Battery....damn it!!

[mj2k]

Car sat all winter with a CTEK attached, removed it last week to get it MOT'd and didn't connect it back up.

Go for the first drive today, and click click click. Bloody thing won't start.

Amazed it died after a week sitting there, so now back on the trickle charger.

Battery is only a year or so old, so no idea what caused this

 

[Z43.0Si]

Hopefully for you, your car hasn't gone into transport mode as mine recently did after my battery failed. :thumbsdown:

 

[mj2k]

Oh god no, hoping not!

 

[mj2k]

Well I had it on the CTEK for about an hour & it then fired up. Went for a 20 mile drive & stopped for a drink.

Car the gave the tick tick tick noise, would have thought 20 miles was enough to get it charged up.

Jump started it & now have the EML light on, along with the DSC light and only about 2k revs available & a lumpy run....I'm guessing I'm either in transport mode or something is screwed.

Felt a right tit driving along barely able to accelerate or keep up with traffic to get home. Spotless, shiny car driven so slowly it was embarrassing.

 

[Scooba_Steve]

Sure the alternator is working?

 

[mj2k]

Sure the alternator is working?

Not a clue & no idea how to check so time for research. Was working at the end of august when it went away for winter.

Just turned it over and revving freely again with no lights on the dash, so that's a start. Time to see why it's misbehaving

 

[srhutch]

Battery probably shot. When mine was on the way out dash lit up as there wasn't enough juice to keep the two ecu's in sync.

 

[cj10jeeper]

Battery probably shot. When mine was on the way out dash lit up as there wasn't enough juice to keep the two ecu's in sync.

Soumds the most likely to me. Test it with engine not running and you should see around 12.6v, then engine running at just above tickover mid 14's
My guess is static you'll get less than 12v indicating a dead battery. If a year or so old then most likely under warranty as most have 3-4 years.
Other possibility is corroded terminal after a winter standing or poor charging voltage, but my money is on the battery

 

[jamesditchy]

Same here. When my battery was shot, drove over to Mike's for some help with the electrics and it wouldn't start after a couple of minutes. New Lion battery around £55 and now no issues except the dreaded airbag light :x

 

[Z43.0Si]

Well I had it on the CTEK for about an hour & it then fired up. Went for a 20 mile drive & stopped for a drink.

Car the gave the tick tick tick noise, would have thought 20 miles was enough to get it charged up.

Jump started it & now have the EML light on, along with the DSC light and only about 2k revs available & a lumpy run....I'm guessing I'm either in transport mode or something is screwed.

Felt a right tit driving along barely able to accelerate or keep up with traffic to get home. Spotless, shiny car driven so slowly it was embarrassing.

This was the same scenario for me. Ctek gave a good indication after a charge, drove for half an hour, shutdown, then flat as a pancake on next start attempt 5 mins later. After replacing the battery and taking the car out of transport mode, it's been fine since.

 

[Z43.0Si]

I have since discovered that the old original BMW battery that I removed, was over 9 years old!

 

[pvr]

I do find it strange with cteks that they do show green whilst the battery is dead. I have had it twice now that despite ctek attached, that the battery is dead

 

[mj2k]

Thanks gents, borrowing a meter next week to check.

Weirdly it worked fine last week taking it out for the first time, long route to the MOT, back to home as forgot my wallet, started first time. At the MOT centre it started for them first time, and an hour later for me as well on the way home.

All a little confusing.

Will dig out the paperwork for the battery - never done a warranty claim on one before.

 

[mj2k]

Don't have the paperwork for the battery, bloody annoying especially as I keep everything car related normally.

 

[mj2k]

How much????

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/BMW_Z4M+Roadster_3.2_2007/p/car-parts/car-electrics-and-car-lighting/electrical/car-battery/?444778008&1&835e73f8aa30147a975ab18ca8873dd9a722ac98&000020

Dear lord

 

[srhutch]

How much????

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/BMW_Z4M+Roadster_3.2_2007/p/car-parts/car-electrics-and-car-lighting/electrical/car-battery/?444778008&1&835e73f8aa30147a975ab18ca8873dd9a722ac98&000020

Dear lord

You don't need an AGM battery. A Bosch one for under £100 will more than do the job.

 

[mj2k]

How much????

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/BMW_Z4M+Roadster_3.2_2007/p/car-parts/car-electrics-and-car-lighting/electrical/car-battery/?444778008&1&835e73f8aa30147a975ab18ca8873dd9a722ac98&000020

Dear lord

You don't need an AGM battery. A Bosch one for under £100 will more than do the job.

Thought I'd read that it did require one

Will bow to your knowledge on it given you're running yours on one!

Just found this which seems ok price wise

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/BMW_Z4M+Roadster_3.2_2007/p/car-parts/car-electrics-and-car-lighting/electrical/car-battery/?444778008&1&835e73f8aa30147a975ab18ca8873dd9a722ac98&000020

Hoping it's just been a dud battery, will suck up the cost as I have no paperwork and pray it's not the alternator.

Want the M to be something I can just jump in when I want & rely on it working. Awful feeling not trusting it right now.

I left my CTEK on all winter, assuming it was the right thing to do vs turning it off & on, but the battery was fine leaving it for a 2 week holiday but failed to hold its charge in a week. All confusing.

 

[csquire4]

Don't forget the usual 30% discount code, but you're right, not cheap if that is the problem.

 

[mj2k]

Don't forget the usual 30% discount code, but you're right, not cheap if that is the problem.

£80 voucher I can apply - but vs the prices a few years ago it's a right old

Price is never a problem, just the value equation , it needs it to work, so it's just a cost of running a car.

Can't wait to get out in it again, without limp mode, got overtaken by some really slow cars today

The JCW felt so dull getting back into it this evening, it's fun but has no soul like the M does.

 

[sutts]

I've just returned from a 60 mile A/B road drive in my MC - first time out since I think September
No wonder it's still only on 30,000 miles!
It had been on a Ctek charger all that time, on what I suspect is the original 10 year old battery. Fortunately no issues arose apart from the stability control systems sensor appears to have died over the winter as I had the appropriate warning lights on almost immediately. Didn't affect the drive start from some unintentional wheel spin out of a couple of junctions. Will get my local Indy to look at it soon - anyone else experienced the same?
After so long since last driving it I had almost forgotten what a complete animal it is :lol: