RANT:My Love and Hate of German cars.

[rlmccarty2000]

All you need to program a BMW battery is a elm327 and Carley for BMW . $50 dollars later you can program your battery. It takes about 3 minutes. It`s not the big deal it`s made out to be. Been there and done it.

Carly has figured out a way to make you use their high priced OBDII port adapter. I bought one of the cheap ones first but the app would not recognize it. Also now Carly is a yearly subscription instead of a one time purchase. I’ll probably drop the subscription and get a tool that works similarly for $150 on Amazon.

 

[TheMeanGreen]

All you need to program a BMW battery is a elm327 and Carley for BMW . $50 dollars later you can program your battery. It takes about 3 minutes. It`s not the big deal it`s made out to be. Been there and done it.

Be careful with leaving the elm327 in the obd port for extended periods of time (overnight). There have been reports of the elm327 killing ECU’s (DME’s). I don’t remember all the makes but since I do have a 2nd gen GS300, I remember that the elm327 has killed a few of the ECU’s in the late 90’s/ early 2000’s Lexus. Disclaimer: The capacitors (problem becomes gradual) in these ECU’s are famous for leaking, however there have been a few reports of fried ECU’s that have had the elm327 connected to them.

 

[rlmccarty2000]

Be careful with leaving the elm327 in the obd port for extended periods of time (overnight). There have been reports of the elm327 killing ECU’s (DME’s). I don’t remember all the makes but since I do have a 2nd gen GS300, I remember that the elm327 has killed a few of the ECU’s in the late 90’s/ early 2000’s Lexus. Disclaimer: The capacitors (problem becomes gradual) in these ECU’s are famous for leaking, however there have been a few reports of fried ECU’s that have had the elm327 connected to them.

What exactly does an elm327 do besides communicate with the ECU? I understand it will slowly drain the battery, but without an input can it affect the ECU? Is an elm327 basically the same thing as the Progressive Insurance device that connects to the OBDII port to spy on your driving habits? I’m just trying to figure out the technology. Cars now be complicated, lol.

 

[Desertnate]

I recently went through the hassle of “registering” the battery in my BMW. I decided to do it myself instead of paying the dealership $150 for 5 minutes of work. I bought the Carly app and OBDII device and it was very easy. I also used the app to code my BMW to do a few neat tricks. Well worth the money.

I`m looking to get back into BMW ownership in a year or two and from everthing I`ve been reading I think Carly should be a mandatory item when buying one. Battery registration is a huge benefit, but the ability to do all the simple coding changing on your own without having to deal with a dealership is amazing. First thing I`ll do is code off the fake engine noise being pumped into the cabin.

The batteries I have and have been doing ok with actually come from AutoZone. All three of my cars are running them I have my mobile mechanic install them and take away the old ones.

As long as you don`t go bottom basement model, most of the batteries are pretty good. If I remember correctly there are only three or four battery makers in the US and they make just about everything you find in stores and dealership parts departments. One thing which shocked me (no pun intended) when the factory battery on my VW went out last year, was the dealer parts department was CHEAPER than the parts store for the same spec battery. A friend of mine who works at the dealership service department was shocked when he talked to me as I headed for the parts desk.

While we`re talking about dead batteries, anyone seen a VW Golf/GTI with a failed battery? The dash lights up like a Christmas tree, radio does odd things, strange error messages on the center display, exterior lights come on all by them selves, the whole works. Not only that, but each time you turn the key DIFFERENT THINGS HAPPEN! I was thinking catastrophic ECU failure until speaking with a friend at my local VW dealership (mentioned above).

 

[Swanicyouth]

Sigh.

Old batteries build sulphation up on the plates which slows their ability to reabsorb a charge, so as a battery ages it requires a more aggressive charge rate. When you replace the battery but don’t let the car know, it’s the same concept as having a battery on a fast charge when it should be on a trickle charger.

Make sense?

Then how did batteries survive on cars before all this nonsense? My factory battery in my 08 BMW M Roadster lasted 8 years - this car is pre battery registration software.

IMHO it`s technology for technology`s sake & it`s garbage. It`s clinically insignificant - if it all works perfectly - your battery may last 1 extra nanosecond. And... why would BMW care/want batteries to last longer anyway?

 

[Nizmo]

While we`re talking about dead batteries, anyone seen a VW Golf/GTI with a failed battery? The dash lights up like a Christmas tree, radio does odd things, strange error messages on the center display, exterior lights come on all by them selves, the whole works. Not only that, but each time you turn the key DIFFERENT THINGS HAPPEN! I was thinking catastrophic ECU failure until speaking with a friend at my local VW dealership (mentioned above).

Hmm, how did I not see this before. While I haven`t seen a battery failure on my GTI (*knock on wood*), I did have to replace mine on my 08 Jetta. It never did act strange or anything, it just cranked slow. Now when I replaced my battery the dash was lit up like a Christmas tree until a couple miles down the road.

 

[Dan]

Then how did batteries survive on cars before all this nonsense? My factory battery in my 08 BMW M Roadster lasted 8 years - this car is pre battery registration software.

IMHO it`s technology for technology`s sake & it`s garbage. It`s clinically insignificant - if it all works perfectly - your battery may last 1 extra nanosecond. And... why would BMW care/want batteries to last longer anyway?

If it was just for technology`s sake they could put in a method for the owner to reset it like tpms or the oil change indicator.

 

[Oneheadlite]

Then how did batteries survive on cars before all this nonsense? My factory battery in my 08 BMW M Roadster lasted 8 years - this car is pre battery registration software.

IMHO it`s technology for technology`s sake & it`s garbage. It`s clinically insignificant - if it all works perfectly - your battery may last 1 extra nanosecond. And... why would BMW care/want batteries to last longer anyway?

It`s a different generation of cars. The level of technology (thus, power consumers) has increased dramatically.

Your M Roadster is similar to the Corvette mentioned earlier - electrically it`s a very simple car. Guessing that Corvette was a C5, it had a 110 amp alternator. Your M had a 150 amp (Previous bodystyle M roadster with that engine had a 120 amp). Move forward to a basic `10 328i, you`re up to 180 amp. A `11 550i has a 230 amp. `16 750 has a 250 amp to keep up with all the stuff on board (Even a new 228i has a 210 amp). With the high output of these alternators and huge amount of consumers comes the need for better power regulation. Plus everything they do to try and maximize fuel economy every way they can think of.

Is it absolutely necessary? Who knows. I don`t have exposure to know what the domestic or asian brands are doing on their modern cars to know what their procedures are or how long the batteries are lasting. I can tell you that the average lifespan of the original battery on the cars I see does tend to be in the 6-8 year range on cars that see more than a couple miles per trip (yes, the cars can tell the technician that too).

I get where it seems like a racket, but I also get the logic behind the system with battery registration. Who knows, maybe I just accept it too blindly since I`ve been to factory training on the subject.

 

[Bill D]

I bet in climates like Florida’s, battery life is less than 6-8 years. I’m surprised I’ve been seeing 4-5. If you do a lot of driving here, tires don’t last terribly long either. A lot of it has to do with the composition of the roads here.

 

[Coleroad]

It`s a different generation of cars. The level of technology (thus, power consumers) has increased dramatically.

Your M Roadster is similar to the Corvette mentioned earlier - electrically it`s a very simple car. Guessing that Corvette was a C5, it had a 110 amp alternator. Your M had a 150 amp (Previous bodystyle M roadster with that engine had a 120 amp). Move forward to a basic `10 328i, you`re up to 180 amp. A `11 550i has a 230 amp. `16 750 has a 250 amp to keep up with all the stuff on board (Even a new 228i has a 210 amp). With the high output of these alternators and huge amount of consumers comes the need for better power regulation. Plus everything they do to try and maximize fuel economy every way they can think of.

Is it absolutely necessary? Who knows. I don`t have exposure to know what the domestic or asian brands are doing on their modern cars to know what their procedures are or how long the batteries are lasting. I can tell you that the average lifespan of the original battery on the cars I see does tend to be in the 6-8 year range on cars that see more than a couple miles per trip (yes, the cars can tell the technician that too).

I get where it seems like a racket, but I also get the logic behind the system with battery registration. Who knows, maybe I just accept it too blindly since I`ve been to factory training on the subject.

While im indifferent about battery registration. I think the remote trunk mounted has more to do with the long battery life. Not having the extra heat from the engine seems to make a big difference. My first experience with this was my 70 mgb. I never had to change the battery in five years I owned it. The jag I`ve had for six years and haven`t changed the battery, and I`m not sure how old that battery is. I`ve never checked too see. The camaro battery is now six years old. The BMW battery was almost nine years old before the car burned. What all these cars have in common are remote mounted batteries, and they all had long lives. I haven`t gone over five years on a battery when mounted under hood. The Lexus sc430 being the worst. I was replacing it about every two years.

So im not really convinced that the battery registration helps that much.

edit: the jag and BMW spent three of those years in Houston.

 

[Oneheadlite]

I bet in climates like Florida’s, battery life is less than 6-8 years. I’m surprised I’ve been seeing 4-5. If you do a lot of driving here, tires don’t last terribly long either. A lot of it has to do with the composition of the roads here.

Very true. When I worked at a battery store as a teen they explained it as "The heat kills the batteries, it`s just the cold that makes you realize it"

 

[Desertnate]

Hmm, how did I not see this before. While I haven`t seen a battery failure on my GTI (*knock on wood*), I did have to replace mine on my 08 Jetta. It never did act strange or anything, it just cranked slow. Now when I replaced my battery the dash was lit up like a Christmas tree until a couple miles down the road.

My GTI is a 2014 Mk6. The battery never showed any sign of failure like a slow crank until it simply failed without warning...when I needed to go to work. The battery was four years old, so the failure was not too suprising based on the age. When I called my service advisor friend to determine what was going on and figure out my next steps, he simply chuckled and told me the battery was dead. After replacing the battery myself, I sheepishly called him back and thanked him for his spot-on diagnosis. While it freaked me out, it`s apperenty quite common...for a Mk6 at least.

 

[Bill D]

All of my batteries failed without warning too. I wish there was some kind of app that would help forecast their inevitable doom.

 

[Accumulator]

My GTI is a 2014 Mk6. The battery never showed any sign of failure like a slow crank until it simply failed without warning...when I needed to go to work.The battery was four years old, so the failure was not too suprising based on the age....

Gee, batteries only last that long in, uhm...modern cars?

 

[Bill D]

Unfortunately.

 

[Accumulator]

Shudder... [Accumulator reaffirms his refusal to update his vehicles]

 

[Desertnate]

Sadly it`s true. I would scratch it up to the batteries and not the cars. I`ve only been a car owner for 20+ years, but it seems batteries only average 5 years over that time. That`s enough cars in enough different states (and countries) to think it`s more the battery and not any one specific vehicle. When I hit 6 years on a battery I start getting really nervous in the winter. It won`t replace them early, but start really watching the crank speed when the engine is really cold.

 

[jatleson]

I`m going through the German car pain as I type. My 2010 335 xDrive is at 90,000 miles. Time for some serious maintenance. About $2000 in parts and labor for needed repairs at my indy shop (and about a 1000 in additional go fast goodies) are about to be installed.

If I was shopping for a new car...I would probably go American. BUT, there is nothing new on the road that drives like the older german cars. To me, all the new 3 series, C classes, a4`s feel the same as a Camry or Accord. I`m sure Porsche`s or the new Alfa`s are nice, but they are pricey. My e90 feels more solid, drives better and once all the repairs and goodies are installed, will keep up with any of them. The switch from hydraulic to electric steering completely changed the characteristics of a car. We won`t discuss the availability of manual transmissions.

Having to spend 3,000 - 4,000 for major repairs once every 2 - 3 years and keeping up with regular maintenance is less than having car payments on a new entry level European car. To get my daily driver today would be a 50k+ BMW.

If cars aren`t important to you...it is hard to justify spending anything more than a car payment a month, and there is nothing wrong with that. I (like most of us here) like cars, and I`m willing to pay to keep them properly maintained and running. They don`t make them like they used too.

It is the new year - let`s revisit this. Since posting back in late 2017 - a new player has stepped to the plate - The Hyundai Motor Group. The Genesis G70 and Kia Stinger are legitimate German car competitors. Not quite as polished around the edges, but that will change as they evolve the generations. It is to the point where I can`t justify putting money in the 3 series. Still love the car, but when little things start going, it drives me crazy. None of the little things impact reliability or performance, but they put that question in the back of the mind - what is next? If I do have a change of heart and keep - I`ll be planning to pay for clutch, turbos and while it is being torn apart door lock actuators. Grand total for all that is starting at $6500 (price varies based on which parts are used).

The Korean cars have like drive train technology (twin turbo 6`s, rear wheel drive architecture, AWD option, 8 speed trns, some have 3 pedals), are built solid, feel solid on the road, and offer significant savings. On top of that the warranty is tough to beat. Having a nice, sporty, powerful car is a luxury. One way or the other you are going to pay. Question is do you want large, likely unplanned lump sum cash outages or planned monthly small cash outages with the large unplanned covered under warranty? Brain vs. Heart - Logic vs. Love. Happy New Year everybody.

 

[Nizmo]

Sadly it`s true. I would scratch it up to the batteries and not the cars. I`ve only been a car owner for 20+ years, but it seems batteries only average 5 years over that time. That`s enough cars in enough different states (and countries) to think it`s more the battery and not any one specific vehicle. When I hit 6 years on a battery I start getting really nervous in the winter. It won`t replace them early, but start really watching the crank speed when the engine is really cold.

I have a low amp charger/maintainer that I like to put on my car after its been sitting for a week. It will usually show 60%-70% and charge it to "100%" after a couple hours. Will this make the battery last longer, who knows, but it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside (or was it the bourbon, eh, who knows...).

 

[mobiledynamics]

personally even with batteries at 100 SOC consistently IMO, lead acid just doesn`t last these days. Just replaced a 38 month old battery.
eh, maybe it`s just due to the lead getting recycled after recycled, after recycled.

LOL. All this plugging in of chargers. It`s just getting us all ready for tesla`s with the practice of plugging it in