Autozone - proper battery with vent tube: $93 + tax. 45 mins to install. That is all.

 

Apparently the CPO warranty does not cover the battery (at least that is what the stealership told me). ... and no one at the stealership can seem to give me an answer in regards to voiding my CPO warranty if a non-OEM battery is used. I never knew this would be such a hassle!

Thanks everyone. This does help illuminate the pricing issue... Both of my quoted prices are a joke!

Im still struggling with buying the battery and installing myself or having a mechanic perform the install and "reset the system." There seems to be two camps on this thread arguing the necessity to coordinate the battery with the vehicles computer. Is there any thread here that will validate the need for a professional install? At this point I am doubting anything a dealer is saying.

 

I replaced my OEM battery with an Interstate battery while the car was under CPO and my stealership did not void it after seeing it.

 

I found this on our batteries from another forum:

Foreign Service
Motor, Jun 2009 by Marinucci, Dan

Vehicles are becoming increasingly self-aware with each passing yean Its no longer enough to replace a battery when necessary. Many late-model BMWs also need to know whenyou replaced it

Last month I discussed a timely trend in higher-end European electrical systems, the absorbed glass-mat (AGM) battery. This time I'll focus on another one, relearning BMW charging systems after battery replacement. You read correctly - relearning the charging system.

First I'll recap the AGM battery information. An AGM battery is more damp than wet inside because it isn't flooded with liquid electrolyte like a traditional battery is. Also, AGMs are designed to be very low-gassing batteries. These features make them especially well-suited for locations inside the vehicle. Some higher-end European vehicles have an AGM battery somewhere inside the vehicle powering on-board electronics while a separate battery under the hood handles starting duties. Finally, fully recharging an AGM battery safely and quickly requires an AGM-capable charger.

Okay, let's get back to those late-model BMW charging systems. First, the electrical system is so sophisticated that it tailors charging as closely as possible to both the type and the age of the battery. There's a computer, which goes by several different names, that controls the alternator. Whenever you replace a battery, this computer really needs to know because it doesn't charge a fresh battery the same way it charges an older battery. What's more, this computer needs to know if you've updated a vehicle from a conventional battery to an AGM type; it charges the AGM differently than a traditional battery.

Second, the process of updating this alternator-control computer is called battery registration. You don't ab- solutely have to register every new battery you install in these late-model BMWs. Ignoring the registration process after replacing a battery won't trigger a DTC or turn on the MIL. Howev- er, a savvy BMW specialist warned me that skipping the battery registration process can dramatically shorten the life of a battery in these vehicles, be it an AGM or a conventional battery. For instance, he's diagnosed cars on which a new battery didn't even last a year because it wasn't registered! The charging system could shorten the life of an unreg- istered battery by charging it too aggressively when it's cold; it also could shorten the life of an unregistered AGM battery by overcharg- ing it, he said. To say the least, premature battery failure can be aggravating for the customer and embarrassing for you and your shop.

Third, several problems can cause premature battery failure. On a latemodel BMW, skipping battery registration can be one of them. Don't gamble; always register a new battery on any BMW equipped with MOST Bus - a single-line, fiber-optic ring network BMW introduced in the early 2000s. Typically, the easiest way to identify a vehicle equipped with MOST Bus is to look for iDrive. In turn, the quickest way to spot iDrive is to look for the fancy LCD control display screen up on the instrument panel. Among other things, this display screen shows the driver climate control functions, navigational info, entertainment system controls, etc. (To my knowledge, the lone exception to this is the 2006 3series cars without iDrive, which still use the MOST Bus network.)

Here's when MOST Bus appeared on the most common BMWs your shop would encounter:

* 2002 for 7-series (E65/66 vehicle platforms);

* 2003 for 6-series (E63/54 vehicle platforms);

* 2004 for 5-series (E60/61 vehicle platforms);

* 2006 for 3-series (E90/9 1/92/93 vehicle platforms);

* 2007 for X5 series (E70 vehicle platform);

* 2008 for X6 series (E71 vehicle platform).

Fourth, registering a battery is easy but it requires a scan tool that communicates effectively with these BMWs. If you want to service more of these vehicles, shop for scanner updates or a new scan tool that will do the job. The screen capture on page 10 from an AutoLogic scan tool is an example of one of those you'd see during the battery registration. You also could look up battery history on this same screen. Notice that the first entry is "Last battery replacement (km)"and the reading is 0.00. Meanwhile, all the remaining entries are the same value of 528,392 km (about 328,000 mi.). These readings show that if someone has replaced this car's battery, he did not register it.

One BMW specialist pointed out to me that sometimes you can quickly check to see if the car's got the original battery in it. He said that BMW traditionally stamps the battery's manufacturing date on the negative terminal. The date stamp shows the week first, then the year. For instance, "42 05"indicates the 42nd week of 2005; "33 07"would mean the 33rd week of 2007. If the date stamp on the negative battery terminal is fairly close to the vehicle build date, then it's extremely likely that it's the original battery.

Look at the screen capture again. The BMW ace told me that if the battery had been replaced and registered correctly, the number in the top box or window would be 1.00. Next, the second entry there would be the kilometer (km) reading when the new battery was registered. Then, the rest of the entries in those little windows would show the vehicle's then-current km (odometer) reading.

Makes me think twice about replacing it. Depends on the circumstances at the time of battery trouble - keeping it, selling it, or trading it in.

 

Ok maybe I'm retarded but How do you get the Batt disconnect off the + terminal on the Batt.

I found the one bolt to remove the + wire off the batt but I can't find the other bolt to remove the Emergency disconnect charge thing to pull the batt out of the car.It's a PITA in the Wagon vs the sedan...

 

I don't claim to know much and it is possible I am wrong but I like and trust this independent specialist and I know many folks that use them. The BMW OEM battery contains calcium that makes it different form a normal battery you may find in a Honda Accord for example. The battery on these cars has to support an incredible and complex amount of electrical pieces....for example, if you notice that when you approach your car and hit unlock on the key fob you will hear a slight hissing from the car. This is the fuel pump priming the engine as it thinks you are going to get ready to start it once you are in (it doesn't know if you are going to unlock the car just to get something out of it or you are unlocking it b/c you are about to get in and start it). It was explained to me that these calcium based batteries do not last as long as your typical battery but keep a high charge to get ready to power up all the other systems that are involved with this car. I didn't understand the "syncing" part but was told it had to be done right or else the battery would drain faster if it wasn't done. Again I could be completely wrong and am not a mechanic but do trust the folks that work on my car. Who knows, maybe I did get hosed on paying so much for the battery and install.....but if so that mechanic deserves an acting award.

 

I went to the local Batteries Plus and got a Werker battery installed for around $210.
Its been 9 months and not a single glitch.

Cheers!

Rahul
05 545i

 

I went with an Interstate. OEM Specs and size. Cost of battery and install about $260. Most of which was the price of the battery. I called a few of the dealerships in my area and they quoted anywhere from 400-700 for install and battery. Knock on wood, it has been two years and no issues at all. And it is not a daily driver. The car can go weeks without ever being driven, as it did this past winter and never had a problem starting right up. On a recent trip to the dealer for scheduled maintenance I inquired about programming the battery. The SA said it it had been ok this long, so there was no need for the programming. I wish I had a side by side pic of the batteries. They were identical! Size and specs. I am not doubting the dealerships, all I can say is I have had no issues.

 

The battery DOES need to be registered to the vehicle otherwise it will get overcharged causing a premature failure. While there is no set length of time of how long before it fails, it will ruin the battery over time. You guys always think the dealer is "out to get you" but do you really have all the facts? I bought a Werker battery for about $180 and installed it myself. Brought it to an independant shop to have the battery registered for about $60 including a scan for faults and fault memory clearing. The battery sensor is not part of the battery, but part of the engine control module. It tailors the vehicle charging output based on the condition of the battery. When the battery gets older, it requires a more aggressive charge to maintain the same state of charge as when new. For example, a new battery in an E60 may only need to be charged at 13.5 volts, as it gets older it may need 14.0 volts to charge it. The battery sensor remembers this and will continue to charge at 14.0 volts even after you disconnect and install a new battery, thus charging a battery more than it needs to be. The memory of all the control modules is retained even if you disconnect the battery. When you unplug your home computer, does all your information get erased? The same principle applies here.

 

I was convinced this was crap- so I checked with Mike at Techtalk on Roundel.org and guess what- it's true. I would never go against what he says and while I hated to hear this is the truth- I accept is as so if this dude says it is.

Sorry guys but we have to get them registered or risk certain early failure...