Z4M battery replacement

[chickdr]

Just a heads-up. I know everything is going up in price, but yesterday I needed a new battery for my Z4M. Its a H6 (group 48) AGM. I called O'Reillys as that is where I have purchased in the past and their price was $249. I called a couple of others (Advance Auto- $255 and Interstate - $265). Then I thought of WalMart and took a look on the website - $179. I went with my old battery in tow, and they had it in stock. Same ratings as the battery I had, and it has a 4-yr free replacement warranty. Great deal IMHO. I also checked with Sam's Club thinking it should be even cheaper than WalMart, but they wanted $199.

[spielnicht]

Get the genuine BMW battery - I've discovered that the price is usually the same if not cheaper for a much better quality battery (even if made by the same supplier as the others).

I just did a quick lookup of the recommended AGM battery for Z4M (61212353811), it came up as $177 from my dealer.

[merckxmad]

I had trouble finding a replacement here in NY for under $200 and went with $175 Walmart version. AAA program struck out twice. Local dealers are out of stock, and area auto parts chains were all $250+. Crazy.

[chickdr]

There you go. I don't see any advantage to buying from the dealer unless it's closer than the Walmart. I was surprised: 1) that Sam's was not cheaper than Walmart and 2) that the parts stores were so much higher than Walmart. 10 or 20 bucks, sure, but we are talking 70 bucks. That was worth a drive for me. I would honestly never thought of trying the dealer as typically they are way more than parts stores.

[pungo]

I was in Costco today getting a battery for my Corrado, the Interstate H6 AGM was $170.

[SepangZ4MC]

The previous owner fitted mine with a H7 battery. Didn't know that those fit but I guess it does.

[chickdr]

Originally Posted by SepangZ4MC

The previous owner fitted mine with a H7 battery. Didn't know that those fit but I guess it does.

I actually noticed that last night. The screw in metal holder has two attachment points to accommodate 2 different sizes. I guess an H7 could be a better choice.

[chickdr]

Originally Posted by pungo

I was in Costco today getting a battery for my Corrado, the Interstate H6 AGM was $170.

Interesting - an Interstate battery store near me was at 265 for that battery, while Costco was 170... If I had access to Costco I would have used that route.

[XMetal]

Originally Posted by pungo

I was in Costco today getting a battery for my Corrado, the Interstate H6 AGM was $170.

Originally Posted by chickdr

Interesting - an Interstate battery store near me was at 265 for that battery, while Costco was 170... If I had access to Costco I would have used that route.

The Costco Interstate battery only have a 3 year prorated warranty. The Walmart battery have a 4 year replacement warranty. To me, the Walmart battery is a better value. I have a Walmart H8 AGM in my X5 for about 3 years and counting now without issue, which gave me confident to buy my 2nd Walmart battery for my MC last November.

[XMetal]

Originally Posted by chickdr

I actually noticed that last night. The screw in metal holder has two attachment points to accommodate 2 different sizes. I guess an H7 could be a better choice.

Did you not see this sticky?

https://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=745266

[chickdr]

Originally Posted by XMetal

Did you not see this sticky?

https://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=745266

I never remember to look for the sticky as it is so long between changes. maybe I will try an H7 next time if I can remember....

[XMetal]

Originally Posted by chickdr

I never remember to look for the sticky as it is so long between changes. maybe I will try an H7 next time if I can remember....

Highly recommended that you try the H7 next go-round It's the same price as the H6, so why not? Slightly heavier than the H6, but for a street driven car, you won't noticed that weight gain. The added capacity really benefits the car, especially if it isn't a daily driver. The starter cranks a bit faster with the H7 compared to the H6. I can go longer between putting a charger on it.