- Plugged in external devices
- Plugged in OBD-II scanner
- BMW Intelligent Battery Sensor
- The infamous ”hedgehog” (from the climate control panel)
- One of the electronics on your car drains too much power or does not go into sleep mode
- Faulty alternator
- Old battery
Sunday 25 April 2021
Causes of flat batteries on BMWs explained - Great guide!!
Monday 12 April 2021
E46 318i Touring: Back on the road with new battery!
I've always sworn by Bosch batteries, but the £100+ price tag these days, yes even with a Euro Car Parts discount code, is a bit too expensive for this car. ECP, as well as the parts dept. at work can offer a budget Lion battery for a little over £50, but I have been warned by everyone willing to give their fifty pence that these don't last five minutes and I should avoid like the plague. Ultra-budget batteries can be found on eBay for as little as £27, but who knows anything about their quality.
At this point I have to hand it to the parts dept. at work here, who loaded me up a Yuasa 3110 series battery [760Ah] for just £60 all in! Yuasa get a good write up, in fact I am told they beat Bosch in tests and are currently one of the best on the market. ECP could offer me a Yuasa for £67, but it was a tiny little square battery and this just goes to show how useful working or knowing someone in the motor-trade can be...
Thursday 1 April 2021
F10 530d: Water in Battery well / Bootwell / Trunkwell - where is it leaking?
I lifted the boot/trunk floor to jump-start a friends car and noticed that my battery well / spare-wheel well is full of dirty water.... oh dear. I’ve got a leak... but where? Boot seal? Bottom of the rear windscreen? There was a second aerial / antenna fitted in the roof that I removed, so figured it might be leaking through there and running down the C-pillar into the boot, but no water marks in the headlining or signs of ingress... Think I will have a proper look this weekend and try get to the bottom of it!