[rextilleon]

Just had to call road side service for my 2014 328i with 4600 miles. It wouldn't start. They jumped it but I noticed that I was getting warning messages that the battery was discharging slowly. Ran it up to the dealer who had no answer. Anyone ever experience this issue?

[Mike_L]

Originally Posted by rextilleon

Just had to call road side service for my 2014 328i with 4600 miles. It wouldn't start. They jumped it but I noticed that I was getting warning messages that the battery was discharging slowly. Ran it up to the dealer who had no answer. Anyone ever experience this issue?

Are you in the city? I've found that BMWs do not like the new 25mph limit. They don't get a chance to charge the battery. I was having that problem with my 750 before I traded it in. Had to put it on the charger at least 2-3 times a week to keep it happy.

[Iscariote]

If it's under warranty they should replace the battery. If it doesn't happen again you probably just got a bad battery.

[rextilleon]

Thanks---the guys over at the dealer seemed a bit puzzled so I was wondering if anyone had experienced this before. We are talking about a car that is only a couple of months old. But anyway, I should know next week when I get the car back.

[the_sleeper]

I just started having an issue today with my 2015 335xi that i picked up in october. Today i got the message Battery Discharged: Start Engine. Im sure the cold weather lately (-26F) has played a factor but I just don't want to deal with the hassle of taking it to the dealer. Going to see if i can just charge the battery some how. I would think that my drive to work (15miles each way) is enough to charge the battery but i guess not.

[335BOY]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

Are you in the city? I've found that BMWs do not like the new 25mph limit. They don't get a chance to charge the battery. I was having that problem with my 750 before I traded it in. Had to put it on the charger at least 2-3 times a week to keep it happy.

Thats brutal. They could find a problem?

[Mike_L]

Originally Posted by 335BOY

Thats brutal. They could find a problem?

I never brought it in. I knew I was only gonna have it 8-10 weeks more until my GT got here, and it wasn't under warranty any more, so I just dealt with charging it.

BMW has since released their N63 service campaign and is replacing batteries as part of it, so its likely that the battery was bad.

[KneeDragr]

Originally Posted by rextilleon

Thanks---the guys over at the dealer seemed a bit puzzled so I was wondering if anyone had experienced this before. We are talking about a car that is only a couple of months old. But anyway, I should know next week when I get the car back.

Did it sit on the lot for a while before being sold? If so, the battery was likely compromised as they dont like long periods without a charge.

Once a car battery has been sitting 6 months without a charge, it usually needs to be replaced.

[Stoofpilot]

Have them check the IBS cable from the battery to the alternator. BMW is replacing them. It is a smart cable and tells the alternator how much to charge the battery. With the bad cable the alternator only charges up to the last reading so if the battery gets low, it never does a full charge and the problem gets worst. Do you also get a message that the car is shutting down certain non important electronic functions?

If yes, have the cable checked.

[jasnh]

Had the same thing happen to me once the weather got really cold a couple of weeks ago. My battery never died, but I got the error messages about discharging, etc. I bought a charger and charged the battery for roughly 4 hrs and it has been fine so far..... drove approx. 50 miles yesterday, no error messages.

I work from home so when I'm not travelling, the majority of my trips are short. Example: My gym is less than 5 miles away and I go every day during the week. So for me, I think the problem is the short tips combined with the colder weather.
I have a 2nd vehicle so I've started using that for most of my short trips, at least until we get through winter.
If the messages come back and I start having issues again, I'll take it in to the dealer.