Putting in a new battery

[jeff009]

I have a 2004 525i and the battery is dead, I have heard/read horror stories about changing the battery out and not being able to start the car, are these stories valid? or is it like any other car...reseting the radio ect.


Thanks

[darkhorse737]

no biggie.

before you start... have radio code ready.

Identify positive and negative terminals and make sure that the positive wire goes to the + terminal; and the negative wire to the - terminal.

after replacement and you are done.... alarm might initialize and start blaring. DO NOT BE ALARMED. calmy close doors, hood and trunk, and lock. Then open. In some cases, you might need to turn IGN on before the system resets.

If this is your first time to do this, I suggest you do this in a place away from a residential area. If you don't get it correct the first time, It can get annoying. Don't lose your calm... you'll be fine

IMPT: make sure the batteries of the keyless entry are "GOOD"... (this is where the horror starts) and peoples' minds get thrown up in the air. but with a 2004, keyless batts should still be fine :-)

part of the horror/s complicate when overzealous owners attempt to ADD other aftermarket anti-theft devices to a bimmer. Bimmer anti-theft circuits just do not work well with aftermarket anti-theft systems. if you car has aftermarket anti-theft. WATCH OUT!

[jeff009]

I just called the BMW Dealer and they said that they would have to pull the radio and run the numbers through the system to find the code, any other way?

Thanks Again

Originally Posted by darkhorse737

no biggie.

before you start... have radio code ready.

Identify positive and negative terminals and make sure that the positive wire goes to the + terminal; and the negative wire to the - terminal.

after replacement and you are done.... alarm might initialize and start blaring. DO NOT BE ALARMED. calmy close doors, hood and trunk, and lock. Then open. In some cases, you might need to turn IGN on before the system resets.

If this is your first time to do this, I suggest you do this in a place away from a residential area. If you don't get it correct the first time, It can get annoying. Don't lose your calm... you'll be fine

IMPT: make sure the batteries of the keyless entry are "GOOD"... (this is where the horror starts) and peoples' minds get thrown up in the air. but with a 2004, keyless batts should still be fine :-)

part of the horror/s complicate when overzealous owners attempt to ADD other aftermarket anti-theft devices to a bimmer. Bimmer anti-theft circuits just do not work well with aftermarket anti-theft systems. if you car has aftermarket anti-theft. WATCH OUT!

[darkhorse737]

unfortunately not. And i am surprised the the dealer cannot give you the code based on your VIN(assuming of course, radio unit is still original). they should be able to, if u visit them and present proof of ownership of the car. And for free.

50/50 chance I can try to retireve the code for you(depending on the make yours is), but i will need the make and model of the radio and the serial number. You still need to pull out the radio out to get serial #

OR, it's possible that a local auto shop(or audio shop specializing in auto audio) has the savvy and eqpt to retrieve radio codes via the OBD2 port. You can ask around.

[jeff009]

I went to PEPBOYS and bought a Bosch Battery and it installed easily...and everything still works, no loss of memory!

Thanks for taking the time to give me great advice DarkHorse!

Originally Posted by darkhorse737

unfortunately not. And i am surprised the the dealer cannot give you the code based on your VIN(assuming of course, radio unit is still original). they should be able to, if u visit them and present proof of ownership of the car. And for free.

50/50 chance I can try to retireve the code for you(depending on the make yours is), but i will need the make and model of the radio and the serial number. You still need to pull out the radio out to get serial #

OR, it's possible that a local auto shop(or audio shop specializing in auto audio) has the savvy and eqpt to retrieve radio codes via the OBD2 port. You can ask around.

[540red]

I am impressed at your hassle free change. With mine, I had to leave the alarm sounding for several minutes until the dash warning light flashes before a re-set was complete, plus, it went flat with deadlock system engaged. I could only get the drivers door open and as we know, the battery is in the back. Lots of fun but glad(read jealous) to see yours went so well lol. Kind regards from New Zealand

[darkhorse737]

Originally Posted by 540red

I am impressed at your hassle free change. With mine, I had to leave the alarm sounding for several minutes until the dash warning light flashes before a re-set was complete, plus, it went flat with deadlock system engaged. I could only get the drivers door open and as we know, the battery is in the back. Lots of fun but glad(read jealous) to see yours went so well lol. Kind regards from New Zealand

You want a hassle free batterychange?

get a 9volt battery and find a way to connect that to your cigarette light while you disconnect and re-connect your battery... the 9volts running in the electrical system for the time you are changing the battery will keep the circuits energized, and you will not need to reset alarms or radio codes...

*** make sure you have your polarity correct***

[318kid]

me and dad didnt have a problem when we changed the one in our e39