Battery life

[Chile1]

is the battery covered under the BMW full factory warranty? my battery looks like it will need to be replaced and the dealer indicated that it may not be covered under the factory warranty? Is that correct?

[HJ]

Originally Posted by Chile1

is the battery covered under the BMW full factory warranty? my battery looks like it will need to be replaced and the dealer indicated that it may not be covered under the factory warranty? Is that correct?

Might be one of those goodwill replacements because my battery was replaced under warranty when I went in for an oil change had no idea it was going bad, try another dealer maybe.

[daytonaviolet]

Originally Posted by HJ

Might be one of those goodwill replacements because my battery was replaced under warranty when I went in for an oil change had no idea it was going bad, try another dealer maybe.

Mine was replaced as well during an oil change. I believe the secondary battery was replaced because of a recall.

[Chile1]

Thank you both for the feedback. I seemed to remember having the battery on my F15 X5M replaced while the car was still under factory warranty. Not sure why this service advisor is telling me that it may not be covered.

[pachieh]

If it's not under recall (which mine were), then your maintenance plan should cover it if you have one.

It's a regular consumable like oil and filters. If it's not under what I mentioned above and there's nothing wrong with it besides being old, than warranty won't cover it. Be prepared to pay for it.

[ekological]

Isn't there something about the F15s that BMW acknowledged have reduced battery life because of the hot V and the need to have the fan blow for an extended amount of time after the car is shut off? Many short trips will drain the battery very low; thus, shortening its life. BMW has since said the replacement interval of the battery is at every oil change. Derp.

[Chile1]

Originally Posted by ekological

Isn't there something about the F15s that BMW acknowledged have reduced battery life because of the hot V and the need to have the fan blow for an extended amount of time after the car is shut off? Many short trips will drain the battery very low; thus, shortening its life. BMW has since said the replacement interval of the battery is at every oil change. Derp.

Mine is an F85.

[ekological]

Originally Posted by Chile1

Mine is an F85.

The premise is the same with the turbos in the middle of the V, requiring extended fan cooling. The extra heat also prematurely hardens the valve seals, resulting in increased oil consumption. Only BMW has acknowledged it for the F15, but I would imagine the same issue to affect the S63.

[pachieh]

Originally Posted by ekological

Isn't there something about the F15s that BMW acknowledged have reduced battery life because of the hot V and the need to have the fan blow for an extended amount of time after the car is shut off? Many short trips will drain the battery very low; thus, shortening its life. BMW has since said the replacement interval of the battery is at every oil change. Derp.

Originally Posted by ekological

Isn't there something about the F15s that BMW acknowledged have reduced battery life because of the hot V and the need to have the fan blow for an extended amount of time after the car is shut off? Many short trips will drain the battery very low; thus, shortening its life. BMW has since said the replacement interval of the battery is at every oil change. Derp.

Never heard of changing the batteries at every oil change. I've had three oil changes and that's never come up. Is there a new SIB outside of the warranty one?

Remember batteries are meant to discharge to a point. The fans running after will drain them some, but they shut off when they hit a temp and certain battery level to ensure that you don't have a dead car. Plus, the alternator recharges the batteries every time you start the car.

[ekological]

Originally Posted by pachieh

Never heard of changing the batteries at every oil change. I've had three oil changes and that's never come up. Is there a new SIB outside of the warranty one?

Remember batteries are meant to discharge to a point. The fans running after will drain them some, but they shut off when they hit a temp and certain battery level to ensure that you don't have a dead car. Plus, the alternator recharges the batteries every time you start the car.

If you make many short trips, the battery might not be charged enough between running the cooling fan after shutdown. Sure, if your trips are long enough, you don't have to worry about it. Otherwise, if you want to stretch out the life of your battery, you might consider a battery tender.

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I remember BMW had a similar battery drain issue with one of the 7 series (not sure if it was limited to that) where the alternator is on a clutch and only cycled on under certain circumstances. This was done to decrease parasitic drain and "increase efficiency" Released into the real world, they had complaints of batteries dying prematurely because they weren't getting topped off. They couldn't just reprogram the computer to have the alternator charge more often because that would impact their fuel ratings and lead to litigation for selling a car that doesn't meet the advertised numbers (hello VW!) So? They recommend battery replacement at every oil change.

I don't see how the S63 situation is any different than the N63.

[pachieh]

Hmmm, not sure then. Only thing I can fathom is that while the N63 and S63 share the same heart, there's enough of a difference in the ECUs, tuning, and 1,000,000 other electrical gizmos that they don't have as many battery problems as the N63.

I had my battery replaced under warranty, otherwise none since 5k miles.