IceBimmer

I have a 2004 545i with Premium sound and Navi. After I turned off the ignition, sometimes I stay in the car to listen to the radio. I have to turn the key to postion "2" to turn on the radio. However, I get a "Battery Level is low" message after 5 minutes or so. Do I need a bettery service or is the car not designed to do this. Maybe I need to shutdown the Navi system to save battery power. But I don't know how. Any ideas ?

EBMCS03

Yes, you should shut down the car completely, dont leave it in position 2 remove the key and then just push the volume knob. It will turn on the radio and allow you to listen for 20 mins.

Thirdy

If you are still under manufacturer's warranty. Have your car checked. Using the radio for five minutes with engine off should not drain the battery. I had problems with my car before ( drained battery, various engine faults) and all they found out was battery needs to be changed. They replaced my battery and I never had any problems since then (knock on wood).

IceBimmer

My car is still under warranty so I took it to the dealer during lunch time for free inspection and service. They found the battery charger was faulty and replaced the battery. I got the car back after two and half hours wait and rushed back to office. First thing I noticed was the missing time and date. No big deal, that happens after a battery change. I set the time and date. However, only time is displayed correctly and date is still showing --/--/---- and warning on all services. Second thing I noticed was the "Anti-Trap Windows Deactivated" warning message. Called the dealer and SA told me to wait till tomorrow to see if the "car computer" reset itself. It seems to me that either electronically BMW is very difficult to take care of or the dealership is not capable of handling it correctly.

Rudy

While the car is quite complex electronically, I think you'll find that the odds of finding an exceptional dealership are tougher to beat. Although the computer might reset itself, you'd be better off taking care of the window issue yourself rather than working with the dealer. If the following topic doesn't help you out (if you still have the window warning message tomorrow) then sure, see if the dealer can make things right. My bet is you'll have to perform the simple steps outlined in the link below and you'll be good to go...

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=25812

IceBimmer

Thanks Rudy. The information is very helpful. I fixed the two rear windows myself. No need to go to the dealer and waste a couple of hours even though the service is free.

Rudy

Great. Are the front windows working too?

IceBimmer

Front windows are ok. Didn't get affected.

The poor owner of the cafeterior of my company got her 07 550i back on Saturday after two weeks at the dealer ( same dealer that replaced my battery ). She said BMW had to fly two engineers in to fix her problem. This morning her Navi system won't come up. Have to send the car back to the dealer again.