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      02-20-2017, 09:03 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by doug_999 View Post
All is not fine. You will find that your battery needs replacing much sooner because of this.
Everything that I have read agrees with this statement. Batteries sulfate over time when discharging so keeping it charged on a float charge, is the key. Get a good charger that goes into maintain mode after topping off the battery.
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      02-25-2017, 08:38 AM   #24
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Originally Posted by M2ME2 View Post
I've had my car parked for 3 months now, drove it twice in that period and had no issues. Car is not hooked up to a battery tender and all is fine.
All is not fine. You will find that your battery needs replacing much sooner because of this.
Shhh.. don't tell that to the 5 year old battery in my 1M that started up fine few weeks ago after being in the garage for about 2.5 months without moving since October.

While I DO use a battery tender from time to time .. this winter has been really mild in TX.

I've let my car go as many as 90 days or more.
I have sometimes gotten a low battery light after doing this and then on the first drive if I go driving the car a short distance with the stereo " bumping " and then stop the low battery warning comes on. An extended drive with stereo off as well as pushing the START button TWICE when exiting ( or locking the vehicle if you prefer ) generally helps preserve the battery better.

Dabozo perhaps you should try these steps.
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      02-25-2017, 08:51 AM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by doug_999 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by M2ME2 View Post
I've had my car parked for 3 months now, drove it twice in that period and had no issues. Car is not hooked up to a battery tender and all is fine.
All is not fine. You will find that your battery needs replacing much sooner because of this.
Shhh.. don't tell that to the 5 year old battery in my 1M that started up fine few weeks ago after being in the garage for about 2.5 months without moving since October.

While I DO use a battery tender from time to time .. this winter has been really mild in TX.

I've let my car go as many as 90 days or more.
I have sometimes gotten a low battery light after doing this and then on the first drive if I go driving the car a short distance with the stereo " bumping " and then stop the low battery warning comes on. An extended drive with stereo off as well as pushing the START button TWICE when exiting ( or locking the vehicle if you prefer ) generally helps preserve the battery better.

Dabozo perhaps you should try these steps.
That's what ultimately fixed my issue..a long drive. Prior to doing so I had only driven for short periods of time.

I've also coded the car to shut everything down the moment I open the door. No more need to double press the start/stop button.
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      02-25-2017, 08:58 AM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dabozo View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by doug_999 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by M2ME2 View Post
I've had my car parked for 3 months now, drove it twice in that period and had no issues. Car is not hooked up to a battery tender and all is fine.
All is not fine. You will find that your battery needs replacing much sooner because of this.
Shhh.. don't tell that to the 5 year old battery in my 1M that started up fine few weeks ago after being in the garage for about 2.5 months without moving since October.

While I DO use a battery tender from time to time .. this winter has been really mild in TX.

I've let my car go as many as 90 days or more.
I have sometimes gotten a low battery light after doing this and then on the first drive if I go driving the car a short distance with the stereo " bumping " and then stop the low battery warning comes on. An extended drive with stereo off as well as pushing the START button TWICE when exiting ( or locking the vehicle if you prefer ) generally helps preserve the battery better.

Dabozo perhaps you should try these steps.
That's what ultimately fixed my issue..a long drive. Prior to doing so I had only driven for short periods of time.

I've also coded the car to shut everything down the moment I open the door. No more need to double press the start/stop button.

excellent!

Don't worry. Your battery should be fine for years.

FYI to all..

The stereo has multiple amplifiers and subwoofers under the seats. Using the stereo at high volume on short drives will cause the battery to not be able to charge or do so slowly.
Multiple short drives and leaving the car awake will cause the battery to get (temporarily) weak quickly because it hasn't recharged.

There was a fellow on the 1M list that was using his car to provide music while he worked in his garage. He kept having issues with the low battery light coming on for weeks and refused to acknowledge how much current the stereo uses. After weeks of complaining and going to the dealer and them charging the battery and saying all was fine he couldn't resolve the issue. When I chided him for using his car like a jam box or a stereo he reacted saying that he's always been able to play a car with stereo off for an hour at a time.

Once the battery gets LOW enough .. it will begin shutting off systems that normally stay on after you exit. The Bluetooth will shut off quicker. The radio will lose the subs ( bass ) and then will shut off sooner. Comfort access will stop working. Eventually even The remote fob will not work to unlock the doors.

After weeks of issues as above it turned out that the stubborn 1M guy found that he wasn't charging the car enough on his short commute to work.


Leaving the car " awake " when stopping .. leaves a ton of things on .. Bluetooth radio.. fuel pump stays primed .. the radio stays on.. the iPad on the dash stays lit along with the stereo ... .... the accessory ports are still active and charging ... the corona rings in the headlamps and the taillights stay on until you open a door .. the comfort access system is still sensing ... all for about 15 minutes after you exit the car...

Coding or using full locking /start button twice really preserves a TON of juice.
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      02-25-2017, 09:23 AM   #27
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100%. I know this now lol. I'm glad I was able to code the double tap out because I could not get used to it (first car I've owned that does this).
Not such a big deal with a healthy, charged battery I guess but a killer if battery in poor state like mine was.
Thanks!
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      02-25-2017, 11:50 AM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster View Post
Shhh.. don't tell that to the 5 year old battery in my 1M that started up fine few weeks ago after being in the garage for about 2.5 months without moving since October.
Your 1M draws a touch less power than what the M2 requires. Ok a chit load less So be careful comparing the two cars in terms of battery draw
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      03-01-2017, 01:21 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doug_999 View Post
Your 1M draws a touch less power than what the M2 requires. Ok a chit load less So be careful comparing the two cars in terms of battery draw
Interesting, how many CCAs does the 1M have?
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      03-01-2017, 01:23 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dabozo View Post
100%. I know this now lol. I'm glad I was able to code the double tap out because I could not get used to it (first car I've owned that does this).
Not such a big deal with a healthy, charged battery I guess but a killer if battery in poor state like mine was.
Thanks!
So is that the bottom line, you just let it get low from short trips and accessories draining it?
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      03-01-2017, 07:53 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zippster View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dabozo View Post
100%. I know this now lol. I'm glad I was able to code the double tap out because I could not get used to it (first car I've owned that does this).
Not such a big deal with a healthy, charged battery I guess but a killer if battery in poor state like mine was.
Thanks!
So is that the bottom line, you just let it get low from short trips and accessories draining it?
Apparently.
Perhaps, like some have suggested, I may just have a 'bad' battery. Guess it'll be a while before I know for sure since I don't want to chance running it dead again so it's now on a tender when not in use. Hopefully no more drama...

Next time I'm in for service I'll have them check it though.
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      12-02-2020, 01:29 PM   #32
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Any updates on this Dabozo ? Was your battery fine or did you have to change it out ?

I use my car pretty much only on weekends, with a 40 mile roundtrip on saturday and sunday. I have to shutoff the engine at least once for every trip.

Now that it is cold I get the battery discharged warning almost everytime. Start/stop hasn't worked for months, even in the summer.

The car still does the low beam/puddle lights/tail lights theatrics on unlock, and while I sometimes get a message that the radio will be shut off to preserve the battery, it never does.

I am bit worried that my infrequent use has damaged the battery now, so I wonder if it's worth it to invest in a battery tender. Changing the battery at the dealer is probably going to be ridiculously expensive...
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      12-02-2020, 01:45 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chmura View Post
Take it to the dealer. My 2011 M3 sat for a month or even two months at a time with no problems. I never used a battery tender.
Your 2011 M3 didn't have the same amount of electronic as the M2 has

A good battery tender is an absolute must if you want your battery to last
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      12-02-2020, 01:58 PM   #34
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Any updates on this Dabozo ? Was your battery fine or did you have to change it out ?

I use my car pretty much only on weekends, with a 40 mile roundtrip on saturday and sunday. I have to shutoff the engine at least once for every trip.

Now that it is cold I get the battery discharged warning almost everytime. Start/stop hasn't worked for months, even in the summer.

The car still does the low beam/puddle lights/tail lights theatrics on unlock, and while I sometimes get a message that the radio will be shut off to preserve the battery, it never does.

I am bit worried that my infrequent use has damaged the battery now, so I wonder if it's worth it to invest in a battery tender. Changing the battery at the dealer is probably going to be ridiculously expensive...
I'd get a CTEK tender you will not regret it
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      12-02-2020, 02:32 PM   #35
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Might have a defective battery? My X3 did and BMW swapped it out after 3 1/2 years of use for free. I was pretty surprised.
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      12-02-2020, 04:20 PM   #36
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Mine was defective. They Tried to blame some coding I had done initially.
No problems since given a replacement and I've always had same coding.
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      12-02-2020, 04:37 PM   #37
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Mine was defective. They Tried to blame some coding I had done initially.
No problems since given a replacement and I've always had same coding.
Mine was defective with no coding. They actually replaced it hassle free when I was fully expecting to pay.
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      12-02-2020, 04:57 PM   #38
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Originally Posted by RacletteMan View Post
Any updates on this Dabozo ? Was your battery fine or did you have to change it out ?

I use my car pretty much only on weekends, with a 40 mile roundtrip on saturday and sunday. I have to shutoff the engine at least once for every trip.

Now that it is cold I get the battery discharged warning almost everytime. Start/stop hasn't worked for months, even in the summer.

The car still does the low beam/puddle lights/tail lights theatrics on unlock, and while I sometimes get a message that the radio will be shut off to preserve the battery, it never does.

I am bit worried that my infrequent use has damaged the battery now, so I wonder if it's worth it to invest in a battery tender. Changing the battery at the dealer is probably going to be ridiculously expensive...
I drive my car once every 2-3 weeks. I've used this one for 4 years and no issues whatsoever. $27 is hardly an investment.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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      12-03-2020, 09:32 AM   #39
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Thank you for your replies. Car is going to the dealer next week, they want to try to recharge and desulfate the battery and test it prior to changing it out.

And with the current USD/CHF exchange rate, it is only about USD 450 for the replacement battery.

Will post back with results.

AndrewC, I do mention investment for a battery tender because it is 100 USD at least for a quality tender plus another 50 for one of those stupid cable spool. I live in a condo and my car is parked in the underground garage.
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      12-03-2020, 10:52 AM   #40
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AndrewC, I do mention investment for a battery tender because it is 100 USD at least for a quality tender plus another 50 for one of those stupid cable spool. I live in a condo and my car is parked in the underground garage.
You can definitely spend less and get a good product but if you are someone that has to have a good quality part then I agree, it's a little chunk of change to have to spend. Honesty though it is worth it. No more low battery notifications.
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      12-09-2020, 08:36 AM   #41
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So had my car at the dealership today, they replaced the battery under warranty. Using the car only on week-ends does not fall under abnormal use as BMW sees it. Very happy ending indeed !
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      12-16-2020, 08:57 PM   #42
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Well how about that...I left my car parked outside overnight on a cold night (grange was in use) and next day I got a battery discharged message. This is my second battery now. What's with these batteries anyways?
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      12-17-2020, 04:59 PM   #43
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Same issue here , didn't drive my car for 10 days. Today got the battery discharge warning, so I went for a long highway drive after an hour came home and still had the warning .

Never had a car that couldn't charge the battery after an hour drive, so going to take her out again tomorrow and do some coasting driving and see if that fixes her up .
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      12-17-2020, 10:38 PM   #44
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Yup...a drive didn't recharge enough as well. Now on a trickle charger. Very frustrating.

Bought myself a portable booster just in case.
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