MizzouTiger

As of 3 days ago whenever I start my 2007 BMW 525 Xi, it displays the message ?Increased battery discharge!? and the clock needs resetting. Is this an issue of the battery or possibly a sensor going bad?

Thank you for your time.

Muppet_Man

Hi, I had exactly the same issue on my 535D E61.

I checked the battery condition and found it was weak, so changed it and went in with a diag computer to tell the system a new battery was fitted. This did not cure the fault however.

I spent ages with a current meter clamp trying to track down where the current drain was. The biggest problem is the car is chock a block full of extras and when you lock the car it actually takes around 90 minutes to go to sleep. So you can't check for what's causing it until that amount of time. Then every time you change something to see if it's the thing causing the fault (like pulling a fuse to take a specific item/system out of the loop) you have to wait another 90 minutes to see what the batteries current draw is again once the car is finally dormant.

It took me three days in total to track down that it was my after market Dension iPod interface. The selector switch to go between iPod and the CD multi changer that is fitted to the car was dodgy, and when it was not all the way one way or the other, it discharged the battery.

Charge up your battery for a whole day. Then run the car so the system registers the charged battery state. Then try and leave it for a day. If it works fine the next time you use it a day later, then suspect the battery, as if the battery was fine, but the car was being excessively discharged the computer would still pick up the discharge. Ask your local garage for a battery check with a modern battery meter and if it checks out fine, then you'll be back to the problem I had. Try to think if you have changed anything lately that could have effected the system.

This is a horrible and very tedious thing to check yourself, but a dealer will probably charge a lot because of the time involved. My local dealer in Norwich, Norfolk in the UK would have the shirt off your back if they could without doing much of anything to earn it, lets hope if you need your dealer you've got a better one than me.

Good luck

syrousd

Check Alternator then replace battery is the only cure>

MizzouTiger

Thank you both for taking the time and replying.

devildawg712

Ignore this^^ and follow Muppet man's advice first. More than likely something is not going to sleep correctly, which is causing your increased drain at night. If in fact everything is working as it should then I would replace the battery. I'm almost certain it's not your alternator either, but taking a quick peak wont hurt.

I have a crap load of extras installed too and I haven't had the time to pinpoint what is triggering mine so I just bought a BMW trickle charger and plug that sucker in at night.

luigi524td

Battery and IBS failure are common causes for the alert you've noted. Start with investigating the battery - lots of posts about replacement alternatives including whether registration is necessary or recommended.

syrousd

Trickle charger how about not needing a trickle charger in the first place So you saying ignore checking the battery and the alternator but yet you saying check the alternator INTERESTING

devildawg712

nah man. I said ignore your straight forward 1 and 2 response FIRST as you simply provided the last resort . What I was trying to say is that there can be a number of issues that have gone wrong. From what I understand and how I read your short reply to the OP's thread you say there are only 2 things he can/should do prior purchasing a new battery. As you probably already know the battery, at least an OEM one ranges from $250-300+ dollars for most people with no hook. I'm sure the OP would like to know the least cost effective way to try and tackle the issue if there is one available.

You're right tho. I wont need a trickle charger eventually, but as of late I just dont have the time to check every last bit of modded electronic features to identify the problem. And yes I said to check the alternator because again? SEVERAL THINGS can be the issue, but more than likely there is something not allowing the car to sleep properly.

syrousd

An "I agree with Muppet ans Syrousd " would suffice here, I think. No one is disagreeing with Muppet I just wanted to make sure he checks the obvious. Oh...and my vocabulary is limited to 10 words or less!

devildawg712

LOL. I reread my initial post and I didn't want you to misunderstand where I was getting at so I fixed it, but I think you read it before i clicked resubmit. But yea, eventually I'll bust out the multimeter and source the issue. GL to the OP and hopefully you wont need to buy a new battery