[FastF30]

A message came up and said to drive the car to charge the battery... I took it on a 25 minute drive and it disappeared but came back on after a couple of stops... question is can I take the battery out and charge it...can't really charge it in the car in the buildings garage.... thought I read somewhere this might cause issue with something... thanks in advance...

Or should I just buy a new battery... I'm pretty sure this is the original which would make it 5 years old...

[Munchi435i]

Replace the battery

[F32Fleet]

5 yrs on an AGM isn't bad but they can go much longer. I would invest in a trickle charger (ex.CTEK 7001)) and see how that works out. The charging posts are located in the engine bay.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by FastF30

A message came up and said to drive the car to charge the battery... I took it on a 25 minute drive and it disappeared but came back on after a couple of stops... question is can I take the battery out and charge it...can't really charge it in the car in the buildings garage.... thought I read somewhere this might cause issue with something... thanks in advance...

Or should I just buy a new battery... I'm pretty sure this is the original which would make it 5 years old...

Did you get the 'increased battery drain while parked' message? Did you leave something plugged into your OBD2 port for several days or more without driving the car?

[FastF30]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Did you get the 'increased battery drain while parked' message? Did you leave something plugged into your OBD2 port for several days or more without driving the car?

Yes I received the message and yes I had the MHD dongle plugged in

Should I try charging the battery but I have to take it out to charge going back to my original question.... or should I just get the new battery...

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by FastF30

Yes I received the message and yes I had the MHD dongle plugged in

Unplug from the OBD2 if you are not going to drive the car for several days or more. I get that message if i leave it plugged in without driving the car for an extended period of time. Sometimes its after 3 days, sometimes it after 5 or more. If you still get the message without that plugged in, you might have another problem.

Also, it can take more than 25 minutes of driving to charge the battery, depending on what type of driving you did.

In any case just unplug that, take the car on a long drive (with coasting in particular) and see if the message comes back.

[FastF30]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Unplug from the OBD2 if you are not going to drive the car for several days or more. I get that message if i leave it plugged in without driving the car for an extended period of time. Sometimes its after 3 days, sometimes it after 5 or more. If you still get the message without that plugged in, you might have another problem.

Also, it can take more than 25 minutes of driving to charge the battery, depending on what type of driving you did.

In any case just unplug that, take the car on a long drive (with coasting in particular) and see if the message comes back.

Thanks will do.. most driving is on city highway (55+/-) and I drive in sport with stick to S mode to keep the rpms up... car is usually parked for 1 week before driving

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by FastF30

Thanks will do.. most driving is on city highway (55+/-) and I drive in sport with stick to S mode to keep the rpms up... car is usually parked for 1 week before driving

Keeping RPMs up doesnt necessarily mean charging in these cars... most of the charging is done when you are costing and you see the MPG gauge go to the blue in the cluster (with battery symbol). Sport/S might actually make that happen less, although im not entirely sure.

[FastF30]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Keeping RPMs up doesnt necessarily mean charging in these cars... most of the charging is done when you are costing and you see the MPG gauge go to the blue in the cluster (with battery symbol). Sport/S might actually make that happen less, although im not entirely sure.

driving around here really stinks... can I just remove it and charge

[FastF30]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Keeping RPMs up doesnt necessarily mean charging in these cars... most of the charging is done when you are costing and you see the MPG gauge go to the blue in the cluster (with battery symbol). Sport/S might actually make that happen less, although im not entirely sure.

it's 5 years old... just gonna buy a new one...

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by FastF30

it's 5 years old... just gonna buy a new one...

They usually last 8-10 without a problem, but OK. A new one is still going to give you the same symptoms if you have a parasitic drain or leave the OBD2 plugged in.

[FastF30]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

They usually last 8-10 without a problem, but OK. A new one is still going to give you the same symptoms if you have a parasitic drain or leave the OBD2 plugged in.

Yea... I thinking that too more I think about it... I've always gotten the message every winter but this time it said to drive car... can I take it out and charge it????? ....

[FastF30]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

They usually last 8-10 without a problem, but OK. A new one is still going to give you the same symptoms if you have a parasitic drain or leave the OBD2 plugged in.

One video said that phone charger adapter in cigarette lighter could also contribute to it...

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by FastF30

Yea... I thinking that too more I think about it... I've always gotten the message every winter but this time it said to drive car... can I take it out and charge it????? ....

You should be able to, but i don't know of any other side effects of completely removing the battery, or if any steps are required at the reinstall.

Originally Posted by FastF30

One video said that phone charger adapter in cigarette lighter could also contribute to it...

Yes, definitely. I believe the 12V, at least the one in the passenger area, has full time power and not just with ignition/acc on. You basically don't want to leave anything plugged in there if you are not driving the car for a while.

[XutvJet]

Winter and not driving the car often are draining the battery. These car's require a lot from the battery. I've gotten the same error as you have in the winter when my battery was just 3 years old. You really should get a trickle charger like a MUSE 4.3 and get the battery fully charged. I've never had an low battery issue since and the battery in my M235 is 5 years old. Driving 25 miles will not fully charge the battery, especially if the car sits for a long period of time in the cold. I charge all our cars (2016 M235, 2020 4Runner, 2015 Outback) on the trickle charger once every 2 to 3 weeks in the winter to keep the batteries strong.

[FastF30]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

Winter and not driving the car often are draining the battery. These car's require a lot from the battery. I've gotten the same error as you have in the winter when my battery was just 3 years old. You really should get a trickle charger like a MUSE 4.3 and get the battery fully charged. I've never had an low battery issue since and the battery in my M235 is 5 years old. Driving 25 miles will not fully charge the battery, especially if the car sits for a long period of time in the cold. I charge all our cars (2016 M235, 2020 4Runner, 2015 Outback) on the trickle charger once every 2 to 3 weeks in the winter to keep the batteries strong.

thanks... Yea I've been getting the message since bought the car 3 years ago... just drove the car for an hour and when I shut off the car the message came up low battery.... I'm in the city and park my car in the buildings garage... there is a bay I think that is not being used next to the electrical outlet... gonna go over there late tonight and charge it... I have a 15 amp charger so hopefully 4-5 hours does the trick... if not I'll go get a new battery...

[F32Fleet]

https://thmotorsports.com/401225-cte...yABEgIf2vD_BwE

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

https://thmotorsports.com/401225-cte...yABEgIf2vD_BwE

Not sure if this is a dumb question, but lets say i drive the car roughly once a week, i don't have any parasitic drain on the battery (never get any warnings or anything), i dont live in freezing temps (i am in california), and don't have any battery-related issues.

In terms of longevity for the battery, is it better to just let the car do its thing, or should i put on a maintainer whenever i park the car for that ~1 week (or a little more) at a time?

[visionaut]

Since COVID, I'm out and about a lot less - so I've added a maintainer for year-round use (or in BMW parlance, a Battery Comfort Accessory). Got those 'low battery' iDrive msgs after it sitting. It prolly cost a bit more, being BMW kit, but it's very nice gear, with car-like 8-stage charging, and it's Auto/MC, Lead/Li switchable.

I've been using it for last 3 months - it's super - and I just installed the additional 'Comfort Indicator Panel' (who comes up with these names?) today to the front grille on my F36. Check my post in the 'what have you done today' thread for pics...

All my other cars are on Battery Tender gear while garaged, but for the 435 outside, given it's special battery management needs, I opted to go OEM... Highly recommended.

BMW charger: 61432408594
BMW comfort indicator panel: 61432289105

[learntocode]

BMW charger costs upwards of $150, it is basically the same thing as the CTEK one, right now amazon has it priced at $78.. I have used the CTEK battery charger without issues, but use it when battery is in the vehicle & garaged at home.

[FastF30]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Not sure if this is a dumb question, but lets say i drive the car roughly once a week, i don't have any parasitic drain on the battery (never get any warnings or anything), i dont live in freezing temps (i am in california), and don't have any battery-related issues.

In terms of longevity for the battery, is it better to just let the car do its thing, or should i put on a maintainer whenever i park the car for that ~1 week (or a little more) at a time?

from my understanding it's better to put it on a trickle charger when sitting like our cars are...

This is the charger I bought for when doing unlocking of DME... might find something smaller just for trickle charging...

One thing I'd like to note is I read somewhere that you either have to have the hood all the way up or closed... anywhere in between could cause the hood struts to leak.... this was on a E90 so don't know about F30s

gonna go charge now... google says roughly 3.5hrs at 15amps... that is great for me... just hope the spot is still empty...

Update... spot was full... just gonna go buy a new battery...

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Not sure if this is a dumb question, but lets say i drive the car roughly once a week, i don't have any parasitic drain on the battery (never get any warnings or anything), i dont live in freezing temps (i am in california), and don't have any battery-related issues.

In terms of longevity for the battery, is it better to just let the car do its thing, or should i put on a maintainer whenever i park the car for that ~1 week (or a little more) at a time?

These cars always draw power. Eventually you'll reach a point where it starts giving you issues. It's just a matter of when (ex yrs 5-7). It's up to you whether or not it's worth worrying about. . My 2015 435 is on a trickle charger but I have to work from home and only drive it 4-5x a year so my situation is completely different. .