new battery= battery programming???

[krnnerdboy]

found this posted on the e90 site and am wondering if this applies to us?

"I could have posted this to the latest battery registration debate thread but I thought it'd get lost among all the pages and would be useless to future searchers. I thought it was important so I'm starting a new thread.

I just came back from the dealership where they ran a full diagnostic check for errors in the my car (I have a grabby brake issue that still has yet to be resolved). Two weeks ago, I replaced my oem battery w/ an autozone battery and i decided not to register it. In my research, I didn't find any evidence that it was worthwhile to pay $100 for registering a battery and everything I found on the forum was conjecture. Even my SA said it wasn't really necessary for a 3 series (though the 5 and 7 series have heavier electronics so it's necessary for them, he said).

In the latest battery debate thread, I argued pretty strongly that registration is a fool's expense. After seeing my diagnostic report, I'm inserting my foot in my mouth. The report was riddled with low voltage errors on several different components due to the non-registration. They registered it and the errors disappeared. Even better, the car actually feels better (could be the placebo effect but it just feels peppier).

So that seems like pretty strong evidence that registration is worthwhile. It's worth $100 to ensure voltage is correct. By the way, the use of a lead acid battery isn't an issue. The AGM battery is good if you're worried about venting.

Now I just have to figure out this damn grabby brake... "

[krnnerdboy]

observation of mine...

I have a small odyssey on my z4m and it gets driven about 1x a week, and when I forget to trickle charge it the car is noticeably sluggish, especially on the top end

[HaiDef]

I have no idea what registering mean or does? When i hear register, im thinking warranty information. Can you please fill me in on this?

[chickdr]

You don't have to register the battery in the Z4. We are just under the wire before they started doing this. You can swap it yourself.

[Incompatible]

Originally Posted by chickdr

You don't have to register the battery in the Z4. We are just under the wire before they started doing this. You can swap it yourself.

The tech section of the last or next to the last Roundel addressed this issue. As chickdr states, we (E85 and 86) cars do not need this, as do the newer cars. Maybe your problem came from fault codes which originated with the old battery and were cleared when the dealer went in to "register" your battery?

[santov]

I have the BMW OEM diag software and the Register battery section is greyed out when you're connected to an E85 or E86.

I wonder if they actually registered the battery or did they just clear the error codes.

I do notice that my Z never fully charges the battery. When I work on the car I plug in my trickle charger and it takes at least 8 hours to fully charge. I know it's a trickle charger/maintainer, but dang other batteries aren't that low. I'm hoping the occasional battery "top-off" will extend it's life.

I'll be replacing with an OEM battery. I'll pay a little extra to have the vent tube and exact fit. That's just me.

[krnnerdboy]

Originally Posted by Incompatible

The tech section of the last or next to the last Roundel addressed this issue. As chickdr states, we (E85 and 86) cars do not need this, as do the newer cars. Maybe your problem came from fault codes which originated with the old battery and were cleared when the dealer went in to "register" your battery?

that's great thanks!

I don;t have any codes at the moment but I do have a battery on its last legs that's giving me some issues, which is what turned my attention to that thread.

[reyebe]

Originally Posted by chickdr

You don't have to register the battery in the Z4. We are just under the wire before they started doing this. You can swap it yourself.

Correct, I just replaced mine myself for $98 a group 47 is an exact replacement/fit with the posts in the correct position. I purchased it from Checker/O'Riley auto parts.

Paul at Strong-Strut Co.

[onelove]

Originally Posted by santov

I have the BMW OEM diag software and the Register battery section is greyed out when you're connected to an E85 or E86.

I wonder if they actually registered the battery or did they just clear the error codes.

I do notice that my Z never fully charges the battery. When I work on the car I plug in my trickle charger and it takes at least 8 hours to fully charge. I know it's a trickle charger/maintainer, but dang other batteries aren't that low. I'm hoping the occasional battery "top-off" will extend it's life.

I'll be replacing with an OEM battery. I'll pay a little extra to have the vent tube and exact fit. That's just me.

Where did you get the OEM diag software ?

[boydgti]

I dont know if u realize but the battery is covered under your warranty, at least here in canada it is

[chickdr]

Originally Posted by reyebe

Correct, I just replaced mine myself for $98 a group 47 is an exact replacement/fit with the posts in the correct position. I purchased it from Checker/O'Riley auto parts.

Paul at Strong-Strut Co.

Interesting- O'Reilly carries a battery which is the EXACT same AGM as factory, but it is much more pricey at $155. It has the vent tube in the stock location. This will be my choice when the time comes.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...0423&ppt=C0005

Originally Posted by santov

I'm hoping the occasional battery "top-off" will extend it's life.

I'll be replacing with an OEM battery. I'll pay a little extra to have the vent tube and exact fit. That's just me.

The battery above is identical to the OEM you would buy from a dealer so you should save yourself some cash(unless they will match the price). I think the trickle charger once a month certainly helps the battery. Mine is a 2006 and has the original battery even though my car has only 13,500 miles. I attribute this to keeping it charged and desulfated.

[santov]

Originally Posted by onelove

Where did you get the OEM diag software ?

The DIS software was an adventure I'd like to forget. I came so close to taking a hammer to my laptop. But now that I've got it running it's super handy. It all started when we all went nuts and bought a $40 alarm. I had to go the extra mile and get the software to activate the module.

http://www.zpost.com/forums/showpost...&postcount=215

Originally Posted by chickdr

Interesting- O'Reilly carries a battery which is the EXACT same AGM as factory, but it is much more pricey at $155. It has the vent tube in the stock location. This will be my choice when the time comes.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...0423&ppt=C0005

The battery above is identical to the OEM you would buy from a dealer so you should save yourself some cash(unless they will match the price). I think the trickle charger once a month certainly helps the battery. Mine is a 2006 and has the original battery even though my car has only 13,500 miles. I attribute this to keeping it charged and desulfated.

Thanks so much for this!!! I didn't know anybody made an aftermarket battery that had a drain tube/vent. I was going to consider a red top, but the fit wasn't perfect (from what I could tell). I was hoping somebody would make an aftermarket clone since the OEM batteries don't seem to last and are pretty expensive.

[santov]

Oh wait, the OEM battery from Tischer is $145 shipped and the O'Reily is $169 after tax.

Think there's any advantage to the AGM?

[chickdr]

Originally Posted by santov

Oh wait, the OEM battery from Tischer is $145 shipped and the O'Reily is $169 after tax.

Think there's any advantage to the AGM?

That is a great price shipped! It should be AGM if its OEM.

[Ron Stygar]

Originally Posted by santov

Oh wait, the OEM battery from Tischer is $145 shipped

What's the part number?

[santov]

Originally Posted by Ron Stygar

What's the part number?

No part number when I add it to the cart, but I input year and drill down to the right category>part. Does Excide or AGV make the batteries for BMW? Is there a life or amp rating that is more desirabe?

I think this link will work:
http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...layCatalogid=0

[Mighty_Ferguson]

I'm planning to buy one of the batteries mentioned in this thread for my 2007 3.0si. Is there a recommended procedure for doing the swap yourself? I do have a battery charger/tender, so I was wondering if it's safe to connect that to the terminals under the hood while doing the swap to keep all the memory settings intact. Is that a good idea, or am I setting myself up for electrocution? Having done some light electrical work around the house in the past, I can tell you I'd prefer not being shocked again.

Is there a major downside to just disconnecting it completely besides losing radio presets, etc? Would I lose any of the preference settings such as daytime lights, door lock beep, etc, or are those all stored in the key memory?

Thanks!

[santov]

EDIT- Was on my phone and can't spell for crap.

You won't lose any of the CKM settings, just radio, clock, mpg, and trip. I would NOT plug the charger into the jumper studs as low amperage may cook some black box. I rather you reset your radio codes therm break something, esp a delicate control module.

Also, it might be smart to charge the new battery to full in advance and use a little grease on the new posts for good measure.

[Mighty_Ferguson]

Great, thanks for those tips. Much appreciated.

[mhughett]

I have the Baviarian Technic solftware and have registered a couple of E90's with it. The posts above are correct that our cars do NOT have to have this done when changing a battery. Therefore, the following explanation does not apply to the E85/86 cars. According to the makers of the software, the "registration" process is nothing more than resetting or clearing of the adjustments to the voltage from the alternator that the car has made while the old battery was in use. Batteries that are weak usually result in additional voltage being provide by the alternator. The registration process just resets everything to let the system know we have a new battery and the system then adjusts everything accordingly.