$550 for new battery?! Tell me there's anlternatives ...
 

So my wife's 2010 X5 battery died during a cold spell here in Upstate NY. A jump-start brought 'er back to life, but the "passenger secondary restraint" light came on. We were due in to the dealer for another service anyway, asked them to take a gander at the issue while they were at it.

"You'll need a new battery."

No biggie. What's the damage?

"$550, parts & labor."

Couldn't believe he said it with a straight face. I told him to hold off on the replacement while I looked for cheaper alternatives. He said I wouldn't find any as, while the "battery registration" they have to do is a nominal part of the cost, to replace it with a cheaper battery would likely not be enough to power the car, and to find a battery that WOULD be enough to power the car, it would likely cost about as much as it would to have them do it.

When I but my car specs into known battery outlets, I get batteries over 1/2 the cost, which only leads me to believe that they are the "underpowered/cheaper" one's the dealer spoke of. Then there's the "registration" issues??

I can't seem to find a straight answer in these threads (or maybe i'm not looking hard enough?) ... Can anyone tell me if getting a new battery will really cost this much? If not, where do you recommend I buy/install? "Register"?

Thank you!

Yes there is an alternative.

Go to any indy shop and pay from 250 to 350 for the same thing, that is battery and labor to register the battery to the car.

Now, you could also get software yourself and get the correct battery and do it for about 200.

Stay warm. :)

Here is all you need to know:
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ement-diy.html

yup, the AutoCraft battery I got through that info is still good for me and still works great in the cold.

My Tech advisor told me to just get an Interstate battery and install myself. Easy as 1 2 3.

An SA lied? Gasp....say it isn't so.

And there's the Ard signal....enter in 3...2....