-2024, 05:25 PM
Henn28's Avatar
Premier Member
 
Join Date: May 2021
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 837
Henn28 is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by wpoll View Post
Reading about EWS issues can skew our perception of how much of a problem it really is. Most of us never have any issues with it but when you DO have a problem, it's a show-stopper and gets lots of column inches on forums like this!
Sounds right. Sort of like the crank position sensor. Total show stopper when it happens, but pretty rare. I just swapped mine out after 22 years as I was worrying about it, somewhat obsessively. Frankly, given how crappy some parts seems to be these days, the new one is just as likely to fail as the 22 year old one it replace.
__________________
Current
Original owner 2002 E53 X5 4.4i to 4.6i swap
2025 G06 X5 50e
Former
1972 Audi Fox
1986 Saab 900S
1996 BMW Z3
1998 BMW E36 M3 Sedan
2004 BMW E46 M3
2006 Audi A3 Quatro
1993 Mopar 318 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2015 V6 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 06-27-2024, 12:12 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,687
X5chemist is on a distinguished road
Delete EWS. Super easy todo on our E53s. The only problem is any key or devise that can turn the tumbler will start it. You can install a hidden manual power switch if EWS is deleted. The delete costs less than a dealer key. How many of our E53s get stolen a year? Are parts are worth a lot of money? I think we only need to worry about joyriders taking our ride.
__________________
'06 X5 3.0i - bought @143,123 miles (12/26/20)
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:17 PM.
vBulletin, Copyright 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. SEO by vBSEO 3.6.0
© 2017 Xoutpost.com. All rights reserved. Xoutpost.com is a private enthusiast site not associated with BMW AG.
The BMW name, marks, M stripe logo, and Roundel logo as well as X3, X5 and X6 designations used in the pages of this Web Site are the property of BMW AG.
This web site is not sponsored or affiliated in any way with BMW AG or any of its subsidiaries.