Bmw X5 2010

[cindyc]

Hi,
I have a BMW X5 2010 and have 88000 miles on it. I never changed the OEM battery but I noticed lately I've been getting "Increased battery discharge" messages when starting up the car. Does this mean the battery is dying and I need to get it replaced?

Also, does anyone know if AAA offers free battery testing by coming to your home to test it thanks

[Doanster]

Most likely your battery does need replacing. Not sure about AAA and free "in-home" battery testing, but there are plenty of places that do offer free testing such as auto part stores and battery stores themselves.

ps for future questions you may have, you should post them to the E70 forum, which is the correct section for your model year X5

Good luck...

[lowlevelhell]

Originally Posted by cindyc

Hi,
I have a BMW X5 2010 and have 88000 miles on it. I never changed the OEM battery but I noticed lately I've been getting "Increased battery discharge" messages when starting up the car. Does this mean the battery is dying and I need to get it replaced?

Also, does anyone know if AAA offers free battery testing by coming to your home to test it thanks

Cindyc, it can be several things. The easiest thing to check is the battery itself. A battery can go bad in that timeframe, though it's rare. Do you have a V8? If so, that increases the odds. Also, it is possible that you have a parasitic load somewhere. A relay may have stuck in the closed position or you may have a bad switch someplace causing a system to remain energized with the ignition off. Lastly, this could also be the beginning of an alternator failure. The alternator in the E70 is a wet-jacket alternator, and is extremely hard to access. A shop will charge you about $1000, give or take.

You can test the battery yourself if you have a voltmeter. You should be seeing over 14 volts at the battery with ground disconnected.

Oh, it could be your intelligent battery cable as well. Welcome to BMW electrics!

[roadkillrob]

It is probably the battery, 5 years is considered normal life of a battery, you are going on 6 now. The increased discharged message can come from short tripping where the battery is not getting enough time to charge up between restarts and can also be a component starting to draw more power than it should, but based on the age and mileage, battery is most likely suspect, get it tested and replace if necessary.

Also remember that you can't just slap in any old battery at autozone, you have the match the type and size (brand doesn't matter) and the battery has to be registered, so car plugged in and told it has a new battery - this can be done yourself with something like the bavarian technic cable and software or any good bmw mechanic will be able to do it - dealer of course will do it, but they get $350-$500 these days for a battery replacement and registration.

[cindyc]

Can sears auto do something like this? Can they install battery for BMW X5s?

[lowlevelhell]

They can't register the battery. Find an independent European car mechanic. Or pay through the nose at the dealer. You do need to do a few checks to make sure it's the battery.

[alphaod]

I remember having a faulty battery cable or something like that, that caused excessive discharge.

[cindyc]

I called sears to register battery they said they can do it for $70. Wow, i rather get the iphone app, does anyone know the name of the iphone app and do we have to register the battery before we can get the car to work?