Just bought found a few issues, help me figure it out please

[robert16]

So this in theory occur as a battery ages, so again five years from now after I get a new battery.

Do you think the BMW dealer will disable it not just turn it off? Even if I ask them.

When I called the bmw dealer I seemed smarter than the individual answering the phone making appointments to come in. He had to ask a tech what transport mode was.

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by robert16

So this in theory occur as a battery ages, so again five years from now after I get a new battery.

Do you think the BMW dealer will disable it not just turn it off? Even if I ask them.

When I called the bmw dealer I seemed smarter than the individual answering the phone making appointments to come in. He add to ask a tech what transport mode was.

Based on the info above, it seems to me that you need to get the dealer to DISABLE transport mode (Guys - feel free to correct me if that's wrong).

Since you are in the US, and your dealer seems a bit flaky, is there another dealer reasonably close to you that may be more knowledgeable about this? I ask because in my time here I have found that some dealers are very good (as is my local dealer, I'm happy to say) - but others, not so much.

[robert16]

I just got back from Autozone and they did the load test on the battery. Battery had 12.59 volts. According to their test it is a good battery. So I need to find the age of this battery. If its more than 5 years old then I would say its a bad battery or getting close.

These are the numbers on the battery near the positive terminal AA28 so can anyone figure out what year and month this battery is from by these numbers?

I have not lifted the battery out of the vehicle to look for other numbers.

So how old is this sucker, it's a white BMW battery.


I'm pretty sure this is transport mode.

[Efthreeoh]

So if you plan on DIY'ng the service and repair on your Z4, I recommend you spend the $68 - $150 on a BMW scan tool instead. With a BMW scan tool you can take the car out of transport mode by yourself and have a diagnostic scan/test tool and programming tool for future service and repair work. Foxwell has a decent BMW scan tool called the NT510 on sale right now for $149. When you order it from Foxwell you have to specify you want the BMW software. ECS Tuning sells a pre-loaded NT510 unit under its Schawben label for $199. Foxwell can be a bit difficult to deal with if you have problems, so the ECS brand unit is no-fuss. The Schawben unit ships turn-key loaded with BMW software from ECS. The NT510 unit is nice because it comes in a protective case and is a hand-held device you can just leave in the car.

There are a multitude of other BMW scan tools available to choose from. The coding sub-forum on E90 Post has a lot of information regarding scan tools you can research on the subject matter.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by robert16

I just got back from Autozone and they did the load test on the battery. Battery had 12.59 volts. According to their test it is a good battery. So I need to find the age of this battery. If its more than 5 years old then I would say its a bad battery or getting close.

These are the numbers on the battery near the positive terminal AA28 so can anyone figure out what year and month this battery is from by these numbers?

I have not lifted the battery out of the vehicle to look for other numbers.

So how old is this sucker, it's a white BMW battery.


I'm pretty sure this is transport mode.

If it is a white BMW battery, then it will have a status eye on the top. It's a greenish clear plastic lenz if the battery is is good state, black if it is not. If the battery were bad the car would not start or be slow cranking.

If you want to decipher the date code, you need to find it first. It's stamped on the edge of the battery top most likely. You can google how to read the code. AA28 could mean January 2012.

[chickdr]

Please let us know when you get this sorted. I am pretty certain this is transport mode as others have speculated. Even if the battery is testing good now it could have died while on a lot before purchase and just needed a good charge(which you accomplished on the drive home from Georgia). As others have mentioned, this is a common issue in our cars. Dealers are supposed to disable the transport mode when doing the PDI on the car. If it is still enabled, what BMW should do is give you a freebee deactivation as a goodwill gesture. We should not still be hearing about transport mode on cars that stopped production in 2008....

[HTM101]

Originally Posted by chickdr

Please let us know when you get this sorted. I am pretty certain this is transport mode as others have speculated. Even if the battery is testing good now it could have died while on a lot before purchase and just needed a good charge(which you accomplished on the drive home from Georgia). As others have mentioned, this is a common issue in our cars. Dealers are supposed to disable the transport mode when doing the PDI on the car. If it is still enabled, what BMW should do is give you a freebee deactivation as a goodwill gesture. We should not still be hearing about transport mode on cars that stopped production in 2008....

I believe your guess about the battery dying while on a lot is likely true. I bought my car this January. I researched its recent history that showed it had been traded last fall, and eventually went to an auction lot. It was picked up by the used car lot where I eventually bought it, in the dead of winter. The used car dealer had it almost 2 months before I bought it, and the car may have been test driven a few times, which wouldn't provide a decent recharge of the battery. The day I drove it the temp was about 35 degrees and I drove it maybe 2 miles. My test drive was 3 weeks before I purchased it.

When I first trailered the car home, I subsequently measured the battery voltage to be 11.7v. I guessed the battery may be ready for the scrap heap. I slowly charged it for 24 hours, and then disconnected it from the charger and car, and let it stabilize for 24 hours. After stabilizing, the voltage measured 12.57v at 25 degrees, a very good number. I also did a CCA test and it measured out at 800 CCA, great for a battery rated at 590 CCA.

As I stated earlier, after charging the battery I still had to visit the dealer for the Transport Mode reset.

David

[robert16]

Ok I don't mind buying a scan tool. I would rather have a tool that tells me whats wrong that spend thousands at a dealer.

So Im confused a bit. I would like to buy the easiest to use tool that I won't have trouble using.

Also are you sure both of these scanners will remove the transport mode?

I found two links on ebay
But not the Schawben scan tool nt510 bmw unit? Can't find.

But I found these.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/FOXWELL-NT5...4AAOSww-BaWtzZ

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-BMW-MIN...gAAOSwPOhabo1G

So please give me your thoughts

Thanks.


I think the battery looks good but I bet it was left to drain or its starting to go bad. If the battery is 6 years old then its time to get a new one.

[robert16]

New battery, new awesome scanner.

Cleared transport mode and it works. Now I have a scanner for the next 10 years I have this. Thanks everyone for the help.

[ADent]

Which scanner did you get and used to reset Transport Mode?

From other thread it looks like: Foxwell NT510/Schwaben version from ECS

[robert16]

Ended up getting a new battery, cleared the code with my new scanner and everything came to life. New battery helped.
thanks everyone.