Battery Replacement

[3Series]

1.) Does anyone know if all E70's in the USA have AGM batteries?

2.) Has anyone replaced there original AGM battery with an aftermarket AGM one?

[Denalio]

Originally Posted by 3Series

1.) Does anyone know if all E70's in the USA have AGM batteries?

2.) Has anyone replaced there original AGM battery with an aftermarket AGM one?

I am fairly sure the AGM batteries are made by Deka/ East Penn.

[Lawfarm]

My understanding is that no, not all E70s have AGMs. I was advised by the dealer (and confirmed through some research) that early 09 and prior E70s did not have an AGM...but the replacement is a higher-capacity AGM. Replacing the original battery with an AGM requires a reprogram, to adjust alternator charge settings.

[3Series]

Originally Posted by Lawfarm

My understanding is that no, not all E70s have AGMs. I was advised by the dealer (and confirmed through some research) that early 09 and prior E70s did not have an AGM...but the replacement is a higher-capacity AGM. Replacing the original battery with an AGM requires a reprogram, to adjust alternator charge settings.

That's good to know. When I replace my battery, I'm going to replace it with a non-AGM since that's what I probably have, 2007. My understanding is that a white case will indicate AGM and a black non-AGM. Of course, I'll look at the label to confirm.

It's 3 degrees here and my garage is probably 20 degrees warmer so I haven't been inclined to open the boot and look at the battery.

[motordavid]

Originally Posted by Lawfarm

My understanding is that no, not all E70s have AGMs. I was advised by the dealer (and confirmed through some research) that early 09 and prior E70s did not have an AGM...but the replacement is a higher-capacity AGM. Replacing the original battery with an AGM requires a reprogram, to adjust alternator charge settings.

I was reading the February issue of Roundel, and in the Tech Talk section, the Tech Ed, Mike Miller, responded to a similar question. His response was remarkably frank, imo:
"Welcome to a brand new world, Alex. We can't replace our own batteries anymore, starting with the current generation of BMWs. Without the BMW service computer, it's back to the dealer at battery-replacement time...
...the entire car needs to be reprogrammed after power is cut. We're one step closer to a world where there is little to no secondary market for a BMW without a warranty."

Maybe a bit of hyperbole, but I get his point, and he is beating this drum with some regularity lately in Roundel.

Re-program something, after a batt swap; the batts on E70s for some owners, have a half-life of less than a year, and if one does a DIY or, has a parts joint do the R&R, it is a trip to Biff&Buffy's BMW Dlr for a few bucks re-load. Or...buy the dlr's ~$300 batt, and maybe or maybe not pay for the re-program. Poifect!

I'm wondering if this is part of the new "Joy" of driving new BMWs...

GL, mD

[AzNMpower32]

Originally Posted by motordavid

I'm wondering if this is part of the new "Joy" of driving new BMWs...

GL, mD

Yes, Joy on the part of the dealer.

[jigaro]

I have replaced my original BMW Battery with the aftermarket one, 100amp, which we import ourselves from South Korea, and never had a problem since, even in the freezing temps, starts no problem, when car not running i have all the electronics on and still no problem, the X acts like i never had this problem before.

I used to have dead battery at least 3-4 times a month, but now thank god this issue is gone!

[3Series]

Originally Posted by jigaro

I have replaced my original BMW Battery with the aftermarket one, 100amp, which we import ourselves from South Korea, and never had a problem since, even in the freezing temps, starts no problem, when car not running i have all the electronics on and still no problem, the X acts like i never had this problem before.

I used to have dead battery at least 3-4 times a month, but now thank god this issue is gone!

+1

The car needs to be updated if you are switching to an AGM battery or vice versa. It's also recommended to register any new battery.

However, in the long run, its cheaper to just replace with an aftermarket battery than to go to the dealer, purchase a dealer battery, pay for them to register, just so my BMW battery might last a little longer becuase it was properly registered and perhaps has an updated "charging" profile for optimum efficiency.

I paid something like $90 for an autozone battery in my E60. It's been going strong for 18 months. At 4,5,600 dollars at the dealer, I could replace my battery on my dime every year and probably come out ahead. Plus, the Autozone battery has a 3+ or 4+ year warranty so if the battery dies, I just get a new one. It takes 10min to swap out.

I don't want this thread to turn into a "should I register or not" thread.

All I really wanted to know was the type of battery supplied with the E70's, AGM or mixed based on production date.

[Denalio]

The type of battery may depend on what country the vehicle is shipped to. I have an '07 Canadian model and it was delivered with an AGM battery. I have since had that original battery replaced under warranty with a "newer version" (so say the dealer). I did have to fight with the dealer and BMW to get them to cover the battery and associated costs. dreaded low voltage message.

[autoque]

Read about the battery explosion in E9x whose new battery wasn't registered.

Battery exploded in my trunk; Please read so this doesn't happen to your E9X. - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum - E90Post.com