new battery?
 

2005 ( bought new June 2005) X5 4.4 i 45,000 miles. Shall I replace the battery as preventive measure? Do they last more than 5 years?

Mine went 6 yrs, and I suspect I could have pushed it further,
but I wanted to replace it under "my time" in the driveway, not
dead on the highway somewhere.

There are several brands available that are direct replacements
in lieu of the stlr's $200+ batt.

Easy DIY: maybe half an hour. See my thread link and also
note another link at bottom of verbage, above the pic series.
GL, mD

Battery R&R:
http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...apped-out.html

Test it for life expectancy...

Do a run-down test first and if it needs to replace, replace it. It will save you some headaches down the road.

Carry jumper cables and have BMW Assist. Replace it when it craps out. If you are worried about it keep a trickle charger on it on occasion.

Battery run-down test is one of the Inspection I checks. Dealer recommended mine be done when it failed this test during the 150K Inspection service. I declined their $250 part and made a beeline for Autozone. DIY and $89 later I have a new battery with 84 month replacement warranty...

Your original battery lasted for 150,000 miles !? Wow.

mines 7 years old, still kicking. its an expensive battery as far as batterys go. i do keep a battery pack in the back, never used it for my x though.

Where are all you guys getting batteries under $90 bucks? I searched everywhere last month when I decided to make the swap on my 5-year old battery and everythings are in the $140 to $160 range (not including the core cost). The cheapest OEM battery was $220!

Autozone = $89 plus $10 core
Checker = $109 including core
Pep Boys = ???
Sears DieHard International = $139 including core
BMW OEM = $200+ (no core)

I went with the Autozone item simply because my OEM battery was dead and they were the only ones who had something in stock that weekend (other than the dealer, of course).

I guessed prices highly depend on location. Here are the So Cal prices:

Autozone = $140 + $12 core
Link => http://www.autozone.com/selectedZip,.../selectZip.htm

Kragen/O'Reilly/Advance Auto Parts/Partsamerica.com = $156 + $10 core
Link => http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductL...e=5005&PTSet=A

Interstate Batteries = $163
Link => http://www.interstatebatteries.com/c...818-4294493525

Sears doesn't show a battery for the X5, whether it's 3.0i, 4.4i, 4.6is, or 4.8is.

Crevier BMW (internet discount) = $220 + core

By the way...This is for the type 94 battery (for the 3.0i)

dkl - GREAT information!

Wow what a difference in batteries.

BMW's OE battery has 720 CCA and a 2 year warranty and runs over $200.
The Mega-Tron Plus seems to be the most robust and has 850 CCA, 1000 CA and an 85 month warranty and costs $163.
The Gold-Duralast has 760 CCA and an 8 year warranty for about $142.

Don't just compare CCA as most manufacturers would boast. Look and compare the Reserved Charge (RC) as well, which is often not published until you get the battery and read its label. For example, BMW's OE type 94 battery have an RC rating of 140. Autozone's Duralast and Batteries Plus' Werker have an RC rating of 130. Kragen/O'Reilly/Advance Auto Parts/Partsamerica.com's Autolite batteries, which is made by Exide, who also happens to make Sears' Diehard and Pep Boys' Bosch batteries all boast a very good CCA rating...way above BMW's OEM battery; but its RC rating is only 80 - almost half of OEM!

I try to avoid wringing hands over "close" specs...
the Werker I stuffed in my old '01 was 640 CCA and
130 RC; close enough esp. since I'm not running
boom boxes, parking it in Alaska, etc. My oem lasted
6 years and, if that replacement lasts 3-4 yrs, I will be
happy. Hope our '01 goes another 3-4 years, lol!

You are correct, but as you said that stat is rarely published. Do you happen to know what the best battery is for X5 cost no option?

Cost no option ?

I have a fairly audophile car stereo in mine, and I replaced with with a Odyssey Battery....1700MJT if I recall.

Are you certain it fit in the X5 trunk without any problems?

Pepboys $99 for the bosch 96 month. They also have the house brand.

Any idea how to do this oneself?

You'll need a battery load tester. Autozone used to provide this free service, but not sure if they still do. How old is your battery? I would just replace it if it's past 5 years.