Need To Change Battery

[Action Jackson]

Hi all,

Trying to fix a few problems i've been having with my zed and the battery is the next step

So every website i go to asks me to punch in my reg and a list comes up of batteries. The majority of them are AGM START STOP batteries.

e.g https://www.halfords.com/motoring/b...art-stop-agm-12v-car-battery-4-year-guarantee

As far as i'm aware i don't have start stop function in my zed? (at least ive never experienced it!)

Just had a chat with the local halfords who say i don't need the AGM battery (when their website and their live chat tells me i do). Yet saying that, after they put my reg in their system they tried telling me a owned a 3 series, so i don't know what to believe anymore :headbang: ... after the conversation with them im even more confused :|

I know i need to register the battery when i finally do get (the right) one, possibly at halfords, i got told they couldn't register it, my dad was at the store, AT THE SAME TIME and got told they could? :rofl:

Car Details: BMW sDrive30i roadster 3.0

Battery details: 12V 70Ah 760A
120RC 760CCA (SAE)

Also seen on other forums that BMW White batteries are NOT AGM, and black batteries ARE AGM, I've got a black battery in there at the moment ... so AGM is the route i need to go?

TL;DR: Halfords have confused me so much, i don't know what battery to put in my car anymore! :sos:

(Quite determined to go through halfords as my dad can get trade discount )

 

[Col280]

Sorry, I can’t help you with the battery problems. But I’ll be interested to know what others think,as I’ve got the same model as you, 3.0 s drive, and I think I may need to replace the battery soon as I occasionally get the car on ramp sign and then the small triangle on the dash.

 

[flybobbie]

I would and have AGM, lots of electrics on this car with the roof.
Pay whatever, i paid about £160 from Halfords for AGM and coding.

 

[Mr Tidy]

OP, if your car doesn't need an AGM battery I wouldn't fit one!

My 3.0Si had what seems to have been it's 1st ever new battery last December on it's 10th birthday at 81K miles! It only cost £95.32 + VAT fitted (I would have fitted one myself, but it was at the garage for a fault code diagnosis).

The AGM battery on my 123d (with stop/start) only lasted 4 and a half years and 55K miles. Back in 2012 it cost over £250 from a BMW Indy by the time it was coded - Sytner had quoted £300! Sadly if the car has stop/start I don't think fitting anything else is an option. :headbang:

 

[Smartbear]

OP, if your car doesn't need an AGM battery I wouldn't fit one!

My 3.0Si had what seems to have been it's 1st ever new battery last December on it's 10th birthday at 81K miles! It only cost £95.32 + VAT fitted (I would have fitted one myself, but it was at the garage for a fault code diagnosis).

The AGM battery on my 123d (with stop/start) only lasted 4 and a half years and 55K miles. Back in 2012 it cost over £250 from a BMW Indy by the time it was coded - Sytner had quoted £300! Sadly if the car has stop/start I don't think fitting anything else is an option. :headbang:

I’ve coded the stop/start to remember it’s last state as it was driving me nutz :x
With that strain removed, a normal battery should be ok to fit I reckon.
Rob

 

[Action Jackson]

a couple of different opinions

After reading up abit more about it, I do like the sound of the AGM.

Also worth noting i make lots of short little trips (i only work a stones throw away) which apparently this battery is better for.

I'm not overly bothered about the lifespan, 4 years sounds like it could be worth what it provides? :erm: Halfords has a 4 year warranty on batteries, so if anything should go wrong before that, not much of a problem

 

[ph001]

Pretty straight forward. Buy a 70ah AGM battery like the one you had and there is no critical reason to go through the battery registration process. Just fit it and it will be fine.

Fitting a non-agm is OK too but I would then recommend battery registration as the charge voltage is slightly different.

 

[Mr Tidy]

OP, if your car doesn't need an AGM battery I wouldn't fit one!

My 3.0Si had what seems to have been it's 1st ever new battery last December on it's 10th birthday at 81K miles! It only cost £95.32 + VAT fitted (I would have fitted one myself, but it was at the garage for a fault code diagnosis).

The AGM battery on my 123d (with stop/start) only lasted 4 and a half years and 55K miles. Back in 2012 it cost over £250 from a BMW Indy by the time it was coded - Sytner had quoted £300! Sadly if the car has stop/start I don't think fitting anything else is an option. :headbang:

I’ve coded the stop/start to remember it’s last state as it was driving me nutz :x

Stop/start drove me nuts on that 123d too - especially when the starter motor died at 6 and a half years! :headbang:

 

[warmasice]

Whatever route you take (and I'd go AGM), register your battery our you'll risk reducing it's lifespan due to overcharging.

 

[flybobbie]

My car had it's original AGM battery when i changed it. It was at least 7 years old and worked fine. Only replaced because of the boot cycling problem which i thought was a battery problem, but turned out to be a manufacturing broken wire problem.
I remember buying lead acid batteries and would just about last two years before they died. Usually just after the two year warranty had expired.

 

[freemadw]

I think the later 4 cyl cars have Stop/Start, not sure about the earlier 20i's but the 6 cyl cars don't have it. I have a 35i, have just changed the battery. The old one was the original, with BMW stickers. It was a lead acid battery and lasted almost 8 years.
I suspect it would have lasted longer, but I was getting warnings about electrical drain and Euro Car Parts had a sale on last weekend, so picked up a replacement Bosch battery for £100.
Fitting was easy, the only thing that needed resetting was the clock - although the trip counter reset to zero.
I do have Carly to register the battery, but the replacement was the same type/amp hours so I don't know if it was really necessary.
It probably is if you change from lead acid to AGM or vice-versa.
Cheers, Dave

 

[Mr Tidy]

Whatever route you take (and I'd go AGM), register your battery our you'll risk reducing it's lifespan due to overcharging.

I'd avoid AGM at all costs if that is an option!

The AGM in my 123d didn't last 5 years, but the non AGM in my Z4C managed 10 years and the replacement cost less than half the price!

That doesn't seem to represent progress to me. :?

 

[Smartbear]

Whatever route you take (and I'd go AGM), register your battery our you'll risk reducing it's lifespan due to overcharging.

I'd avoid AGM at all costs if that is an option!

The AGM in my 123d didn't last 5 years, but the non AGM in my Z4C managed 10 years and the replacement cost less than half the price!

That doesn't seem to represent progress to me. :?

That may have been the stop/start tearing the guts out of the battery rather than the agm cell being useless to be fair? :?
Rob

 

[Mr Tidy]

That may have been the stop/start tearing the guts out of the battery rather than the agm cell being useless to be fair? :?

I'm sure it may have been, but isn't that why cars with stop/start got fitted with AGM batteries that were allegedly able to cope with that sort of usage? But they clearly can't! :lol:

Does it really matter which is the weak link anyway?

Stop/start and/or AGM batteries are best avoided wherever possible IME.

In fact stop/start is probably best avoided at all costs - my 123d also killed it's starter motor within 6 years. :headbang:

 

[Smartbear]

That may have been the stop/start tearing the guts out of the battery rather than the agm cell being useless to be fair? :?

I'm sure it may have been, but isn't that why cars with stop/start got fitted with AGM batteries that were allegedly able to cope with that sort of usage? But they clearly can't! :lol:

Does it really matter which is the weak link anyway?

Stop/start and/or AGM batteries are best avoided wherever possible IME.

In fact stop/start is probably best avoided at all costs - my 123d also killed it's starter motor within 6 years. :headbang:

I don’t mind stop/start if it’s coded out, leaving the alleged beefed up components to do a normal job instead should give them a long life!
Rob

 

[Mr Tidy]

I don’t mind stop/start if it’s coded out, leaving the alleged beefed up components to do a normal job instead should give them a long life!
Rob

Maybe, although I don't think the components are beefed-up - after all the warranty is only 3 years! :lol:

I'd still much prefer to buy a car that isn't built with stop/start - that way you don't need to replace things designed to just about outlast the warranty.

 

[BRC]

I've got stop/start on my other car and frankly I wish I could turn it off permanently, regretfully I have to do it each journey. This car is fitted with an AGM battery which I believe has to be fitted with s/s whereas my Z I have a normal battery and no s/s.
Point is if you have s/s then make sure you fit the right battery even if you can turn off s/s. Being the suspicious type I believe eventually the day will come when the MOT will decree if s/s is fitted it must work.

 

[Mr Tidy]

Being the suspicious type I believe eventually the day will come when the MOT will decree if s/s is fitted it must work.

Yes, being somewhat cynical myself I'm sure they'd love to!

But fortunately I'm not sure how they can tell.

It only operated on my 1 Series when it was up to normal temperature, didn't when the outside temperature was below a certain number and wouldn't when there was heavy electrical loading - there are probably other parameters I never noticed!

 

[warmasice]

Whatever route you take (and I'd go AGM), register your battery our you'll risk reducing it's lifespan due to overcharging.

I'd avoid AGM at all costs if that is an option!

The AGM in my 123d didn't last 5 years, but the non AGM in my Z4C managed 10 years and the replacement cost less than half the price!

That doesn't seem to represent progress to me. :?

Different cars. Different systems. Try a non AGM in a start stop car.. see how long it lasts :rofl: