[xtrudood]

Empty battery should be recharged within a normal 10 ~ 15 mins drive. Might not be totally recharged, but should definately have enough in it for another start when car stands still for some hours.

What type of BMW is it and what year of built?


Also battery life is around 5 years for normal batteries. Gel based batteries may have longer lifespan. Depending on howmuch cold it has to endure during winter. (cold is very harsh on batts)

@ Gordo, 3 years lifespan? Haha, prolly the cheapest of the cheapest I imagine.
Also normal drives , normal traffic ( 50MP/h zones) with no light or stereo on should help ALOT getting back some power in it, specially for next start.

[SonicPs]

I have an '04 Bimmer on the original battery/alternator! :0

[Justlovemy]

Hi again, right ok today got my mate to come round put the jump leads and car started straight away i drove up to halfords 5 mins if that from my house they tested the battery and they said it was ok but needed charging as it was at 52% so i went for a long drive on the motorway and i will try my car again later on to see if it starts, forgot to mention when we put the jump leads i used a volmeter to get readings and while the engine was on i put the lights on the car and i was getting a reading of 13.6 and about 14.4 with lights off, i only bought the car on sunday just gone from a garage (before you ask warranty is for major engine and gear box faults, So im pretty sure the alternator is ok, if it doesnt start has to be the battery right? when i got to halfords i had to turn the car off but it started ok 15 seconds later.

[PypeDeft]

You could possibly have something draining the battery while the car is off.

[MrsGoo]

Empty battery should be recharged within a normal 10 ~ 15 mins drive. Might not be totally recharged, but should definately have enough in it for another start when car stands still for some hours.

What type of BMW is it and what year of built?


Also battery life is around 5 years for normal batteries. Gel based batteries may have longer lifespan. Depending on howmuch cold it has to endure during winter. (cold is very harsh on batts)

@ Gordo, 3 years lifespan? Haha, prolly the cheapest of the cheapest I imagine.
Also normal drives , normal traffic ( 50MP/h zones) with no light or stereo on should help ALOT getting back some power in it, specially for next start.

5 years, huh - that would have saved our companies' fleets a fortune on batteries [rolleyes] and we'd generally use premium ones as range in the sizes was limited.

Charging will depend on engine rpm, equipmemt, etc, using power and alternator output. in optimum conditions, may have as much as 5% charge, if he's lucky but more likely a bit less.

[VZF74G0M]

5 years, huh - that would have saved our companies' fleets a fortune on batteries [rolleyes] and we'd generally use premium ones as range in the sizes was limited.

Charging will depend on engine rpm, equipmemt, etc, using power and alternator output. in optimum conditions, may have as much as 5% charge, if he's lucky but more likely a bit less.

Roll your eyes more. Maybe your batteries are o endure more cold than in my location. With mild summers and mild winters.

I know cold ( below freezing temps) seriously affects a cars battery and lifespan.


I once had a empty battery but after a 30 min drive all was ok. My dad not long ago had a empty batt ( because it was dead) and did only a 10 min drive and he could start no prob after 2 hours standing still.
But after standing a day still.. he needed me to help jump start again. His battery was gone.

ProStreetCamaro may have a point, something may leak current while standing still/key out of contact.

[wasssallx]

Hi again, right ok today got my mate to come round put the jump leads and car started straight away i drove up to halfords 5 mins if that from my house they tested the battery and they said it was ok but needed charging as it was at 52% so i went for a long drive on the motorway and i will try my car again later on to see if it starts, forgot to mention when we put the jump leads i used a volmeter to get readings and while the engine was on i put the lights on the car and i was getting a reading of 13.6 and about 14.4 with lights off, i only bought the car on sunday just gone from a garage (before you ask warranty is for major engine and gear box faults, So im pretty sure the alternator is ok, if it doesnt start has to be the battery right? when i got to halfords i had to turn the car off but it started ok 15 seconds later.

Depending on how quickly the battery looses power it could be an electrical fault in the car itself that is draining the battery but we are talking a couple of days here.

[Justlovemy]

Well i tried starting the car again after it was on a still for 4 hours and it started ok no probs so ui left it on for a little bit and reved it a few times then turned it off so i will check tomorrow, maybe the battery was just really low i will check tomorrow hopefully it will be ok if not i will probably need a new battery unless something is draining it but didnt someone say it will take days to drain it if it was electrical fault?

[SonicPs]

didnt someone say it will take days to drain it if it was electrical fault?

With no merit to the comment. Put a wrench across the battery terminals and watch how fast it drains.

[cbUDaNFRu]

With no merit to the comment. Put a wrench across the battery terminals and watch how fast it drains.

Be prepared for the wrench to fuse to the battery terminals though.

[MrsGoo]

Roll your eyes more. Maybe your batteries are o endure more cold than in my location. With mild summers and mild winters.

I know cold ( below freezing temps) seriously affects a cars battery and lifespan.


I once had a empty battery but after a 30 min drive all was ok. My dad not long ago had a empty batt ( because it was dead) and did only a 10 min drive and he could start no prob after 2 hours standing still. Warm vehicle would start easily and the slight charge in the battery would have sufficed to kick it over.
But after standing a day still.. he needed me to help jump start again. His battery was gone. Colder engine is harder to crank over and start, plus central locking* and alarms draw current and, if the '2 hour' start was to check, the battery would have already been almost discharged.

ProStreetCamaro may have a point, something may leak current while standing still/key out of contact.

Sorry mate - I bow to your wisdom - merely was part of my job and no-one's ever had a different opinion that was actually in the business - however, whilst 2-3 years was the norm for the fleets, some people have had 7 or more years out of a battery - but that was light duty, basic 1300cc cars.
We obviously can't get those wonder batteries down here!

*we had seven Isuzu trucks that had battery problems - turned out there was sufficient draw from the central locking to drain the battery completely in around 10 days - so I disconnected them - problem solved.

[hopertveyk]

With no merit to the comment. Put a wrench across the battery terminals and watch how fast it drains.

this also has a magical effect of making you dance like a rave monkey on acid [rofl]

[MrsGoo]

this also has a magical effect of making you dance like a rave monkey on acid [rofl]

I've had accidentally shorted batteries explode and had the acid on me as an apprentice - so the acid's been on the grease monkey!

No real worries, though, as battery room was next to the tyre bay and I submerged my upper body in the water trough to wash it off!