12-29-2017, 07:43 PM | #1 |
New Member
20
Rep 26
Posts |
Battery Discharging when vehicle stopped
Used to get this message when I first got my 2016 M235x in March-17 (6 months used; 2K miles). At first oil change dealer said all was fine. Then warmer weather came and problem went away.
With winter back - am getting message almost every day now (sometimes 2-3x/day). Took it to dealer again today and they said: 'we checked it - battery is fine - there are no leaks - you should get a trickle charger'. Based on my googling - this is the answer almost everyone gets when they go in with this problem. My standard daily drive is 25 milesx2. Is it unreasonable to expect a $60K car to work without having to charge the battery with a trickle charger each night? Anyone else have experience with this issue? |
12-29-2017, 08:42 PM | #2 |
Major General
3074
Rep 5,577
Posts |
Are u driving w heated seats/steering wheel, rear defogger, headlights, radio plus maybe devices in the accessory power sockets ? Also r u driving in urban slow speed slow rpm traffic ?
|
Appreciate
0
|
12-29-2017, 08:46 PM | #3 | |
New Member
20
Rep 26
Posts |
Quote:
[2] No. Most distance is highway I am careful to lock the car as soon as park - as I read last yr that the car can stay awake a while otherwise. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
12-29-2017, 09:02 PM | #4 |
Major General
3074
Rep 5,577
Posts |
W/o measuring current draw on a 2-series, rear defogger and heated seats can pull a lot of amps.
Try the same commute w/o rear defogger or be sure to turn off rear defogger as quickly as possible - to see if that eliminated warning. Or try w/o heated seats and rear defogger. I'm surprised how many cars frm different manufactures run into battery draw issues due to heated seats and rear defogger. Usually the only warning for most cars dead battery and short battery life. |
Appreciate
0
|
12-30-2017, 07:23 PM | #5 |
Private First Class
45
Rep 109
Posts |
I used to get this warning almost every day in the cold as well.
I have a 40 minute commute to work all highway, with usually just the heated seat/steering wheel on. I installed a battery maintainer (trickle charger) to go with the oil pan heaters I already have on the car for when the car is parked outside my house and plugged in at night. Seems to have helped quite a bit but I still get the battery warning from time to time. |
Appreciate
0
|
12-31-2017, 07:29 AM | #6 |
Private First Class
54
Rep 176
Posts |
Up until the other day I would have ignored this post but I got a warning, "battery discharged while parked" on my M235 when I went out to start it. I store mine for the winter and start it every couple of weeks. I was very surprised and initially assumed something had failed to shut down and was drawing power. I hooked up a battery charger and because the temp avgs -20 here I put a battery warmer on it. A cold battery is very hard to charge. While wrapping the battery blanket around it, I noticed the Neg. terminal was slightly loose. I tightened it up, warmed the battery and left the charger on for a day and the caution went away. Sounds simple but worth taking a look at the terminals. You might get lucky.
|
Appreciate
0
|
12-31-2017, 07:43 AM | #7 |
Major
2924
Rep 1,303
Posts
Drives: 2021 C8 Corvette 1LT
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Pensacola
|
If you have a dash camera running, specially a dual camera setup like mine that’s hardwired (thinkware f770 front and back), then you will get this message if the car sits more than 6-8 hours. In the cold more like 6 hours. I get this message every morning, but drive my car periodically throughout my work day so don’t get it before the drive home. I also commute ~25 miles each way with all the accessories including my usb for phone.
|
Appreciate
0
|
01-08-2018, 10:25 AM | #8 |
Lieutenant
289
Rep 556
Posts |
I had a similar problem. But, it was the Top Gauge temperature gauge I bought. Its only connection was the OBDII socket. The car's computer would complain about battery drain if I didn't drive the car every day. One of the pins on the OBDII socket is always hot, so even if there is only a tiny trickle discharge the car's computer will notice it and complain.
|
Appreciate
0
|
01-08-2018, 11:18 AM | #9 |
New Member
20
Rep 26
Posts |
I'm the OP. I have nothing connected to the car. When the dealer tested - they said once car is locked and sleeping - they see no electric draws.
They suggested I drive longer. :-) So, I went for a long drive (250 miles x 2). After I stopped - when the temp dropped overnight - car still complained next am. Then, I got a trickle charger (Battery Tender Jr) and had it on the car for 24 hrs. Trickle charger indicator showed that after 24 hrs - battery was still charging. Car complained when I started it. Next step, I'm travelling for next 2 days. I'm going to leave the trickle charger on it and see if the battery comes up to full charge (incidentally weather is also getting warmer). My current guess is the cold temps we've been having in Boston (0F) lower the battery capacity and voltage and the car notices this drop in power and complains. However if the issue does not go away by next oil change (in May) - I will complain more loudly to the dealer. |
Appreciate
0
|
01-08-2018, 01:00 PM | #10 |
Car Geek
3621
Rep 3,590
Posts |
I’ve never had a warning on the M240i or any of the other BMWs we’ve owned due to low battery charge, with fairly challenging charge conditions:
- temperatures in the winter down to below -30C. - normal weekday trips of 20km x2, with at least 5 trips per week below 5km. - heated rear window, heated mirrors, fan on high, heated seats, heated steering wheel and lights all on at the same time for many journeys. - average journey speed of 30km/h during the week, so lots of idling. I would say the car has a battery, parasitic drain or charging system problem if usage similar to the above is not possible. |
Appreciate
1
bluesman826646.00 |
01-08-2018, 01:06 PM | #11 | |
New Member
20
Rep 26
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
01-23-2018, 05:12 PM | #12 |
Registered
4
Rep 4
Posts |
I wonder if you've had any more issues. I have M235i and the only time I had this warning was when I had an always on front and back dash cam. Then I'd get the warning after not using the car for 2 days.
I've since switched the cam to an accessory fuse and never had that comeback again. I do run AC, heated seats and rear windscreen plus an aftermarket amp. I only do 6 miles x2 commute in the week and 20-30 miles on normal weekends. Youtube how to check if you have parasitic drain. Bear in mind the car takes 15 minutes to power down completely after you turned the ignition off. |
Appreciate
0
|
01-24-2018, 03:05 PM | #13 | |
New Member
20
Rep 26
Posts |
Quote:
Next time I'm at the dealership (next oil change) - I'm going to complain again. Something is obviously up - either the battery cannot hold enough charge in cold temp or the car is not charging it right or there is a drain - I'm not sure. Fortunately - this is the only (minor) issue I have to date. The I-6 and handling more than make up for it. I do like this car. ;-) |
|
Appreciate
0
|
01-24-2018, 03:34 PM | #14 |
Major General
3074
Rep 5,577
Posts |
I thought the dealers had a really good diagnostic tool for inspecting battery condition, much more then just a Fluke but a dedicated computer - don't ever think it was part of a trickle charger / booster device. If your cars starting and your not getting weird HVAC or if automatic transmission weird shifting then and if your interior lights aren't pulsing as you give it some gas, then that is positive.
Certainly mention when you take the car in for service. Also someone mentioned a loose battery connection - that scenario just happened to me on a new car with 2K miles, so always check the basics first. |
Appreciate
0
|
02-11-2018, 07:14 PM | #16 |
Lieutenant
79
Rep 435
Posts |
I'm betting it's "smart charging". Lot's of posts on this issue and the answer seems to be use a trickle charger at night. That's not an acceptable answer considering the state of technology today. Trickle charging seems to work though. I made the charger hookup simple on my last car and it was still a PITA and we shouldn't have to do it all .... like it was before "smart charging".
|
Appreciate
0
|
02-12-2018, 10:17 AM | #17 | |
New Member
20
Rep 26
Posts |
Quote:
I only have this problem in the winter and trickle charging does fix it (sort of). I do agree that this is not an acceptable issue for drivers to face in a 60K car in 2019. But that torque & balance.....lovely :-) |
|
Appreciate
0
|
02-12-2018, 10:46 AM | #18 |
Captain
92
Rep 857
Posts |
http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460266
detail thread here. Its a by product of BMW design, not a flaw no matter what the car costs. Get a CTEK mus 4.3 or up maintainer and use it periodically. There is alot of juice being used by these modern cars. We all have to learn to live with it. My wife had an Infiniti G37 that went dead in 45 minutes if you did not turn it off properly. First off, find out your battery's current "health". Maybe its already on its way to failing or your alternator is weak. The dealer can run a proper load test and advise you. ps. Batteries are not covered under warranty or maint. in most cases. |
Appreciate
0
|
02-12-2018, 10:53 AM | #19 |
Lieutenant
79
Rep 435
Posts |
|
Appreciate
0
|
02-12-2018, 12:02 PM | #20 | |
Lieutenant
79
Rep 435
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
02-12-2018, 02:36 PM | #21 | |
Major General
5551
Rep 5,369
Posts |
Quote:
Most people that own these cars live in areas where they have access to a nearby outlet.
__________________
The forest was shrinking, but the Trees kept voting for the Axe, for the Axe was clever and convinced the Trees that because his handle was made of wood, he was one of them.
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
02-12-2018, 04:09 PM | #22 | |||
Lieutenant
79
Rep 435
Posts |
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
|
|||
Appreciate
0
|
Post Reply |
Bookmarks |
|
|