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

[deutsch100]

On Wednesday June 1st, I hooked my '11 E70 up to a BMW original battery maintenance charger. It's crazy that I even have to think about hooking my $70k BMW to a battery charger, but I knew we would be in Hawaii for 5 days. Just 5 days!

But, I made sure I fully charged the X5 before we left, and kept the car on the battery charger until about an hour before we left for the airport.

I locked the X5 and left it in the garage. I even knew the car had to be locked, to prevent any further battery drainage..again crazy for a new BMW!

It's a damn good thing we took our '11 Range Rover to the Airport. Our flight arrived late last night (June 6), so it would have been horrible being stranded in a parking garage with a very tired and cranky 4 year old!

I was greeted upon returning to a 2011 X5 with 4,500 and a dead battery. I cannot believe after fully charging the battery, and being locked and parked for FIVE days that the battery cannot handle this. What do business travellers do? I am just so annoyed and actually pissed.

[X-cellent]

i feel your pain....lived through that with my 2008 4.8...Just got back from 15 days of business travel...got rid of it before the trip or else i knew it would be dead! (actually lease was up)..

It is insane to think you have to plug in your $70k+ vehicle...I guess this is BMW efficient dynamics/hybrid technology at work (you didn't know you had a hybrid diesel/electric)?

[SBB]

Get a replacement that doesn't seem normal

[xoutpostking]

Why do you have such luck with all the cars you own? this & the 3 MB ML in the other thread.... and you prev X5s........

I left my 35i unattended for almost a month last month and it started just fine. Another reason to avoid the d!!!!!!!!

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by xoutpostking

Why do you have such luck with all the cars you own? this & the 3 MB ML in the other thread.... and you prev X5s........

I left my 35i unattended for almost a month last month and it started just fine. Another reason to avoid the d!!!!!!!!

My 2004 4.4i X5 and 2004 4.8is X5 were FLAWLESS. My 2005 M3 FLAWLESS, 2008 E350 Mercedes FLAWLESS, 2010 750i almost flawless, 2006 and 2007 Lexus RX Hybrids FLAWLESS, 2006 Audi A6 FLAWLESS.

This is my 3rd E70...and I think this is the problem!!

[blue dragon]

When I travel for more than a week, I leave mine hooked to the battery tender. It ridiculous indeed.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by blue dragon

When I travel for more than a week, I leave mine hooked to the battery tender. It ridiculous indeed.

I should have left it on the battery tender, but if parked at the airport or outside...one cannot leave the hood/bonnet open with the car hooked to the battery charger. Crazy!!!

[marshotel]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

I should have left it on the battery tender, but if parked at the airport or outside...one cannot leave the hood/bonnet open with the car hooked to the battery charger. Crazy!!!

Even more importantly, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO!! It is BS.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by marshotel

Even more importantly, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO!! It is BS.

I so 100% agree! I keep returning to BMW again and again for their amazing engines, transmissions, brakes and most importantly; the driving experience and handling. But, issues like these are chipping away at my almost decade long devotion and commitment to the brand!

[Stevev]

Thanks for posting this thread. We are heading to Oahu for 6-days in two weeks. I don't want to find out that battery is dead after came home from the trip. I will ask my brother to fire up the engine at least one time while I am out for six days.