BMW Alsway has an excuse

[nra4.8is]

The major electrical check control does concern me, but the excessive batt discharge is explained by the driving profile. Change the battery, have the dealer register the replacement, tell them about the concern again. One thing I have learned about these cars with daily experience is, the more you drive the crap out of them the better they run!

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by nra4.8is

the excessive batt discharge is explained by the driving profile. !

Since I have not changed my driving profile in the past three years, apparently it was not an issue for three years. Sure, an unfavorable driving profile over three years could have a "slow death" effect on a battery; however, many of these miles were done on long trips from Chicago to the West and Southwest with lots of high-speed-few-stops travel.

Last November when I reported the frequent excessive discharge messages, the tech said nothing about an unfavorable driving profile, he just blew it off with a "no codes stored" notation. In fact, the dealer has never said anything about an unfavorable driving profile, this last time only that I am locking/unlocking and opening the hood too much, which is ridiculous, as I know I am not doing this excessively.

This could be an artifact of my recent usage of a battery charger in response to the no-start incidents. When I charge the battery after no-starts, I do leave the hood at the safety latch position, rather than completely closes/latched shut. I suppose the computer might be periodically checking to see if the hood is closed to arm the alarm, and this could reawaken some modules. This might give a false reading of multiple hood openings during the charging period. However, this is not the problem as (1) this only was done AFTER the problems and no-starts began, and (2) the battery charger is attached during this period, so even if the modules awaken or fail to go to sleep, they would not be discharging the battery, And whenever the charger is attached, it does manage to reach a "fully-charged" indication.

In any case, the SA is a stand-up guy and, as noted earlier, he is insisting that a new battery be put in under warranty. I just hope that it's not just addressing the symptom and not the cause.

At the end of the day, if problems keep happening, I may have to just give-up on the dealer and do my own parasitic drain test wit a multimeter at home.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by nra4.8is

The major electrical check control does concern me!

What concerns me is that one can get such a message and the vehicle not store a code or record of such a dire message. Perhaps you now better understand why I do not have as complete a trust in what the vehicle's computer memory has to say about past activities as you seem to.

[nra4.8is]

Well I have seen all the info provided countless times and have found the provided info to be very accurate.

Just checked into it, tell your dealer tech to check bulletins.... There is a updated vehicle order, needs programming.
At least for the driving profile And I'm sure updated charging strategy.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by nra4.8is

So stop sitting on your keys while sitting on the couch!!!

Here's an update...

To refresh, the tech earlier said I was opening the doors/tailgate/hood to much and ran down the battery, and it just needed a recharge. I insisted they test the battery, while the tech was adamant that there was nothing wrong and I was opening things too much.

Here's what the tech later wrote on the invoice after completing the service:

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Checked fault code memory and performed energy diagnosis. Energy diagnosis says to recharge battery, however tester states to replace battery.
Performed battery test. Battery failed.
Replaced vehicle battery and left feedback to BMW to correct test plan.
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After putting the new battery in, the tech tried to reprogram for the AGM battery (black case from original white case.) It wouldn't complete programming and indicated the tailgate module was defective (remember, I brought it it with a non-functioning tailgate as well). Tech wrote on invoice:

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"Found HKL submerged in water while inspecting wiring."
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Water tested and determined leak was likely due to manufacturing flaw in trunk lid gasket. Replaced module and truck lid gasket.

Tech says earlier information about locking and unlocking too often likely false information caused by HKL module being submerged in water and sending false signals/not going to sleep, e.g., vehicle may have been unlocking and locking rear hatch while parked or simply sending signals keep vehicle awake.

So two conclusions: (1) I guess I wasn't sitting on my keys on the couch.... and (2) blindly believing the vehicle computer over the customer's information isn't always the correct course of action.

[nra4.8is]

You never mentioned the fact that HKL was inop. If you brought it to them before for this same concern, then this explains the miscommunication. If this is the case the tech should have checked a very common issue and probably would have solved this the first go round. Should probably ask your service consultant if they checked the sun roof drains in the rear. Lots of techs water test the vehicle and the condition is not right for the leak to occur(could be a particular angle the truck sits on). Therefore they cannot explain the leak so they blame a trunk seal. I have also seen body vents let water in while driving.

As for the key thing. I have personally handled many many BMW owners(all CAS cars) that do not fully understand how to shut the key off, leave it in the vehicle(comfort access cars), function the remote with out knowing ect...
So yes givin all the known info and not knowing that a outside influenced compromised the system, and not a system defect, that is why I went the route I did.
Owners insight on problems in there vehicle, is a great asset in diagnosis and never said that it is not.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by nra4.8is

Should probably ask your service consultant if they checked the sun roof drains in the rear.
So yes givin all the known info and not knowing that a outside influenced compromised the system, and not a system defect, that is why I went the route I did.

I reminded the SA about the rear drains when he called with a status update and he said the tech ran water through the drains and made sure it was exiting the vehicle at the right point.

As for "not knowing that a outside influenced compromised the system," isn't that part of the diagnostic procedure? e.g., if the owner says he's been doing one thing, and the computer says he was doing something different, shouldn't a good tech ask themselves, "Hummm, I wonder what possibilities might be causing the computer to report that information if he isn't doing it?"

But I'm still not sure that the water issue is a bad trunk gasket, so I will now proactively and periodically check the area for water accumulation.

I found the part about notifying BMW they need to revise their test plan because it gave a false indication of a "good" battery interesting.

[nra4.8is]

Yes they actively ask for errors in test procedures

[Penguin]

Well, it's back to the dealer again. Battery and rear hatch problems are now gone, but now I have an SES light and an i-drive message something like (going by memory) "Problem in drive, continued operation possible." Of course, going to the i-drive check control section after the message goes away simply shows all systems OK.

I'm not sure how they programed the system, but it seems to me that if you get a warning or error message on the i-drive screen, the check control section should make note of that when you check it less than a minute after it happened. And an "all systems OK" message seems a bit odd when there is an SES light illuminated at the same time. Obviously all the systems are not OK.

Codes are P0400, P0003, P2FEB, U0303. P01C1, and P00EB.

With the rather sparse locations of BMW dealers, I'm starting to have my doubts about taking the X5 on long-trips this Summer in the West and Southwest, e.g., no dealers at all in Montana, Wyoming, and a really long way to go to get to one in parts of Colorado, Utah, etc.