Any/all of the batts, except AGM style, have "covers" that can be pried up with
a screw driver for visual check...I looked at my replacement before I put it in;
it was fine. Level? A little above the plates. Try an large eye dropper or squeeze bulb with plastic tube as opposed to "pouring" any water in..,Yes, distilled water.
Worth a check in very hot conditions, though it is not handy to get to.
GL,mD

thanks for the quick reply, will follow your guide, had no idea battery was hidden under there, cheers

I read your other parallel batt threads...imo, if your batt is the orig.,
I wouldn't bother going through the "check the water level" effort;
I would just get a new one and install it.

I do rec'd running a slow/low amp charge into any new battery, for a day or so:
"new" batteries are famous for having been sitting on a shelf, dying, or poorly shipped/stored.
Be sure to get a vented model, and re-attach the vent hose. Even some new batts. with "vent hole",
requires you to find that spot and sometimes poke it open with a tool, as the plastic case is often injection
molded over the "hole". It is cake to change out: just follow the DIY posts, take your time, etc. 30 mins
tops, imo.
GL,mD

Good write up GL. My battery is the original (Feb '03). I'll wait 'til it shites the bed before I replace it, but I saw at Wallyworld that their battery for the X5 is 80-something bucks. FWIW, our former Jeep Grand's ORIGINAL battery died in 2005 - it was a 94!! LOL! I've never had a battery die stone cold, and has always given me "signs". I don't like throwing parts at my vehicles until I need to...that's just me.

In reference to the poster who stated, "if you can afford a BMW.......", I'm soooo tired of hearing that. For one, I paid the same price for my X as I would have for a slightly newer jeep (25 grand). That's not the equivelant of having a licence to print money. Secondly, being somewhat cheap by nature is partly the reason why I can buy the extra toys I like.

Thanks for the replies, thing is battery is not playing up yet,but being the paranoid so and so I am I will check to see if it is the original soon, if not will whack on my solar tricke charger soon, hmmm so have to poke at new battery to allow it to vent eh?I see, again cheers for the help

:iagree:People out here in Cyprus cannot afford them BUT want them so much that get massive car loans to secure their dream and BMW's are very popular, my story was different, had a good government incentive out here to entice 'us' born elswhere to setup residence here,one was a massive cutin import tax on a car you bring with you, if it werent for that I would be driving a rav or a honda crv etc...X5 is goooood though

off the subject off to buy some - mobil 1 - 0 40w fully synthetic got on offer at a french supermarket chain of all places 6.42 euros per litre, which is quite good

If you buy the right model/rating/size/brand, it should be properly
vented...my Werker brand was too, but the vent hole was obscured
by the outer plastic casing; sort of "covered over". Easy to spot
the hole and give it a poke. If the brand is not vented, I would take
a pass on that specific batt.

Road Frog:
I hear you on the "let's squeeze the last mile out of the orig. battery"...
however, with 3 cars and 3 motorcyles, I figure 5-6 years is getting
my money's worth, and I would rather swap in a new one, in my
driveway, on my time, than having it go poof out on the road. YMMV!
mD

Exploring the battery
 

Ok, so today the weather was windy and somehow fresh, so I didn't feel like going to the beach, and decided to play around with sharky :D (my X) after checking the fluids I noticed the following:
1- no missing engine oil after replacing some leaky "joint" at the dealer the last time.
2- the coolant is missing a little (one inch below the top) but i did not top it up... I topped it up few months ago with water, and i'm waiting for another few months before putting some antifreeze... (mysterious leak)
3- the ATF PS fluid is down a little, but i will top it up when the level goes lower... (I have a leaking pressure hose)

About the tyres, I inflated them to 2.3 (around 34psi) yesterday while hot, so today they were all at 2.05... what's the ideal temperature to measure the pressure? after 5 minutes drive? or cold? I also inflated the spare to an acceptable 26-27... it was under 20...

The windshield fluid was topped up with 4 liters and some Sonax appropriate cleaning agent...

then it was time to see the battery... after wresteling for few minutes and removing screws and some heavy weight lifting... i reached the battery...

My Question:

what is this semi-spherical device under the spare tire??? it has electrical cables... see the picture below

Attachment 36513

The battery is interstate battery (Mega Tron) with a 75month warranty. no date is written nor marked... I assume they replaced the OEM in 2005-2006 (after 4-5 years of manufacturing date) so if we add 6 years, I believe I should replace it in 2011 or 2012... since i intend to sell the X in 2015, it would be convenient to replace it in late 2011 or early 2012... I have it scheduled...

Attachment 36514

That dome with the wires goint to it is the compressor and valving for your rear air suspension (self leveling). To get to the battery you should leave that bolted to the metal bars and unbolt the bars themselves from the trunk floor. (2 13mm nuts towards rear, 2 13mm bolts at the front corners) Then you just pick it up and lean it back out of the way.