[beanbaguk]

The wife's battery needed replacing on her 2 series F46 so I contacted BMW.

They wanted 480eur to do the job!!!

So I asked for my 5 series G30 and they wanted 560eur for that one too!

Are BMW taking the total piss?!?! I ended up doing the wife's battery myself for 140eur (Varta battery), and Carly to register the new battery which took seconds.

What the hell are BMW thinking?! It took me about an hour to do the job. I was prepared to pay 200…maybe even 250 to avoid the faff, but what the hell is the other 230eur for?! And what the hell with my G30?!

Anyone else with farcical costs from dealerships…???

[NVRfollo]

This is the BMW tax you pay for anything at the dealership. Find yourself a good BMW enthusiast shop to do most of your repairs.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by beanbaguk

The wife's battery needed replacing on her 2 series F46 so I contacted BMW.

They wanted 480eur to do the job!!!

So I asked for my 5 series G30 and they wanted 560eur for that one too!

Isn't this simply down to the dealerships. I've just had a new battery fitted and registered in my 5-series at a BMW dealer.

Got a price from my dealer for an OEM battery, have them fit and register, taking responsibility for me driving away all sorted. I was surprised at the price. I paid £231.30 (sterling), including tax. Wasn't worth the hassle of getting a battery, fitting myself, battery disposal and sorting out how I'd register it.

[CnSky]

Agree with Pete.

Depends on dealer I had mine done for 268 Euro.

[beanbaguk]

I was just shocked. BMW tax indeed. To be honest, my BMW dealership here in Spain is the worst whereas the one I used in the UK and Austria was fantastic.

Frankly, they don't care one bit about you once you've paid. I've spent a good six figures over the course of the past 8 years, (three cars) yet even with that in mind, the treatment I get there is absolute garbage.

I'll just have to do these tasks myself moving forward as there isn't a chance I'll pay that level of "BMW tax".

[430Scud]

Originally Posted by beanbaguk

I was just shocked. BMW tax indeed. To be honest, my BMW dealership here in Spain is the worst whereas the one I used in the UK and Austria was fantastic.

Frankly, they don't care one bit about you once you've paid. I've spent a good six figures over the course of the past 8 years, (three cars) yet even with that in mind, the treatment I get there is absolute garbage.

I'll just have to do these tasks myself moving forward as there isn't a chance I'll pay that level of "BMW tax".

DIY or find a trusted independent BMW specialist. BMW is not unique to high maintenance costs...

[cclcal]

here in USA, walmart has good prices on batteries.

[CnSky]

DIY is actually almost impossible as the amp hours used in BMW batteries are deliberately strange numbers to force you to buy from them.

I literally couldn't find the correct amp hour battery with reasonable shipping costs. I could find above or below but not the same as the OEM battery in AGM.

You can fit a larger one and code in a higher amp hour no problem with bimmercode or similar.

I found the cost of buying a proper AGM battery (slightly higher amp hours), having it shipped and the time spent doing it myself only saved 20-40 bucks not worth my time having to rip the trunk apart.

But my cost was 268 Euro so not the mental numbers you guys are quoting. Well worth it if they are charging $500 plus.

[dscabra]

I can't wait for my turn in battery hell. I do almost all my own maintenance and could easily change the battery. The question is will my dealer sell me the replacement? BimmerCode will let you set the amperage, but won't register the battery with the car. BimmerLink is the opposite, so doing it myself requires a drive to the dealer to purchase the new battery, a drive home to install it, two $30 apps, a drive back to the dealer to turn in the core, and a drive back home. All totaled, about four hours of my time, driving 120 miles, and the cost of the replacement and required apps. I'll just call for roadside service when the battery dies.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by dscabra

I can't wait for my turn in battery hell. I do almost all my own maintenance and could easily change the battery. The question is will my dealer sell me the replacement? BimmerCode will let you set the amperage, but won't register the battery with the car. BimmerLink is the opposite, so doing it myself requires a drive to the dealer to purchase the new battery, a drive home to install it, two $30 apps, a drive back to the dealer to turn in the core, and a drive back home. All totaled, about four hours of my time, driving 120 miles, and the cost of the replacement and required apps. I'll just call for roadside service when the battery dies.

If it is anything like my Mercedes. Getting Roadside to replace the battery was the smart path. Dealership service tech shows up in a Mercedes SUV and swaps the battery for half the cost of doing it at the dealer. Was $200 total compared to $400 or something insane the dealer wanted.

Not sure how BMW handles it, but I will try that hack again when the time comes.

[CnSky]

This was my issue, not worth the trouble so went with the dealer.

Even buying online with delivery the shipping is expensive as they are considered hazmat on an aircraft and heavy.


QUOTE=dscabra;28307198]I can't wait for my turn in battery hell. I do almost all my own maintenance and could easily change the battery. The question is will my dealer sell me the replacement? BimmerCode will let you set the amperage, but won't register the battery with the car. BimmerLink is the opposite, so doing it myself requires a drive to the dealer to purchase the new battery, a drive home to install it, two $30 apps, a drive back to the dealer to turn in the core, and a drive back home. All totaled, about four hours of my time, driving 120 miles, and the cost of the replacement and required apps. I'll just call for roadside service when the battery dies. [/QUOTE]

[Qsilver7]

If you have a 105 AH battery installed in your BMW…then what you need is a 95R (H9) replacement battery. They will normally run between 105-110 AH and if you have the $30 BimmerCode and Bimmerlink apps…you can code (if necessary) and register (necessary) the replacement battery.

The only reason to code the replacement is if you do a drastic increase or decrease in AH specifications. For example, if you have a 90AH-95AH battery and you replace it with a 105AH-110AH battery….then you’d need to CODE the replacement. But if you go from a 105AH to a 110 AH the specs are close enough that only registration is needed. Or if you swap between a 90AH-95AH…to another 90AH-95AH…again, those specs are close enough that coding isn’t needed…just register the new battery.

If I lived 100s of miles away from a BMW dealership…I would look locally at the auto stores or Costco/Sams Club for the appropriate size battery 49/(H8) or 95R/(H9).

[CnSky]

QSilver I'm not sure that's correct regards being close enough. If the charging system doesn't know the max AH then it will never charge to that point.

I don't think the BMW system is a simple dumb charge system like an external charger unit, I understand it's a managed charge and condition system that's software controlled.

Not telling it what the AHs are will lead to the battery deteriorating much sooner than if fully charged and discharging.

I discovered similar issues when working on boats and their battery charging system.


QUOTE=Qsilver7;28307957]If you have a 105 AH battery installed in your BMW…then what you need is a 95R (H9) replacement battery. They will normally run between 105-110 AH and if you have the $30 BimmerCode and Bimmerlink apps…you can code (if necessary) and register (necessary) the replacement battery.

The only reason to code the replacement is if you do a drastic increase or decrease in AH specifications. For example, if you have a 90AH-95AH battery and you replace it with a 105AH-110AH battery….then you'd need to CODE the replacement. But if you go from a 105AH to a 110 AH the specs are close enough that only registration is needed. Or if you swap between a 90AH-95AH…to another 90AH-95AH…again, those specs are close enough that coding isn't needed…just register the new battery.

If I lived 100s of miles away from a BMW dealership…I would look locally at the auto stores or Costco/Sams Club for the appropriate size battery 49/(H8) or 95R/(H9).[/QUOTE]

[dscabra]

Originally Posted by CnSky

QSilver I'm not sure that's correct regards being close enough. If the charging system doesn't know the max AH then it will never charge to that point.

I don't think the BMW system is a simple dumb charge system like an external charger unit, I understand it's a managed charge and condition system that's software controlled.

Not telling it what the AHs are will lead to the battery deteriorating much sooner than if fully charged and discharging.

I discovered similar issues when working on boats and their battery charging system.


QUOTE=Qsilver7;28307957]If you have a 105 AH battery installed in your BMW…then what you need is a 95R (H9) replacement battery. They will normally run between 105-110 AH and if you have the $30 BimmerCode and Bimmerlink apps…you can code (if necessary) and register (necessary) the replacement battery.

The only reason to code the replacement is if you do a drastic increase or decrease in AH specifications. For example, if you have a 90AH-95AH battery and you replace it with a 105AH-110AH battery….then you'd need to CODE the replacement. But if you go from a 105AH to a 110 AH the specs are close enough that only registration is needed. Or if you swap between a 90AH-95AH…to another 90AH-95AH…again, those specs are close enough that coding isn't needed…just register the new battery.

If I lived 100s of miles away from a BMW dealership…I would look locally at the auto stores or Costco/Sams Club for the appropriate size battery 49/(H8) or 95R/(H9).

[/QUOTE]

I tend to agree, but it begs the question about why the car can't simply detect the battery amps, state of charge, etc. My $30 battery tester can do that, why not my overly complicated car?

[430Scud]

Originally Posted by CnSky

DIY is actually almost impossible as the amp hours used in BMW batteries are deliberately strange numbers to force you to buy from them.

I literally couldn't find the correct amp hour battery with reasonable shipping costs. I could find above or below but not the same as the OEM battery in AGM.

You can fit a larger one and code in a higher amp hour no problem with bimmercode or similar.

I found the cost of buying a proper AGM battery (slightly higher amp hours), having it shipped and the time spent doing it myself only saved 20-40 bucks not worth my time having to rip the trunk apart.

But my cost was 268 Euro so not the mental numbers you guys are quoting. Well worth it if they are charging $500 plus.

In north america, the AGM factory equivalent batteries are readily available both online and in stores. I've looked them up on BatteriesPlus.com and they list a few options for both the starting AGM battery and accessory AGM battery

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by CnSky

QSilver I'm not sure that's correct regards being close enough. If the charging system doesn't know the max AH then it will never charge to that point.

I don't think the BMW system is a simple dumb charge system like an external charger unit, I understand it's a managed charge and condition system that's software controlled.

Not telling it what the AHs are will lead to the battery deteriorating much sooner than if fully charged and discharging.

I discovered similar issues when working on boats and their battery charging system.

Perhaps its different with the G chassis BMWs…but the F chassis models only have a few Amp Hour selections in Bimmercode. We select the one that is CLOSEST to the battery’s AH rating that you install. So again, if you have a 105 AH battery installed from the factory and you replace it with a 110AH battery…there’s no selection in Bimmercode for a 110 AH…so you select the closest setting which would be the 105AH.

If for some reason one is installing a lower 95 AH battery…then you would select for a 90AH battery in Bimmercode since there’s no 95AH. Again…selecting for the closest AH setting the app provides.

You can see the AH selections for the F chassis in the Bimmercode app screen shot below.

[CnSky]

QSilver.

It's the same on the G30 regards battery options but we should be matching the battery that is purchased to the available AH settings.

If not then the battery won't last as long as it should due to over or under charging so it's a false economy DIY.

This is where it gets tricky as I know in Europe it can be very hard to find the correct AGM battery and AH combo or if you do then the price is higher than having BMW do it when shipping, bimmercode and the hassle of remove/install and disposal is factored in.

[Qsilver7]

[beanbaguk]

BMW definitely do this to make more money.

Either way, I had the same issue with the battery for the wife's car. The Varta was marginally higher than the BMW OEM unit and I simply used Carly to change and register the new battery. No problems so far…

[ezaircon4jc]

Resurrection time...

I had the windows tinted on my "new" car last week and after a couple of hours with the doors open the battery died. Jumped it and all was fine. Monday I had the doors open for a couple of hours hardwiring my radar detector and the battery died, again. I left it on the charger overnight and the showed the battery fully charged. Last night I went out to do some coding, WITH THE BATTERY STILL ON THE CHARGER, and the battery died again; I was only coding for about 20 minutes. Had AAA come out this morning to jump the car and the battery registered a whopping ZERO volts! Went to the dealer and got the battery replaced under warranty. SWEET!

It's funny the things that the car does with electrical issues. The car is a 2019 yet the iDrive said I was overdue for a brake flush and vehicle check... due 1/2001.. Eighteen years before the car was built!

[akuwes710]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Resurrection time...

I had the windows tinted on my "new" car last week and after a couple of hours with the doors open the battery died. Jumped it and all was fine. Monday I had the doors open for a couple of hours hardwiring my radar detector and the battery died, again. I left it on the charger overnight and the showed the battery fully charged. Last night I went out to do some coding, WITH THE BATTERY STILL ON THE CHARGER, and the battery died again; I was only coding for about 20 minutes. Had AAA come out this morning to jump the car and the battery registered a whopping ZERO volts! Went to the dealer and got the battery replaced under warranty. SWEET!

It's funny the things that the car does with electrical issues. The car is a 2019 yet the iDrive said I was overdue for a brake flush and vehicle check... due 1/2001.. Eighteen years before the car was built!

You should tell the dealer that your 2019 is 18 years behind service. Get a good laugh..

[Diego_79]

Not to justify BMW prices but some batteries are much more expensive than others. I normally go to a BMW specialist (former BMW workshop manager) and he told me batteries meant to be used with start&stop are normally more expensive. Still, almost 600€ for a battery seems like a complete rip-off. I would ask for the exact model and check its price in the market. I understand they charge extra money but the question is how much.