Battery Replacement - X1 Write up

[everson]

Hey guys, got a 2015 X1 2.0 diesel. I may have an issue with my battery. (need to do some more checks) but as some premptive reading, I am seeing if anyone has a procedure write or can tell me any BMW that runs the same engine for an battery replacement?

Thanks in advance.

[X5Sport]

Same procedure for all engines in the X1 F48 family. It's also quite involved with seals, plastics, strut braces, air intake parts and other parts to remove first (thanks BMW!). Be sure you want to tackle this and you really do have a dying battery first (see below).

You cannot just swap the battery for a replacement without having the car coded to recognise the replacement battery. Most BMWs since about 2008/9 have Intelligent Battery System (IBS) fitted. This monitors the state of the battery and alters how it charges over time. It needs to be 'taught' a new battery is fitted. Not coding can result in under or over charging and shortens the battery's life. IBS is very common in modern cars, I also had it on a 2015 Skoda Superb.

If your battery has AGM written on it then you should really fit the same type again.

Battery testing procedure - Before you bin the battery, the testing process is straightforward. Make sure it is fully charged and then leave the car (if safe) locked and with the bonnet unlocked. After 4 hours the car will have been asleep for a while and the 'charge-state' will havew setlled, put a multimeter on the jump start posts under the bonnet and measure the voltages. It is important not to unlock or distrurb the car in any way as that wakes the systems and you'll have to wait for about 16 minutes for it to go to sleep again. If the measured voltage for an AGM battery is below 12.2V DC you have a problem, and below 12V means the battery is dying and should be replaced. Those figures are for 20degC so allow for a drop of about 0.2V for the cold weather.

If you go to your local high street auto parts store I recommend not getting them to do a ‘drop-test’. Most places use a digital system and these don’t put enough ‘load’ on the battery, they just read internal resistance instead. The only way to properly drop test is with a stonking great wire resistor that puts about 60A load on instantly. That very quickly confirms the state of the battery!! It will tell you in seconds whether the cells are good or not. It’s what we used to have in the garage I worked alongside. It could boil a battery if left on. Worked quite well as a heater too if memory serves

[X5Sport]

UPDATED: Imagery removed as it doesn't apply to UK RHD cars as the battery is located in the boot and simple to change.

For some LHD cars the battery is under the bonnet and there are significant steps required involving a couple of hours of disassembly under the bonnet before you can get to the battery.
Seals off
Trim panels ahead of the windscreen off
Suspension brace off
Support structures off

For LHD cars basically most of the items between the strut-brace and firewall has to come off!!

Unless you're really comfortable with DIY, give it to an expert!

[sapphireblack]

Ye gods, all that work just to swap a battery

[X5Sport]

Makes opening the boot and removing a cover as in the X6 & E46 3-series an absolute doddle by comparison doesn’t it.

[sapphireblack]

Makes opening the boot and removing a cover as in the X6 & E46 3-series an absolute doddle by comparison doesn’t it.

Certainly does

[Leslie]

Battery replacement sir call it a nice round 500 quid lol , clearly not ever mean't to be changed under the 3 years warranty so they don't care where it is

[everson]

Some of the below may be partly duplicated across two images. If I get time I'll try to neaten it up a bit. It’s for the F48 2.0D

This procedure below is not for the DIY iliterate!! I'm not sure I've ever seen so much work being needed for a bl@@dy battery!!

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Hey pal,thank you again as always, I saw some vids about this and the level of work to change the battery made me laugh out loud. BMW are selfish buggers just want you to come back to them no matter what. I know BM's have many engine variations, I cannot seem to see my specific engine layout. If you look at the picture uploaded mine is different , most notably the air box on the left hand side compared to the right.

You don't happen to have the battery replacement procedure for this engine (2015 2.0 diesel

[X5Sport]

That’s the only procedure I found, and it doesn’t state the year/variant, just the model and engine. Sorry.

[everson]

That’s the only procedure I found, and it doesn’t state the year/variant, just the model and engine. Sorry.

Not a worry, appreciate the help, seems I have lucked out and have the easier variation (in BMW standards) to replace the battery, in the boot version.

[X5Sport]

That’s handy Also annoying that isn’t mentioned anywhere in the guide I found. I’ll remove the images in a couple of days if they’re no use in the UK.

I’ve only ever seen one of the current BMW models with a battery up front, and that’s our 2-series Grand Tourer. With 7-seats there’s no space for a battery in the boot.