Battery dying down

[ankrishn]

Hi all:

Have a 2000 BMW 323i with about 25k miles on it.

About a week ago after being out of town for 4-5 days, I tried starting my car but it would not. I assumed that the cellphone charger that I have it my car was responsible for draining the juice out during the days the car was not used. I therefore jump started it and it worked fine until today.

This morning I drove for about 20 mins to the nearby Home Depot, spent about 15 mins shopping and when I got back to my car - it would not start again. The lights were not left on and there was nothing visible that could have drained the battery. Once again jump starting it seems to have fix it.

Any clues on what the problem is. Is it just a sign that the battery needs checking or a more involved electrical problem.

Regards,
Anand

 

[Kirby]

Is it the original battery? Four years is approaching the end of life for some batteries, although I don't know about BMW batteries.

Have you been using the Air Conditioning? If so, the extra load will minimize the amount of charging that you'll get on a short trip.

I think it's a tired battery.

 

[Rubber Ducky]

Replace it right now!

Modern car batteries tend to fall off a cliff at the end of their life. You may get one or two more starts from it, but you probably are about at the end of the grace period between first warning and final failure. Get a new one.