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      12-24-2010, 12:31 PM   #80
Juiced46
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Drives: 03 Turbo Cobra, 2011 335xi
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Wallingford CT

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Quote:
Originally Posted by JPSlick View Post
I mean a battery is a battery is it not?

12 volt battery, similar cold cranking amps?

I still dont get how this happened?

Like physically what happens when you dont get a OEM BMW battery and have it "coded".

Excuse my ignorance but I think all of us still have this question.

Just trying to figure out what the registering/coding does.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suckr4Straight6s View Post

I'm sorry but this is so f***ing weak on BMW's part. Sabotaging your f***ing customers so that your dealerships can make more money? I've changed plenty of batteries in my lifetime in my E36's and my old E46. And never has any bulls**t like this happened from using an aftermarket battery.

I got the call this morning from the mechanic. He says its gonna be close to a thousand bucks to replace all of the damaged cables and parts in order to get the car running again.

BMW NA and BMW GmBh, **** you!
Why is this weak on BMWs part? They arent sabotaging their customers. Maybe some people need to read and understand on how their car operates before they go putting parts in their car that arent correct, and not following the proper procedures. Your E36 or E46 cars are TOTALLY different when it comes to the electronics of the vehicle, modules, etc. Your E36/46s did not have IBS cables and the computer system isnt as sophisticated as the E90 is. This is why BMW stresses to customers that you need to use an OEM battery and it MUST be registered.

When replacing the battery in a BMW with an IBS cable (which yours has) You need to register the new battery, to tell the DME that it now has a fresh battery with full capacity. Basically what happens is. The IBS cable monitors the battery, voltage, capacity, temp etc. Over time the battery will discharge ( it may still output correct voltage) but its capacity drains. When this happens the IBS cable tells the DME to tell the Alternator to slowly bump itself up do the battery is getting weaker, so it will charge it more so it can keep up. Now when you replace the battery, the new battery obviously has a full capacity. The IBS cable will not know right away that you have a new battery in it. So it can potentially OVERCHARGE the new battery for a brief period of time until it relearns which can potentially shorten the life of the new batt. The reason for registering is basically to tell the system it has a new battery, with full capacity and it doesnt need to be charged at a higher rate.

The battery that you installed, did it have the same exact specs as the OEM one?

I didnt read through this whole thread, so Im not sure if anyone posted this info yet. But dont go and blame BMW for this, this isnt their fault. You didnt take the proper steps to maintenance on your car, probably because you wanted to save money (nothing wrong with that) But you should have atleast done some research before hand. Now your issue may not happen to everyone that changes to an aftermarket battery and not registering, but its definitely possible. If that is even the reason the battery did fail. Like others have mentioned, improper venting, wrong battery type, etc etc. There is a reason why the manufacturers give you that little booklet.

Last edited by Juiced46; 12-24-2010 at 12:46 PM..
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