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

[Penguin]

As many have surmised, it is likely a problem of one or more of the many electronic modules either not letting the vehicle "go to sleep," to use BMW's term, or module(s) that periodically "wake-up" the vehicle.

This is not the real problem, as it can be fixed.

The real problem is that BMW typically denies there is a problem, and blames it on the driver for making "too many short trips," rather than diagnosing and fixing it.

[jeremym]

Eh, I have an 07 4.8i and we left it in the parking garage, locked, for 6 days while in St Thomas, USVI. I read all of the horror stories on the boards and elsewhere. I almost KNEW it would be dead when we came back. Just parking it that Thursday night before our trip, I was dreading the return to a dead X. To my surprise it started right up, no issues, no lights, nada. She was just dirty.

BMW needs to step up their game with all these bugs.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by JCL

The charger is rebranded by BMW and sold at the parts counter. It is intended for vehicles which are stored for extended periods. It appears to be useful to some vehicles that are simply parked for a few days.

You shouldn't have to start the vehicle. If you continually get flat batteries, like deutsch has, then it needs to be fixed, or if BMW can't fix it, you need a charger. If you aren't getting flat batteries, don't worry about it, your vehicle is working as designed.

My 2008 535i had the same basic energy management system. I left it parked for most of the last 16 months, driving it about once every month or so, sometimes less frequently. Before that, it regularly sat at the airport for a week, usually twice a month. Never had a flat battery in almost four years.

This is the first time this has happened to me. The last time it sat 4-5 days without being touched was in December 2010...when I just got it, and didn't want to drive it in bad weather I'm gonna put my head in the sand, and tell myself this was a one time occurence, since it has never happended before

[JCL]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

This is the first time this has happened to me. The last time it sat 4-5 days without being touched was in December 2010...when I just got it, and didn't want to drive it in bad weather I'm gonna put my head in the sand, and tell myself this was a one time occurence, since it has never happended before

Sorry, from your (justifiable) rant in the first post, I figured it had happened more than once. I hope it was a freak occurence. But there are enough posts on here from owners with similar stories that that seems somewhat unlikely.

[The Big Easy]

Hi, this has happened to quite a few of us on this board - I share your frustrations and have found this particularly to occur when parked in cold climates. On a side note, have you checked the draw on the battery from the tracking device (if this is fitted)?

Cheers,

[stockguru]

deutsch:

do you have comfort access? if so, are the keys left in the house close to the car? That might also be an issue with the battery drain.

I travel all the time for business. The e70 is left in the garage for 3 weeks at a time without driving or starting. Total driving of only 4000 miles a year. It has started up with no issues for the past 2 years.

[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!

[wch X5]

I occasionally had this problem with my '07 X5 4.8 but have not had the problem ever with the '10 X5 3.5d. The newer one has sat for more than a week locked or unlocked and has been fine. There's something not right about the OP's SAV. On the other hand, my adaptive headlight control module just failed....

[alistairg]

I just traded an '09 X6 which I'd leave unlocked in the garage for days (sometimes weeks) at a time while I rode my bike or drove my "summer" car.

I did have occasional "Increased battery discharge!" warnings, and my SA tried the same "keep your keys far away" and "drive more" BS. They eventually ran a long test and concluded the cable responsible for monitoring battery state (I forget its fancy name! - SBS maybe?) was faulty and replaced both cable and battery under warranty.

I never lock my cars when parked in my garage (without the keys in them) and have had no other issues.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by stockguru

deutsch:

do you have comfort access? if so, are the keys left in the house close to the car? That might also be an issue with the battery drain.

I travel all the time for business. The e70 is left in the garage for 3 weeks at a time without driving or starting. Total driving of only 4000 miles a year. It has started up with no issues for the past 2 years.

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)