All,

Gonna be outta town for a few wks which means I have to leave the x3 in the garage while I'm out.

Are there any tips of what to do in general and also more specifically around the battery not dying?

I've left previous BMWs (not yet with the X3) for up to 6 wks at a time and not had any trouble. The only things I noticed were that the comfort access seemed to have disabled itself until I opened it with the key once, the tires seemed to hold a bit of a flat spot for about a mile, and the first application of the brakes was a bit grabby.

Now, others may be able to tell you I would have been wiser to hook it up to a battery charger, or something -- in this case, 6 wks wasn't long enough to create a problem with the fairly new battery in that car. If I have to leave this one longer, I was thinking about asking a friend to drive it for a day every three weeks or so.

Try this link http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=WY32&mospid=52632&btnr=61_2479&hg=61&fg=95&hl=2

^^ The trickle charger is a really good suggestion.

I've used one of these with very good results:

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306074998&sr=8-1

^ is that something I should plug into the car before leaving for the week?

flash3 wrote

^ is that something I should plug into the car before leaving for the week?

A "smart" charger like the Battery Tender (mentioned above), the CTEC
http://www.amazon.com/CTEK-Multi-Smart-Battery-Charger/dp/B000FQBWCY/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1306082851&sr=1-1

or the Griot's Garage Maintainer
http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/car+maintenance/battery+care/3-in-1+battery+charger+maintainer+tester.do?search=basic&keyword=Battery+Charger&sortby=newArrivals&page=1

is an especially good idea for the X3. Unlike most cars, where the battery is usually kept at about 90% of full charge, the X3 battery can drop down to 50% because of the way the BER (Brake Energy Recovery) system sometimes operates. Additionally, the X3 electronic systems create a substantial battery drain when the vehicle is parked.

One thing to keep in mind: Charging the X3 battery must be done via the "jumper" terminals under the hood. The 12 Volt accessory sockets in the passenger compartment are relay controlled and are disconnected from the battery after the car has been left for 15 minutes. A charger connected via the socket(s) will do no good.

You think for the 2 weeks I am out, the battery will likely die?

Let's say it does when I get back, what will BMW do under their warranty to get it back up and running? Will they come by to help me get it jumped?

No and yes -- or, at least, I believe so; never used that.

I doubt you'll have any problem. Or, just leave the keys with a neighbor, and instruct them to "have a little fun with it".

LEDZEP wrote

I doubt you'll have any problem. Or, just leave the keys with a neighbor, and instruct them to "have a little fun with it".

not an option lol

Nahoa wrote

No and yes -- or, at least, I believe so; never used that.

I'll need to dbl chk on the latter.

I was a bit worried but we were gone for 12 days and it was fine.

Brutus1 wrote

I was a bit worried but we were gone for 12 days and it was fine.

Woo!

flash3 wrote

I'll need to dbl chk on the latter.

Was thinkin' you might be the test case . . .

Honestly I would be more worried about the withdrawals your going to have once leaving your F25 at home.

Hi,

A couple of weeks is absolutely no issue, especially not on a brand new car with a good battery and during summer months. An older battery and during winter here in Sweden, well that's a different story...

Karl

i guess i am old school, i unplug the terminals or have it warmed up each morning

Brutus1 wrote

I was a bit worried but we were gone for 12 days and it was fine.

The car might start fine after that long, but if you do use a trickle charger when you're not going to drive the car every day, the battery will last longer. Once or twice a year may not make a huge difference, but a trickle charger is cheap insurance. Lead acid batteries do not like to sit long in a discharged state.

http://jgdarden.com/batteryfaq/carfaq13.htm

Lotus7 wrote

A "smart" charger like the Battery Tender (mentioned above), the CTEC
http://www.amazon.com/CTEK-Multi-Smart-Battery-Charger/dp/B000FQBWCY/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1306082851&sr=1-1

or the Griot's Garage Maintainer
http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/car+maintenance/battery+care/3-in-1+battery+charger+maintainer+tester.do?search=basic&keyword=Battery+Charger&sortby=newArrivals&page=1

is an especially good idea for the X3. Unlike most cars, where the battery is usually kept at about 90% of full charge, the X3 battery can drop down to 50% because of the way the BER (Brake Energy Recovery) system sometimes operates. Additionally, the X3 electronic systems create a substantial battery drain when the vehicle is parked.

One thing to keep in mind: Charging the X3 battery must be done via the "jumper" terminals under the hood. The 12 Volt accessory sockets in the passenger compartment are relay controlled and are disconnected from the battery after the car has been left for 15 minutes. A charger connected via the socket(s) will do no good.

I am gonna purchase one in the next week or so.

Is it safe to leave this plugged into the power outlet AND the car for weeks at a time with no attention?

Will the car not over heat? Battery charger not over heat?

flash3 wrote

I am gonna purchase one in the next week or so.

Is it safe to leave this plugged into the power outlet AND the car for weeks at a time with no attention?

Will the car not over heat? Battery charger not over heat?

Any of the "smart" chargers mentioned in this thread are safe to leave connected for extended periods of time. I've used the Battery Tender for up to 6-months on cars that are in "winter storage" and have had great battery life.

These chargers use an electronic circuit that monitors the battery's voltage and adjusts the charge accordingly. They will reduce the charging current to a low level once the battery is fully charged and increase it if the battery charge drops. The final current drops to such a low value that there is no battery heating and no evaporation of the electrolyte. These new generation chargers are also very efficient, so, once the battery is fully charged, they consume very little power, so stay cool and don't waste energy.

The "saturated mat" battery in the X3 is made like a "deep-cycle" marine battery, so is not prone to immediate damage if left in a LOW state of charge for extended periods, but it's still not a good idea to leave it in a FULLY discharged state.

Another advantage of using a “smart” charger to keep your battery "topped-up" is that the X3’s BER (Brake Energy Recovery) system only becomes fully functional (charging only when you are coasting or braking) when the battery is charged above 80% of full capacity. If the battery is low, the alternator does not switch to idle mode upon acceleration and you don't get the 3% fuel economy benefit of the BER. It's not much, but every little bit helps, and 3% of the fuel cost for most of us will pay for the cost of a smart charger in less than a year.

When I received my X3 from the dealership, the battery tested at less than 50% charged. It took 14 days of urban driving to bring it up to 80% before the BER started working for the first time. I purposely did not use an external charger, just to see how long it would take to start functioning by using the car’s charging capability alone. I still monitor the battery voltage to keep an eye on the battery charge and BER system’s operation.

If you drive the car for more than 8 or 10 miles every day, your battery will probably stay at around a 80% charge level. However if you leave it parked for more than 3 or 4 days without starting, of do a lot of short hops with a lot of starts, your battery will drop to a low enough charge state that the car my have problems if it's then left sitting while you're away on a trip for a few weeks without a charger attached.

inamik75 wrote

i guess i am old school, i unplug the terminals or have it warmed up each morning

"Unplugging" or disconnecting the battery in an X3 is REALLY not recommended, unless the battery is going to be replaced.

The car will loose all memory settings including stored seat positions, mirror positions and radio and paired phone presets. It will cause a Nav system reset that may require a long period for the Nav system to regain function. It will also require a battery "reinitialization" (a dealer procedure that usually incurs a cost), and it will require a power seat full reset for the power seats to function correctly. Additionally, the stored fuel injection "trim" values which are determined while the vehicle is driven through several cold start-up cycles will be lost resulting in poor fuel consumption and possibly reduced performance for a few days.

The dedicated computers in these cars need a constant supply of power, and unlike the motherboard in your home computer, they have no on-board back-up battery to keep the volatile memory working.

Sorry, but the X3 is not "old-school" and "old-school" methods don't apply for this "computer on wheels"

Lotus7 wrote

"Unplugging" or disconnecting the battery in an X3 is REALLY not recommended, unless the battery is going to be replaced.

The car will loose all memory settings including stored seat positions, mirror positions and radio and paired phone presets. It will cause a Nav system reset that may require a long period for the Nav system to regain function. It will also require a battery "reinitialization" (a dealer procedure that usually incurs a cost), and it will require a power seat full reset for the power seats to function correctly. Additionally, the stored fuel injection "trim" values which are determined while the vehicle is driven through several cold start-up cycles will be lost resulting in poor fuel consumption and possibly reduced performance for a few days.

The dedicated computers in these cars need a constant supply of power, and unlike the motherboard in your home computer, they have no on-board back-up battery to keep the volatile memory working.

Sorry, but the X3 is not "old-school" and "old-school" methods don't apply for this "computer on wheels"

I have been just been schooled by Lotus, thanks