Ottawa, Ontario. I’ve had some trouble with the battery for the last month or so. I bought a stupid Bluetooth adapter that sucked a lot of battery out and I’ve had to get multiple jump starts for about a week, and ever since then it’s been all good until this morning when it didn’t start.
The car regulates output from the alternator depending on the condition of the battery. If you don’t register the new battery the alternator will overcharge it and reduce the lifespan, thinking it’s still the old battery.
The issue you are referencing is called parasitic draw, in your cause it seems to be your aftermarket Bluetooth. Car battery’s are not designed to be drained and charged. Marine car batteries are designed to be drained and charged over and over and not lose capacity. I would get a battery load test if you want to verify it’s the issue. Most shops can do this test but your battery may be under your seat or in the trunk just a bmw thing sadly catching on with other brands. So additional labor to get the equipment on the battery for the test. Also battery’s only last on average 3-5 years and seeing you live more north than me you have cold cold mornings that battery really don’t appreciate 😂 hope this helps
As a diy person, and if an experienced person can chime in, I’d check the voltage output of the alternator to make sure it’s in spec and charging the battery properly at roughly 14.4 volts on a multimeter.
If the battery is 4-5 years old, she’s getting a little long in the tooth.
And to touch on the issue you asked between the battery’s you have to use the one that fits your car battery’s location. The length and width of the battery’s are different. The length width and height are your group size . To make this easy plug your vin into a auto website you trust and it will tell you what the oem requirements
All newer cars especially bmw have a volt meter on the + or - post clamp, when this meter reads under 14.4 like you said after running it triggers the battery light on your dash. The light is a charging circuit issue almost always ends up being alternator replaced unless broken/ chafed wires
Ottawa, Ontario. I’ve had some trouble with the battery for the last month or so. I bought a stupid Bluetooth adapter that sucked a lot of battery out and I’ve had to get multiple jump starts for about a week, and ever since then it’s been all good until this morning when it didn’t start.
Try the dealer. I bought an OE battery at the dealer last year and it was cheaper than Costco or Canadian Tire.
Thank you. I’m assuming they charged you for the install and resetting or coding the battery?
No I just bought the battery and installed it myself. I have the tools to register it.
I have the tools to install it, but what did you use to code the battery?
Code the battery?
The car regulates output from the alternator depending on the condition of the battery. If you don’t register the new battery the alternator will overcharge it and reduce the lifespan, thinking it’s still the old battery.
Oh? So not the battery itself? That makes way more sense.
No just the PCM. Nothing special about the battery.
I have a bunch of different things that will do it. But BimmerLink is a good one. Also useful for reading codes etc.
The issue you are referencing is called parasitic draw, in your cause it seems to be your aftermarket Bluetooth. Car battery’s are not designed to be drained and charged. Marine car batteries are designed to be drained and charged over and over and not lose capacity. I would get a battery load test if you want to verify it’s the issue. Most shops can do this test but your battery may be under your seat or in the trunk just a bmw thing sadly catching on with other brands. So additional labor to get the equipment on the battery for the test. Also battery’s only last on average 3-5 years and seeing you live more north than me you have cold cold mornings that battery really don’t appreciate 😂 hope this helps
As a diy person, and if an experienced person can chime in, I’d check the voltage output of the alternator to make sure it’s in spec and charging the battery properly at roughly 14.4 volts on a multimeter.
If the battery is 4-5 years old, she’s getting a little long in the tooth.
Just my humble 2 cents.
I appreciate the advice, thank you!
And to touch on the issue you asked between the battery’s you have to use the one that fits your car battery’s location. The length and width of the battery’s are different. The length width and height are your group size . To make this easy plug your vin into a auto website you trust and it will tell you what the oem requirements
All newer cars especially bmw have a volt meter on the + or - post clamp, when this meter reads under 14.4 like you said after running it triggers the battery light on your dash. The light is a charging circuit issue almost always ends up being alternator replaced unless broken/ chafed wires