gmethod

People don't get your panties in a wad If you didn't care about the technical details behind that appliance you drive around with the BMW logo on it, why bother posting another battery thread about what the dealer did?? We have read countless debates on the battery registration issue but none of them had a tech chime in with their knowledge (thanks paulie). I personally appreciate a good technical debate if it surfaces new information...if you don't then there are plenty of other threads about body kits, wheels and led lights out there for your reading pleasure

Bimmer32

This is the kind of discussion that sets this forum apart from other forums. It is both technical and fun.

neoe60

Well, in the same accord, if the sensor was truly intelligent, shouldn't it be able to sense when the battery is new?

Evotivo

So wait,....... Do I need to register my new battery or not?

CVTBenhogan

I tend to agree with you. Did alot of reading and chose not too. Ask BMW to do it and they refused (as I installed my own battery - not a AGM battery, rather a spec'd Bosch)

So in the fours months after this, I've had two problems. My fuel test vacuum pump fails ($150 DIY) and now my passenger airbag seat map seems to have failed. That said, both fails are not that uncommmon. A few more of these might see me regretting the no AGM and battery registration.

txag_530i

For those that have a working version of INPA the battery registration on E60 can be accomplished by following these steps:

From Main Menu GO TO: E60 > Engine > MSD 80.0 > Status Analog/Digital (F5) > IBS - Powermanagement (F5) > Batterietaush registrierne (F5)(battery registration in German).

I hope this helps anyone looking for this information especially if you have a later model car (post 2005).

boramkiv

People, People, People!!! Do yourselves a HUGE favor and get your batteries registered. Long story short heres my story on bimmerfest, #55.
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...=545684&page=3

vkhong

I visited a friend recently. His company works on power management and power measurement systems. They happened to be involved in designing and testing said systems for a high-end automobile manufacturer (which shall remain nameless) which manufactures conventional and electric vehicles.

A battery built to spec will have predictable performance (profiles). These various battery profiles (capacity, AGM, lead acid) are utilized by monitoring battery charging and battery drain to calculate available battery power at any given time. Keep in mind that battery or battery arrays are dumb or passive. Batteries themselves do not communicate their capacity. Power management systems do that.

In the case of BMW, power management systems are needed because modern automobiles have relatively high drain in sleep mode. The power management system will inform the vehicle when critical low power is being approached, before the voltage becomes critically low, so that the vehicle has the option of shutting down non-essential control modules when the vehicle is parked (not running). The idea is to keep enough power on hand to unlock doors and start the vehicle, and to extend battery life (which some of you have stated is engineering overkill).

If one uses other batteries, the battery profiles utilized by BMW may or may not match the battery's actual performance in reality. If a battery replacement event is not registered, the new battery may or may not perform optimally. Your mileage / battery life will vary.

If one's driving area is within populated areas, or the new battery warranty is generous, then a battery replacement, if needed, is not an issue at all. If one's vehicle has to start every time (e.g. often parked for days at airport, critical responder, makes frequent trips many miles away from home / nearest BMW Center), one might consider using a specified BMW battery and register the battery replacement for peace of mind.

EUAutoHaus

I agree with both sides of the debate here. I speak from experience. Regarding the specific chassis' with PMS(power management system) if you are using an expensive(marked up)OEM branded battery then it is best to register it with the IBS to optimize your battery. Dealers will in most cases do it for free when you buy a new battery from them. It involves Registering the battery AS WELL as a histogram reset. This is not a must do. If you are replacing your OE battery with a different type OE (ie AGM,) then it is probably best to let the car know you made a change the battery type. This is not a must do. However, you spent quite a bit of money on an OE battery and it can last you upwards of about 5 years (estimated). But if can also last you for 1 year. It depends.

If you are go to replace with an equivalent aftermarket battery like many of our customers then you probably did not pay much for the battery (which probably came from the same JC plant as the OE) and it has a 2-3 year warranty on it. So you have to do the math on which is feasible for you. We personally have customers who have took IBS physically out of the equation and they're loyal customers so we see them often. They have had no issues whatsoever for the past 4-5 years. When asked if we can do this for a customer, we will do it with a liability waiver. Just how business works.

We also register aftermarket batteries after letting the vehicle know we've changed AH or type. We've never had a customer with any issues. Each will have to make his own choice regarding this. If you want to prolong your battery it is a wise choice. If you have a cheap battery that you can simply replace every 3 yrs or so IF it fails, you do not have to do this. Again, the choice is on the individual. Everybody's situation differs from the next guy's.

angrymofo

I just replaced my battery with a AC Delco one with OEM specs. Didn't register right away to see what would happen. Drove about 500-700 KM's had 1 fault code come up. Battery wasn't charging and there was low power as quoted before. The car will shut down certain modules. I lost the "auto" climate control.
Suffice to say, I went to register the battery a week later at a BMW Indy shop. Tech told me that I did have a few more faults registered by the car computer due to the new battery.
Tech told me its best to register to get the max efficiency from the battery and max life out of the battery.

I figure register the battery, but u don't need a OEM battery so u can save some bucks there.

My quote from BMW to replace with OEM battery & Register was over $500 Cdn

Aftermarket battery/install/labor $200 - register battery $50