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Comfort Access Causing Battery Drain??

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Old 02-15-2009, 09:35 AM
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Hey guys,

I've seen a few brief discussions that touched upon this but I was hoping to get some clarification...

A buddy of mine has a new 535xi. On three or four occasions over the past few weeks, the battery has been dead. Last week, he had the car jump-started and drove it to the dealer. An hour later, they called him up, told him his car was ready, and that the problem was that he did not lock the car... Because he has Comfort Access, some of the lights (or whatever) will stay on for an hour, and drain the battery in the process. The solution they proposed was to make sure that you fully lock the car whenever you park it.

So my question is this: it's inconceivable to me that BMW has designed a car such that if the owner forgets to lock it, the battery will fully discharge. Is this true?? Is it possible that the engineers at BMW think that this is acceptable performance of their product??

I'm hoping you guys can shed some light on this... Thanks in advance!
Old 02-15-2009, 05:36 PM
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sounds like the dealer is blowing smoke because they cant figure out why your car battery actually died.

I have been dealing with a dead battery problem since Thanksgiving with no solution thus far. My car is back in the shop as of 3pm today!

Good luck with your battery issues.
Old 02-15-2009, 05:59 PM
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I never lock my car in my garage...I don't buy the concept that CA cars drain the battery when not locked (or when the fob is nearby).

Often times there is a different problem where some module isn't allowing the car to go to sleep properly. I don't think these problems are specific to CA cars (although I've had to have two gear selectors replaced due to this exact issue.)
Old 02-15-2009, 11:08 PM
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I had the battery drain problem and my dealership seems to have fixed it.

I only drive my 535i on the weekends and it would sit for 5-6 days. At first I would always need to reprogram the clock. After a few times I got sick of that so I booked an appointment. I was the gear selector lever not properly entering sleep mode, cause the battery to drain to a certain level. They did an energy diagnoses to come to that conclusion.
Old 02-15-2009, 11:48 PM
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Originally Posted by sc88' post='793810' date='Feb 16 2009, 04:08 AM
I had the battery drain problem and my dealership seems to have fixed it.

I only drive my 535i on the weekends and it would sit for 5-6 days. At first I would always need to reprogram the clock. After a few times I got sick of that so I booked an appointment. I was the gear selector lever not properly entering sleep mode, cause the battery to drain to a certain level. They did an energy diagnoses to come to that conclusion.
I just went and bought a new batt for mine I had the same problem
Old 02-16-2009, 05:22 AM
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Thanks everyone for the responses thus far...

Originally Posted by Rudy' post='793650' date='Feb 15 2009, 09:59 PM
I never lock my car in my garage...I don't buy the concept that CA cars drain the battery when not locked (or when the fob is nearby).
Rudy, just to clarify: are you saying that you have CA and your battery doesn't drain when you leave your car unlocked?
Old 02-16-2009, 05:29 AM
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My Ride: 2007 530i Olivine Green w/ Beige leather interior, 6 spd manual, premium package, comfort access, cold weather package, heated rear seats. 2005 Acura MDX Touring Sage Brush Pearl w/ NAV, running boards, roof rack 1993 325is Calypso Red w/ Parchment leather interior, 5 spd manual. (Sold Nov 06)
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Like Rudy, I keep my car in the garage, unlocked and have not had battery problems. I have a 6-spd manuel, so the gear selector lever not engaging sleep mode wouldn't be applicable even if my battery was losing charge.
Old 02-16-2009, 05:47 AM
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Originally Posted by arb' post='793907' date='Feb 16 2009, 09:22 AM
Rudy, just to clarify: are you saying that you have CA and your battery doesn't drain when you leave your car unlocked?
Precisely...
Old 02-16-2009, 06:11 AM
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Originally Posted by dmahon' post='793910' date='Feb 16 2009, 09:29 AM
Like Rudy, I keep my car in the garage, unlocked and have not had battery problems.
D, also just to clarify, you have CA?

Rudy, thank you!

I just knew it couldn't be possible that locking the door is a requirement to avoid battery drain!! (I still can't even believe that the service advisor said this!)
Old 02-16-2009, 06:18 AM
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Originally Posted by arb' post='793938' date='Feb 16 2009, 10:11 AM
(I still can't even believe that the service advisor said this!)
No surprises here...


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