Tex735

All,

I hope someone here can help... I have a 2004 530i with a problem. When I park the car overnight, the battery drains to almost dead. It USED to hold a charge during the day while at work and would start up and get me home, but over night (12 hrs or so), it would drain the battery almost flat. I had it checked out at a local shop and they told me that the blower control module and the alternator needed to be replaced. So, I had them do that work. Now, the problem is worse than before!!! I just drove it around for about 45 minutes and the batter had a good charge and it is almost flat after about 2 hours. I did notice that the LED next to Park was on after 2 hours, so the car is not going to sleep. I also noted that the CD changer was cycling when I got in and started the car. Does ANYONE have any idea as to what could be the problem? I don't know if a 2004 e60 has that Intelligent Battery Sensor on it or not. I also don't know if they coded the battery back into the system after all this work (or if they needed to). I do know that I have spent almost $1600 during the past week having them replace parts and it is getting REALLY annoying. If anyone has any ideas, please respond. I'm at a loss and am going broke fast.

Thanks.

Tex735

Ok, an update (in case anyone on here is actually reading this...). I disconnected the power lead to the Intelligent Battery Sensor to see if that would stop the battery going dead overnight. Battery still went dead, so the IBS is not the problem. On a hunch, I went to Autozone and had them come out and test the battery. Their tool said "Battery Bad, Replace Now!" I'm guessing that their equipment is trustworthy and the guy was pretty cool and told me that my battery costs about $200 and he didn't have any in stock. What I mean is that I really don't feel as if he was lying to make a sale. My question is: The green indicator on the battery is green and Autozone's test meter showed that my battery was at 74% charge after 45 minutes of highway driving and that my battery is bad. Has anyone had experience with Autozone's battery tester and is it pretty accurate? I know that the green indicator on batteries can be wrong though. I just don't want to go to the stealer for a new battery and have them run all sorts of diagnostics and charge me $$$ for my trouble if I already know, on good authority, that all I need is a new battery and have the IBS coded for it.

Can anyone else chime in with similar experience?

turboawd

well how old is your battery? if its an oem battery, the manufacture date is stamped on top of the negative post.

kane1111

I think you should get a dealer battery rather than an Autozone version. Also, I dont think you should take your vehicle to a local shop the dealer is the best bet!! It works for me... Good luck tho!!

luigi524td

Electrical issues are very difficult to diagnose. IMHO only use a very experienced bmw independent mechanic or a dealer. The green eye in the battery only can confirm the condition of that specific cell and is only a basic indicator of the condition of your battery. If a load test confirms the battery is bad, the battery is bad!

Tex735

Yeah, I'm gonna get a BMW battery from the dealer. That would be easier anyway since they have to tell the Intelligent Battery Sensor that a new battery was installed so I'll just have the dealer take care of all of that at once. I just wanted some opinions regarding Autozone's battery tester and it's accuracy. If they are pretty reliable, then I'll tell the dealer to skip the $100 diagnostic test and just replace my bad battery and send me on my way. I've already spent way too much money and had a rental car for far too long to have to leave the car overnight at the dealer for a battery swap (which is exactly what will happen if I just tell them that the car won't start and I THINK it might be a bad battery). This has taken almost 2 weeks so far and I'm getting a little tired of juggling work, the wife's schedule (so I can borrow her car) and mechanics keeping my car overnight. I would hope that for such a simple thing as this, they could schedule me to come in and wait while a tech spends 30 to 45 minutes installing a battery and registering it with the IBS.

One can only hope...

Tex735

I bought the battery new from a dealer 2 yrs and 2 months ago... Figures that it would go out 2 months past warranty...

luigi524td

I'd push that button harder ... 2 yrs + 2 months is totally ridiculous for a BMW dealer sold original battery ... that said, I'll bet you're looking at other related electrical issues - these cars are bears after they go out of warranty!

turboawd

check the battery date to make sure it was a fresh battery when last changed.
also, if your battery ever went dead and stayed dead for an extended period, that can shorten the life a lot.

stock545i

I had the same problem. If your Idrive is recylcing, there could be an issue.
In my case, I paid the dealer to do a current draw test, and they found most bus errors, the first time around. It ended up being a problem with my CCC drive that was causing the drain.

So make a long story short, I've got a spare AGM battery sitting in storage now.

I have posted my experience on here...

Idrive Gremlin

GL