Car locked for 5 days...dead battery. This is ridiculous BMW!

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by SCardamon

Ouch, this is not right at all. Yeah, it seems as though you have a decent relationship with your SA per the seat noise issues and what they have done so far.

I would say challenge them to keep the vehicle for a few days and trend battery drain. 5 days sitting should never leave you dead, this would actually be a safety concern I would think. Say you travel somewhere and leave your E70 for 5 days while you go on a cruise. I would say it is dangerous if you come back to a brick.

You mentioned the battery drain is greater if the car is left unlocked. Does this have to do with the car priming the fuel over and over. I notice when I have my 07 4.8i and my wife's 08 328i in the garage for detailing or some other activity when I am around the cars but not using them they prime the fuel and that high pitched whine (sort of like when a tube television is turned on, I can still hear it but by wife thinks I am crazy....well for various reasons but... in this instance, because she can not hear sounds at that are at a signifigantly high pitch).

Speaking of that type of sound, did anyone know that most all people loose the ability to hear at a higer decibles after the age of 25 (The Mosquito - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)? There is actually a ringtone that students use so teachers do not know their phone is alerting them.

ANYWAYS, it was mentioned that you lock your X5 to limit the battery drain. Do you have any more details around the reason for this? I am curious, thanks!

I CAN HEAR that high pitched whine!!! Had no idea it was fuel priming. My spouse thinks I am crazy too (also for many reasons I can hear noises, and also smell things, that most people cannot!!

My SA told me when the car is parked & LOCKED..the car has less chance of "waking" up and drawing from the battery. Again, total crap that we have to think about stuff like this...but to play it safe I lock the car, when I know I will not drive it for more than a day!!

[pete540]

They need to do an "Energy Diagnosis" overnight and keep car for several days afterwards to make sure it is cured. Had a problem with my 550, they ran it, came up with a faulty IBS module, then they monitor car for a couple of nights. Problem Solved. It could be any number of modules on your car. Common issues are also door handles on comfort access, and Bluetooth / BMW assist unit. There is an SIB issued on this, I don't know why your dealer is not following procedure

[jeremym]

Funny, my spare key is in my center console. Has been for the last month or so. This thread just reminded me of it. I totally forgot to grab that.

Regardless, this has had no adverse affect on my X nor its battery.

[snowsurfer]

It could be worse, you could leave the doors open for 20 minutes to vacuum, start the car and get "Enhanced battery drain" and have to reset the clock. bleh

Still haven't got around to bringing it to the dealer...but I would say that's an issue.

[Silver X5]

sounds like a dud battery to me

[Armand]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

Yes, I have Comfort Access. Per my SA, for my 2010 750i, they told me to keep my keys at least 50 feet from the car when parked. Again, total crap they we BMW owners have to think about where we keep our keys, but to play it safe, I keep my keys on a hanging key rack in the kitchen, which is about 150 feet from the garage (maybe farther)

I have comfort access and I store my keys less than 25' from the car. Have been doing so since day one for over a year and a half now. No battery issues thus far. I do lock the doors every time I get out of the car even if it's for 5 minutes. Not sure if that's making a difference. Locking a car in an enclosed, locked garage seems ridiculous. Was told by the CA to do so and yes I have become a slave to a potentially useless piece of advice.

[alistairg]

I'm not convinced on their advice. If you try opening your car *without* the key nearby, you can hear the high-pitched whistle as the car polls for the key.

As a programmer, with the fact that the car has more power than the key, this is the way I'd code it - user attempts to unlock car by touching handle or trunk button, check for key, if key found - unlock and wake, otherwise revert to sleep mode.

There is no logical reason for the car to poll for the key UNLESS you're asking it to do something - like start, lock, or unlock. I did read somewhere about the 2012 models lighting up as you walk towards them, which would be illogical as it'd require frequent key polling (battery drain) but prior models certainly don't do that.

All I can surmise is that locking the car demands the car enter "sleep" immediately (powers down cabin lights, A/C, radio if left on etc etc) rather than waiting for the timeout.

[mtech8]

I'm nearing the end of my warranty term (approaching 50K, but still have plenty of time as far as years go on the warranty) with a "State Inspection" coming up in a few months. Since the "State Inspection" is based on date, not mileage. I was thinking of not driving my car much for the next few months (to stay under the 50K mark) and making it to the State Inspection month to get this done under the Free Maintenace. Then thinking about the battery and stumbled across this thread.

1. How much do State Inspections typically cost anyways (if not in free maintenace)?
2. What happens if a battery dies within the warranty? Is this a part that is covered and will be replaced by BMW? or is it like tires where it's out of pocket?

I drive my X a lot, but have left it stored locked far far away from any keys for about a week and have seen the high drain/low battery message. I've probably seen it where the car was left overnight locked also! But it hasn't been that frequent as I drive it a lot and the batteries get recharged from my driving. But after reading the thread, I wonder if I can get my car looked at and have that problem fixed (while still under warranty).

[ard]

Under what legal theory will the 'State Inspection' be covered by BMW???

And what is a California State inspection anyway?

[Damager]

In ILL, the state inspection is free, and has nothing to do with the battery - they just inspect the emissions to make sure you have the correct emissions equipment.