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      12-29-2017, 10:10 AM   #23
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Happens to me every winter. Went to dealer 2 times and they checked the battery and all was good. They are telling me than I make short commutes to work (14km/9mi) and the battery can't fully charge. Got a Noco charger and I'm plugging it 1 night every few weeks during winter to keep the battery at 100%.
They are also telling me that "with all electronics in cars these days, it's normal" and also, since the battery is in the trunk and not besides the motor, it's always staying cold and may be getting false reading for the battery discharged alert to come on...

Anyway, with my Noco I'm all good and car has always started fine, even at -26c/-14f yesterday.
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      01-02-2018, 10:31 AM   #24
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Which noco charger do you use? I have '13 335i
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      01-02-2018, 02:09 PM   #25
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Second winter with subzero temps but first battery discharged warning message on my 340ix with 23K. Hooked a Schumacher SC-1000A up to the positive battery terminal under the hood; BMW has provided a nice big nut nearby to hook up the negative. Recharged the battery in about a day. So far so good.
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      01-02-2018, 03:34 PM   #26
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Just got the warning this morning. Car sat for a week and a half over Christmas and my commute is only 2 miles with seat and steering wheel heaters on. -5F this morning. I'll throw a charger on tonight.
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      01-03-2018, 07:14 AM   #27
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Just got this warning this morning. Drove up/back to work yesterday with heated seats and wheel on with no warning. Today same thing going to work with the warning.
Guess I need to buy a battery tender.
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      01-03-2018, 07:48 AM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by murrays View Post
Just got the warning this morning. Car sat for a week and a half over Christmas and my commute is only 2 miles with seat and steering wheel heaters on. -5F this morning. I'll throw a charger on tonight.
The charger will bring it back up, but you've got to be pro-active about this. Batteries have a given life of charge-discharge cycles, so you want to minimize those cycles. By putting the charger on whenever the temperature drops below 20F or so the charger not only keeps the battery topped off but it also provides the current for all those devices in the car that never turn off, so the battery doesn't have to, greatly extending the life of the battery. This isn't a BMW issue, it's a car issue. The difference is that the BMW power monitoring system lets you know about it.
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      01-03-2018, 08:42 AM   #29
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Originally Posted by Billfitz View Post
The charger will bring it back up, but you've got to be pro-active about this. Batteries have a given life of charge-discharge cycles, so you want to minimize those cycles. By putting the charger on whenever the temperature drops below 20F or so the charger not only keeps the battery topped off but it also provides the current for all those devices in the car that never turn off, so the battery doesn't have to, greatly extending the life of the battery. This isn't a BMW issue, it's a car issue. The difference is that the BMW power monitoring system lets you know about it.
No warning last night after my drive home or after my 2 mile drive to work, though it was 15 degrees F warmer than yesterday (about 10F this morning). I skipped the charger to see what would happen...
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      01-03-2018, 09:42 AM   #30
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I never skip the charger when it's that cold. With the price of a new battery being what it is I'd rather take the ten seconds to plug in the charger to make that battery last as long as possible, as well as not having to worry about the car starting.
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      01-03-2018, 10:25 AM   #31
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I live in a Condo and park in our underground garage. The only way to get electricity to my parking spot is to run an extention cord through the parking spots of several other residents, not something I'm allowed to do regularly so no Battery maintainer use is possible. I put a charger on every few weeks for an hour or two and bring the battery up to full charge. It's not a perfect solution, I paid lots of money to have heated seats and steering wheel and am afraid to use them. BMW needs to release a software fix that disables the incredibly stupid Intelligent Alternator Control during extreme weather so I can use the accesories I paid good money to have. Just my two cents.
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      01-03-2018, 12:19 PM   #32
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I had this warning couple time already it seem like you have to get a battery «*heater*» to get rid of it. The placement of the battery in the F3X is such that the battery never get warm therefore is never able to get to full charge. What you can do is code your car to get rid of this warning, park your car in an heated garage charge the battery or get a device to heat up the battery while driving. Even with this message on I was able to start my diesel F31 at -26c/-15F.
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      01-03-2018, 03:45 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Billfitz View Post
I never skip the charger when it's that cold. With the price of a new battery being what it is I'd rather take the ten seconds to plug in the charger to make that battery last as long as possible, as well as not having to worry about the car starting.
Probably not a bad idea, but I only had to replace my battery once on my E46 over 15 years while driving in the same conditions. I doubt making the effort to put a charger on it would have made much difference...
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      01-03-2018, 05:10 PM   #34
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The original battery in my last car died around three years old, at less than 20,000 miles. That's when I got religious about keeping it on a maintainer in winter, especially if I'm not driving it for a few days. The Walmart battery I replaced it with, and always kept on a maintainer in winter, was still going strong after five years when I sold the car.

Last edited by Billfitz; 01-04-2018 at 07:30 AM..
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      01-04-2018, 01:36 AM   #35
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my gf's 2017 escape
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      01-05-2018, 01:27 AM   #36
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Things got a bit crazy a few years ago when I had an E92. I had an all out security package by Viper: glass break sensor, tilt sensor, proximity sensor, back up siren and, flashing logo. I also had a tracker and a dash cam. In the trunk was a JL Slash Amp that had a large current draw when in use (their RIPS technology). On top of that I had comfort access.

When left not in use for 3 days the voltage would drop to 11.8v-11.7v. A week without driving and I was down to 11.6v. Three weeks down to 11.3v. We moved office and for six months my drive was 6 miles / 15 minutes. The engine rarely got up to temperature.

I invested in two things. First I bought a smaller and cheaper variant of this.

https://www.westfalia.net/shops/elec...le-sockets.htm

There are many versions out there with different output, charge and, features.

I placed it on the rear parcel shelf at an angle. It worked. When I tested the battery with a multimeter I was holding around 12.1v-12.2v. It came with overcharging protection so there were no concerns.

Secondly to add to my current draw I bought this to monitor it all but only hooked it up when I needed it:

https://www.smarterchargers.co.uk/in...product_id=103

Of course there was the usual backlash on the forum of why would you waste your money on that Bluetooth monitor? Hey it worked for me.

If you do go down the solar panel route then either use some velcro to dampen back shelf rattle or what I did was just remove it when ready to drive. Never drive with it connected. Other than risking voltage spikes it can turn into a missile when you brake. Mine once fell off the shelf while driving but it was disconnected. I didn't want to damage it. Some are designed for outdoor use so if you are in a safe area you could leave it on the roof or trunk lid with something beneath to avoid paint scratches. You probably won't need as powerful one as I had but there is no harm because the output is effected by the weather. If the weather is like a fat dead pigeon (cold and grey outside) then there will be reduced output.

If you have access to a power source then all of this be unnecessary by using a battery tender such as CTEK. I had no power at the office car park. I would use a battery tender when home on the weekends though. Solar still worked though for me as I parked at the airport a few weeks at a time. If you travel regularly or don't have easy access to power where you park then solar is the best way in my humble opinion.

For our F30, I bought a weaker version as I parked at the airport for a month. The car had no aftermarket extras. When I got back there were no issues with comfort access. I parked the rear of the car towards the direction of sunrise to get the most from it.

In case of emergency: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roypow-J12-.../dp/B00VA0XBKK
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      01-05-2018, 06:28 AM   #37
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Started getting "increased drain" and "charge battery" past few weeks, this week it's like -30C with windchill outside.

I've had colder temperatures last year and didn't get the messages, so I think it's more because of one night my car refused to turn off the parking lights (not sure why, security just called me at 3am and they were on) and drained it down.

Going to borrow my friend's charger over the weekend for a few hours and see if it returns, but charging nightly is not an option since I don't have outlets near my spot.
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      01-05-2018, 09:33 AM   #38
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I have been getting the "battery discharging while off" light. Even seen the vehicle completely dead. I noticed with vehicle locked, the light has been staying illuminated on the Push start on/off button. I may have a separate issue. I do live in NY and have been experiencing 0 degree temps.
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      01-05-2018, 10:03 AM   #39
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These extremely cold temperatures are just destroying our batteries heh. I've actually always made a habit of hooking up my car to my Battery Tender Plus during cold spells. I suggest anyone with outlet access to get one, even if you just use it before every season.
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      01-05-2018, 10:22 AM   #40
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My real concern aside from having to replace a very expensive battery and having to walk is what happens in the event of a complete battery failure with the doors locked, no way into my locked 340 that I know of without some power in the battery, and no way to get power to the battery when the car is locked.. I'm not comfortable leaving doors unlocked but I'm doing it anyway, at least in my garage. Last year someone suggested a vehicle mounted battery maintainer with the power cord accessible from outside the car like a block heater and I think I'm going to look into this further.
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      01-05-2018, 10:38 AM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Billfitz View Post
The original battery in my last car died around three years old, at less than 20,000 miles. That's when I got religious about keeping it on a maintainer in winter, especially if I'm not driving it for a few days. The Walmart battery I replaced it with, and always kept on a maintainer in winter, was still going strong after five years when I sold the car.
I've been driving in Iowa and Wisconsin winters for nearly 40 years...only getting 3 years out of a battery sounds terrible. Our '06 minivan, for example, has the original battery and is being parked outside this year. I've never put a charger on it.

Incidentally, I've not gotten the "low charge" warning again since Monday and temps here have not gotten above 10F.
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      01-05-2018, 02:10 PM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beek View Post
My real concern aside from having to replace a very expensive battery and having to walk is what happens in the event of a complete battery failure with the doors locked, no way into my locked 340 that I know of without some power in the battery, and no way to get power to the battery when the car is locked.. I'm not comfortable leaving doors unlocked but I'm doing it anyway, at least in my garage. Last year someone suggested a vehicle mounted battery maintainer with the power cord accessible from outside the car like a block heater and I think I'm going to look into this further.
Why couldn't you simply use the key to unlock the door?
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      01-05-2018, 03:36 PM   #43
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Maybe he doesn't know he has one.
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      01-05-2018, 03:42 PM   #44
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Maybe he doesn't know he has one.
Even with comfort access? Where's it at?
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