kchan

my wife's x5 battery died on us all of a sudden. i don't know how it went from fine and to not starting at all the next morning. no lights are left on, it's very very sudden. funny thing is it doesn't even try to crank, and it has some click click noise the first try, and then no response whatsoever. i tried to jump start it but didn't work (i later found out i used the wrong nut for grounding on the x5). i thought i have to tow into the dealer to fix a starter or something. then later i tried again and notice the nut i've been using doesn't seem like a chassis ground... once it starts, the display on the x5 is all screwed up (it reads like -10F or something, should have take a picture), and the gas is down to a 10 miles range. for the gas i don't know if it's real or not since my wife drives it...

so hop on and drive over to auto zone, pickup a battery and have them install it. for the x5 the battery is a PITA to remove (it's underneath a full size spare). they have a tool to aid lifting the spare but it still no fun lifting 60 lbs... during this fiasco, i was trying to locate the my E60's battery, thinking about jumping directly from battery to battery. actually the location is NOT stated in the owner's manual, it only has the front jumping location. i knew it's in the trunk, try lifting the spare but it's not under there, try the left compartment and not there, then i finally find it in the right compartment. you actually have to unscrew two plastic bolts and remove the trim.

at autozone, the guy checked out the x5's battery and it still reads 12V, didn't put a load to it, but the light still has a faint green which is supposed to be good. there's a quick thought of trickle recharging it but don't want to take a chance. cost me like $140 and it's not as nice looking as the OEM white battery. the actual battery removal on the x5 is pretty straight forward, there's a hose for venting which i am glad the auto zone battery has.

once i pop on the battery, the temperature goes back to normal, fuel gauge pops back to a 1/4 tank. that makes me so happy. i will be pi*s if it's really a starter problem and i have to tow the car in. i will even be more pi*s if i tow the car in and find out i've been using the wrong ground! the service advisor is quite useless, asked me to tow the car in and we will see what happens...

btw, the x5 has like 52k miles and it's bought march of 03. for those of you with early 04 models (picked up in 03), better watch out =D these things just like to happen at the least expect time. we were thinking of driving the x5 down to southern cal the day before and we called it off...

Ricracing

Batteries last for some 4 - 5 years.

LJTX545I

Battery life will vary based on a number of factors such as ambient temperature and humidity, loads, cycling frequency, charging voltage, etc. yeah, if your car is more than 4 years old its something you might think of replacing before its too late.

theXman

So, this was a battery problem with your X5, not the E60. Should this be under the "Other BMW Model" category.

Nonetheless, thanks for sharing the experience.