New Battery
11-21-2011, 10:21 AM
#1
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My Ride: 2004 530i
premium package/active steering/auto sunshade/tiag/black dakota leather/logic 7
35% tint all around
19' DPE GT7
I'm in the market for a new battery so I went to my dealer today to price one out. So I went in expecting that only the agm battery would be available but to my surprise they apparently have some of the white ones still in stock. The service guy is telling me that for the white battery they would just have to register the new one but for the agm they would have to reprogram the whole car in order to tell it that its now got a agm battery. So my question is, is that true? Has anyone switched from the old white battery to the new black battery? and what was all done for this switch? BTW the price difference for the 2 batteries are basically the same both under $200.
11-21-2011, 10:33 AM
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My Ride: 2008 535i:
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That's somewhat accurate. If you are replacing the orginal lead-acid battery with the same exact type then they "register" the battery by resetting the IBS (Intelligent Battery Sensor). If you switch to AGM or use a different spec battery then they have to change the values stored in the computer.
Either method requires simple settings changes/executions, but needs the appropriate hardware/software to perform
Either method requires simple settings changes/executions, but needs the appropriate hardware/software to perform
11-21-2011, 11:25 AM
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My Ride: BMW E-60 530I
can you register the battery on your own? I recently bought a used bavarian tech tool, if one just buys the battery anyone know how to register it, using bavariantech software?
11-21-2011, 11:51 AM
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I bought the battery from the dealer (same spec as original)and installed it myself. Since I didn't have any software to register, I just took it to an independent BMW shop by my place and had them register it for $50. If you have the software, I would try it. If not, just go to an independent and do what I did. In the end it's cheaper than having the dealer install and register.
11-21-2011, 12:21 PM
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19' DPE GT7
Well unfortunately I live in a small city with no independent mechanic that I would trust with a bmw and definitely no one that can program as far as I know. I am however in the process of trying to collect all the program files so that I can try my hand at programming, I believe this is the only way to register a battery yourself.
11-21-2011, 01:56 PM
#6
The dealer is telling you the truth. Replace the battery like for like (e.g. replace AGM with an AGM) and you just need to register the battery - very simple procedure with the right tools.
Change AGM to lead-acid or vice versa and the car needs "coding" i.e. reprogramming. In theory just one module will need reprogramming (DDE) but some of the dealer software tools are reluctant to reprogram one module and with the computer plugged in it may flag other updates that are required...so they may insist on reprogramming the whole car to the latest release!
Change AGM to lead-acid or vice versa and the car needs "coding" i.e. reprogramming. In theory just one module will need reprogramming (DDE) but some of the dealer software tools are reluctant to reprogram one module and with the computer plugged in it may flag other updates that are required...so they may insist on reprogramming the whole car to the latest release!
11-21-2011, 02:00 PM
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My Ride: 2004 530i
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35% tint all around
19' DPE GT7
Is it worth while switching to the AGM battery? They say they have a lead-acid (white) battery left in stock but do I wnat a battery thats been sitting around on a shelf for who knows how long?
11-21-2011, 07:11 PM
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yes this is true. If you go with the white, they will just have to re-register the battery with the IBS. If not then they will have to re-code the car for AGM and when they do this you will need to always visit a BMW dealership in the future. No idependent shop has $25K to waste on the new BMW server and diag tools. Most shops will be using the BMW online tools and a PTT device but you'll pay just as much as dealer because we have to pay a monthly subscription to use online diagnosis tools. Most of the time their server cannot handle the multiple requests either.
11-22-2011, 08:24 AM
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My Ride: 2004 530i
premium package/active steering/auto sunshade/tiag/black dakota leather/logic 7
35% tint all around
19' DPE GT7
yes this is true. If you go with the white, they will just have to re-register the battery with the IBS. If not then they will have to re-code the car for AGM and when they do this you will need to always visit a BMW dealership in the future. No idependent shop has $25K to waste on the new BMW server and diag tools. Most shops will be using the BMW online tools and a PTT device but you'll pay just as much as dealer because we have to pay a monthly subscription to use online diagnosis tools. Most of the time their server cannot handle the multiple requests either.
11-22-2011, 10:28 AM
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I bought the battery from the dealer (same spec as original)and installed it myself. Since I didn't have any software to register, I just took it to an independent BMW shop by my place and had them register it for $50. If you have the software, I would try it. If not, just go to an independent and do what I did. In the end it's cheaper than having the dealer install and register.