Geeto67 Posted November 9, 2020 Report Share Posted November 9, 2020 I think there are a few here that work on Beemers for a living so please chime in. I had a battery explode back in march. bought a new battery (NAPA), had it registered in the ECU and drove around. Recently (october) the alternator in the car went bad so I took the battery out and put it on a bench charger and found it would only take 11.8V. Had it warranty replaced with a new one identical to the old one. Put a new alternator in the car and all seems to be working right. Question: If I only had the battery registered 7 months (and less than 1000 miles) ago, do I have to register the battery again? or should I not worry about it? I don't have a tool that can register it so it's money to have it done either way, I'm just wondering if it needs to be done. thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE-O Posted November 9, 2020 Report Share Posted November 9, 2020 If it’s not it could cause the sensors to not fully charge the battery and cause ore nature failure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizin01 Posted November 10, 2020 Report Share Posted November 10, 2020 BMW's information states to only register a battery if its been replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted November 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2020 BMW's information states to only register a battery if its been replaced. The battery was replaced. I replaced it in march after that one lasted 6 years. The one I replaced in march refused to take a charge in october, so I replaced it again with an identical battery. I did not register it a second time. so I guess my question is - is 7 months and very few miles going to make a difference with battery registration? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeesammy Posted November 11, 2020 Report Share Posted November 11, 2020 I sent you a PM on facebook Yes, it needs registered. Even if you have a battery in a week in a BMW then swap it out, you still need to register it. Will anything bad happen if you don't? Probably not. Is it worth the risk? Not really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace1647545504 Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 Man..I learn something new everyday.. I told the wife when her battery goes it will have to be registered..she didn't believe me..lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nurkvinny Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 I'll be that guy... why in the world would a brand require an owner to "register" a battery? Do they make you do that for brake pads and mufflers too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyM3rC Posted November 15, 2020 Report Share Posted November 15, 2020 I'll be that guy... why in the world would a brand require an owner to "register" a battery? Do they make you do that for brake pads and mufflers too? it makes some kind of difference in the way or maximum voltage or something it charges the battery too. yeah who knows how cars even worked for the last hundred years without batteries needing to be registered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10phone2 Posted November 15, 2020 Report Share Posted November 15, 2020 sounds like a new way to get bent over a barrel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace1647545504 Posted November 15, 2020 Report Share Posted November 15, 2020 Not only that in the video I watched it showed a vent which the BMW battery has but some of the aftermarkets may not......really wtf ????????? So Kerry did you buy the BMW or look for an off brand with a vent? And if its an off brand with a vent which did you buy? The wife has a '15 535x so I'm asking for a ref.. Thanks mace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeesammy Posted November 15, 2020 Report Share Posted November 15, 2020 I'll be that guy... why in the world would a brand require an owner to "register" a battery? Do they make you do that for brake pads and mufflers too? BMW basically uses an algorithm with the ECM and other modules to determine how to cycle the alternator. A new battery wont require as much "effort" as an old one. It's all the in name of emissions and fuel economy. If you think thats stupid, that's only the tip of the iceberg with them. Electric water pump(s) (yes, multiple water pumps that are electric on an engine), a single wire comm network used with the water pump and other stuff that shouldnt even need a comm system, water leaks that fry 3-4 modules and cause corrosion on network splices/wires. Footwell modules that shit the bed when the battery dies, or voltage drops, or the car is jumped (even correctly), no used modules, coding of modules, blah blah blah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeesammy Posted November 15, 2020 Report Share Posted November 15, 2020 Not only that in the video I watched it showed a vent which the BMW battery has but some of the aftermarkets may not......really wtf ????????? So Kerry did you buy the BMW or look for an off brand with a vent? And if its an off brand with a vent which did you buy? The wife has a '15 535x so I'm asking for a ref.. Thanks mace You can throw anything in it, the main thing is you register it and let the car know what is in there. You can switch between AGM and a "regular" battery but the car has to know to adjust its logic accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted November 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2020 Not only that in the video I watched it showed a vent which the BMW battery has but some of the aftermarkets may not......really wtf ????????? So Kerry did you buy the BMW or look for an off brand with a vent? And if its an off brand with a vent which did you buy? The wife has a '15 535x so I'm asking for a ref.. Thanks mace I bought a NAPA brand battery. The reason I did however wasn't for lack of trying to buy a BMW battery, it's because my previous battery died (literally started smoking) while I was on 270 on a Sunday and I needed the car to get me to work the next day. NAPA was the only local place that had a battery in stock that would fit. Couple of things I will say about the BMW brand battery: - BMW dealers rape you on the price of these, their markup is really high, plus they get you for the full hour labor of registering it. Pelican parts, FCP euro, Turner motorsports/ECS etc...all have the same bmw branded battery for about what it cost at NAPA/Autozone etc... for an off brand. For an AGM BMW brand or not it's gonna be $200+, the only place to save money is going to a conventional wet cell battery and I don't think its worth it. Tom Hatem charged me $65 to register the battery last time. - Looking through the past service records of the car (it was owned by my mother previous), It looks like I got 8 years out of the BMW brand battery thats only supposed to last 5 years. When it failed, it failed on a cold day after having not been driven for a week. I think that this longevity is due to the battery registration and efficient dynamics system. I've never had a battery last me 8 years on any other vehicle. couple of notes on the NAPA battery: - I believe I bought their AGM battery and not the wet cell one, but I have to check - it has way more CCAs and reserve capacity than the stock battery so registration the 1st time was essential. I was asking about the second time because I had to warranty that battery 6 mos later. - the NAPA battery comes with a vent system that plugs into the stock bmw vent location. Even the bmw stock AGM battery has a vent. what's neat about the napa batt over the stock bmw one is that it has the option to run the vent out of different sides so if you have a custom application like a race car and you have re-oriented your battery you can change the vent location as well (it comes with plugs to plug up the other holes). I suspect they do this to make the batt fit multiple applications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace1647545504 Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 Kerry..thank you very much for the info. I figured BMW would rape you w/o any lube . My wife has a 14 535x that shes talking about getting tires for and I'm having a hell of a time trying to get her to just take it to a local tire( ntw, tire discounters, discount tire) but she is insisting on getting the tires from bmw. She driving me crazy as I try to explain a michelin tire is a michelin tire..lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted November 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 Kerry..thank you very much for the info. I figured BMW would rape you w/o any lube . My wife has a 14 535x that shes talking about getting tires for and I'm having a hell of a time trying to get her to just take it to a local tire( ntw, tire discounters, discount tire) but she is insisting on getting the tires from bmw. She driving me crazy as I try to explain a michelin tire is a michelin tire..lol I'm a big supporter of having the BMW dealer take care of a lot of things, even at a premium. The training they put their techs through is pretty good and the cars have gotten so complicated that they know how to deal with issues most wont. If MAG wasn't a dumpster fire filled with dogshit and Kelly wasn't too far away, I would still have my car serviced by the dealer. That said there are a few items I can't in good conscience go to the dealer for: - Tires, - Batteries - Some fluids (that is a whole thing with them and the 10k mile oil changes and the lifetime fill trans and diffs) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace1647545504 Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 Kerry, What was you take on hatems? I have a 04 m3 that at some point will need service and I really hate taking to the dealer. Being older I'm thinking someone besides a dealer should be able to handle regular service issues. Sorry to keep bugging you....mace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted November 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 Kerry, What was you take on hatems? I have a 04 m3 that at some point will need service and I really hate taking to the dealer. Being older I'm thinking someone besides a dealer should be able to handle regular service issues. Sorry to keep bugging you....mace Its no trouble at all. I like Hatem's. Tom was a swell guy and I was sad when he passed last year, even though I had only been a customer for a short while by then. Alex his nephew and Tom's wife (whose name I can't remember at the moment) run it now and do a great job. I've never had an issue when them and they routinely take care of me, esp on little details that come up. I know they hire techs away from MAG and Kelly and I've never had an issue with their work. I see Alex at cars and coffee on saturday's too so he's an active member of the cbus car community (he has Tom's old E30 M3) and his and the shop's reputation is important to him. Another thing I do love is they give me a list of open issues on the car. They know I DIY a lot of stuff on my own cars and there is no pressure to take care of things. An E46 bmw seems right in their wheelhouse, esp an M car. I've seen other ones at their shop and repeat customers to boot. If there is one compliant I do have it's the hours and location. It's on 5th ave in grandview behind sweet carrot and I miss the turn into the parking lot 50% of the time just because it comes up so fast and I am sometimes in my own daze. The hours are M-F 9-5, no weekends which is exactly when I work, though the do have after hours drop off and pick up. Minor inconveniences for me, but I thought I would mention them anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace1647545504 Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 Thank you again Kerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizin01 Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 Kerry, what did you pay for the Napa battery? What size was it? (lead acid or AGM) And Mace, there are BMW star rated tires that aren't always sold/installed at a discount tire store. So a Michelin tire isn't always "just" a Michelin tire. There are differences with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted November 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 I bought it from the NAPA on 161 in March of 2020, It is an AGM "Exact fit" battery and it was about $165 (but there was a special promotion they were running which gave me 20% off so I suspect it is more expensive). I'll have to pull the trunk panel to get the part number if you want. I do want to mention that recently I took it out of the car and on the workbench it wouldn't take a charge beyond 11.9V so I had it warranty replaced. NAPA handled this without a single question. I don't know if this was a defect in the battery, or because of a defective alternator or diode which NAPA also warrantied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizin01 Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 Not necessary. I was just comparing it to our OEM batteries. I can sell most of the medium sized lead acid and AGM batteries for $195 plus tax. So not quite as expensive as the dealer "raping" you proposed. And I think they are a batter battery. Compare the weight of one to any aftermarket battery and you'll notice an immediate difference. It's not uncommon to see 6-8 years out of our batteries. Rarely do they fail early like many of the aftermarket batteries we swap out of cars. Just my $.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted November 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 Not necessary. I was just comparing it to our OEM batteries. I can sell most of the medium sized lead acid and AGM batteries for $195 plus tax. So not quite as expensive as the dealer "raping" you proposed. And I think they are a batter battery. Compare the weight of one to any aftermarket battery and you'll notice an immediate difference. It's not uncommon to see 6-8 years out of our batteries. Rarely do they fail early like many of the aftermarket batteries we swap out of cars. Just my $.02 I know my mother paid $300 for a battery (before registration) at her dealer in NY. When I called MAG's parts department for a battery I think I was quoted $320 for a BMW branded one. I am not doubting what you can sell the battery for, but as a guy off the street calling for a part I haven't had that experience. I 100% believe it is a better battery. And if I had the time to wait for one from one online retailers who sell it for what you can sell it for I would have, I was just pressed for time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace1647545504 Posted November 18, 2020 Report Share Posted November 18, 2020 Kerry sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do Derek..I'll be looking for you in a few years for a battery..lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizin01 Posted November 18, 2020 Report Share Posted November 18, 2020 I know my mother paid $300 for a battery (before registration) at her dealer in NY. When I called MAG's parts department for a battery I think I was quoted $320 for a BMW branded one. I am not doubting what you can sell the battery for, but as a guy off the street calling for a part I haven't had that experience. I 100% believe it is a better battery. And if I had the time to wait for one from one online retailers who sell it for what you can sell it for I would have, I was just pressed for time. Our price and MAG's should be the same on batteries. The most expensive "normal" battery we sell is $245 plus tax for the 900cca lead acid and AGM's. The price I mentioned early is just normal retail. Just so ya know for the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace1647545504 Posted November 18, 2020 Report Share Posted November 18, 2020 I think I paid 200 or 250 for my optima vette battery several years ago so those numbers don't look out of line Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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