How to perform the battery cable recall on a BMW 5 series E60. PLEASE NOTE I NO LONGER DO REQUESTS AS I DONT WORK FOR BMW ANY MORE BUT IM STILL HAPPY TO ANSW…
BMW 5 Series E60 Battery Cable Recall How to DIY: BMTroubleU
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make sure your cable has a white cover on the end- that way you know its been done. otherwise this is a fairly common issue with newer BMW’s, it could be a parasitic current draw (draining the battery when the car is supposed to be off), it could be a lack of driving (do you only drive short distances?) or it may require a software update to stop control units from staying awake. also if you have comfort access and leave the keys near to the car it could keep the car ‘awake’ draining the battery
Can you help me plz..on my 2008 528i, it says on control panel Increased battery discharge. I fully charged it, but the next day I have a same problem. I checked my battery it says good, just need to be charged. So if my battery is good why it’s not holding the charge?? is that battery cable bad as you explaining in the video or can it be something else?? help me please
theyll probably do it for free seeing as its a known recall, so yes. but call ahead first just in case they wanna charge you something for it- all dealerships are different
is it worth taking to the dealer?
if you speak to a dealership explaining that its a well know recall (maybe even show them this video) they should know what your talking about. truth is changing the covers is only a visual check for dealerships to know theyve done the recall. the main point is that the clips that hold the thread underneath the cable are correctly installed, and also put the dielectric grease on.
What is it the specific part called?
sounds bad mate. bmw dealerships can update the software in your car- thats where i would start just to rule it out. i cant say if there may be something else at fault, and if there are faults stored it may not allow a software update. i dont think one thing alone would cause all those different issues, it will definitely need looking into further
My 2005 E60 has an intermittent fault with the idrive system where it freezes, the radio/music turns off and I hear static in the back ground (coming from speakers). This all started following a high battery drain. The voice controls on the steering wheel have also stopped responding and the Bluetooth check box is permanently ticked which I am unable to change. Any suggestions would be really helpful. Thanks
bmw dealership parts department
hello where do you get the white cover or another cover?
disconnecting the battery does clear all the radio stations and some control unit memories, but is 99% of the time perfectly safe and doesnt cause any issues.
the cable that you disconnect for this job goes directly to the starter motor and under bonnet jump point, it doesnt disrupt voltage to the fuse-box and control units. if you do simply disconnect the battery it wont require registration, thats only if you replace the battery with something different/newer/bigger (although there are many guys ive spoken to who have no issues without registering a new battery).
Replacing the cable, won’t it disconnect the battery? And I understand when the battery is disconnected and reconnected 2 things happen:
1. It clears all settings and any fault codes in the computer (i.e. history is lost)
2. The battery needs to be registered with the car (which BMW charges a hundred bucks).
Am I wrong?
if you havent already tried this then it costs very little to do it. if your car is still running then i doubt the component itself would be faulty (although i wouldnt rule it out, there may be something like an internal check feature that has gone bad)- check all the wiring, plugs and so forth for continuity first. 700 bucks aint cheap, whats your options for getting one from a wrecking yard?
my e60 has had the pas restraint error w/seatbelt airbag light, which used to go away and return until it stayed permanently. at first I thought is was the seat mat sensor recall but I took it to my indy he told me the error code it came up as a faulty positive explosive battery cable funny thing my car had never been in a crash so the cable never exploded. fix would required new cable coding and install = $700 🙁 is this video the fix to my problem or something else?
sweet as mate, glad youve got a fix
Hi thanks for the reply. the dealer fixed the car, a new mechetronics unit, cost them $2600 got the car back last friday its all good now
A few years back i picked up a 2001 with really low miles (probably because of the bad tranny)at a used car lot. It didn’t take me long to figure out if you accelerated hard the transmission would go in failsafe mode(stay in 3rd gear) until you turn the car off and back on to reset it. I think the dealer hoped i wouldnt trip it for a while and think new problem. i made them replace it for free but had to act postal(crazy) shouting my case causing potential customers to walk off.
gearbox issues on both the x5 e53, as well as others including yours. read the comments from my x5 common issues video and you’ll get an idea of what youre up against
Hi i purchased a 2004 5 series last week
its only done 54000 klms and serviced every 4-5000 klms never missed
what could possibly go wrong I say. i noticed a few harsh gear changes at first and a later drive the transmission light came on and said something like no forward speed in gear
I turn of and restart the warning has gone away but it sometimes like, briefly misses a gear and the revs pick uo then then the gear changes.
could this go from my best purchase to my worst. any suggestions
the car shutting down is weird- i’d expect limp home mode but not shutting off. the gearbox electrical plugs seal and sump gaskets are common issues in these, but i recommend taking an oil sample out from the fill plug on the left hand side. if the oil is black, pungent smelling and has tiny silver flecks in it it’ll be a big problem. e53’s have very similar issues and speaking to a few other guys on here the options are replace or rebuild. ive tried oil changes/reprogramming/etc but no success.
not a common job to do, if you can hunt a diy down from forums all good. i know you’ll need to take off the big black metal plate (that the bonnet lock is in) and it’ll come out upwards. sorry i cant really be of more help without looking at it
One more. Sorry. The other day I was idle at a red light and the Transmission Fault error came up and the car shut down. I put it in park and it started up but the message was still there and the drive felt like first gear all the way home. Started up the next day and the message was gone but this time while driving the message came up again and has been coming up randomly for the past week. Oh its a 2007 525i. I bought it used but was fine for the 2 years i’ve had it up to this. Thanks.
Hello. Do you know where I may be able to find a video or written instructions on how to replace my A/C Condenser? Air was coming out hot. Checked the freon and showed no pressure from low port. Tried filling with freon and after about 2 minutes I heard a hissing sound like air leaking out. I shut off the car and traced the leak to the condenser that had a hole in it where a rock was wedged. Any info will help. Thank you
thats ridiculous! this job takes 5 minutes and nothing to fix- but i supposed if they found a burnt out terminal or damage to the cable it would take longer. check your invoice and question the service advisor
thats a good question. my el ford falcon used to run without the positive terminals on but i dont think a bmw will. thats not the way to test an alternator in any case- you’ll need a multimeter or amps clamp to test it (best actually with an oscilloscope but theyre a bit more expensive). the voltage on a multimeter (testing at the battery terminals when the engine is running) shouldnt be lower with all electrical loads on (ac, headlights, screen, etc) compared to having them off.
I have a BMW e60 got some battery problems and wanna ask if my alternator is 100% good should my engine run after removing the + from the battery ?
how does this take dealerships hours to do? i have had this done before and took around 4 hours and $1400 to fix!!
get a fault code read out for direction, software update from the dealership and try a a parasitic draw test- open boot, lock car (and boot lock using flat head to push in lock all the way), connect amps clamp to negative battery cable and observe the amperage after 10 minutes. if over 500ma start removing fuses from the fuse box in the boot- if amperage drops suddenly when a certain fuse is pulled then you know which circuit is staying on and can isolate the component responsible
hi there, i have idrive CCC unit turn off and turn on again, also battery drain message on it. any ideas, what can i do first? bmw 525d 2005. many thanks
absolutely normal
its just a cover and grease, but yes at the dealership. most likely itll be a job for them to do on goodwill/warranty
Thanks LLoyd….i will try that tomorrow….I have noticed that the negative battery pole sparks when removing the cable…
Where can i buy a recall cable and cover? Just in the dealer?
you may have to repeat at the fusebox behind the glovebox if you dont get an obvious change, but remember to do everything you can to ensure the car is in ”sleep mode” when youre doing this- any touch of the key, doors or lights or locks can stuff up your test. let me know how you go
a common issue in your year range. check your alternator output using a volt meter and amps clamp. if that is ok then perform a parasitic draw test- open boot, lock car (and boot lock using flat head to push in lock all the way), connect amps clamp to negative battery cable and observe the amperage after 10 minutes. if over 500ma start removing fuses from the fuse box in the boot- if amperage drops suddenly when a certain fuse is pulled then you know which circuit is staying on.
I have a 2004 e60 and now i am having a nightmare with drained battery over night. I have already replaced the battery, thats how found that it wasn’t the battery because the new battery was drained the very next day….Please help.
I assume the new White cover is not really any different than the black one other than the color. It is only replaced to indicate the recall check has been done?
the radio and cic/ccc control unit are separate. also try the software update
I did replace radio and am still having same problems
try updating to latest software integration level (at dealership)- if that doesnt work more than likely new CIC/CCC control unit
What about 5 series radio and I drive works and not work it sometimes comes on and sometimes not
Very good video!
oh- you did mean an e70 didnt you? if you have a e53 x5 its a bit more involved- have to take out the spare wheel, 4x13mm bolts on the black metal plate under the spare wheel, then its the brown cable
really easy job, follow my x5 battery removal video here youtube.com/watch?v=5OoPuTqegps (the black cable) then theres a 13mm bolt which earths it to the body and you might have to cut a cable tie. done