First time BMW owner and maybe the last! How much does a 2000 323i have to be driven to recharge the battery? I have had my car in the shop 7 times in the last year because it wouldn't start. Nothing is being left on to run down the battery. I am compulsive about the shutdown sequence each time I turn off the car. It usually happens on a day where the morning is warm and then it gets cold later in the day. It's only 3 miles to work and I'm being told that unless I drive it 30-40 minutes per day at highway speeds the battery won't recharge! I'm not going to move 40 miles away just to charge the battery! Nothing was said when I purchased the vehicle about how much you have to drive it. I am highly frustrated and tired of not knowing if my car is going to start! Has anyone had, or heard of a similar problem? I've had it towed to two different dealerships to see if the machines will tell them what's happening, but they say that they can't find anything. Meanwhile, I have to carry a pair of jumper cables around in a $30k car and get jumps from other models that don't seem to have this problem! Any suggestions or ideas? At this point I'll try most anything!
323i Battery Recharging
- Thread starter exokie
- Start date
Two different dealerships have each kept it for 10 days at a time and they both said that they hooked it up to the machines every day and could find nothing wrong. It worked fine from late March of this year until the day after Thanksgiving, which was a day that started out warm and then turned cold. The driving habits were no different during that time, but once it started to happen again, it's happened 4 times.
Sorry to hear about your problems. 3 miles to work is nothing, you have to drive it for at least 30 minutes straight for the battery to fully charge. Also, in cold weather, you lose 1/3 of your battery power plus the car draws more energy when it is just sitting there, off (in the cold).
Do you ever drive anywhere else during the week??
Do you ever drive anywhere else during the week??
That's sort of a tough situation. If you do nothing but 3 miles twice a day, 5 days a week; then park that car on weekends and do it all over again the next Monday, in cold weather that's a drill that most cars would have a problem with after a period of time, just like MrE says.
I had a thought -- if you're like me, then maybe you have another car in the fleet that you drive on the weekends. Maybe something larger to accomodate the family better? You don't have to drive 40 minutes every day to keep a charge on the battery, but if you get in one good 40 minute trip a week, and your electrical system is up to snuff, I would think that would hold you over until the next weekend. Or if you have another family member with a longer drive, let them take your car once a week.
Did you have the same routine (ono drive time other than a short weekday commute) with your previous car? What was it, and how long did the battery last in it?
-b.
I had a thought -- if you're like me, then maybe you have another car in the fleet that you drive on the weekends. Maybe something larger to accomodate the family better? You don't have to drive 40 minutes every day to keep a charge on the battery, but if you get in one good 40 minute trip a week, and your electrical system is up to snuff, I would think that would hold you over until the next weekend. Or if you have another family member with a longer drive, let them take your car once a week.
Did you have the same routine (ono drive time other than a short weekday commute) with your previous car? What was it, and how long did the battery last in it?
-b.
I am agreeing with the above posts, and wonder if you have had the problem with any other cars with the same driving habits. Seems to me all cars would have this problem for that short amount of charge time. Battery output capacity goes down when the battery is cold so it makes sense that you are having this show up at this time of the year.
One suggestion is to use a battery maintainer. It is a small automatic charger that mounts inside the car. You would just need to plug it into 120v each night. I have an Exide unit I use on my motorcycle battery in the winter. Couldn't find an Exide link, but here are links to other brands. A friend of mine has the Deltran and likes it.
http://www.batterymart.com/battery.mv?p=DEL-022-0157-1
http://www.texastparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TTP&Product_Code=A5164-12
One suggestion is to use a battery maintainer. It is a small automatic charger that mounts inside the car. You would just need to plug it into 120v each night. I have an Exide unit I use on my motorcycle battery in the winter. Couldn't find an Exide link, but here are links to other brands. A friend of mine has the Deltran and likes it.
http://www.batterymart.com/battery.mv?p=DEL-022-0157-1
http://www.texastparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TTP&Product_Code=A5164-12
okay, don't hit me, but are you sure they changed the battery?
I drive 1.5 miles to work Monday - Friday, haven't had any problems yet.
Is your flashlight in the glove box loose?
Is your serpentine belt tight? If it's loose, there is NO charging happening.
I would buy a cheap voltmeter and see it there is a drain on the battey when its shut down.
You could buy a battery disconnect at a marine store and install it under the hood by the battery connection post. Then disconnect when shut down at night, after reconnecting in the morning and the car starts, you know you have a drain.
(you asked for ideas, hope one of them might help)..
I agree with Kirby for the mean time![[thumb]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_thumb.gif "Thumbs Up [thumb]")
. Thats a quick cheap fix that would ensure the battery gets a good full charge every night.
I drive 1.5 miles to work Monday - Friday, haven't had any problems yet.
Is your flashlight in the glove box loose?
Is your serpentine belt tight? If it's loose, there is NO charging happening.
I would buy a cheap voltmeter and see it there is a drain on the battey when its shut down.
You could buy a battery disconnect at a marine store and install it under the hood by the battery connection post. Then disconnect when shut down at night, after reconnecting in the morning and the car starts, you know you have a drain.
(you asked for ideas, hope one of them might help)..
I agree with Kirby for the mean time
. Thats a quick cheap fix that would ensure the battery gets a good full charge every night.