battery replacement for 550i

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02-15-2014, 10:57 AM

#11

twh

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Join Date: May 2005

Location: Denver, USA

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My Ride: 2006 BMW 530xi 6MT

Model Year: 2006

Engine: N52

I'm sure it does "something", but is it absolutely required -- I doubt it. Maybe it extends the battery life by 5%, 10%, 20%?? You can pick up an Advance Auto Parts battery for $175-ish. If it only lasts 4 years instead of 5, that isn't a big deal. It seems like typical BMW overcomplicated engineering for little gain. I did change my wife's X5 AGM battery and didn't register it for a month or more and didn't notice anything before nor after.

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02-16-2014, 10:50 AM

#12

FormerE30Owner

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Location: Montreal Quebec Canada

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My Ride: 2005 545i, premium package, 6sp manual, cold package, navigation package.

Model Year: 2005

Engine: N62

Quote:

Originally Posted by BimmerFan52

If driving habits lead to an undercharged battery, the best solution is a battery tender, which keeps the battery fully charged and prevents sulfation, but generally requires private garaging of the car.

I have found that a 5 watt solar panel works well with my cars that have been stored/left outdoors. In our climate (Montreal) and cold winters, getting 4-5 years with a battery is pretty good. Ironically, however, warm, hot weather is harder on batteries than cold weather, contary to common beliefs.

Salut, Bob p.