[MidLifeCrisis330Xi]

Going through the battery replacement thing.
Have a 2006 330xi and purchased the replacement at AdvanceAuto which is 110ah. Took it to the Indy place to have it registered and he told me that the battery won't work. Says that on my vehicle, it's not capable of reprogramming to properly charge the 110ah size and I need to replace with the 90ah. These guys are pretty reputable but this seems odd to me. Most of the other threads I've read seem to indicate that the tool allows for changing the ah to 110 but maybe there's something unique about my particular vehicle model/year?

Thoughts? Thank you.

[trk06]

When I replaced my battery I did not even register it. It works like a champ. I dont think all 330's are required ( correct me if I am wrong) to have battery registration.

[e92_enthusiast_1]

He's not talking about registering a new battery of the same type (which technically you should do anyways its recommended). If you switch batteries and its different type, voltage or w/e you need to program it to your cars ECU.

Register battery info

Looks like 110ah is an option (about 3/4 way down on that page)

Maybe they don't have up-to-date program/car config files? Maybe you're right though and its year/model specific.

Originally Posted by trk06

When I replaced my battery I did not even register it. It works like a champ. I dont think all 330's are required ( correct me if I am wrong) to have battery registration.

[MidLifeCrisis330Xi]

thanks for the replies. These guys just went through the latest BMW tech training and seem pretty knowledgeable on the coding/programming. He got me out the door with a new battery (90ah) and the programming for $288 which is a good price considering the dealer is $400-$500 from what i hear.

He also mentioned that when he was in there he noticed that there is more updates that could be done...he said about 4 hours worth of programming. He told me that he'd have printouts and info for me when I pick it up that would detail the work. He said he'd do it for a couple hours of labor. Will update the thread with info when I pick the car up.

Now I just hope advanceauto will take the battery back since it was not the right one for my vehicle...

[MidLifeCrisis330Xi]

Looks like 110ah is an option (about 3/4 way down on that page)

Maybe they don't have up-to-date program/car config files? Maybe you're right though and its year/model specific.

He mentioned that for my model year, they had two different systems and the one I have has hardware (alternator and circuitry) that can only charge the 90ah and not 110ah. He had mentioned this too me even before I brought it in.

[MidLifeCrisis330Xi]

Originally Posted by trk06

When I replaced my battery I did not even register it. It works like a champ. I dont think all 330's are required ( correct me if I am wrong) to have battery registration.

Actually, confirmed with both my Indy shop and the largest BMW dealer in the Chicagoland area that the 2006 330xi does indeed need to have the battery registered, even if replacing with same/OEM size/spec battery. It does indeed have the 'intelligent charging' system in it (unfortuantely..german overengineering at it's finest). That said, there are reports all over of folks who have not had issues not registering. One issue would be if you put in a larger ah size battery and don't reprogram, the car will not fully charge the battery. I had the 110ah in for a couple days and he said that it was only being charged at 70% which lines up with the fact that when having the ignition on for 15 minutes without starting the car, I was getting a dash message indicating that the "charging is low".

[trk06]

Originally Posted by MidLifeCrisis330Xi

Actually, confirmed with both my Indy shop and the largest BMW dealer in the Chicagoland area that the 2006 330xi does indeed need to have the battery registered, even if replacing with same/OEM size/spec battery. It does indeed have the 'intelligent charging' system in it (unfortuantely..german overengineering at it's finest). That said, there are reports all over of folks who have not had issues not registering. One issue would be if you put in a larger ah size battery and don't reprogram, the car will not fully charge the battery. I had the 110ah in for a couple days and he said that it was only being charged at 70% which lines up with the fact that when having the ignition on for 15 minutes without starting the car, I was getting a dash message indicating that the "charging is low".

I have replaced it about a year ago and did not register it. Even when I went to the shop I mentioned that I had the battery replaced and was told it did not need a registry. The Mech is a friend and works only on high end cars. So, I don't know how is that working out. It works for all I care I guess

[e92_enthusiast_1]

Ah ok, good to know.

Originally Posted by MidLifeCrisis330Xi

He mentioned that for my model year, they had two different systems and the one I have has hardware (alternator and circuitry) that can only charge the 90ah and not 110ah. He had mentioned this too me even before I brought it in.