Technical Car/Motor Issues > BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace
Thread Author: Marc4Six	Replies: 17

New Sat 28 Jul 12 12:15   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - Marc4Six

Washed the car this morning, when trying to start it immediately afterwards I got no engine turn over just a clicking sound. It would seem I have a flat battery, as far as I know this is the original battery, so 9 years old, certainly over 5 years old as I have owned the car that long. Now is it worth trying to charge this one up or should I just replace it considering its age? Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 12:21   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - R.P.

Is the car's system charging the existing one effectively ? You may need to diagnose that before splashing out on a new battery. If memory serves me right there's a dashboard cheat that lets you check the Alternator output on the E46. If you have a charger may be worth giving it a jolt. Can't remember whether you can check the battery's condition on these to see if it will take a charge. ( Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 14:18   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - bathtub tom

Always worth a go at re-charging. If it's not exhibited any symptoms of a failing battery, it may be a bad connection. I'd certainly take a close look at battery terminals, earth and other connections before buying a new one. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 14:26   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - Clk Sec

I'm no technician, but I replace batteries after five years regardless of how well (or not) they're performing. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 14:39   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - Zero

Wow! That's just destroyed the second hand market for Priuses Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 14:51   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - Clk Sec

Oh dear! I best Leaf electric cars of my shortlist, then. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 14:56   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - Runfer D'Hills

My Mondeo, ( can't remember, did I ever mention how reliable my old Mondeo was? ) lasted 9 years and 200k with the original battery which seemed to be fine when I sold it. Original exhaust, clutch and DMF thingy too. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 15:31   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - Clk Sec

>> did I ever mention how reliable my old Mondeo was? You may have mentioned the Mondeo once or twice, but I can't recall much from you regarding your most recent acquisition. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 16:54   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - Marc4Six

My car has only done 80k miles, but the last 18 months has seen my commute drop from 8 miles to only 2-3 miles each way and my overall mileage drop too. Its probably all those short journeys that have killed the battery. Have just had it tested and it was holding 41% of full charge and was unserviceable according to the readout, I have therefore replaced it and hope to get 9 years out of the new one. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 14:55   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - NortonES2

Not that they rely on lead-acid batteries for the hybrid bit! Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 20:41   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - madf

>> I'm no technician, but I replace batteries after five years regardless of how well (or >> not) they're performing. >> Hmm No thanks. My 9 year old battery in my Yaris works perfectly. My son's 11 year old one (in another Yaris ) is the same.. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 22:53   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - bathtub tom

>>My 9 year old battery in my Yaris works perfectly. My son's 11 year old one (in another Yaris ) is the same.. The battery in my KIA has a label on it "recharge if not sold before xx/2001". Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 29 Jul 12 09:30   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - Clk Sec

>> Hmm >> No thanks. >> My 9 year old battery in my Yaris works perfectly. My son's 11 year old >> one (in another Yaris ) is the same.. As my annual mileage is low and my journeys are mostly local, my battery needs to be charged quite frequently. This is the reason I change mine every five years, as frequently charged batteries, in my experience, don't last very long. And, remembering that a previous barge (many moons ago) broke down at the lights on a busy junction, because the battery died! Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 29 Jul 12 08:48   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - L'escargot

>> I'm no technician, but I replace batteries after five years regardless of how well (or >> not) they're performing. >> I have my battery replaced at the first sign of trouble. My last one lasted eight years ~ my franchised dealer brought the new battery to my house for no extra cost and fitted it in my garage. Franchised dealers are great. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 16:56   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - Marc4Six

Thanks for the tip R.P. have just looked up the procedure on the net and tested it, all seems fine on the alternator output. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 18:24   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - carmalade

Hope you replaced it with a similar spec and quality.The electrical systems on these can take around 45 minutes to shut down after locking car.Btw a battery pack for a Honda hybrid will set you back around £2.5k!!! Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 19:22   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - Marc4Six

I replaced it with a Bosch with a 5 year guarantee which will hopefully last the 5 years. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 28 Jul 12 19:31   BMW 3-Series E46 - 03 3.0 Flat Battery - Recharge or Replace - R.P.

Just found the hidden menus on my E90...! :-) Reply to this message | Report message