My car was put on the road in April 2007, so it is basically 4.5 years. I'm winter prepping so I took the opportunity to check out the charge, and it no longer holds it. If I did not live in such cold climate I would probably have kept the battery. But, the last thing I want is a dead battery and all the problems that brings along. The independent mechanic did tell me he needs to reset the car when the battery is changed.

The electronics on this car registers everything...In the past 28 days we cranked the car 128 times for less than 5 km distances.

 

You might need a charger.

 

Good call then. Cheap insurance. So how much does an OEM battery cost?

 

The electronics on this car registers everything...In the past 28 days we cranked the car 128 times for less than 5 km distances.

My car's service and maintenance manual includes the following statement:
HTH,
Jim / crewzer

 

The AGM is sometimes recommended over the "conventional" battery; It may not be recommended for earlier e60's because the on-board electronics can't be set (battery registration) to properly charge it. I seem to recall the cut off was production dates before 1/2007. If your dealer is quoting you +$50 / or $300 installed and registered I'd say go for it. That's especially true if you aren't driving your car as often as necessary to maintain a fully charged battery. You might also consider a battery tender - lots of posts about that and an easy addition for less than $75.

As for the "engine flush" .. pure dealer profit and IMHO NOT NECESSARY! If the dealer isn't maintaining the car according to CBS (Condition Based Service) that's a PROBLEM! And if you are a low-mileage driver more frequent oil changes (using BMW approved oil) is a MUST!

 

^^ I don't believe in changing oil every 25K km per BMW suggestion. I change oil twice a year, spring and autumn. And I'm done with N.A. Castrol, I'm moving to Motul just like I've been running on my GTI for over 10-years. O'm not getting the battery from BMW directly.

 

BMW's recommendation is driving based, not a fixed # of km's. I don't think it's 25k km's anyway at the top end. On mine, right after a reset, I believe it initially says 20k away or less. I get mine done the earlier of 1 year or the km's (I only drive 10,000 km a year so I never hit the mileage).

It's a total waste IMO to change oil twice a year with the oils nowadays, especially synthetic, if you're not doing crazy mileage that requires it. Not to mention the impact on the environment.

PS So you don't know how much a BMW battery costs? You say your AGM battery is only $50 more... More than what?

 

OEM BMW battery cost was around $250, the AGM cost me $300. However it did prove more complex than initially anticipated. After changing the battery, we noticed the computer software on my 2007 E61 did not recognize the AGM battery. We had to proceed with a software update because my E61 (purchased under CPO) did not have the latest software update. This upset me because when I took delivery of my under CPO the BMW dealership should have done due diligence and install the latest software update when the car still had the original warranty. Obviously, this is not covered under CPO unless a problem is found and the fix includes a software update.

I called the BMW dealership and they insist that it is unnecessary unless it is a must. Suffice it to say that we got it done with my independent mechanic and I now have a new super dutty battery similar to the E65/66 battery. Therefore, charge should no longer be an issue. All is set properly and functioning. This whole registration of the registration in the computer is new to me, what happened to the good old days of easy battery swaps???

The oil was also changed and solenoids cleaned.

 

No dealer to my knowledge from what I've read for years will update the software if there aren't faults or a part install that require an update. I don't see why CPO'ing a car would necessitate an update either. There's no need to do so if all's running well. There are tons of guys on E90 still running on 3 year old firmwares.

You're always welcome to pay a few hundred $ for a flash to the latest and greatest, of course, if you want.

Interesting that a newer software can handle an AGM battery but older ones don't.

So how many miles are you doing between oil changes, if you're doing them every 6 months? Are you using synthetic I assume?

 

^^ I would not have known about the software update if it weren't for the AGM battery. I guess I could have run the older software on a stock OEM BMW battery. However, one would think they would update it with regular service while under warranty and not keep it just for problem/bug fixes. Oh well...it is done now.

I am one to always change twice a year, I have always done it with my cars and will continue to do so. Yes, I do run synthetic.