DC5Series

Hi all,

Since my battery died about a month ago I've been having the following issues. Please note I have replaced the battery with an AGM battery and registered myself using the BMWhat iVini OBD2 Bluetooth Reader + $15 battery registration unlock in the Android App.:

1. Steering Column will not come all the way forward or move down all the way like it used to. Problem started as soon as battery was about to die and did not relieve itself with new AGM battery.
2. Auto Door Locks randomly lock themselves while driving.
3. The Fuel Gauge (both electric read-out and cluster gauge) stopped working. Problem started at '33km' until empty. After putting $50 of 94 octane in the fuel guage did not recognize the new fuel. It did register from 33 to 0 and now just continiously reads 0km to empty.

There are no cluster lights on for the steering column by the way. All of these issues appear to be electrical related.
After searching the forums there was mention of the GM3 Module. Can anyone point me down the right path?

Thank you

pcy

Was the original battery also AGM battery?
If not, simple registration is not enough.

While the engine is running, what is the voltage?

twh

My 2006 came with flooded battery (i.e. not AGM). Wife's 2009 X5 came with AGM. As you say, he needs to know if the car is programmed for AGM or not. There are some NCS Expert threads I think to determine that.

audiophool

OP says he registered as AGM.

But, based on my research when replacing batteries, the AGM wasn't recommended for extreme cold areas so I picked FLA to match the OE part.

After replacing (still not registered after a couple of weeks), all of my little problems have gone away. Oddly though, my steering wheel stopped doing the 'hokey pokey' quite a long time ago and still doesn't. Not even sure how you program it as an option (my G37x had a menu setting for it). I'm fine with it not moving around since I'm sufficiently agile to alight from the car without lifting the wheel out of the way...

pcy

Yes, he says he registered as AGM.
I wanted to know if the original battery was AGM or FLA.
If the battery was simply replaced with the same type, no coding is necessary (registration is different from coding).

BimmerFan52

+1
Coding is not required and date registration is also likely not that important if the same battery type is used.

Both these steps could affect battery life, but in the short-term will have no effect on battery performance, unless the highly unusually situation existed where the ambient temperature was very low and the battery state of charge was very low, which might cause the CAS to treat the AGM battery as the presently coded FLA and push the system voltage above 14.8V, which is detrimental to AGM type batteries. But unless the battery was not charged properly before installation one would not expect that to be the case so any shortening of battery life is gradual at best. If you are not having any starting problems I would set the battery situation aside for now.

Also, the OP acknowledges that some of the problems started before the old battery completely died, indicating that it was system voltage related.

One would assume that if the OP had the knowledge to register the battery he also had the knowledge to diagnose any potential alternator output abnormalities before replacing the battery. If not, that is where I would look. The voltage regulator determines the system voltage (which is the same as the battery charge voltage given that the battery is in parallel with the rest of the electrical components), based upon direction from the ECU and CAS. However, once the VR goes bad it can allow the system voltage to swing wildly up and down, no matter what target voltage the CAS sets. Large swings outside the normal system voltage will affect electrical systems, and generally when voltage sags too low you get some warning as the car sheds load, with the active steering and transmission control modules being in an early group to have power dropped. Error lights appear on the dash.

I would first pull error codes from memory, and if you haven't already check for proper alternator output. Then you might try disconnecting the battery for half an hour. Depending upon the exact year and model you can also disconnect both battery cables, let them sit disconnected for ten minutes and then touch the two cables together for a few seconds to completely discharge any capacitors in the ECU. Once the battery is reconnected the system will do a cold boot and may clear your problem.

After that I would suggest you seek help from a BMW specialist.