[MrsGX3]

Hello Everyone:

I purchased a used 2011 X3 last year. I love it. I previously had a 2009 X3. I never had any battery issues with the '09. This week my car has been telling me "increased battery discharge". I don't know if it needs a charge, if I need to replace or what at this point. My car is out of warranty so I am concerned the dealer will try to do a lot of diagnosis before giving me an answer.

Has anyone else had the "increased battery discharge" issue? Should I just replace the battery or charge the battery.

Thank you
Stephanie

[pokerface]

try charging the battery first. The complicated charging mechanism on current BMWs make it difficult to maintain a good charge on these batteries if you don't drive it enough.

I actually had my Noco charger plugged in all of last night just to top it up -- the charger indicated the battery had less than 50% charge.

[MrsGX3]

It worked. I charged up the battery and then drove it for about an hour. The light went out and everything is working much better. Thank you for the great advice.

[02420X3]

You've deferred the battery replacement, but not eliminated it. The AGM batteries in our X3s are said to be good for 3-5 years. For an '11, you'll be due for a battery replacement within the next year or so. I've had mine replaced by my dealer, and it was expensive.

There are many threads and many opinions as to whether or not the battery replacement must be done by a dealer, or if you can do it yourself at a much lower cost. Start reading, and make your own decision.

[Peter_R]

Perhaps you are doing too many short runs and not allowing the battery to be charged up and maintained at its optimum level.

I had a similar problem last year when the car was one year old. My solution was to purchase a good battery charger and trickle charge the battery (from inside the engine compartment) on a regular basis.

If these cars are not driven very much then the problem you describe is not unusual. BMW UK dealers put the cars waiting for sale and not driven on charge at least once a month.

[Kimo]

Originally Posted by MrsGX3

Has anyone else had the "increased battery discharge" issue?

The only time I've ever seen this - and I have NOT seen this in our X3 - is when a battery has been replaced in a car (BMW or MINI) that had IBS (Intelligent Battery System) and had not been properly "Registered". This, however, is presumably a corollary cue, and I expect that this Alert is primarily thrown to warn owners of an imminent battery failure, as pointed out in previous responses.

I assume your battery is not newly replaced, perhaps original, so I would therefore expect that it is on its last legs.

Look at the terminals and there should be a date stamp, i.e. 47/10 or similar. This (for instance) tells you that the battery was produced in the 47th week of 2010. If yours is getting a bit long in the tooth, then consider replacing it now while you have the luxury of time and choice.

Consider popping an AGM in there yourself (Advance Auto always has coupons and codes to bring the price down, but will not install batteries in BMWs) and then (unfortunately) be sure to get it registered at the dealer (work a $75 deal with them).

The IBS will pump more juice into a dying battery to adequately charge it for the numerous consumables in the car, and unless you tell the IBS that the old battery has gone to heaven and a new one installed (with different CCAs, reserve, etc.) the IBS will continue to overcharge the new battery and drastically shorten its life. This is "Registration" and while I have not independently verified that a 2011 X3 has the IBS, I'd be surprised to learn that it didn't.

Failing the above, carry a set of jumper cables or (better yet) a portable self-contained jump-starter in your trunk until you get things sorted out.