jramn

Brought my 08 550 in for several service items (recall, wipers, parking light malfunction, oil change) the most annoying of which is the loss of time and date and active steering warning when the car sits for a couple of days. Immediately the service advisor goes into his rehearsed response about the car waking up for system checks, the length of my drive and how the car needs to be driven every 3 days, and how the electronics are so sophisticated in the car. Starts in on how I can buy a trickle charger and plug my car in - told him I didn't know I bought a hybrid.

Said he would run a system check on it and let me know if there was anything wrong with the battery but it was unlikely they could do anything. I asked why the car hasn't done this from day one as my driving habits have not changed? His response was the battery is older and might not have the full capacity anymore. I asked if that wasn't enough to replace it under warranty but was told as long as the car starts, I'd be forced into the charger route by BMW. How can a car the was $70k new not have a manufacturer or dealership willing to step up and do what is right for the customer. What loyalty are they trying to build?

I asked if he had seen any parking lots at the airport with plugs available so when I return from a weeks worth of travel, I wouldn't have to tell my passengers to ignore the warning about a steering malfunction. I also asked why it wasn't part of the dealerships full disclosure policy to tell anyone purchasing this car that it would be necessary to plug it in.

The SA was clearly standing by a policy implemented by either this particular dealership and or BMW. Both he and the service tech agreed that it is probably a design flaw and/or an unintended consequence of the engineering that went into the car but at this time there was nothing they could do.

Unbelievably disappointed in the "band-aid" solution to a real problem. Why don't the dealers fight for their customers on these issues? Don't they work for me the consumer? If any loyalty is to come out of this relationship, I'm expecting them to do everything in their power to provide a solution that satisfies me, not BMW's bottom line.

There, now I feel better - at least until the SA calls to tell me my cars ready - hope they plugged it in.

south87

i read all the battery drain threads after getting the message a few time.. but my situation was that i was getting the message after putting in a new battery. as it turned out, the message went away after few days. anyway, i heard all the horror stories about the situation you are in, trickle charging, etc. i was a little surprised that two things were not more commonly suggested. 1) new, bigger, battery; 2) unplug flashlight. given that your car is under warranty, you don't want to go putting in a battery yourself, or they'll blame everything in the future on the battery. so since they won't pay.. fine. have them put it in at your cost. however, do some research on what batteries will go in your car. for my e60, and possibly all e60's, there is an 80 amp hour, 90 amp hour, and 110 amp hour battery available. get the 110, regardless of what your car came with. amp hours is the amout of energy stored in the battery. in this situation, i would think the more the better. then unplug the flashlight (yeah, it only charges for 15 minutes after turn off, but still).. and basically minimize any kind of drain. make sure you lock the car so it goes to sleep, and if you have comfort access, keep your key away from the car. if the new bigger battery fixes the problem -- after they refused to do it under warranty -- i think you have a good case for a refund or getting something back in the future. you get the idea. basically if they desigened a car that needs a new battery avery two years to function properly-- that ain't your problem (at least not while it is under warranty). post-warranty, i'd throw in a walmart everstart 49 for $77 and see how long it holds out. just my .02. i'm no expert so confirm everything before relying on this. just trying to help

sevenup_guy

I agree that these battery issues should not occur. That's why I invested in a battery tender for charging at my house. Also, if you are leaving your car unattended for an extended period.. Such as leaving the car at an Autobody shop...tell them to disconnect the battery. If I'm flying out of town, I usually get a shuttle or have someone drop me of at the airport. I know it's frustrating with these battery issue. I don't know why BMW has never really addressed this. It took a ABC report for them to formerly address the high pressure fuel pump as a Recall.

south87

i just googled the abc fuel pump thing.. wow. does anyone have a link to the actual 'hidden camera' investigation?

cmoore_

I see these stories come up from time to time, but I gotta admit Ive never had this problem at all. I can think of 2 seperate times off the top of my head where my car has sat 7 days at a time. Once for a cruise and the other during an ice storm we had last month here in Atlanta. Both times the car started right up with no issues or warnings. Car has 106k on it now and to my knowledge it is still on the oem battery. Maybe Im just lucky??

However, the dealer is becoming more and more frustrating to deal with. This is a fact. Im pretty sure SA's have a memorized set of answers for situations like yours.

south87

edit to above.. forgot to mention that supposedly the 90ah bmw battery is agm, where the 110ah battery is standard flooded. bmw is telling some people that the 90ah agm battery is the better of the two. for that reason alone i would go with the 110. but again, i don't really know. what i do know is that i am not plugging my car in.

aapl

I haven't read all of the responses, but based on my experience, you need a new dealer. I brought my car in (2008 535) for Comfort Access problems and they suggested I used a battery tender (and provided me with one under warranty). The next time I visited the dealer, I complained of my battery dieing after short trips and they replaced the battery as well as provided me with another battery tender.

lincvert

I'm not sure what battery I have, but I've owned my car for 2 years. I have left the car sit for as long as 30 days with no charger and no issue starting it. I wouldn't tolerate the trickle charge solution on a daily basis.

e60oholic

My car sat in my driveway last year while I was on vacation for close to 2 months, got home it started right up no issues at all! What the dealer should of told you the airport is no place for your car leave it at home on the charger and take a taxi!

south87

lol there were only 5 responses