[jsl1419]

After maintenance check up, SA told me my 2012 X3 Msport need a new battery and it cost 650 before tax. I got no error or warnings even no typical signs from bad battery.

Any idea?

[fjrmann]

what was the % charged capacity? did you get a print out of the current state of charge? did the service department charged and load test it?

i was told i needed a new battery after the replacing of the original battery of only two years. i asked them to charge it and after 6 weeks the battery is fine.

$650 is a tad expensive. i was quoted $530 including the registration and coding the battery to the car.

[jsl1419]

Originally Posted by fjrmann

what was the % charged capacity? did you get a print out of the current state of charge? did the service department charged and load test it?

i was told i needed a new battery after the replacing of the original battery of only two years. i asked them to charge it and after 6 weeks the battery is fine.

$650 is a tad expensive. i was quoted $530 including the registration and coding the battery to the car.

No. they didn't give me a print out about charged capacity or state of charge.
One paper showing all service category and battery section is FAIL.

Can I try to charge it with my BMW battery tender first and see?

[02420X3]

My SA let me know several months ago that there were codes stored for low battery voltage. He said that 3-4 years was the expected life of the battery. I chose to hold off on having the battery replaced for several months. When I eventually got a warning that some systems has been disabled due to low battery voltage I had it replaced. That was at 3 years and 9 months.

That price is a bit high. My dealer is pricey too, but I offset that with a 15% discount on parts and labor which is given based on my $48/yr BMW CCA membership. I saved more than that on the battery replacement.

[Mr Comfort]

I had to replace my Battery in my last bmw. 220.00 for the battery at Advance Auto. I installed it. 75.00 to the local garage that does bmw, with trained mechanics to code the change. Local dealer wanted 300.00 to code only.

[fjrmann]

Originally Posted by jsl1419

Can I try to charge it with my BMW battery tender first and see?

I would not use a battery tender to put a charge to the battery. get a 2 amp charger and charge the battery according to the current state of charge to full charge. after full charge, monitor the battery voltage then if needed use your trickle charger.

[Amber]

Originally Posted by jsl1419

After maintenance check up, SA told me my 2012 X3 Msport need a new battery and it cost 650 before tax. I got no error or warnings even no typical signs from bad battery.

Any idea?

Why is it that Amazon has BMW batteries for half the price that you have been quoted?

[n55x3]

Originally Posted by fjrmann

I would not use a battery tender to put a charge to the battery. get a 2 amp charger and charge the battery according to the current state of charge to full charge. after full charge, monitor the battery voltage then if needed use your trickle charger.

Say whaaa? A battery tender is a trickle charger and normal charger all in one. The BMW branded battery tenders I have seen are Deltran units, simply reskinned with BMW logo. Most are 1.25a but typically charge much quicker than 2a or 3a chargers (based on their claims, I have always used battery tenders for all my battery charging needs and have never compared their 1.25a to a higher rated non Deltran unit). They are good stuff and a legit product.

Regarding the original post, is your X3 throwing errors about low battery? If not then carry on till you at least trigger one of those. I wouldn't even bother with the battery tender yet. Those automated battery tests show false failures often or I've even seen them throw false positives when a battery had a bad cell but test does not always pick that up.

[x99]

It do sound very strange with a battery replacement this early. You got a AGM heavy duty battery in your X3.

I would recommend getting CTEK MSX 5.0 battery charger http://smartercharger.com/battery-chargers/. You need something that can charge at least 100Ah

[x99]

I meant the CTEK MUS 4.3

[x99]

The replacement of a AGM battery will require a re-programing. So you cannot just replace the battery.

[RaslDasl]

Originally Posted by 02420X3

My SA let me know several months ago that there were codes stored for low battery voltage. He said that 3-4 years was the expected life of the battery. I chose to hold off on having the battery replaced for several months. When I eventually got a warning that some systems has been disabled due to low battery voltage I had it replaced. That was at 3 years and 9 months.

That price is a bit high. My dealer is pricey too, but I offset that with a 15% discount on parts and labor which is given based on my $48/yr BMW CCA membership. I saved more than that on the battery replacement.

How did you save on parts and service with BMWCCA? I was not aware of this benefit.

[02420X3]

Originally Posted by RaslDasl

How did you save on parts and service with BMWCCA? I was not aware of this benefit.

Some BMW dealers will give a discount to BMWCCA members. It so happens that mine is one of the ones that does.

[335xs2dinan]

Originally Posted by x99

The replacement of a AGM battery will require a re-programing. So you cannot just replace the battery.

had no problems doing this without registering/programming on my 335xi with an AGM battery

[jsl1419]

Originally Posted by n55x3

Say whaaa? A battery tender is a trickle charger and normal charger all in one. The BMW branded battery tenders I have seen are Deltran units, simply reskinned with BMW logo. Most are 1.25a but typically charge much quicker than 2a or 3a chargers (based on their claims, I have always used battery tenders for all my battery charging needs and have never compared their 1.25a to a higher rated non Deltran unit). They are good stuff and a legit product.

Regarding the original post, is your X3 throwing errors about low battery? If not then carry on till you at least trigger one of those. I wouldn't even bother with the battery tender yet. Those automated battery tests show false failures often or I've even seen them throw false positives when a battery had a bad cell but test does not always pick that up.

I just recharged my battery with BMW battery tender and diagnosed it with a cheap Amazon battery tester. It show my battery fully charged and in good condition.

I believe my dealer has a comprehensive and dedicated tester for our BMW AGM battery but I'm glad that I didn't pay for a new one.

[Tjalle]

Since I have two cars - a MY-97 9000 for the dirty work, and my X4 for the nice trips - I, about once every second month will charge my battery with a CTEK.
I have been doing this for many years with different cars, and I typically will get more than 5 years of battey life.

NOTE: There are a lot of lights/electronics set off when you "touch" the car - draws electricity.

Since I normally have two cars, I used to disconnect the battery to avoid drainage when parking for a week or so - I don`t dare to do that on the X4.

$650 is a steal! Typical cost for a similar battery in Sweden/Europe is $150