I have a 2006 E61 535d still on the original battery. For the last couple of months the clock has repeatedly zereod which I understand is an issue with the battery when doing only very short journeys (I mostly do sub 7 miles daily). I plugged the car in at the weekend to the trickle charger and it never reached full charge (after 48hrs) and the clock has zereod again. Does this mean I need a new battery or are there other issues? the car has never failed to start, left it for two weeks recently.

 

I just got my (new to me 2008 550i) on Saturday - I had only 6500 miles on it. It is at the dealer today getting a new battery because as the service advisor told me "the low mileage didn't do you any favors". I think you probably need more than 7 mile trips at some points to get the battery charged. That said, 4 years on a battery seems about average to me, so my guess is that yours is probably due to be replaced.

 

You might just need a new battery, or you might have other issues. If you search the forums, you'll find a ton of threads dealing with this sort of thing. Here's a quick sample of some of the information that's out there for the searching:

https://5series.net/forums/topic/933...st__p__1103470
https://5series.net/forums/topic/901...driving-me-mad
https://5series.net/forums/topic/998...ant-find-cause
https://5series.net/forums/topic/101...scharge-06-e60
https://5series.net/forums/topic/983...-not-hold-date
https://5series.net/forums/topic/102...tery-discharge
https://5series.net/forums/topic/102...battery-tender

 

wow. only 6500miles on an 08? good thing that the battery is under warranty for you. otherwise they would charge 400-500 at the dealership.

 

Interesting point about that actually....the service advisor said that BMW expects that cars will be driven on average 700 miles per month. Since this car is less than that they are saying that the battery is not covered.

Good thing for me that the dealer that I bought the car from (I bought it in NY and live in MD) said they would cover it. It seems silly that it wouldn't be covered under warranty, especially for a car of this caliber, but since it is getting covered by the other dealer I am not going to make waves.

While it is in the shop I am getting the brake recall done - I put it on the list for the dealer and they did know about it - which appears to be rare from what I have read so far.

-jp

 

where is it written in your contract that the car has to be driven 700 miles? no-where !!!
If BMW knew about the problem (and they knew about it) before the sale, then they should disclose it. But noway, BMW is going to disclose it...CMON the unlimate driving machine needs 700 miles a month opr it cannot be driven properlly ! lol

I my case I went to BMWNA and made a mess because my dealer did not want to change the battery and because when I bought the ultimate driving machime nobody told me that it needed to be driven more than the weekends!!!! lol
BMW NA ASKED MY DEALER TO CHANGE THE BATTERY!


Now with only 6500 miles it is a different story ....lol

 

Tanks for the advice. I think I'll try a new battery as its 4.5 years old anyway.

 

Totally agree with you! The good news is that while my local dealer charged me to replace the battery ( to the tune of $462...battery plus registration...ouch!!), the dealer I bought the car from didn't hesitate and is reimbursing me. I have read some so-so reviews of Life Quality BMW in Brooklyn NY, but so far my experience has been great! In the sales department, ask for Vlad or Anthony. They are great guys!

-jp