bimmerluuvr

+1....my in-service date was in 10/05, and my milage is just a hair over 12k (approx. 4k per year), and knock wood, my car has NEVER failed to start. Find out what your S.A. has been smoki'n.

LJTX545I

I think if you drove once a week and went out for a 2 hour drive, that's better on your battery than having to make 8 mile commutes daily. you can get to 10k miles per year in many different ways. A trickle charger might not be a bad idea. Maybe your driving habits haven't changed, but maybe the electrical load in your car has, maybe you've added heated seats or a premium audio package that you didn't have in the other cars?

unknown

it sure is bS! its either the battery, alternator, or an open circuit somewhere draining the battery. i drive less than 3k a year in the bimmer. yes, i only drive circles around my block

jmsod

I do have heated seats, but I have never used them. I do not have an iPod, I have never once used a cell phone charger in my car, and, in fact, I have never plugged anything into my car. Maybe this is an isolated event and will never happen again, but if it does, I certainly will not accept the same bullshit explanation.

CWS530

I have a related story. Grab your popcorn. When I returned from a trip to Amsterdam and Cairo (two weeks total) in April this year, my car would not start. It unlocked, but a turn of the key produced nothing but flashing lights on the dash. So, I jumped it and took it to the dealership for a drop-off. Got a 528 loaner--no biggie. SA calls and says the battery has a dead cell and, although he didn't use the phrase "unfavorable driving profile," he told me I did not drive the car enough to meet what BMW considers the minimum, which is, and I quote, "30 minutes of driving at highway speeds at least three times per week." I told the SA that I had been on trips to South America and Asia just a couple weeks prior, so the car had only been driven about 20 miles in the last five or six weeks (a day or two between trips--I live close to work). He told me, "Yep, that's what the printout says." They knew exactly how far and how fast I had driven on each day of the month down to the minute! Hello Big Brother!

The SA explained that these cars "do" a lot while "sleeping," which drains the battery. At first he said they were going to charge me for a new one since I didn't meet BMW minimum standards, which would exclude me from warranty protection. I told him no one in the sales department told me anything about these requirements when I bought the car last July, nor had anyone in the service department said anything when I had come in for maintenance. I just looked at the guy like, "You gotta be kidding me!?!" So, without even hesitating, he said, "OK, as a one time goodwill gesture, we'll replace it free." The SAs where I go are really cool or this may not have happened.

I didn't go on any trips for a couple of months, but I did recently order a BMW trickle charger from Garry for use while I was on a trip earlier this month. BTW: if you order one, you need the kind with terminal clips, not the cigarette/aux plug type. Battery Tender makes the same product you can buy locally, in fact they make the one for BMW I discovered when I got the package from Newport.

I agree with you, it sucks. I've been doing this same extensive travel circuit for almost ten years with various cars, including my e46, and this is the first one that has failed to start. I realize it's due to all the added electronics drain, but still, come on, take that advanced engineering a step further to prevent this sort of crap. This was an eight month old battery (well, plus lot time). But above all, don't try to weasle out of replacing a warranty item by claiming I'm not driving my car to BMW's satisfaction! What next, my door handle breaks and they refuse to replace it since a printout says I exceeded the allotted 3.75 openings per day? Sheesh.

jmsod

Not happy to hear that you are going through a similar situation, but I am happy to know that I am not alone. When the SA made that statement to me, I could not even come up with a reply. All I thought (but kept to myself) is... "are you %^%(& kidding me?!" Again, I hope this was a one time occurence for me. If not, this lame reason will not fly next time.

C's Bimmer

What dealership is this in NJ? Just want to make sure I never buy my car from there.

jmsod

DeSimone. The sales department is great. They make it easy to get in for service. They are good with loaners. this is the only issue I have really had with them, but it annoying regardless.

luigi524td

No doubt they were totally unaware of (or ignored) the time the car was out of service for several months and being repaired. Perhaps Gary should have had it on a battery tender while it was in Turnersville's bodyshop.

I bet if you tell Sam (SM at t'ville) he'd have a good chuckle!

DeSimone isn't denying a warranty claim are they? I see that it's no different than a BMW owner who parks his/her car at a home while vacationing somewhere else for months.

LJTX545I

Should E60's come with warning stickers on the dash that say "Drive this car at Hwy speeds 3 times a week, or you will void the warranty on your battery"?