My car is dead!

[warmasice]

Left the car on the trickle charger for the last three weeks. Today I was unable to unlock the car using either key fob. Had to use the key blade to get into the car and open the bonnet. The trickle charger was showing zero volts, and forcing it to charge again reads 5.4v and fails to go above that. I'm guessing the battery is dead (and/or tickle charger is faulty)..

I tried jump starting it. Surely it would at least provide enough juice for the interior lights to come on?.. but it's completely dead. I can't get into the boot either as I have no sky pass to pull the emergency pull cord in the boot.

So, question is, should I get any power in the cabin when jump starting - even if the z4 battery is completely dead.

And

How do I get into the boot to replace the battery?

(It's a 1 year old Bosch battery).

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[markplant]

On the e85 there's voltage terminal post in the engine bay

 

[Tom2207]

some trickle chargers drop into an off mode if the power is cut , Ive a couple on bikes in the garage , after a power cut one turns back on and is grand its a Sterling Power one , and the other just stays on , but not doing anything , it was a cheap argos one , other than that it seems to work well.

 

[warmasice]

On the e85 there's voltage terminal post in the engine bay

I've tried jumping using the terminals in the engine bay. No power. Nothing at all. Never experienced anything like this.

 

[warmasice]

some trickle chargers drop into an off mode if the power is cut , Ive a couple on bikes in the garage , after a power cut one turns back on and is grand its a Sterling Power one , and the other just stays on , but not doing anything , it was a cheap argos one , other than that it seems to work well.

My trickle charger is a generic Aldi one. I can't find a way of getting into the boot to replace the battery for another :thumbsdown:

 

[tomjonesBT33]

My trickle charger is a generic Aldi one. I can't find a way of getting into the boot to replace the battery for another :thumbsdown:

I’ve had this happen where I cannot get into the trunk when battery is bad. What I did was reach behind the seat and unseat the fabric cover that attaches to the rear deck lid. Push on one corner of the cover to free it, then work your way across. It just uses a u-channel seal to hold it to the deck lid. That gave me access to the trunk and I was able to put the emergency cord to open. Good luck

 

[warmasice]

My trickle charger is a generic Aldi one. I can't find a way of getting into the boot to replace the battery for another :thumbsdown:

I’ve had this happen where I cannot get into the trunk when battery is bad. What I did was reach behind the seat and unseat the fabric cover that attaches to the rear deck lid. Push on one corner of the cover to free it, then work your way across. It just uses a u-channel seal to hold it to the deck lid. That gave me access to the trunk and I was able to put the emergency cord to open. Good luck

Is this in an e89? Is there a gap through the metal bulkhead to reach through?

Thanks

 

[tomjonesBT33]

I’ve had this happen where I cannot get into the trunk when battery is bad. What I did was reach behind the seat and unseat the fabric cover that attaches to the rear deck lid. Push on one corner of the cover to free it, then work your way across. It just uses a u-channel seal to hold it to the deck lid. That gave me access to the trunk and I was able to put the emergency cord to open. Good luck

Is this in an e89? Is there a gap through the metal bulkhead to reach through?

Thanks

Great point. I was referring to my e85.

 

[Zed Baron]

If you cant get into the boot, open the bonnet and attach jump leads to the terminals. It won't allow you to jump the car but you can either press the boot release on your key fob ( if that's not flat also) or double press the door switch under the hazard lights switch

 

[Smartbear]

Left the car on the trickle charger for the last three weeks. Today I was unable to unlock the car using either key fob. Had to use the key blade to get into the car and open the bonnet. The trickle charger was showing zero volts, and forcing it to charge again reads 5.4v and fails to go above that. I'm guessing the battery is dead (and/or tickle charger is faulty)..

I tried jump starting it. Surely it would at least provide enough juice for the interior lights to come on?.. but it's completely dead. I can't get into the boot either as I have no sky pass to pull the emergency pull cord in the boot.

So, question is, should I get any power in the cabin when jump starting - even if the z4 battery is completely dead.

And

How do I get into the boot to replace the battery?

(It a 1 year old Bosch battery).

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, unless you have a U.S spec car or you’ve modified your UK model you won’t have an emergency cord in the boot.
Rob

 

[warmasice]

If you cant get into the boot, open the bonnet and attach jump leads to the terminals. It won't allow you to jump the car but you can either press the boot release on your key fob ( if that's not flat also) or double press the door switch under the hazard lights switch

This is the thing.. I've used a jump leads and even a jumper pack, but there's no power going to the car at all, not even interior lights. It's literally dead! The buttons on the key fob do nothing either. Wondering if it's a fuse or some kind of module?!

 

[Smartbear]

If you cant get into the boot, open the bonnet and attach jump leads to the terminals. It won't allow you to jump the car but you can either press the boot release on your key fob ( if that's not flat also) or double press the door switch under the hazard lights switch

This is the thing.. I've used a jump leads and even a jumper pack, but there's no power going to the car at all, not even interior lights. It's literally dead! The buttons on the key fob do nothing either. Wondering if it's a fuse or some kind of module?!

Are you 100% sure that you’re on the correct terminal positions?
Rob

 

[Calps]

I'd be looking towards fuses/modules as you mention. When you attach jump leads/booster pack, there should be power in the cabin (dash lights, interior lights, lock/unlock etc). As you are not getting any, it could suggest something is broken along the way, so I'd consider it a symptom of the problem.

If it's been sat up for the past 3 weeks, was in inside/outside? Accessible to rodents etc? There have been stories of wires eaten etc during
storage - hopefully not the case for you, but something else to consider. An auto electrician could be another route to follow.

In any event, I hope you get it sorted and are back rolling soon!

 

[The.Analyst]

You can get into the engine bay?

The volts on the Lidl charger says circa 5 volts but won’t charge?

Often smart chargers won’t latch below 9-10 volts

What has worked for me is to use an old non smart charger like a cheap ring one

Attach to the power point in the engine bay and let it puff some old fashion non smart volts into it

After about an hour see if the Lidl charger will then latch

Did this a view times on other cars

Sometimes takes two or 3 attempts

Will get it going but obviously you’ll need a new battery and make sure you don’t repeat the same error

 

[Zed Baron]

If you cant get into the boot, open the bonnet and attach jump leads to the terminals. It won't allow you to jump the car but you can either press the boot release on your key fob ( if that's not flat also) or double press the door switch under the hazard lights switch

This is the thing.. I've used a jump leads and even a jumper pack, but there's no power going to the car at all, not even interior lights. It's literally dead! The buttons on the key fob do nothing either. Wondering if it's a fuse or some kind of module?!

That is strange, because when I did it the battery was actually disconnected

 

[peeblezZ4]

Couple of times with other cars, I'd expect there to be at least some interior lights but, if not, it usually means a straightforward 'car to car' jump just doesn't work. A 'heavy duty' jump unit will be required. AA/RAC home start?

 

[Zed Baron]

Couple of times with other cars, I'd expect there to be at least some interior lights but, if not, it usually means a straightforward 'car to car' jump just doesn't work. A 'heavy duty' jump unit will be required. AA/RAC home start?

Stuart, when I did it I jumped it off a 1.0 toyota (with the z's battery disconnected) just gave enough power to open the locks

 

[Pondrew]

First thing I would do is check your voltage across the positive and negative terminals in the engine bay with a DC voltmeter. If your charger is faulty I wouldn't rely on what it is telling you. If you have some voltage (anything), I would find (borrow or buy) a charger with a 'recovery' program, most decent smart chargers have them. Try charging on this and see if it comes to life.
If it has been on trickle charge for weeks, it has to be one of only a few things: Your charger is knackered and has drained the battery; your charger has cut out (they can get very warm) and not re-started charging once cooled, your charger has destroyed the battery (unlikely), or your charger has done something to blow a fuse.

 

[mcbutler]

If your battery is only a year old and it was charged before you left it 3 weeks ago it should be absolutely fine even without a trickle charger attached.
I would be googling this - something to do on a saturday evening...

Their is the possibility that you charger has failed and exceeded maximum charge voltage allowed to the battery which would kill it completely.

 

[wanderer]

If all else fails, then try supplying 12volts to the trunk unlock solenoid for a split second.

It's a Grey/green wire. Grey with green lines.
It's located behind the glove box, so you will need to remove that first.

If you look carefully at the pics below you can see that he's stripped a tiny bit of covering off the wire. And attached a paper clip to the crocodile clip to make it easier to apply.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=22939892&postcount=97

This should pop the boot.

Once opened, use a multimeter to check voltage across the battery terminals. If OK, check across the terminal posts in the front.
If you are not getting anything at all in front, it's possible the battery protection charge has gone off, thereby isolating the battery.