x5 battery drain

[syg9m]

does any body else get this when the car is left idle for a few days ?

[X5Sport]

Normal, but to what extent are you getting? How old is your battery? How does it do if tested?

Oh and welcome o the board

Tell us a bit about you and your car, what the symptons are, how long are you leaving it for, what tests have you carried out?

[syg9m]

hi first time was about 2 days , had to jump it then took it too the dealers who charged it over night & then emptied my wallet of £125 for putting it on the diagnostic machine twice . then they advised me that it was the starter motor ££££££ + needed a new battery £££££ took the car back lasted 2 months then wouldnt start again , this time used my own battery charger & £1 of electric & hey presto 3 months went by .
took back into dealer for mot & they said that the rear number plate light was at fault causing battery to drain forgetting that they had told me I needed a new battery & starter motor funny that , replaced this as it was an mot requirement , 2 months on car starts but is lazy once driven 20 miles stops , starts great again . dealer now informs me that the computor runs checks on the car for 15 minutes after it stops .
Now they say I would be better off with a nice shinny one like my wifes new x1 , they dont miss a trick !
my car is a 2004 54 plate registered 19th december , x5 3.0d sport , wifes x1 , xdrive 2.0 , also got a jensen healey convertible that is up for sale ?
Had BMW on & off for 25 years best thing since sliced bread especially the early 323 , 320 straight 6 very tail happy , had lots of fun in them E21 .

[Mikee]

Hi mate

I had the same problem a few months ago. All sorted by just getting a new battery. It'll cost about £130 but sorted my problem out. Check this thread for info tho. Hope it helps.
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2329&start=15#p23934

[jaynana]

does anybody know how to switch off the lignts in the boot lid when working in the boot? (fixing amp, sub etc)

my battery is weak i think, it goes if i work there about 4 hrs at a stretch!!

[sapphireblack]

Just pull the tailgate lamps out and disconnect them if you're going to have it all open for any time. IIRC they should shut off anyway about 15 minutes in?

[jaynana]

[quote=""sapphireblack""]Just pull the tailgate lamps out and disconnect them if you're going to have it all open for any time. IIRC they should shut off anyway about 15 minutes in?[/quote]

oh u mean switch off like that.. yeah maybe next time, i've got some more work to do on my sub assembly

auto shut off - no 2 lights on the hood get shutoff automatically after a timeout (and so do all the other lights i think - i counted 10 lights!! ) except the 2 lights on teh bootlid, they stay on.

[dirtymonkey29]

There is a way to disable all the interior lights by pressing and holding a button as far as I can remember. Stays that way till you lock the car then it returns to normal again when you next unlock. Can't search as I'm on mobile but info is out there somewhere.

[dirtymonkey29]

Press the center interior light button on the overhead console, HOLD IT FOR 3+ SECONDS, and ALL interior lights will be permantely disabled until the button is again pressed. This saves the bulbs during daytime and keeps the battery from draining when the doors are open for a considerable time.

[syg9m]

I will try that cheers !

[dirtymonkey29]

Let me know if it works, never tried it

[x555]

With the bootlid open just run your keys/flat headed screwdriver through the lock asembly . This will activate the lock and the lightts will turn off......simples

[x555]

To op....this could possibly be your FSR draining the battery. Try a search for fsr or hedgehog

[jaynana]

[quote=""x555""]To op....this could possibly be your FSR draining the battery. Try a search for fsr or hedgehog [/quote]

whats the FSR?

[jaynana]

[quote=""x555""]With the bootlid open just run your keys/flat headed screwdriver through the lock asembly . This will activate the lock and the lightts will turn off......simples [/quote]

man! why didn't i think of that... well, of course and if u close the bootlid by mistake without unlocking again that might damage the lock?