Battery recommendations? BMW battery failure

The Saint

Member
 Worcestershire
Can anybody recommend a battery for a Z4M?

I bought a genuine BMW battery in August which has been connected to a smart charger when the Z4 isn't in use.

Went out to the car yesterday and the car was totally dead with the smart charger connected. Took the battery off the car and tried to charge/recondition the battery with two chargers and each time got the message that the battery is unable to hold a charge.

Just spoke to the dealer and the warranty for charge issues on a battery is 6 months (not good). The battery is only 9 months old.

I'm due to go to France in the Z4 on Monday, can anybody recommend a reliable battery?

I'm not sure if all E85/E86's have the same battery.

Thanks in advance.
 
That would mug me right off.

The OE battery can last decades, something 9 months old is obviously defective.

I don't think they all have the same battery. I think I just used whatever tayna recommended in truth...
 
I just replaced my old bosch S4 with an S5 as I was getting a red battery light on my dash. No problems at all since fitting the S5. :thumbsup:

The S4 was the 007 model, which was incorrect for my car. Eurocarparts said it was correct, but it clearly wasn't

The S5 is an 096 and has more cca's.
 
Varta Silver Dynamic E44, just fitted one, exactly the same size and connections as the OEM it replaced.
 
Mine died while it was in for fault codes to be read (which may have been why I got fault codes in the 1st place). :headbang:

My BMW Indy put an Exide in it as he said that was the OEM brand - which makes sense considering where they were built!

I hope your next one lasts much longer OP. :thumbsup:
 
I went for Exide Premium - 720 CCA. Came with a 5 year guarantee from ECP. Most the recommendations were for Bosch S5 or VARTA when I was looking around forums.
 
Just waiting for my new Varta as my old battery was needing to be connected all the time or the car wouldn't start.
Got this one off ebay
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/096-NEW-Varta-Silver-E44-Heavy-Duty-Car-Battery-77AH-SIZE-096-5-YEAR-WARRANTY/252083981059?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
 
The Saint said:
Can anybody recommend a battery for a Z4M?

I bought a genuine BMW battery in August which has been connected to a smart charger when the Z4 isn't in use.

Went out to the car yesterday and the car was totally dead with the smart charger connected. Took the battery off the car and tried to charge/recondition the battery with two chargers and each time got the message that the battery is unable to hold a charge.

Just spoke to the dealer and the warranty for charge issues on a battery is 6 months (not good). The battery is only 9 months old.

I'm due to go to France in the Z4 on Monday, can anybody recommend a reliable battery?

I'm not sure if all E85/E86's have the same battery.

Thanks in advance.

I would go back to the dealer and getting this replaced foc. I don’t think their 6 month policy would stand up.

Did you pay on Creditcard and if so was it over £100. If so then get a refund from your Creditcard company.
 
Hi Peeps,

Finally looking to get my car out of the extended winter storage this weekend, it needs a new battery so just wanted to check if the following will fit an E86 Si Sport.
096 NEW Varta Silver E44 Heavy Duty Car Battery 77AH SIZE 096 - 5 YEAR WARRANTY

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252083981059?ul_noapp=true

The seller claims it will, but just wanted to confirm on the forum.
 
QUIKSTER said:
Hi Peeps,

Finally looking to get my car out of the extended winter storage this weekend, it needs a new battery so just wanted to check if the following will fit an E86 Si Sport.
096 NEW Varta Silver E44 Heavy Duty Car Battery 77AH SIZE 096 - 5 YEAR WARRANTY

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252083981059?ul_noapp=true

The seller claims it will, but just wanted to confirm on the forum.
yep, that’s what I went for some years ago now and I’ve had no problems. Very popular on here :thumbsup:
 
Thanks! :thumbsup:


Silverzedtom said:
QUIKSTER said:
Hi Peeps,

Finally looking to get my car out of the extended winter storage this weekend, it needs a new battery so just wanted to check if the following will fit an E86 Si Sport.
096 NEW Varta Silver E44 Heavy Duty Car Battery 77AH SIZE 096 - 5 YEAR WARRANTY

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252083981059?ul_noapp=true

The seller claims it will, but just wanted to confirm on the forum.
yep, that’s what I went for some years ago now and I’ve had no problems. Very popular on here :thumbsup:
 
I would go AGM with the longest full replacement warranty/best price combination. And definitely put it on a Battery Tender or similar product if you're not driving it regularly.

It's outrageous that BMW would only provide a 6-month warranty on a branded battery, which no doubt had a greatly inflated price over the same battery without the "Big Money Worries" name on it - which would have been both much cheaper and come with a much more substantial warranty. Shameful.
 
Doesn't sound right to me and as srhutch says the battery supplier needs to be challenged. Personally I've never heard of a pathetic 6 month guarantee and certainly not one that was also conditional. Sounds like you were being seriously fobbed off and clearly the battery is faulty and should be replaced foc. Go back in and make a serious fuss and don't take no for an answer.
 
The thing is that any battery will be irreversibly damaged if left for a few days below 11v or so. Not many warranties would cover user abuse. I think probably the only thing a battery warranty would ever be good for is leaking etc.
 
Doesn't sound right to me either. Could be a number of things wrong, but before you replace it, have you -

* Checked your "smart" charger is for AGM batteries or has an AGM mode?
* Tried a "dumb" charger that doesn't require a minimum voltage in order to get a bulk charge into the battery (and use a smart charger from that point onwards)?

Either way, your battery is probably damaged, but you may be able to still get a usable functional capacity out of it.
 
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