Correct battery for 30i MSport

[ProfCJJ]

Hi All

I finally bit the bullet and bought a new battery for my 2011 E89 - it was starting to conk out after a week or so no use and even putting it in trickle charge was not really helping.

I looked up the specs and for my 30i with no stop-start it looks like the 70Ah "E39" AGM battery from Varta was OEM for my car.

Ordered through Tayna and received it the next day and fitted it today (took 10 minutes to swap battery and 40 minutes to find the right bit on Carly to register the new battery!!)

I had seen the BMW sticker on my old battery, before I had removed it and had assumed it was the original one, turns out though that the battery was dated 2016 so had obviously been changed at least once ... the point is this though, the "old" battery is a bigger, 80Ah AGM (OEM/ BMW) battery ... did I get the wrong battery or was the previous owner just "playing it safe" with the "bigger" battery?

I hadn't though to check the actual battery before ordering, I saw the BMW sticker and assumed it was OEM!

Any thoughts anyone?

OLD:


NEW:


Best

 

[flybobbie]

I asked BMW if i could have servotronic coded in, my car didn't have the option. They said my car a 23i 2009 would need a bigger 80ampHr battery and alternator..So check if your car has servotronic option.
And i see plastic negative cover missing.

 

[Zed Baron]

Identical battery that I bought for mine, got it from the Battery Group for £119.98 delivered, and my original battery didn't have the negative cover either

 

[ProfCJJ]

I asked BMW if i could have servotronic coded in, my car didn't have the option. They said my car a 23i 2009 would need a bigger 80ampHr battery and alternator..So check if your car has servotronic option.
And i see plastic negative cover missing.

I deffo don’t have start/stop. And the negative battery cover was never there for me.

Cheers

 

[ProfCJJ]

Identical battery that I bought for mine, got it from the Battery Group for £119.98 delivered, and my original battery didn't have the negative cover either

So you got the same 70Ah battery as mine and have no issues?

Cheers

 

[B21]

I've looked at this many times, with little real logic..

Candidates for an 80 AH battery include stop start/auto/big audio/35i etc

My 35is with big audio /dct had a 70ah battery in..go figure..

Realistically with a 210 amp alternator whether its 70ah or 80 ah is not really going to make much of a difference..

The only thing is an 80 ah battery will last 1/7 longer before it needs a re-charge if you leave it parked up.

The onboard power management is very very sophisticated so it will save you and the car from most issues, providing you register and code the battery as required..

 

[Nanu]

Where did you get the battery from? Usually if you give the company the details of your vehicle they provide you with the right battery

 

[B21]

Where did you get the battery from? Usually if you give the company the details of your vehicle they provide you with the right battery

The companies don't know..OPIE gave me an option for a 90ah battery which they said would fit..it didn't..

There's no VIN based logic to derive battery size..

 

[ProfCJJ]

I got the battery from Tayna and from there (and from Varta) it was the battery suggested for my 30i - I was just surprised to find this bigger brute in its place! 2016-2021 is OK for a battery I guess, although not hugely special perhaps??

 

[Zed Baron]

Identical battery that I bought for mine, got it from the Battery Group for £119.98 delivered, and my original battery didn't have the negative cover either

So you got the same 70Ah battery as mine and have no issues?

Cheers

no issues so far and I've had it since Feb. I've just bought another battery for a 2005 mercedes sl and it's marked stop start and again no stop start on the car

 

[wanderer]

Pop your VIN into mdecoder.com and it will tell you what battery was originally spec'ed.

It may have been upgraded by the previous owner if changes were made, e.g. beefier audio system etc.

But if not, then important bit is to ensure your new one is correctly registered.

 

[ProfCJJ]

Well, I do have the professional audio however the vin decoder does not give any battery info …

Ps: I registered the new battery with Carly

 

[Zed Baron]

Originally I was going to take it into National Tyres to get it changed, but the one they recommended wasn't even AGM and they knew nothing about registration! The original battery as supplied by BMW (11 years old!) was a Varta and the one I bought is the same spec and I used my Autophix to register it. The old battery still had some kick in it and while waiting to be disposed off I had a friend visit in his 250k miles Peugeot and its battery was kaput. So I fitted the old Varta in and it got him home to Ireland! Knowing him its probably still in it.

 

[therealmc]

An innocent genuine question - what does registering the battery actually do, 12v is 12v is 12v isn’t it?

 

[ProfCJJ]

An innocent genuine question - what does registering the battery actually do, 12v is 12v is 12v isn’t it?

It tells the car the capacity and type such that the car electronics knows how to manage the charge/ discharge cycles to better maintain battery health. The car will still work w/o registration but the battery may not necessarily last as long as it could.

 

[Pondy]

and my original battery didn't have the negative cover either

This was discussed a little while ago. It seems that if your negative clamp has the angled bolt, it didn't have a negative cover. if it had the horizontal bolt then it did. Never determined whether it was age, model or just what the factory had in the parts bins at the time specific.

Christopher Look on the bright side; your new battery will be lighter, therefore your car will be faster and use less fuel

 

[Smartbear]

An innocent genuine question - what does registering the battery actually do, 12v is 12v is 12v isn’t it?

As above, the e89 utilises IBS (intelligent battery sensor) & registration lets the system work more efficiently
Rob