Battery Sudden Death

bgsquad · #1 08-27-2009, 02:00 AM

I am going for camping this week end, and we might reach a far place of 40 minutes offroad (not rough, just moderate offroad... gravels, some grooves, etc...)

I was thinking that having a dead battery there would be really inconvenient. but does it happen without prior notice? are there any symptoms like early warnings before having a dead battery? so far it's starting just fine and i have no warnings... but can it be suddenly struck by sudden death?

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X5Flyboy · #2 08-27-2009, 03:03 AM

you are right, vibration does not help

cold temps kill the battery, so if you experience "winter" with sub-freezing temps, the battery usually dies in about 5+yrs - I know, I know..., some of you are going to tell of 6,7,8yrs, but I'm talking normally

there is a reason 'good' batteries are only warranteed to 5yrs (I replace mine every 5yrs)

most places (here in the USA) where batteries are sold, will check your charging system (solenoid, cables, battery charge) for a modest fee or for free

lots of starts'n'stops without traveling far will drain the battery due to not enough time for the alternator to recharge the battery

if the engine is slow to crank, or has a hesitation in starting up, that may be an indcator your battery is losing it's charge - if so, drive directly to a battery place and have it checked out, as the next time it may not start - batteries do not give you alot of warning

BlackE32_SilverE53 · #3 08-27-2009, 03:42 AM

Why are you worried about your battery dying, have you had previous issues? or do you plan to run some power source off your X without it running? If you have not had any issues with it in the past you should not have anything to worry about.....

CharlieHustleX5 · #4 08-27-2009, 03:54 AM

My battery died on me without ANY early signs. I went to start up my X5 one morning, engine turned over but the starter sounded weak while cranking. Made it on a quick trip to grab some food. 2 hours later, I try starting it again and I get nothing but a series of relay clicks.

My X was produced in January of 2004, purchased in February of that year. I just replaced it 2 weeks ago. So a little over 5 years later, it needed replacement.

BlackE32_SilverE53 · #5 08-27-2009, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CharlieHustleX5

My battery died on me without ANY early signs. I went to start up my X5 one morning, engine turned over but the starter sounded weak while cranking. Made it on a quick trip to grab some food. 2 hours later, I try starting it again and I get nothing but a series of relay clicks.

My X was produced in January of 2004, purchased in February of that year. I just replaced it 2 weeks ago. So a little over 5 years later, it needed replacement.

Your early warning sign was the slow turn over that morning, had it been parked for a while before this....

Battery life is 5 years (some go then, others may last 10) and just running dead is not a normal occurance, as always, things happend, but you should not run scared just expecting it to happened out the blue...

bgsquad · #6 08-27-2009, 06:06 AM

It happened to me twice before on my ex cars without any previous signals.

So there are few strange things to happen before dying ... at least one weak start like charlie... I think I won't worry about it, i won't be powering anything from it (my friend will get a seperate sound system with a standalone 120A battery... so no more opening the doors and turning on the music)... by the way, that 120A can be a stand by battery in case any of our cars face a battery prob, plus i have jump start cables...

Thanks anyway guys

faz · #7 08-27-2009, 02:35 PM

Happened to me without any warnings...

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...reak-down.html

If your battery is about 4 years old, change it already and save yourself the hassle.

Puddlejumper · #8 08-27-2009, 03:42 PM

Doesn't sound like you need it. But you can use the desulfate mode on a charger to bring the battery back. Works good takes a while though.

Joe@Crevier BMW · #9 08-27-2009, 03:56 PM

We experience an increase in battery sales when the weather changes fall to winter and spring to summer. If you are very concerned about it. Purchase a quick-start jumper. They usually are good to have around and tend to do more than just give your vehicle an energy boost. They sometimes come with an air-pump etc...
Good Luck

CharlieHustleX5 · #10 08-27-2009, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackE32_SilverE53

Your early warning sign was the slow turn over that morning, had it been parked for a while before this....

Battery life is 5 years (some go then, others may last 10) and just running dead is not a normal occurance, as always, things happend, but you should not run scared just expecting it to happened out the blue...

When I referred to an early warning sign, I was looking for something earlier than right before it was going to crap out on me. If I had been somewhere further away from home, it would've been a bit of a headache.

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