AGM Battery & Coding...

[RossC]

Hi all,

Just picked up a 2009 E70 3.0 SD and the battery could do with replacing.

Inputting the details on EuroCarParts the options are for a standard 019 or an AGM 019 - obviously a large price difference. Does my model require an AGM as google is suggesting?

My local independent is happy to quickly code/register the battery for me. I was going to fit it myself and then drive down to his garage for coding. Would that be ok to do, or should the new battery be registered before starting the engine and making the short journey?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Swapping batteries used to be easy

[X5Sport]

What is fitted to the car at present? The default is an AGM but some owners choose to fit wet batteries instead, Because of the electrical loads these cars have, AGM is a better choice (and safer too!).

A short journey to get it coded won’t kill the battery, especially if it already has an AGM. Wet and AGM batteries have different charging profiles and age differently too.

I got a Yuasa AGM YBX9019 from Tayna batteries. Much cheaper than ECP and has a 5-year warranty too. Overnight delivery

Also check carparts4less as it is ECP by another name - web only, no branches.

[IanP]

I've just fitted a replacement AGM battery, and drove to my friends garage to have the car recoded.
Didnt see any problems , the coding is only to tell the car to change the charging rate with a new battery.
It was going to be £320 from ecp, but with the savings code I got it for half price....

[RossC]

Thanks to you both

You know, I didn’t even think to look at what it had fitted. Currently a Bosch S4 013 800A 95Ah 12v - so not an AGM then.

I noticed from the Halfords website and the Tayna website, that once I input the car details, with the fact my X5 is not a stop/start model, neither site suggested an AGM, but just a standard wet 019.

I’m tempted to save myself £65 and get a 5 year warranty premium wet battery over the cheapest 3 year warranty AGM. Does that sound fair enough?

[StuBeeDoo]

As I understand it.......... If you have stop/start you want an AGM battery, if not you can use either. The reasoning being that AGM is more tolerant of frequent cranking of the engine (among other things........).

[Leslie]

Rossc sounds reasonable to me , pre stop start cars don't really need it and the only benefit of stop start was a lower road tax band when they were new as batteries , starters and alternator's are all getting a hammering to save 5p of diesel !

[X5Sport]

That’s definitely the theory. The slight fly in the ointment is some recent data is now indicating that the original ‘recipe’ for Stop/Start equipped vehicle AGM batteries needs revision because AGM is intolerant of deep discharge - which stop start technology can cause - and therefore shorten the life of the battery.

That being said, BMW (and others) have generally fitted AGM for the last 10 years or more because they perform better overall than ‘wet’ batteries and are maintenance free. Just don’t abuse them! My first X6 battery lasted over 8 years because I kept it topped up (via a battery conditioner) when we don’t use the car for a few weeks. I do the same for the E46 in the winter and that has had two batteries in 14 years. Both were OEM equipped with AGM and neither have stop start.

[RossC]

Thanks for everyone’s input, that’s it all sorted.

Installed a Varta Silver ‘wet’ 5 year warranty battery this morning, drove down to my independent who had it coded within a few minutes.

The diagnostics indicated that this was the cars first battery change, but as it was a non-AGM Bosch that was fitted, my assumption is that the battery has indeed been changed, but never coded/registered with the car.

Pleased to have the starting confidence back, and equally pleased that now the car knows it’s a new battery, I doubt a claim will need to be made on the 5 year warranty.

Had I gone for an AGM Varta, there would have been an additional £80 spend and two years less warranty, so make of that what you will. My opinion? That 80 quid is better in my pocket.