Can you identify my battery?

ExSaaber · 03-13-2016, 08:40 PM

Hello,

The dealer wants $700 dollars (US) to replace my battery. My car's ignition died when I turned on air conditioning. I restarted it, and when the light turned green I stepped on the gas, the car's ignition died again. The second time I restarted the ignition, the car was fine.

I had never had issues like that before. So, I figured that I should replace the battery as a preventative measure since my car's 5 years old with 50,000 miles on it. I have had almost no issues.

So, I went into the dealer and told them to replace the battery. I figured they would charge me around $100. The Service Advisor called me 5 hour later and told me that I have a very special battery and that they have to special order from New Jersey. It will take more than a week to get the battery and it will cost me $650 plus tax to replace. This shortly after a $1,200 bill for a tune-up. I was so mad that I almost traded my Z4 in for a Hyundai. I was that mad.

Can you tell me what type of battery I have? It looks different from the picture of the Lead Acid type I have seen on this forum. Is my battery an AGM battery?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

jae

ExSaaber · 03-13-2016, 09:02 PM

I think that my battery may be an AGM battery. It doesn't have a round window. I think that maybe I'll just keep my battery. AGM batteries last longer than lead acid batteries, right? I would like to tell BMW to where to stick that $700 battery.

talhagursoy · 03-13-2016, 09:38 PM

I believe it is not an AGM battery because it is 70Ah. As I know, AGM should be 80Ah. My car is 6 year old and just replaced my battery couple weeks ago. Mine is AGM, so it cost $250 which I believe includes $15 core. Installation was pretty simple, takes like 20-30mins to replace it. I already had a K-Dcan cable for MHD tuning, so I didn't have to buy anything, and reprogramed the new battery with BimmerLogger for free (battery programing is free) So total cost $250 for AGM battery. Standard one should be cheaper.
See below for new gen and old gen AGM batteries

New one

Old One

gbell210 · 03-14-2016, 01:36 AM

I just recently changed mine out for a Sears Advanced Die Hard (AGM) group 48. Paid $166, but I now see it for $155 online price. I had to buy online and pickup in store to get that price, they don't price match their own website.

What I had before was very similar to yours except it was marked with Exide instead of Varatas, which those are lead acid.
The new battery Specs are the same except it is AGM vs the sealed lead acid pictured.
Specs:
760 CCA
70Ah

The 80Ah is slightly bigger and I think a group 94R ( which is the black BMW battery pictured above)

I have not had my battery reset or car coded yet for AGM, but the other specs are identical. It solved my issue of showing the car on the lift, every time I started it, even after trickle charging the old battery. What made me lean toward the battery was not being able to listen to the radio longer than 5min with engine off, before the battery symbol displayed and the car shut off power. I can only assume it was the original battery with 5yrs on it and 46k miles.

talhagursoy · 03-14-2016, 02:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbell210

I just recently changed mine out for a Sears Advanced Die Hard (AGM) group 48. Paid $166, but I now see it for $155 online price. I had to buy online and pickup in store to get that price, they don't price match their own website.

What I had before was very similar to yours except it was marked with Exide instead of Varatas, which those are lead acid.
The new battery Specs are the same except it is AGM vs the sealed lead acid pictured.
Specs:
760 CCA
70Ah

The 80Ah is slightly bigger and I think a group 94R ( which is the black BMW battery pictured above)

I have not had my battery reset or car coded yet for AGM, but the other specs are identical. It solved my issue of showing the car on the lift, every time I started it, even after trickle charging the old battery. What made me lean toward the battery was not being able to listen to the radio longer than 5min with engine off, before the battery symbol displayed and the car shut off power. I can only assume it was the original battery with 5yrs on it and 46k miles.

If you haven't registered your new battery, I recommend you to do it as soon as possible. As I learned from people, it is important to do because car doesn't recognize it is a new battery and it overcharges the new battery and it can cause some serious damage.
Check this thread out
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=468750

jparnes1 · 03-14-2016, 07:53 AM

Rather than getting a new battery right away, why don't you check the voltage with a multimeter? That way you'll know for sure if the battery is the cause or if it's something else. Did you have any other signs of a weak battery? With the engine running you should read about 14V. After it's been fully discharged overnight, you should read between 12 and 12.8V.

ExSaaber · 03-14-2016, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jparnes1

Rather than getting a new battery right away, why don't you check the voltage with a multimeter? That way you'll know for sure if the battery is the cause or if it's something else. Did you have any other signs of a weak battery? With the engine running you should read about 14V. After it's been fully discharged overnight, you should read between 12 and 12.8V.

Thanks. I'll do that. If I don't have to spend the $700, I won't.

Zyal8r · 03-14-2016, 10:20 AM

My battery charger included some great info about batteries. The voltage starting with a dead battery is 11.4vdc and goes to 12.9vdc fully charged so there is only 1.5v difference between a dead battery and a good one. A 50% charge would be about half way in between for example. An older battery won't fully charge because it is sulphated (?). And it won't tolerate a current load very long. Most auto supply stores will do a load test for free.
SEARS REGISTERS BMW Batteries for $79.00. They showed me the program on their monitor. They also charge for the installation. The batteries are highly rated and you save over $100 versus the dealer. You can save more by buying on line and installing it yourself and having them register it.
If you don't drive your garage queen much, running a good charger will greatly increase the life to more than 6 years by reducing the sulphating.
I find that a new battery will have between 12.4 and 12.9 vdc I guess depending on amount of night driving and top actuations. With engine running about 13.2 or more but this probably is more of a test of the system.
AGM seems to be the way to go but older oems are lead acid.
On my car the first sign of trouble was that the clock would not hold its setting and a ! symbol came on. Resetting the time only worked for a day or less. I have heard of other wierd clues.
Some of the newer solid state chargers claim to be able to revive a sulphated battery with a special long slow charge cycle.

ExSaaber · 03-14-2016, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jparnes1

After it's been fully discharged overnight, you should read between 12 and 12.8V.

After more than 8 hours of being discharged, my battery has 12.4V

I think that I will hang on to my battery. I have two separate battery chargers. One CTEK and one Schumacher. I've had the Schumacher a while. I got the CTEK because I went on a 5 month business trip to Switzerland and left my car sitting in the garage. The battery was hooked up to the charger all of that time.

So, I'll regularly charge my battery. I'll baby it, and I'm going to make it last. No $700 battery for me, especially if the one I have is still serviceable.

rking117 · 03-15-2016, 08:24 AM

And BTW you can hit a place like Auto Zone or Advanced Auto and have them test your battery. If yours is dead and needs to be replaced you can buy a battery they have (that is built for your car). It does cost more but it is not $700.00. After you have them replace the battery you do have to take it to a dealer or indy shop to have it coded to the battery. I did mine and i have been running strong for 2 years now since the replacement.

bigendbob · 03-15-2016, 02:32 PM

So what is so special about an AGM battery versus a lead acid?
Does AGM need special charging to give long life (more than 3 years so BMW don't have to change on warranty).
Can a cheaper lead acid accept any old charge that the car might put out?
My battery is approaching 7 years, would be nice to know options.
e.g an AGM that lasts another 7 years or a third of the price lead acid that might last 3.

mac-z4 · 03-15-2016, 02:46 PM

Curious, has anyone had a problem jump starting their car using the terminals in the engine compartment when they experienced a dead battery?

ExSaaber · 03-18-2016, 02:43 PM

When it comes to my cars, I play it safe. I want to keep my car for a long time. Our cars cost $60,000 all-in or more. So, I forked over the $721.39 for a

battery.

The new battery is an AGM battery. For some reason, the real part number is the second one listed on the battery (the one behind the AW)

One of the alternatives was having my battery explode and spew sulfuric acid all over my trunk.

It could have been worse. I could be stuck with a Mercedes.

03-13-2016, 08:40 PM	#1
ExSaaber New Member 0 Rep 6 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW Z4 3.0 Liter RWD Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Can you identify my battery? Hello, The dealer wants $700 dollars (US) to replace my battery. My car's ignition died when I turned on air conditioning. I restarted it, and when the light turned green I stepped on the gas, the car's ignition died again. The second time I restarted the ignition, the car was fine. I had never had issues like that before. So, I figured that I should replace the battery as a preventative measure since my car's 5 years old with 50,000 miles on it. I have had almost no issues. So, I went into the dealer and told them to replace the battery. I figured they would charge me around $100. The Service Advisor called me 5 hour later and told me that I have a very special battery and that they have to special order from New Jersey. It will take more than a week to get the battery and it will cost me $650 plus tax to replace. This shortly after a $1,200 bill for a tune-up. I was so mad that I almost traded my Z4 in for a Hyundai. I was that mad. Can you tell me what type of battery I have? It looks different from the picture of the Lead Acid type I have seen on this forum. Is my battery an AGM battery? Thanks in advance. Cheers, jae
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03-13-2016, 09:02 PM	#2
ExSaaber New Member 0 Rep 6 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW Z4 3.0 Liter RWD Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	AGM? I think that my battery may be an AGM battery. It doesn't have a round window. I think that maybe I'll just keep my battery. AGM batteries last longer than lead acid batteries, right? I would like to tell BMW to where to stick that $700 battery.
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03-13-2016, 09:38 PM	#3
talhagursoy First Lieutenant 103 Rep 288 Posts Drives: Bmw Z4 sDrive35i Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Fairfax, VA iTrader: (1)	I believe it is not an AGM battery because it is 70Ah. As I know, AGM should be 80Ah. My car is 6 year old and just replaced my battery couple weeks ago. Mine is AGM, so it cost $250 which I believe includes $15 core. Installation was pretty simple, takes like 20-30mins to replace it. I already had a K-Dcan cable for MHD tuning, so I didn't have to buy anything, and reprogramed the new battery with BimmerLogger for free (battery programing is free) So total cost $250 for AGM battery. Standard one should be cheaper. See below for new gen and old gen AGM batteries New one Old One __________________ Ar Catless DP, MHD Flash, BMS DCI, ER FMIC, ER CP, Forged DVs Last edited by talhagursoy; 03-25-2016 at 08:37 PM..
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03-14-2016, 01:36 AM	#4
gbell210 e89 fan 0 Rep 14 Posts Drives: 2011 e89 sDrive30 Join Date: May 2015 Location: Poulsbo, WA iTrader: (0)	I just recently changed mine out for a Sears Advanced Die Hard (AGM) group 48. Paid $166, but I now see it for $155 online price. I had to buy online and pickup in store to get that price, they don't price match their own website. What I had before was very similar to yours except it was marked with Exide instead of Varatas, which those are lead acid. The new battery Specs are the same except it is AGM vs the sealed lead acid pictured. Specs: 760 CCA 70Ah The 80Ah is slightly bigger and I think a group 94R ( which is the black BMW battery pictured above) I have not had my battery reset or car coded yet for AGM, but the other specs are identical. It solved my issue of showing the car on the lift, every time I started it, even after trickle charging the old battery. What made me lean toward the battery was not being able to listen to the radio longer than 5min with engine off, before the battery symbol displayed and the car shut off power. I can only assume it was the original battery with 5yrs on it and 46k miles.
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03-14-2016, 07:53 AM	#6
jparnes1 Colonel 241 Rep 2,389 Posts Drives: 2016 340i, 2012 Z4 35i Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NY iTrader: (1)	Rather than getting a new battery right away, why don't you check the voltage with a multimeter? That way you'll know for sure if the battery is the cause or if it's something else. Did you have any other signs of a weak battery? With the engine running you should read about 14V. After it's been fully discharged overnight, you should read between 12 and 12.8V. __________________ 2016 340i XDrive, EBII/black, 6 MT, M Sport, Track Handling, Cold Weather, Tech, Lighting, Driver Assistance Plus. 2012 Z4 35i, ED 2/24/2012, Melbourne Red Metallic, Black Leather, Carbon Trim, 6MT, M Sport, CW, PP, PS, NAV, CA.
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03-14-2016, 10:20 AM	#8
Zyal8r Private First Class 21 Rep 141 Posts Drives: Z4 E89 Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: South Carolina iTrader: (0)	More than you want to know about batteries My battery charger included some great info about batteries. The voltage starting with a dead battery is 11.4vdc and goes to 12.9vdc fully charged so there is only 1.5v difference between a dead battery and a good one. A 50% charge would be about half way in between for example. An older battery won't fully charge because it is sulphated (?). And it won't tolerate a current load very long. Most auto supply stores will do a load test for free. SEARS REGISTERS BMW Batteries for $79.00. They showed me the program on their monitor. They also charge for the installation. The batteries are highly rated and you save over $100 versus the dealer. You can save more by buying on line and installing it yourself and having them register it. If you don't drive your garage queen much, running a good charger will greatly increase the life to more than 6 years by reducing the sulphating. I find that a new battery will have between 12.4 and 12.9 vdc I guess depending on amount of night driving and top actuations. With engine running about 13.2 or more but this probably is more of a test of the system. AGM seems to be the way to go but older oems are lead acid. On my car the first sign of trouble was that the clock would not hold its setting and a ! symbol came on. Resetting the time only worked for a day or less. I have heard of other wierd clues. Some of the newer solid state chargers claim to be able to revive a sulphated battery with a special long slow charge cycle. Last edited by Zyal8r; 03-14-2016 at 10:36 AM..
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03-15-2016, 08:24 AM	#10
rking117 Lieutenant Colonel 118 Rep 1,668 Posts Drives: Z4 3.0i & 320i Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	And BTW you can hit a place like Auto Zone or Advanced Auto and have them test your battery. If yours is dead and needs to be replaced you can buy a battery they have (that is built for your car). It does cost more but it is not $700.00. After you have them replace the battery you do have to take it to a dealer or indy shop to have it coded to the battery. I did mine and i have been running strong for 2 years now since the replacement. __________________ Enjoying an E89 Z4, F30 320i and Fiat Abarth // E85 Z4 (sold), E82 128i (sold), Fiat Pop 500 (sold)
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03-15-2016, 02:32 PM	#11
bigendbob Second Lieutenant 50 Rep 297 Posts Drives: z4 23i Orion Silver Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: west midlands iTrader: (0)	So what is so special about an AGM battery versus a lead acid? Does AGM need special charging to give long life (more than 3 years so BMW don't have to change on warranty). Can a cheaper lead acid accept any old charge that the car might put out? My battery is approaching 7 years, would be nice to know options. e.g an AGM that lasts another 7 years or a third of the price lead acid that might last 3.
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03-15-2016, 02:46 PM	#12
mac-z4 Private 8 Rep 66 Posts Drives: 2011 Z4 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Pittsburgh, PA iTrader: (0)	Curious, has anyone had a problem jump starting their car using the terminals in the engine compartment when they experienced a dead battery?
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03-18-2016, 02:43 PM	#13
ExSaaber New Member 0 Rep 6 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW Z4 3.0 Liter RWD Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Caved in When it comes to my cars, I play it safe. I want to keep my car for a long time. Our cars cost $60,000 all-in or more. So, I forked over the $721.39 for a battery. The new battery is an AGM battery. For some reason, the real part number is the second one listed on the battery (the one behind the AW) One of the alternatives was having my battery explode and spew sulfuric acid all over my trunk. It could have been worse. I could be stuck with a Mercedes.
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