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      09-03-2012, 07:30 PM   #1
PickyBiker
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"Battery discharging while stopped" message

My wife's X3 is getting the "Battery discharging while stopped" message.
This symptom is different from the other posts I found on the subject because her battery is not dead and the vehicle starts just fine.

The vehicle has temporarily prevented the air conditioner from operating at any fan speed above the minimum. We are in Texas and it's 98 degrees outside.

The battery is not discharged but because of the warning message, I charged it for 5 hours with a 10 amp automatic charger. That did not reset the error message. In fact, the charger indicated the battery was full after 2 minutes of charging. I just left it on because of a second message that told us to charge the battery. Nothing is plugged into any of the outlets, no doors are open, no lights are on. I can find no source of battery drain.

When the engine is running, the battery voltage is 14.35 volts indicating the charging system is working. About 3 minutes after turning the engine off, the battery voltage is 12.45 volts and hitting the Start button cranks the engine with vigor and it starts right up.

In addition to fully charging the battery, what else is required to reset that message?

Is it time to take it to the dealer?

Thanks!
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      09-03-2012, 07:47 PM   #2
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Just take it to the dealer. just an advice don't mention that you charged the battery yourself otherwise they would use it against you.
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      09-04-2012, 12:47 AM   #3
DonC
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Sounds like your battery is not holding a charge - the dealer can check. You are sitll under warr.
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      09-04-2012, 03:32 AM   #4
troggy1969
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I've had it a couple of times and I believe it is just a warning to say be careful, if you continue to sit running devices without starting the engine it will drain the battery over time.

To prompt it, put the ignition on and switch the lights on but don't start the engine, after about 30 seconds it comes up.
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      09-04-2012, 08:03 AM   #5
02420X3
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It's worth having the dealer check it. There's a reason for the message. Does the message appear while the X3 is running, while it is turned off, or both?

It could be many things, including those mentioned above, or perhaps some component isn't shutting down as it is supposed to, and is putting an unexpected drain on the battery. Speculation here could be endless. Dealer time.
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      09-05-2012, 07:23 AM   #6
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This continues to happen with me. It is almost daily. The only device plugged into the car is my old iPod. The iPod does appear to stay on all times.

Mike
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      09-05-2012, 07:48 AM   #7
Niti
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PickyBiker View Post
My wife's X3 is getting the "Battery discharging while stopped" message.

When the engine is running, the battery voltage is 14.35 volts indicating the charging system is working. About 3 minutes after turning the engine off, the battery voltage is 12.45 volts and hitting the Start button cranks the engine with vigor and it starts right up.
Good advise having the dealer check it if you have questions on the messages.

However, the voltage readings noted during drive and after 3min engine off is normal values and no reason for worry.
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      09-05-2012, 11:58 AM   #8
iwinit
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My F10 535i had the same message once last year. I have been using Schumacher XC103 smart charger to charge the battery once every month. Sometimes I leave it being charged overnight. Now, the battery performs substantially better. I never saw the message again.

It works even better on my old Tacoma pickup truck. The new high-capacity battery in the truck would die in just 3 days if the truck was not driven. I used another cheaper battery charger on it a couple of times and it made no difference. Then I used the XC103 to maintain the battery for 3-4 times. Now, the battery can last 5-6 weeks without truck being driven.

It has become a second nature of me to charge the batteries for all the vehicles in my fleet once a month. Modern vehicles have too many electric devices which put a great pressure on the battery.
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