New battery for E86 ?

[roblightbody]

Hi there.

Looking for an exact recommendation for a quality battery that will fit in our E86 please, from someone who's bought one relatively recently in the UK, if that's not too much to ask!

Thanks very much.

 

[Mr Tidy]

I bought an Exide 096 70Ah AGM battery in April 2021 from Tayna for £104.97.

I went with Exide because my Indy told me that's what BMW fitted (which makes sense as the cars were built in the USA) and went for AGM because it looked like a better option for a car that isn't always used too often.

 

[chanlon1]

Does it really matter if you fit an AGM battery or not? I thought they were only for cars with Start/Stop...yet mine has an AGM battery.

I've also heard that you shouldn't swap between AGM and non-AGM.

Can anyone advise?

thanks

 

[Mr Tidy]

I think you have to fit AGM batteries to cars with Stop/Start because there is a load of electronics monitoring battery condition and status so it can decide whether to stop.

Older cars like our E86s don't have all that electrickery so you can fit AGM or non-AGM without any problem.

I went with AGM after reading this:- https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=121108

 

[chanlon1]

Thanks, Took a read of that link and it appears some people have gone from AGM to non-AGM.
It definitely seems that the battery doesnt need coding which is a good thing.
Why is there so much choice....why can't there just be one battery ........

 

[Mr Tidy]

Definitely no need for coding on E85/86s, which has to be a good thing. I think the coding is only for cars with stop/start and all the additional electronics that they have.

I'm glad there is plenty of choice - it helps keep prices competitive. My 123d with Stop/Start needed a new AGM battery and coding in early 2013 and at an Indy it costs £250 - Sytner wanted £300.

But 2 years ago I got an AGM for my MC for £105 delivered.

 

[NeilP]

Have a Varta E39 for my e86 and it's perfect for the price. (Also have some additional electrical components, all of which the battery keeps powered happily)

Also does stay on a Ctek charger when not in use.

 

[roblightbody]

Thanks for the replies... too much choice!

It hadn't even occurred to me that EFB or AGM were an option on this car due to its age... but after your replies, I did see an article kn Exide's brochure that says EFB is an upgrade for conventional cars, but for AGM it says "Not unless specified by manufacturer".
Why would they say that, if its not an issue?
https://cdn.tayna.com/datasheets/EXIDE%20Light%20Vehicle%20Battery%20Brochure%202022.pdf

So at the moment I'm tempted to get an EFB one as a safe bet. The 096 thats in the car just now leaves a lot of space on the left hand side.

 

[pvr]

I bought an Exide 096 70Ah AGM battery in April 2021 from Tayna for £104.97.

I went with Exide because my Indy told me that's what BMW fitted (which makes sense as the cars were built in the USA) and went for AGM because it looked like a better option for a car that isn't always used too often.

That seems quite a bit smaller then oem, is that the case?

 

[roblightbody]

Hi all,

So I went with an 096 battery, which is now installed and working nicely, but there's a problem that I didn't see anyone mention on here on the other topics, so I'm wondering if I've missed something .... the battery can move side to side, and ever so slightly up and down too... I'm not very happy about this, as in my experience batteries are always solidly mounted and can't move at all. The left hand side clamp is onto the bottom lip of the battery, and the top clamp is screwed down as tight as it goes, but there's still that movement. You can just slide it to the right out of the left clamp. It looks to me like its only designed to have a wider battery than an 096. Or is there something missing on my car? Photo of the empty battery box, and the completed install.

Thanks!

 

[axelleveau]

Mine has the same "issue". Old one was able to move side to side and new one is 15mm shorter so can move up and down as well. For the side to side issue I have a tool pouch and tyre repair kit squeezes on each side and for the up and down I added a piece of hard foam between the clamp and top of the battery: job done! :driving:

I advise you plug the vent hose to the battery. Not sure how critical it is as I only plugged mine when I changed battery as well as the old one was missing the conenctor but it is supposed to be used

 

[raymond.harper]

From an old thread

 

[roblightbody]

Thanks for that, wish I'd found that before ordering...

If I am understanding correctly then, the relevant bit is that its a 110 spec battery that he bought which has the correct length to not slide about. Standard dimensions for a 110 battery are 317L x 175W x 175H

He then refers to a 115 spec battery as being perfect for the car, as its a bit higher. He makes it sound hard to get hold of this size, but Tayna (for example) have a wide selection -https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/types/115/ Dimensions are 315L x 175W x 190H

For reference the too-narrow 096 battery is 278L x 175W x 190H

If its correct that the 115 type battery is a near perfect fit and closest to the size that will have been supplied with the car when new, that would be a good thing to add to an FAQ somewhere?

Having learned all that now, I'm not going to change mine, I'll add some padding to make it secure, but it will irritate me until one day I swap it again...

 

[pvr]

Thanks for that info, I am battling with a battery under warranty issue (as the battery was bought in 2021 in Scotland, they (Exide) are telling me that I have to take it back there. If I wasn't going to be successful with that, I would have bought the wrong size (and potental MOT failure) as well.

 

[raymond.harper]

This is the full thread. https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=91090

 

[Scooba_Steve]

The first battery I got was a Varta E44 (in Feb 2015) to replace what was probably the original.

That lasted until March 2022 when I 'upgraded' to a Halfords AGM 115. I think it was about £ 10/20 more than a lead-acid smaller version. I obviously just took the plastic adapter out to go full size.

I am pretty sure 096 batteries were fitted as standard (except for a couple of options, hifi?), so if you're missing the adapter then someone has changed for bigger in the past.

 

[roblightbody]

That's the first I've heard about an adaptor... Could make sense that something's missing.

Is this what you mean?
https://www.onbuy.com/gb/bmw-z4-e85-battery-adapter-holder-piece-61216911025~c10890~p61158114/

 

[Scooba_Steve]

That's the first I've heard about an adaptor... Could make sense that something's missing.

Is this what you mean?
https://www.onbuy.com/gb/bmw-z4-e85-battery-adapter-holder-piece-61216911025~c10890~p61158114/

Yes, I am sure it's explained in on of the topics linked on previous pages. 3 different sizes possible. With no adapter then the 115 fits.

 

[Z4Mariner]

Thought I'd share about buying a new battery today for my E86 - shopping here in US. My choice was Interstate AGM 94R / H7 battery that fills the length of the battery compartment. Interstate is a 'premium brand' battery in the US - but my new battery was made in Germany.

The H7 is apparently same size factor as what is designated as 115 in UK / Europe (315mm X 175mm X 190mm). The 190mm height makes the cross-battery strap fit snuggly onto the battery top. To fit the H7 I needed to remove (but save for future use) my 'battery box adapter'.

With the battery box adapter in place, an H6 battery would have fit and been held down properly (278mm X 175mm X 190mm). The H7 is about five pounds (2.3kg) heavier than an H6, which in turn is about five pounds (2.3kg) heavier than an H5.

The old battery was an H5 aftermarket. It came in the car when I purchased it, and it was not as securely anchored as it ought to have been. I just made my car nearly ten pounds heavier . . . . but it starts !