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      11-22-2011, 10:26 AM   #1
baege
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Canadian Z4 Battery Experiences

With the pending drop in temperatures, I am contemplating replacing the battery.

It is still functioning fine at this time, but its 4.5 years old and I don't drive that often so it tends to sit for periods of time.

I got a quote of $360 taxes inc. installed from parkview bmw. $180 for the battery alone.

Curious what people's experiences are with getting the battery replaced on the Z4?
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      11-22-2011, 11:30 AM   #2
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Why would you let the dealer replace it? Takes all of 5 minutes to do.

My factory battery died after having the car for 15 months. Being a sunday I ran to Wally world that was just a few blocks away and grabbed an Energizer battery that they had on the shelf. It got her started. All that mattered at the time. BMW would not warranty the factory battery so I purchased an Optima Red Top. It has been in the car now for 2 winters and doing great. This will be the third winter.
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      11-22-2011, 11:31 AM   #3
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Do you use a tender when it's idle?
Mine's about the same age & still going strong, but it's stored for the winter & I use a tender when it's idle.

@ 5yrs you are close to a normal life span for a battery.
I haven't done any checking, so IDK if the $180 is reasonable or not.
The install price seems a little steep though for such a simple job.
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      11-22-2011, 01:10 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nate96 View Post
Why would you let the dealer replace it? Takes all of 5 minutes to do.

My factory battery died after having the car for 15 months. Being a sunday I ran to Wally world that was just a few blocks away and grabbed an Energizer battery that they had on the shelf. It got her started. All that mattered at the time. BMW would not warranty the factory battery so I purchased an Optima Red Top. It has been in the car now for 2 winters and doing great. This will be the third winter.
Thanks for the input. I haven't actually taken a look at what was involved. I assumed battery replacement on a BMW might be a little more involved. I understand there is a tube vent involved? Did your replacement battery involve a tube vent?
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      11-22-2011, 01:12 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by inTgr8r View Post
Do you use a tender when it's idle?
Mine's about the same age & still going strong, but it's stored for the winter & I use a tender when it's idle.

@ 5yrs you are close to a normal life span for a battery.
I haven't done any checking, so IDK if the $180 is reasonable or not.
The install price seems a little steep though for such a simple job.
Nah I live in a condo so a tender is not an option
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      11-22-2011, 02:22 PM   #6
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$180 is very reasonable for the BMW AGM battery up here. I paid that with a commercial discount for the spare I have in the garage waiting for the OE to move on. List I believe is $230. The reason for the high installation charge is they're using the book for all newer models where a programing match is required for battery replacement. Not necessary on the Z4 e85/86. It's a 20 minute job tops.
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      11-22-2011, 03:18 PM   #7
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^ whs.

My 2006 X5's battery died on a Sunday so my choices were Walmart, CTC , Costco, and PartSource. CTC has one with higher CCA rating than OEM and has the right dimensions.

I believe it was $115 plus tax. Easy install... just don't forget to re-install the vent hose on one side and plug the other side with plug removed from old battery.
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      11-22-2011, 05:27 PM   #8
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My battery died about 6 months ago and it's my DD. However, I drive very little since I don't commute in it.

It seems that there are two OE batteries that's used. A black one with vent tube and a white one without. My black AGM battery that came with the car died and BMW just replaced it under warranty when I went in for other warranty items. I didn't even ask for it. It's white without vent tubes.

It's 3 10mm hex nuts on top of the cover to reveal the battery, then disconnect the +/-, it's out. 10 minutes with a 10mm socket.

HTHs,
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      11-22-2011, 06:07 PM   #9
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I don't believe the white cased battery is an AGM. Here's the current replacement BMW part # 61 21 7 598 775

They've actually increased the CCA to 800 due to the high amount of failure during warranty.
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      11-22-2011, 07:47 PM   #10
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When the battery on my 330ci died I went to Buffalo to find an Autozone. Picked up a brand new battery that met all the requirements and spent I think $130 on it. Ended up being almost $100 cheaper than buying a comparable one here. You do get the warranty but only in the States so that is a downside but doubtful you'd use it anyways.

I would be willing to pay the $180 for the BMW one though. Thanks for the info .. hopefully won't need it anytime soon.
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      11-22-2011, 07:58 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirko View Post
When the battery on my 330ci died I went to Buffalo to find an Autozone. Picked up a brand new battery that met all the requirements and spent I think $130 on it. Ended up being almost $100 cheaper than buying a comparable one here. You do get the warranty but only in the States so that is a downside but doubtful you'd use it anyways.

I would be willing to pay the $180 for the BMW one though. Thanks for the info .. hopefully won't need it anytime soon.
I suspect the OTC price is not that cheap unless you're having it installed.
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      11-23-2011, 07:39 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Caddyshk View Post
I suspect the OTC price is not that cheap unless you're having it installed.
If I am to pay someone $180 to install a battery in my M then I expect the pretty blonde behind the counter to service me while they service my car.
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      11-27-2011, 03:26 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quickid View Post
^ whs.

My 2006 X5's battery died on a Sunday so my choices were Walmart, CTC , Costco, and PartSource. CTC has one with higher CCA rating than OEM and has the right dimensions.

I believe it was $115 plus tax. Easy install... just don't forget to re-install the vent hose on one side and plug the other side with plug removed from old battery.
Here's a couple pics of my current battery

Is the tube on the left the vent hose you are referring to?
Couldn't find the plug on the other side you refer to?
Attached Images
  
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      11-27-2011, 04:43 PM   #14
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Yes, that is the vent hose. My X5's OEM battery had two identical holes, one was plugged and the other had the vent tube attached. The replacement battery from CTC had the same configuration so I just took the plug from the old and used it for the replacement.

It should be on the exact location on the other side but it's also possible yours only have one hole.
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      11-28-2011, 09:36 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quickid View Post
Yes, that is the vent hose. My X5's OEM battery had two identical holes, one was plugged and the other had the vent tube attached. The replacement battery from CTC had the same configuration so I just took the plug from the old and used it for the replacement.

It should be on the exact location on the other side but it's also possible yours only have one hole.
cheers
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      12-12-2011, 01:55 PM   #16
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FYI, You can also use a portable power pack (I got mine at CT), leave in in the truck and plug the battery maintainer into it at the condo. You'll need to pull it out every 3-4 weeks or so and charge it back up overnight, but it will keep you battery topped up in a condo where you don't have access to an ac outlet.

Cheers,
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      11-03-2012, 11:51 AM   #17
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battery dies every winter

Last year was the second year in a row my batt was dead in as little as three weeks in storage.......i need a best solution for this problem....winter is nearly upon me.....can you leave a trickle charge on all the time? can you charge it while its still hooked up? etc.
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      11-03-2012, 01:54 PM   #18
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I've been using one of these for 5 years. Mine was manufactured for BMW by Batterytender.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-41...ng-system.aspx
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      11-03-2012, 02:03 PM   #19
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^whs
Get a battery tender type charger NOT a trickle charger.
I use the battery tender brand but CTEK brand also has a very good reputation.

...read up on why to use them.
http://smartercharger.com/

http://batterytender.com/
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      11-03-2012, 08:27 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Caddyshk View Post
I've been using one of these for 5 years. Mine was manufactured for BMW by Batterytender.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-41...ng-system.aspx
Thanks i will be checking this one out
P.
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      11-04-2012, 09:26 AM   #21
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CTEK is on sale at PartSource this month
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