WTA: How can we know if the car battery is going to flat ?

[Anthony5785]

I am pondering, is there any method to detect battery running flat or early detection on battery failure ? usually we only know when we start the engine in the morning or in others location where such incident happen and could put ourself under a very pressurize circumstances. Normally i would check the DC voltage with a multimeter however i am not sure if the car would prompt early warning sign to the user for preventive maintenance. It would be great if any of you could share your experience.:listen:

 

[pussy]

there is few pointers...

1. loss of power, if you tell the diference;
2. longer cranking, not necsasary;
3. air-con weak;


lastly, there is the old 'gauge' sensor that you put in the battery holes, but unless you have MF, then no use;

or use the foreman's gauge machine that has the meter....

 

[Anthony5785]

1. loss of power, if you tell the diference;
Q: The power you mention is the car acceleration or?

2. longer cranking, not necsasary;
Thanks!!

3. air-con weak;
Thanks!!

 

[sewell]

Go to the nearest battery shop.

now the have the machine to tell you what is the status of your battery.

overall status, eg, state of charge, state of health. alll come in percentage.

Eneos car centre ( 1Utama, Kepong Metro Prima, Klang Bukit Tinggi) has the machine to tell.

 

[E60lci]

I hv just replaced the battery last 2 days, the symptom I observed before:

1. The clock time changed by itself, I think when the battery is weak during starting the engine, the voltage goes quite low and the clock to reset. This happen 3 weeks before.

2. The adaptive steering initialization alarm taking too long after engine started, it will reset after 30 sec. I think the battery is just too low for the system after engine got started, and will only reset when the battery is charged and the alternator provide enough supply to the system

3. When I send the car to AB, the first question he ask was "is there any change in time?" and i say "yes". He just it may be weak battery. Later confirm that the battery is rather weak with only running at 12.5 volt.

4. The car runs fine without any fault after the battery been replaced, of course it burn my pocket also ...... but I'm hepy she is good health now...

 

[thule]

I noticed that the amber light in my E60's speedometer is not as bright as before. The sound of engine ignition is different from usual.. Lembik! Believe me, when u start your car everyday then u will know the difference :top:
I checked back my service record and realized that the last time I changed my car's battery was back in late 2008!!! It has truly served me well and I have to change it :4: btw, I'm not using original BMW battery but aftermarket one.

 

[louiswaw]

4. The car runs fine without any fault after the battery been replaced, of course it burn my pocket also ...... but I'm hepy she is good health now...

How must the original battery cost u?? i think mine is abt to change very soon..

 

[E60lci]

The original battery from AB will cost abt RM1.4k inclusive of dianossis and resetting. I think the aftermarket battery may cost half of that, but the battery was made from a different material and the life span also may diff. slightly

 

[YK9]

My battery in my E46 recently died and no signs of warning prior to that....the best is to get the battery shop to test it out

 

[choq]

Replaced mine@e90 last 2 weeks after noticed longer cranking time and checked by mechanic...bosh s4 din 100 for rm440

 

[thule]

Finally changed my car battery after it finally kong-Ed on me one beautiful morning.
Ordered for one unit of Century DIN100 at RM480 :4: wanted to ask someone to change for me but since my car wouldn't start, had to DIY! Hey.. What do I know? It's quite simple to change the battery myself :top: all you need is screwdriver and spanner.

 

[Jerman]

Finally changed my car battery after it finally kong-Ed on me one beautiful morning.
Ordered for one unit of Century DIN100 at RM480 :4: wanted to ask someone to change for me but since my car wouldn't start, had to DIY! Hey.. What do I know? It's quite simple to change the battery myself :top: all you need is screwdriver and spanner.

Thanks for sharing. No need resetting or whatever? No "X'mas lights" from the meter cluster?

 

[desbimmer]

It's usually advisable to have another battery 'powering' up the car when you change the battery as advised by my mech. That way your electrical stuff in the car won't get 'confused' ekekke....

 

[thule]

Nope.. Because the last time my mech changed my battery, nothing popped out from the meter cluster. So this time I decided to change myself. The only thing that need to be set is the date/time :4:

 

[Anthony5785]

Thanks !! for the info, i think i have a better idea. Since the car power will be total off after 45 min, if we change after the 45 min, then it would not effect any electrical item.

Is any battery will do ? i think i am going to change it very soon.

 

[thule]

Bro Anthony5785,
My previous battery was also Century :top: of course, most will tell you it's best to use back original BMW oem battery but the Century lasted me for 3 years (maybe I'm just lucky coz normally it's 2 to 2.5 years) :top:
That's why this time I have decided to use back century.

 

[Anthony5785]

What I mean is, is BMW battery diffrent from others? I mean the size ..let say can we put Honda civic battery into BMW? I see the dimension is almost the same... Any way I haven't touch it yet

 

[Apiz]

What I mean is, is BMW battery diffrent from others? I mean the size ..let say can we put Honda civic battery into BMW? I see the dimension is almost the same... Any way I haven't touch it yet

check the size of the bateri ...

 

[Anthony5785]

Tomorrow, I will do it, all my tolls still in office... No $$ so have to study on the job and DIY ...

 

[thule]

E60 battery size - DIN100 :4: the biggest size (for sedan car) out there!
Since this size is rather odd, not many shops sell it so do some research first