Battery going bad?

[billybeemer]

For about a month now, especially in the mornings, when you first attempt to start the car there doesn't seem the have enough juice to start the car until the second attempt, when it will fire up.

The battery's indicator shows green and the connections are tight.

Any suggestions before I call the stealership?

[Dirty_Tool]

how old is the battery? 4 years is a average battery life. you may just need a new battery. Also you may look into any things which might be draing the battery overnight like say an ipod or cellphone connected to the cigarette lighter etc.

[FL325i]

Those indicators frequently are misleading. You can get a cheap multimeter for these instances. Handy for other electrical troubleshooting around the house, too.

[BimmerMan43]

It might also just be because it's cold...sometimes it takes an extra second for it to get going...

[TRuckee]

The battery indicator "eye" only indicates the condition of one cell of the six in the battery. My local dealer would sell me a battery for $175. I got a group 94R battery for my 2000 323i from a Batteries Plus store for $90.

[BimmerMan43]

Rule of thumb... unless it's under warranty, don't take your car to the dealer... they always try to stick it up your ass with all sorts of over-pricing and "finding something else wrong with the car" DIY

[abelinkoln]

Originally Posted by BimmerMan43

Rule of thumb... unless it's under warranty, don't take your car to the dealer... they always try to stick it up your ass with all sorts of over-pricing and "finding something else wrong with the car" DIY

The dealer wanted $300 for the "BMW" battery for my X5. After some internet research I found out this battery is manufactured by Johnson Controls, and is also branded under the Duralast brand at AutoZone. Bought the brand new battery for $75 there.

[BimmerMan43]

Yep, that sounds about right.