high battery drain again

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by jhu321

... so if you leave a ducati at idle for a long time, it can actually drain the battery and kill itself.....

So the next time we hear a Ducati driver blipping the throttle at a red light, we'll know its just because they're concerned that their battery may go dead before the light turns green

Funf Dreisig

[rh71]

Originally Posted by FunfDreisig

FWIW I agree that a well designed charging system should handle any reasonable options/usgae variations. And a bigger/better alternator may be be easiest "cure". But it would still be nice to know whether some X5s are less likely to experience these problems due to options etc.

Funf Dreisig

I don't have any ipod option but have the comfort access. I may be mistaken when I say it happened twice, it may have only been once and the next time I started it I was hoping it wouldn't happen again (away from home at the time) and I know it cleared (didn't happen). Anyway, the time I'm sure it happened, it was just another morning and it was locked overnight and nothing was left on. I've had nights where I left it unlocked and never got a drain message. *shrug* It may have already been said earlier in this thread.

[motordavid]

rh71,
With that little driving and short mileage/low speed, I would rec'd a Battery Tender
type maintenance charger. It isn't handy for daily use, but if you use the alligator
clips supplied, attached to the lugs under the hood, it does keep it topped up.
GL,mD

[Weasel]

One thing I am wondering, is if the vehicles having these problems are using high loads while driving on those short trips like having the AC/heat blower on full speed etc. The battery useage of just starting the vehicle and driving with little loads should be ok, but with the ac on full blast it would take longer trips to charge the battery back to where it was before starting.

If you are one of the ones having the issues and messages, try cutting back on loads while driving to see if it helps.

[rh71]

Originally Posted by motordavid

rh71,
With that little driving and short mileage/low speed, I would rec'd a Battery Tender
type maintenance charger. It isn't handy for daily use, but if you use the alligator
clips supplied, attached to the lugs under the hood, it does keep it topped up.
GL,mD

Are the ones you're talking about plugged into a wall outlet? Got a link? I don't suppose the ones that plug into your cig lighter work because the car is off?

Also is doing this good for the battery? Constant activity on the battery and all that...

[motordavid]

Originally Posted by rh71

Are the ones you're talking about plugged into a wall outlet? Got a link? I don't suppose the ones that plug into your cig lighter work because the car is off?

Also is doing this good for the battery? Constant activity on the battery and all that...

Battery Tender, they sell them on web, via several sites:
Batterytender.com - Home of All Your Charging Needs

BMW has one, with the logo, and the cig lighter app., which may or
may not be handier for you. I believe it is a private label version of
the BT oem.

"Constant" activity? That is not what a "maintenance floating" charging
system does...it brings it up to snuff and then loafs. As posted often,
I have left my BT attached via a mechanical appliance timer, hooked
to the X or the Vette for 5 months of winter season, while I was away.
Never a problem...this isn't EE stuff, as I am fairly addled when it comes
to electronics/electricity, but I've been running a BT on my m'cycle
collection and cars for decades. Foolproof...was just a suggestion.
Maybe get the wife to walk that 1 1/2?
GL,mD

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by motordavid

Maybe get the wife to walk that 1 1/2?
GL,mD

Now I get it!

It's part of Efficient Dynamics -- BMW has designed a car where you have to walk if the trip is less than 5 miles!

Brilliant!

It not only increases efficiency, but improves the owner's cardiovascular health as well!

[piaabro210]

UPDATE....

Took the X over to my dealership (FIELDS BMW) and they replaced the battery under WARRANTY.

[stockguru]

FYI: You can not use the cigarette lighter charger for post '08 BMWs

[Penguin]

An interesting sidelight from the BMW Motorcycle side.

Many years ago, I think around the late 1980s, early 1990s, a lot of people that bought BMW motorcycles were having battery problems. BMW told them all the same thing... too many short trips, bad driving profile, you have to use a battery charger, it's not our fault, it's your fault for riding the bike wrong. It was so bad that for about 2-3 years BMW was giving a free battery charger with every motorcycle they sold (I've still got one of those in my garage). And it wasn't a cheapo trickle charger, but an automatic Schmacher manufactured 2-amp charger with an amperage meter. BMW never, ever admitted to a design flaw.

But guess what?

After a couple of years, BMW quit giving free battery chargers with every motorcycle and, miraculously, nobody was having battery problems any more, in spite of not using a battery charger.

Sound familiar?