UK BMW i3 -12 volt battery replacement. What to buy, how to remove and battery registration
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- čas přidán 9. 07. 2024
- There are loads of US videos about replacing your BMW's 12 volt battery, not so many for the UK. There are some not so subtle differences (like the battery is on the other side of the engine bay!).
This is the link to the very good US video that I refer to;
• How To Replace The 12V...
Once you watch this video, it's fairly easy to do a UK vehicle.
I used an Exide battery that necessitated some trimming of the battery terminals. A better option is to get the exact replacement battery from BMW. It'll cost you about £20 over the price of the Exide but will be a simpler replacement process. I wish I'd have done that...would have saved time and hassle.
This is the link to the Tayna Batteries site and the battery I used. I have no affiliation with them but they have always been exceptional;
www.tayna.co.uk/motorcycle-ba...
#bmw
#bmwi3
#Battery
#Replacement
#Tayna
#electricvehicle
#electricvehiclesarethefuture
#electricvehicals - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Really great video Gavin, thank you. I replaced the dead battery in my i3 with help from a few videos including this one. A few points that others might find helpful:
- I bought the battery from my local BMW dealer for £99.88 inc VAT (Group 1, previously Barons) so I was able to avoid having to make any modifications
- I found removing the battery very easy on my RHD car, there was very little in the way, and I didn’t need to disconnect or remove anything except the covers and the frunk container
- For the top screw on the bracket, the videos suggest using a socket wrench extension bar. I didn’t have one so I used a monobloc tap spanner to great success
- The green high voltage isolator is tricky to get back in, make sure to pull it apart as much as it allows before pushing the black part back into the green part and finally the red part into the black part
- The BimmerLink app has risen in price to £40 which I found very hard to justify when added to the cost of the module, so I decided to use ISTA to do the registration instead. It’s a little more tricky, but there are videos on CZcams that explain the process. Also, a lot of people have suggested that there’s no technical benefit to registration like there is with a petrol/diesel car-I tend to believe them but I don’t know for sure so decided to do it
My local dealer wanted £250 for a diagnostic check, parts and labour would have presumably been on top of that. Being able to do this myself was not only a massive saving (cost me £125 for the battery and OBD2 cable), but I was able to get my car working again much quicker. The dealer still wouldn’t have even touched the car as I write this review, whereas I have it all sorted and been back on the road for 3 days.
WINNING! As a bit of advice, go and check the battery connectors in a few days time and nip them up tight. I didn't. About a month after I changed the battery I got the same dead battery symptoms again...turned out to be loose connectors.
Thanks, great video. I just did same replacement with the same Exide battery model (AGM12-23), and there was no issues fitting the positive terminal. It looks like my terminals have a slightly different design that yours, with no permanent threading inside the battery terminal. The threads were rather a slide-in lead nut (inserted into a slot on the side of the terminal when needed), likely to be able to fit into multiple applications.
Oh fantastic. Glad there is a decent alternative battery out there.
Great video you helped me a lot 👌
I’d encourage you to check and re tighten the connections on your new battery after a couple of days.
@@GavCritchley tanks for the tips
Just changed mine. Came up with a warning when starting in the morning “ excess discharge when stationary “. Worked fine during winter cold, so I don’t think you have to worry beforehand. The battery was a original 2015 -so +7 years.
From the forums I follow the general opinion is around 5 years, we’ll done on getting a good battery!
that's the same error I am getting, also 2015. I found this video looking how to change the battery. Thanks for posting Gavin.
Hi Gavin going to do my battery on the weekend. Sorry you don't explain the process properly enough for me of registering the battery and when you use the OBD connection with bluetooth etc. So do you plug in the OBD and then go on Blimmer? I bought a battery in car monitor and it reads 12.3 volts at present. I do believe a healthy battery should read 12.6v, so want to change it before I have a problem!
Great video Gavin, very helpful. Just a quick question, do you have a close up pic showing what the original BMW part no was?
61219321815
Some useful info re my BMW quotes. You can get the BMW battery from your local dealer for £87 inc VAT (as at Sep 2021) and they can have it next day. You might be able to get a discount. Using the exact battery would save you any hassle with the terminal connectors, and in retrospect I wish I would have done that (it would have made this a 30 minute job instead of an hour). BMW dealer suggested an hour to replace at £160 an hour of workshop time and they will do the coding too (and that includes VAT).
So its £250 going the BMW route £120 if you use an Exide battery (you'll need to buy the OBD and BImmer link) or £140 if you use the BMW battery (again you'll need Bimmerlink and the OBD device).
I think either way its worth doing if your 12 volt is approaching 5 years old.
Gavin do you have to purchase Bimmer Link to reset the battery or does it have a free mode?
@@michaeldawson6309 I used Bimmerlink. I've read elsewhere its not needed. UK Facebook group may be able to advise better.
Everything is still fine with my i3, but I had some good feedback on this video so let me share it;
** What did you actually do to the brass fitting? I couldn't see.**
You are right, good comment. The brass fitting has a really unusual, non standard shape. It has a wide square base with a collar that drops over the square battery terminal. You might ask why this battery has square terminals? Its because its normally used in big Motorbikes, Quadbikes, Jetskis and Snowmobiles. Often the battery is fitted slanted over, or needs to be fitted in a way that it stays safe if and when the vehicle rotates or tips over.
One part of this brass collar was too wide to let the brass fitting sit flush on the square battery terminal. It hit the raised battery top. I took a 2 mm slice off and it was fine. Don't cut into the plastic battery shell.
** This sounds like too much hassle. Is there an easier way? **
You could get the exact battery from BMW, and fit it yourself. However I expect that even they might use an OEM version and you may still need to faff around with the terminals. Think about buying the battery yourself, then taking it to your local (non BMW) garage to fit it. They would be able to trim the fitting if you don't think its something you could do. They honestly won't mind doing this, especially as its a specialist battery. You might need to register the battery yourself if they don't do a lot of newish BMW's.
** Give me a plan B Gav! **
Try 'M6 to SAE battery posts' in Ebay. For £6 you get the two brass normal posts that you can screw into the square terminal battery connectors and you are good to go. This was my plan B if I couldn't get the brass fittings to work. It would have worked just fine. I have a spare set now!
** And the plan C? **
OK...I'll do it for you.
** What's next? **
Interior air cabin filter replacement (dead easy) and REX oil change (easy too).
I wonder if bimmercode will do the same thing? In the US the battery cost is $180 delivered in 2023, I'm sure another $150 or so for install at BMW. My BMW is a 2016 and I got it with 30K on it, 60k now so got some mileage out of the battery.
Hi, thought this video was very helpful. . . . . Until I tried it! Might just be me but something people need to be aware of. I ordered the Same battery from the same place and the BMW battery terminals can't fixed to it! The hole in the replacement battery are too big and the bolt just fall in, they won't hold anything. Luckily for me, once I had removed the the old battery I found a barcode which showed it was changed at the last mot in May this year, so it's a new battery.
Nick, firstly thanks for taking the time to comment, Secondly sorry if this led you up the garden path. Was the battery different to the one I used or did it have different terminal connections? I needed to make a notch in one of the terminals but then it fitted very securely and remains fine through to now.
For anyone not cool with using the Exide battery I would just buy the straight copy one from BMW...see notes below.
Hi I’ve actually bought the excide start and stop 12V 13ah battery which was recommended by euro car parts wanted to know if installing a smaller battery will effect the car ?
I can't answer. You r main problem will be getting the terminals to fit. On the i3, BMW in their wisdom used non standard conical battery terminals. Your Exide one will almost certainly not have them fitted as standard. Personally I'd take it back, and just go and buy the OEM one from your BMW dealer.
Hi Gavin, nice video. I'm getting the Drivetrain error - "Possible to continue journey". I thought about spending the £30-£50 to buy an OBD reader to find out the exact issue, but a 12v battery replacement seems to be the common fix looking online. So wondering if I should just take the plunge on the battery. What do you think? Car is 2016 and to my knowledge the battery hasn't been changed (I bought it last April).
It’ll be the 12volt. Buy it from your BMW dealer, if you ask for a discount they’ll give you one. Make sure to nip the connectors up tight, then check them again next week.
Thanks Gavin. I've bought an OBD reader as I figured I'll need that anyway, so will run that first and see what it says.
@@antgolden I expect you'll get all of the errors that came up that you can then clear down. If you get them all again...its the battery. A BMW Battery is about £100.
OK thanks Gavin will give it a go later!
here in the use a BMW dealer asked me $730 dollars to replace the battery, but i will not pay that. , it should $225 tops. i am doing your video trick. Thanks love the I3 just run so good. I had many cars and i kept going back to this little thing , can explain.
Make it easy on yourself and buy the OEM battery from BMW directly. It’s an easier, faster fit. Best of luck!
Thanks for the video, is there a vent to hook the tube up to?
The battery vent tube? Depends on the battery you buy. If its a BMW battery then yes, if its someone elses one it may not have a battery.
@@GavCritchley Thanks, some of the research I have done says an AGM still needs a vent, but I have never needed one with my motorcycles. I take it you haven't had any problems with yours.
@@philiponsolent7232 I know what you mean...same on my bikes.
@@GavCritchleyhi I bought the same battery. The exide has the vent hole in the back, but the plastic vent conection is too big, also I lost it cause it fell inside the car 😅
Hi, on the UK i3 the battery is on the passenger side looking from the front. There's a few hoses etc. in front. Question. Does the battery come out ok with the frunk removed once all terminals are remove i.e I don't need to be removing hoses etc do I ?
Mike
No, you don't have to remove any hoses. It is a bit fiddly, it kind of tilts out.
@@GavCritchley Thank god for that. Thanks for confirming Gavin :-)
@@michaeldawson6309 Honestly if I can do it, anyone can do it.
my I3 2017 complained in the app about the battery a few days ago, so Ill be doing the exact same thing same battery, but I ordered 2 new M8 bettery terminals to fit to the battery. I also read that the programming is only date registered when battery was changed. I doubt BMW is using voltage regulation for charging the battery as it ages. That will just speed up the battery degradation. Also in the back of the car, theres 12v rail which its possible to connect a second small 12v battery so when the old battery gets disconnected the car doesnt lose all settings, which is why people need to use bimmercode to remove all faults.
Everyone got the Battery fault on Thursday or Friday. It was a connected app glitch.
@@GavCritchley what ? Well I still have the message. And my i3 is acting up. Earlier today it stopped charging after 2 kwt, and a few days ago I had a drivetrain error while going to reverse. The car is 6 years old now, so this 12v is due to be changed. So I’m preparing here for the change. Charging up a 12v battery to hold charge and getting my new 12v battery tomorrow.
Hi can I ask for a link of the obd item you used please. Thanks ❤️
Try Amazon - Vgate iCar Pro Bluetooth 4.0 OBDII scanner for Android & iOS Wireless Obd2 Car Diagnostic Code Reader
amzn.eu/d/5lDy0tq
And buy the BMW battery directly from the dealer. Its way easier. Then CHECK THE CONNECTIONS after a couple of weeks. I know some idiot that changed the battery, forgot to do up the connectors tightly, got a load of error messages again and bought ANOTHER battery! Dick. Anyway I have another spare battery now.
@@GavCritchleyperfect thank you so much