640d battery drain when stationary message?
Discussion
Hi,
When I don't use my 640 for a couple of days (usually over a weekend) I get a message when I come back to it:
I have check the battery is charged with a ctek charger, all ok. It starts ok etc. anyone had this? Assume some component has a fault but nothing had shown up at the main stealer diagnostic check?
Help!
When I don't use my 640 for a couple of days (usually over a weekend) I get a message when I come back to it:
I have check the battery is charged with a ctek charger, all ok. It starts ok etc. anyone had this? Assume some component has a fault but nothing had shown up at the main stealer diagnostic check?
Help!
This shows that the battery charge is low and therefore the car has started shutting down systems to conserve power.
You probably need a new battery which will then need coding to the car.
This is also very common on cars used for slow or short journeys where the alternator does not charge the battery.
Your "driver profile" is probably wrong!!!
You probably need a new battery which will then need coding to the car.
This is also very common on cars used for slow or short journeys where the alternator does not charge the battery.
Your "driver profile" is probably wrong!!!
8Tech said:
This shows that the battery charge is low and therefore the car has started shutting down systems to conserve power.
You probably need a new battery which will then need coding to the car.
This is also very common on cars used for slow or short journeys where the alternator does not charge the battery.
You probably need a new battery which will then need coding to the car.
This is also very common on cars used for slow or short journeys where the alternator does not charge the battery.
8Tech said:
This shows that the battery charge is low and therefore the car has started shutting down systems to conserve power.
You probably need a new battery which will then need coding to the car.
This is also very common on cars used for slow or short journeys where the alternator does not charge the battery.
Your "driver profile" is probably wrong!!!
Thanks! You probably need a new battery which will then need coding to the car.
This is also very common on cars used for slow or short journeys where the alternator does not charge the battery.
Your "driver profile" is probably wrong!!!
The car is my daily s
tter used for a daily round trip commute of a 180miles (95% motorway) so pretty sure it's not a slow/short journey issue 
When the stealer checked the battery they said it showed 40% charge so could be battery?
Edited by chillo on Tuesday 3rd March 11:23
chillo said:
Thanks!
The car is my daily stter used for a daily round trip commute of a 180miles (95% motorway) so pretty sure it's not a slow/short journey issue
When the stealer checked the battery they said it showed 40% charge so could be battery?
Not worth pissing about with batteries on this late tech they count on it heavily The car is my daily s
tter used for a daily round trip commute of a 180miles (95% motorway) so pretty sure it's not a slow/short journey issue When the stealer checked the battery they said it showed 40% charge so could be battery?
Edited by chillo on Tuesday 3rd March 11:23
It's all down to emissions and green specs.
There was a little bit of a fuss a while ago when someone was complaining that cars on the NEDC test (the standard mpg rating test) had their batteries fully charged just before starting.
To save on power and lost energy, the car will keep a close eye on the alternator and avoid charging the battery if it doesn't need it. This adds in battery monitors which need to watch and measure exactly how the battery charges and discharges, and how that changes as the battery gets old.
Change the battery, and you need to tell the IBS battery monitor that there is a different one fitted and start again.
There was a little bit of a fuss a while ago when someone was complaining that cars on the NEDC test (the standard mpg rating test) had their batteries fully charged just before starting.
To save on power and lost energy, the car will keep a close eye on the alternator and avoid charging the battery if it doesn't need it. This adds in battery monitors which need to watch and measure exactly how the battery charges and discharges, and how that changes as the battery gets old.
Change the battery, and you need to tell the IBS battery monitor that there is a different one fitted and start again.
TheEnd said:
It's all down to emissions and green specs.
There was a little bit of a fuss a while ago when someone was complaining that cars on the NEDC test (the standard mpg rating test) had their batteries fully charged just before starting.
To save on power and lost energy, the car will keep a close eye on the alternator and avoid charging the battery if it doesn't need it. This adds in battery monitors which need to watch and measure exactly how the battery charges and discharges, and how that changes as the battery gets old.
Change the battery, and you need to tell the IBS battery monitor that there is a different one fitted and start again.
That's a pretty good reason! Thanks for explaining.There was a little bit of a fuss a while ago when someone was complaining that cars on the NEDC test (the standard mpg rating test) had their batteries fully charged just before starting.
To save on power and lost energy, the car will keep a close eye on the alternator and avoid charging the battery if it doesn't need it. This adds in battery monitors which need to watch and measure exactly how the battery charges and discharges, and how that changes as the battery gets old.
Change the battery, and you need to tell the IBS battery monitor that there is a different one fitted and start again.
(Although I suppose they could have engineered the system to know/learn when a new battery has been fitted, without requiring recoding.)
Funnily enough mine had an issue like this while with the dealer only last week. They said it was down to 30% and they charged it. I do 24k a year so it's not down to lack of use. I also coded the stop start to default to off as I'm not happy with the combination of it and the auto handbrake. I put it down to a one off gremlin that might never reoccur or the dealer leaving the lights on.
It is also not unheard of for the car to break down with a flat battery when stuck in traffic. This is due to the alternator shutting off to improve economy and only charging above a fixed speed.
Why the hell it's so difficult to get the alternator to switch back on at a certain low voltage I do not know.
BMW do NOT consider this as a fault, they will "download" your driving habits from the cars memory and tell you your "driver profile" is the cause of the failure, and you should not be driving a large car in slow traffic.
Happened to someone I know who used a 530d for the 7 mile trip to work in traffic, he was OFFICIALLY told he was to blame for breaking down, WHILST DRIVING, with a flat battery, 3 times in an 18 month old car.
He returned it to the Lease company and got an Audi A6 instead, actually 2 of them once he say how much better they were for his company.
As far as I am concerned, it is bad design and presumptuous for BMW to tell buyers what car they should have.
Why the hell it's so difficult to get the alternator to switch back on at a certain low voltage I do not know.
BMW do NOT consider this as a fault, they will "download" your driving habits from the cars memory and tell you your "driver profile" is the cause of the failure, and you should not be driving a large car in slow traffic.
Happened to someone I know who used a 530d for the 7 mile trip to work in traffic, he was OFFICIALLY told he was to blame for breaking down, WHILST DRIVING, with a flat battery, 3 times in an 18 month old car.
He returned it to the Lease company and got an Audi A6 instead, actually 2 of them once he say how much better they were for his company.
As far as I am concerned, it is bad design and presumptuous for BMW to tell buyers what car they should have.
BMW now supply battery chargers SPECIFICALLY for this reason. Sorry for US listing, I was in a hurry!
http://www.bimmerzone.com/BMW_Accessories_Battery_...
http://www.bimmerzone.com/BMW_Accessories_Battery_...
My 640d is under 10 months old and the battery suddenly dropped dead last night when I came to the car after work!!! Disappointed and annoyed after a long days work!!! ( In the morning when I was driving in to work, the car was perfectly fine and and showed no sign of any problem with the battery; everything including the start stop working very well!)
I do short journeys during the week, but do long runs on weekends though!
BMW send their technician across with the diagnostic kit, which took ages to diagnose the problem which appeared very obvious to me. After about an hour of the diagnostics, their computer said that the past 23 times after my car's engine was switched of, there was no drain of power from the battery. That to me suggested that the battery was dead. (The voltage on the battery read 8V instead of 12V! But, the technician wanted to run the engine for about 30 min (after jump starting) to check whether the battery would charge up!!! No joy; and then he picked up a battery from a nearby dealer to replace it under warranty. The new battery started working straight away. However, coding was done on his computer. I believe this is done mainly for warranty purposes. Any battery which has the same Ah rating and dimensions should work without any problems!
After changing the battery, the tech did 'teach' the car the travel of the front windows (not back windows... strange!). This was done by winding the window down and then keeping the switch pulled up to wind the window all the way uo and keeping it pulled up for 2 secs and then winding the window down by keeping the switch pushed down and keeping it pushed down for 2 sec after it wound down fully. Apparently, this has to be done after a battery change, so that the car will drop the window that little bit when you open the frameless windows!!!
Everything worked as it should with the new battery, relieved!! Phew!!
Having said that, I am not impressed with the VARTA batteries which BMW use as standard equipment these days! A car with a list price of £73000 with a substandard battery!
I do short journeys during the week, but do long runs on weekends though!
BMW send their technician across with the diagnostic kit, which took ages to diagnose the problem which appeared very obvious to me. After about an hour of the diagnostics, their computer said that the past 23 times after my car's engine was switched of, there was no drain of power from the battery. That to me suggested that the battery was dead. (The voltage on the battery read 8V instead of 12V! But, the technician wanted to run the engine for about 30 min (after jump starting) to check whether the battery would charge up!!! No joy; and then he picked up a battery from a nearby dealer to replace it under warranty. The new battery started working straight away. However, coding was done on his computer. I believe this is done mainly for warranty purposes. Any battery which has the same Ah rating and dimensions should work without any problems!
After changing the battery, the tech did 'teach' the car the travel of the front windows (not back windows... strange!). This was done by winding the window down and then keeping the switch pulled up to wind the window all the way uo and keeping it pulled up for 2 secs and then winding the window down by keeping the switch pushed down and keeping it pushed down for 2 sec after it wound down fully. Apparently, this has to be done after a battery change, so that the car will drop the window that little bit when you open the frameless windows!!!
Everything worked as it should with the new battery, relieved!! Phew!!
Having said that, I am not impressed with the VARTA batteries which BMW use as standard equipment these days! A car with a list price of £73000 with a substandard battery!
GSudhir said:
My 640d is under 10 months old and the battery suddenly dropped dead last night when I came to the car after work!!! Disappointed and annoyed after a long days work!!! ( In the morning when I was driving in to work, the car was perfectly fine and and showed no sign of any problem with the battery; everything including the start stop working very well!)
I do short journeys during the week, but do long runs on weekends though!
BMW send their technician across with the diagnostic kit, which took ages to diagnose the problem which appeared very obvious to me. After about an hour of the diagnostics, their computer said that the past 23 times after my car's engine was switched of, there was no drain of power from the battery. That to me suggested that the battery was dead. (The voltage on the battery read 8V instead of 12V! But, the technician wanted to run the engine for about 30 min (after jump starting) to check whether the battery would charge up!!! No joy; and then he picked up a battery from a nearby dealer to replace it under warranty. The new battery started working straight away. However, coding was done on his computer. I believe this is done mainly for warranty purposes. Any battery which has the same Ah rating and dimensions should work without any problems!
After changing the battery, the tech did 'teach' the car the travel of the front windows (not back windows... strange!). This was done by winding the window down and then keeping the switch pulled up to wind the window all the way uo and keeping it pulled up for 2 secs and then winding the window down by keeping the switch pushed down and keeping it pushed down for 2 sec after it wound down fully. Apparently, this has to be done after a battery change, so that the car will drop the window that little bit when you open the frameless windows!!!
Everything worked as it should with the new battery, relieved!! Phew!!
Having said that, I am not impressed with the VARTA batteries which BMW use as standard equipment these days! A car with a list price of £73000 with a substandard battery!
Parts can be faulty after manufacture even after 10 months of service its just one of those things I do short journeys during the week, but do long runs on weekends though!
BMW send their technician across with the diagnostic kit, which took ages to diagnose the problem which appeared very obvious to me. After about an hour of the diagnostics, their computer said that the past 23 times after my car's engine was switched of, there was no drain of power from the battery. That to me suggested that the battery was dead. (The voltage on the battery read 8V instead of 12V! But, the technician wanted to run the engine for about 30 min (after jump starting) to check whether the battery would charge up!!! No joy; and then he picked up a battery from a nearby dealer to replace it under warranty. The new battery started working straight away. However, coding was done on his computer. I believe this is done mainly for warranty purposes. Any battery which has the same Ah rating and dimensions should work without any problems!
After changing the battery, the tech did 'teach' the car the travel of the front windows (not back windows... strange!). This was done by winding the window down and then keeping the switch pulled up to wind the window all the way uo and keeping it pulled up for 2 secs and then winding the window down by keeping the switch pushed down and keeping it pushed down for 2 sec after it wound down fully. Apparently, this has to be done after a battery change, so that the car will drop the window that little bit when you open the frameless windows!!!
Everything worked as it should with the new battery, relieved!! Phew!!
Having said that, I am not impressed with the VARTA batteries which BMW use as standard equipment these days! A car with a list price of £73000 with a substandard battery!
Varta are an excellent brand Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff