sixcard

There have been several incidents where on starting, I would get an ?initialize? active steering (AS) warning accompanied by much of the instrument cluster (clock, date, accumulated mpg and mph) being zeroed. The AS activates in a few minutes of driving.

Early in 2008 the dealer said the problem was fixed via a software update.

When it began again in the last few weeks I took it back to the dealer. Now they tell me the only fix is to use a trickle charger.

Seems that I drive too many short trips and the battery cannot recover the charge. In a sense, the battery charge just gradually fades until it cannot crank the engine without stealing from other needs.

Actually, I guess this could make sense. So BMW should come equipped like a golf cart. Built in trickle charger with a plug in receptacle (next to a Roundel) so I can plug it in when I garage the car, right? For $72K that seems reasonable. I had to get near profanity to get them to buy the charger for me.

I am not an electrical engineer, but I know a bit about volts, amp, watts, their relationship and DC power. How about a larger capacity battery and/or alternator? No dealer rep suggested a new battery.

BMWs are top of the line in my book. But they just can?t seem to build a car for an old fart that just drives to the grocery store and liquor store once a week, and burns the cobs out once a month.

Besides empathy, can anyone shed more light on this issue?

Can I find an official BMW document that discusses this issue?

Thanks sixcard

luigi524td

I've read that BMW's new "Electric Car" will require running its gasoline engine at least 20 miles a day or the lights will go out!

Seriously, with all of the electronics in a modern BMW, the battery drain when sitting unused can cause a situation where the charging system can't bring the battery back up to a charged state if only driven 20-30 miles a week.

I suggest you find a battery tender / trickle charger and wire it into the battery directly. If your car is unused for 3-4 days it'll help keep your battery juiced up and ready to go on those short jaunts to the golf course! My Z3 Roadster is only driven on "nice days" so I've set mine up so it's an easy plug in in the trunk battery compartment. Takes less than a minute and my battery is kept fresh for days / weeks at a time.

flyingpuck

I agree with sixcard, I think a car that sells for this kind of money, with this kind of technology SHOULD be able to sit for a week and then startup WITHOUT any extra (external) help! Personally I'm amazed that the dealer would have NO fix for this issue!

sixcard

Hi luigi, I found a good price on the Vector model of your charger. Have ordered it.

Is the charger mounted in the car? Trunk? Hood? It looks to be hard wired in the trunk? Is it just the cables are in the car?

I would be obliged for some more details.

Thanks, sixcard

Spyglass

I purchased a CPO 2008 550i about 6 weeks ago, it had sat in the showroom for a few weeks and the battery was dead, so the dealership had to jump start it for the test drive. I was experiencing all the same problems, slow cranking, AS warning light, etc. until eventually the car wouldn't start at all. I got the dealership to run the full BMW electrical test program (battery condition, charging capacity and parasitic draw) they eventually agreed with my original assessment and replaced the battery. Touch wood, everything seems to be working fine now.

Suggest you ask your dealership to run these tests, they will need to keep the car for at least 24 hours.

Hope this helps.
Kevin

sixcard

Thanks Kevin,

I think they did run that evaluation and it led them to the trickle charger reccomend. They did not talk about a new battery.

I have an appointment with my SA to further discuss this issue.

sixcard

luigi524td

The wiring plug It is hardwired to the battery ... one to the (+) terminal and one to a good ground connection in the battery compartment.

The quick connect terminal is kept under the battery cover out of the way until needed. The charger is always outside of the car (in my garage) but could be stored in the trunk if the car is parked out of doors when it is connected to A/C outlet.

lcc014

I did not drive my car for more than 1 week due to the ice/snow storms in North East. I drive it today, it starts right up, no problem at all.

luigi524td

I agree ... there are times my e60 is parked for 3-5 days at a time. I would be very angry if the battery could not maintain sufficient charge to start.

My Roadster, on the other hand may be garaged for 3-4 weeks at a time - and then driven for fewer than 20-30 miles a day. For that one I maintain the battery with the trickle charger.

panaguy

sixcard,

I posted this response below to another member with similar problems and it bears repeating so here goes:

"Sometimes I think the computers in our cars need more "juice" from the battery as well as gas to run the engines-LOL. There is an awful lot of electrical activity going on in our cars behind the scenes when they are NOT running.

Knowing this I have a Battery Tender hooked up to my 6 year old 330cic that is a part time car I drive usually only in good weather, sometimes weeks in between (even months in the winter; hey it's a convertible) and I still have a perfect original battery in that car because of the Battery Tender doing it's job.

As for my 530xi when I first got it I realized there is TEN times more electrical activity going on than my 330cic because of iDrive, the CCC and TCU computers that are always running in the background, whether the car is running or not. The first time I saw the battery for the E60 I thought it was a friggin' marine battery (almost DOUBLE the size of my 330cic battery) used for trolling motors on bass fishing boats it looked so big. Anyway since I drive the 530xi almost everyday I don't use a Battery Tender on that vehicle although I should probably throw a quick connect plug on it in case (for the summer when I use the 330cic ;-) ).

Lastly, my 2004 BMW R1200C motorcycle has a Gel Cell battery that requires a special Battery Tender (higher cell voltage in Gel cell batteries) which I use. Again after 4 years NO problems with the original battery because of the Battery Tender and you know many times it can be literally a MONTH or more between rides .

Moral of the story- get a Battery Tender (made by Deltran- the BEST) and use one if you don't drive your BMW's that often. It is very easy to hook up a permanent "pig tail" plug to the battery to connect/disconnect the unit from your battery in seconds. Result, no more dead batteries "

Hope my experiences above over the last 5-6 years help you.

(Actually I agree with you BMW should build plug in Battery Tenders in these cars! EVERY motorcycle manufacturer recommends the use of trickle chargers recognizing the potential for battery problems on modern vehicles laden with electrical technology but not ridden enough to keep their batteries charged ahead of the "idle time" discharge curve.)