5349 messages,
Last post on Apr 30, 2013 at 3:31 PM
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BMW 3-Series Forum.
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BMW 3 Series, Sedan
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#5198 of 5349 Re: 2006 BMW 330xi will not start [puffin1]
by hemanthh
Jan 20, 2012 (12:26 pm)
Thanks all! I just jumped the car, and it did start up. The all-wheel drive symbol seems to be gone as well. It is a 5-6 year old car, but I drive sparingly, so have low mileage.
Looks like I hadnt driven for more than a week and the weather has dipped to the 20's with a couple of exceptionally cold nights and that did the battery in.
Hope it keeps charge and I dont have to replace it. One dealer gave me a quote of $450 for replacing the battery.
Another says there is a black battery and there is a white battery and there are about $150 and $250 or so, not counting labor.
Thanks all!!
#5199 of 5349 Re: 2006 BMW 330xi will not start [hemanthh]
by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Jan 20, 2012 (12:37 pm)
Well we all want to pry your fingers away from your checkbook and get you to buy a new battery.
Anyone have ideas for him as to how to avoid the dealer's rather pricey specimen?
#5200 of 5349 Re: 2006 BMW 330xi will not start [puffin1]
by srs_49
Jan 20, 2012 (12:44 pm)
Who keeps a battery 7 years?
That'll be me, or even longer
. My (almost) 21 year old Sentra is only on it's second battery. The '87 BMW I got rid of in the fall was still on the battery my son put in back in 2001. My 2005 truck still has the factory battery in it.
#5201 of 5349 Re: 2006 BMW 330xi will not start [Mr_Shiftright]
by stickguy
Jan 20, 2012 (2:12 pm)
Try Walmart. They have good batteries. Quite possible they carry one for a 3 series.
Or autozone. Sears.
it's just a battery, even if it is in the trunk!
#5202 of 5349 Re: 2006 BMW 330xi will not start [stickguy]
by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Jan 20, 2012 (2:25 pm)
Below freezing, a battery can lose up to 40% of its power. So if it's 'good enough' for 32 and above, it may not be at 20 and below.
#5203 of 5349 Re: 2006 BMW 330xi will not start [puffin1]
by kyfdx HOST
Jan 20, 2012 (2:37 pm)
I'm on the original battery in my car... Six years old and counting...
#5204 of 5349 Re: 2006 BMW 330xi will not start [kyfdx]
by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Jan 20, 2012 (2:48 pm)
do not tweak the noses of the gods....
#5205 of 5349 Re: 2006 BMW 330xi will not start [Mr_Shiftright]
by busiris
Jan 20, 2012 (3:27 pm)
If its a 2006, then its included in the E9x series.
As far as I know (and, sometimes I don't know very much), all E9x series require battery registration, and BMW dealers are (with few exceptions) the only shops than can do this.
So, the Piper (in this case, BMW) is probably going to "get his due".
One poster's experience (from another forum... I hope this will be allowed, since its aimed at helping a poster here...
I replaced the original battery on my 2006 E90 myself in 2010, figuring it must be due, especially since the Florida heat tends to be tough on batteries. I had read a number of DIYs and never saw anything about registering the battery (never heard of such a thing until today). Within 6 months or so the car was cranking slow. By late summer 2011 the battery went completely dead. I put another new battery in myself (this was just a few months ago). Within weeks I noticed the cranking was somewhat slow again. I started thinking maybe the ignition coils are getting old. Today I've got the car in a good local shop for a rear window regulator replacement (damn those windows). Just got a call --- the battery is bad and the car wouldn't crank. The subject of "registering the battery with the car" then came up and was explained to me. So in addition to the window repair job I'm having them put in a new BMW battery and do the registering
This is what you call learning the hard way that the car's design is too "advanced" for the owner's own good. Bottom line is I would recommend taking care of the registering.
#5206 of 5349 Re: 2006 BMW 330xi will not start [busiris]
by bhill2
Jan 22, 2012 (2:13 am)
So exactly what represents 'registering' a battery? It sounds like it involves introducing the charging system to the battery's quirks and limitations to that it doesn't fry the thing. Am I right?
#5207 of 5349 Re: 2006 BMW 330xi will not start [srs_49]
by hemanthh
Jan 22, 2012 (6:48 am)
Prior to getting the 330xi, I had a Honda Prelude for about 12 years. Cant remember changing the battery even once. Maybe once, I just dont remember. I left it on a friends driveway, all winter one time and still had no issues starting it up.
Of course, my friend claimed that he would drive it out once in a while to keep the battery juiced up, and I do believe him
But the 330xi, I only drive once a week or so, and this time, hadnt driven for a couple, just when the night time temps went into the single digits.
Good news is that the jump seemed to get it back. Im worried, it might stall again on a long drive, so have invested in AAA after many years