[djinferno]

Hey ya'll

I'm having a problem with my ride and i wanted to find out if anyone has the same experience...

I just got back from a weeks vacation, 7 days so wen i got home, I decided to fire up both cars and let them run a little, the Mazda 3 fires up fine, not the 330i.... I hit start and it chocked, so i hit it again, chocked, so i hit it a 3rd time, the car start making funny sounds and never attempted to start, all kind of signals on the dash came up, clock went back to zero, then, nothing, dead car... cant even get the key out... tried boosting but nothing, all I got was power back so I could yank the key... and a weird clickclikclick sound from the dash... I'm beginning to think somethings really wrong because the car does not get a charge back, it dies as soon as the boost cables are off...

Allot of other problems arose like freezing windows, freezing handles etc...

anyone experience this type of stuff???

[Roowah]

Originally Posted by djinferno

Hey ya'll

I'm having a problem with my ride and i wanted to find out if anyone has the same experience...

I just got back from a weeks vacation, 7 days so wen i got home, I decided to fire up both cars and let them run a little, the Mazda 3 fires up fine, not the 330i.... I hit start and it chocked, so i hit it again, chocked, so i hit it a 3rd time, the car start making funny sounds and never attempted to start, all kind of signals on the dash came up, clock went back to zero, then, nothing, dead car... cant even get the key out... tried boosting but nothing, all I got was power back so I could yank the key... and a weird clickclikclick sound from the dash... I'm beginning to think somethings really wrong because the car does not get a charge back, it dies as soon as the boost cables are off...

Allot of other problems arose like freezing windows, freezing handles etc...

anyone experience this type of stuff???

Sounds to me like a dead or dying battery. If you've never replaced it, it's probably time. If the battery is low or dead you'll get all kinds of odd warning lights.

[bob.g]

yeah that clickclickclick is the kinda sound youd hear if yer batt was drained, its normal, i used to hear it on my audi too. the cars are fine in winter, you just got unlucky. In terms of windows or doors freezing, i havent had issues.

[WWONG]

Yeah that fast clicking sound means the battery... happened on my dad's 4Runner a month or two ago. If it's a slow click that has a long(er) pause between them, it's the starter.

[fdriller9]

You should give us more infoabout your car.

Since you joined in 2005 I'm guessing you have an 06 or 07. Many vehicles produced within that time frame are starting to have battery problems.....me included. I just replaced my battery with a Braille lightweight battery and when I first installed it, I thought the CCA rating would be a problem since it is 2/3 of the rating of my stock battery but my car cranks every morning....no problems so far.

[anerbe]

Problem with these vehicles over cheaper cars is their complex electronic systems. They do cause more draw on the battery.

The 2006/07 vehicles will start to show their battery age in this cold weather.

[2kaccordocoupe]

love my e92 in the cold and snow

[335BBS]

Originally Posted by 2kaccordocoupe

love my e92 in the cold and snow

Me too. I get heat faster than any other car I've ever had. Heated seats are hot and heated steering wheel is the best. Great winter car.

[hipnotic]

most likely a dead battery

[LittleBlue]

Any ideas if rear defroster would not work if battery is getting weak?

[335BBS]

Originally Posted by LittleBlue

Any ideas if rear defroster would not work if battery is getting weak?

Just got told this am by sa that on really cold days or if battery is weak, car will cancel things like heated wheel and seats until car has been run for 10-15 mins. Defog may be part too as it draws a lot .

[m42stanle]

Originally Posted by anerbe

Problem with these vehicles over cheaper cars is their complex electronic systems. They do cause more draw on the battery.

+1

Also, OP: if (like me) you drive mostly short distances in the city, it's possible that between the accessory draw and energy used up starting the car, the alternator was never able to fully charge the battery before you left on vacation.

In the most extreme case you could completely discharge the battery over a week or two just driving normally... I usually throw my car on a smart charger once every couple of weeks and plenty of times I will find it at 50-60% capacity at the start of the charge cycle.

I would say throw the car on a battery tender or smart charger (with tender function) if you're not going to be driving the car for a week or longer and 1) you probably won't run into this situation again, and 2) useful life of your battery will probably be extended by years as it won't be subjected to these frequent deep discharges.

[sexymexy]

Ok dude this is the deal. Your battery is dying so the car's computer will shut down diferent sistems of the car (a/c, heater, radio, etc) In order to keep the battery charged. You will notice more weird stuff happeng the more you take to replace the battery. Finally when you replace the battery you have to get it registed. Many guys say that you don't have to but let me explain it to you. If you don't register the battery your car's computer will be shutting off diferent electric components of your car because the computer still thinking that you still driving with the bad battery.

[LittleBlue]

I am thinking the same, thanks for the info, I think I will work on replacing the battery very soon before the dealer keeps changing stuff on the vehicle and risk breaking something else !

[psre08]

Yeah try battery, or maybe spark plugs?

My '06 330i starts up just fine in -30C, so does my '01 330Ci. Never had any problems with either of them.

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by LittleBlue

Any ideas if rear defroster would not work if battery is getting weak?

Yes. Defroster is will be disabled if the battery is weak.

Like someone else mentioned, our cars do NOT charge the battery until the car has been properly warmed up. I think I read somewhere that it is emissions related.

Go on a long drive to charge it or use a tender. Or you can swap to an AGM which is recommended for short distance driving styles as a complete discharge does not damage the battery as much as a lead acid would.

And yes registration is "necessary" depending on the condition of the battery you replaced. What's more important is programming the battery into the car in the event that you CHANGE CAPACITY AND/OR TYPE.....like in my situation.

Our cars have the ability to charge 2 different types of batteries. AGM and non AGM. They both charge differently and programming an AGM into a non-M E9x IS necessary. M3's can come from the factory with AGMs.

[djinferno]

thanks for the info, i finally boosted my car this morning, went to work, cross fingers that it will start tonight

[djinferno]

does anyone have a recomendation for a battery or should i just go to the dealer? how much is a battery at the dealer?

[LittleBlue]

Dealer wanted $375 all installed including registration ( $197 for the battery + an hour of labor @$165 + Tx)

[DarkRider23]

Originally Posted by anerbe

Problem with these vehicles over cheaper cars is their complex electronic systems. They do cause more draw on the battery.

The 2006/07 vehicles will start to show their battery age in this cold weather.

Very true. My '06 is starting to show some problems. It takes longer than it used to to start up. Battery is still running fine though and it hasn't been replaced yet since I got the car in '08.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by djinferno

does anyone have a recomendation for a battery or should i just go to the dealer? how much is a battery at the dealer?

Around $300~$350 which includes registering the battery so it will play nice with your complex electrical system - highly recommended.

Tom

[335BBS]

Originally Posted by djinferno

does anyone have a recomendation for a battery or should i just go to the dealer? how much is a battery at the dealer?

Just get it at the dealer so you don't have any more problems. I may have missed something here ...Are you sure this is the problem? My heated wheel kept shutting off and SA said it may because of weak battery . It wasnt. Element was done. He said car will shut heated seats off first then defrost.