Increased battery discharge

obi604

Hi

I have a 2006 BMW 523i (E60)

For the last year, I have been getting an error intermittently on the idrive. car still starts and drives fine after I get it, but its annoying me now as it resets the clock etc

The message I get on the idrive is:

Vehicle Battery: Increased battery discharge while stationary. electrical consumers may have been switched off. Reset date and time if necessary.

The car is over 10 years old so I am looking for the most cost effective way to resolve the issue, the battery has been tested and is fine.

I have heard that a way to resolve this is to disconnect the IBS battery sensor.

1. Is it any real harm to disconnect this?
2. Is it hard to do?
3. Is is expensive?
4. does it involve any re coding the battery etc?

rebel.ranter

How was the battery tested? Was it done using DIS or ISID?

Have you anything aftermarket fitted to the car? A car kit, aftermarket stereo or iPod integration with iDrive, dash can, tracker, etc.

Does the car have factory Bluetooth installed?

This error normally appears if the battery is on the way out, or a 3rd party device is causing a current draw or finally if an internal component is fault (Bluetooth module, CCC or the actual BST itself.

The clock is resetting in the car because the power system has determined that the battery doesn't retain enough power in order to start the car. In an effort to conserve power it cuts support ply to only the most vital electronic systems when engine not running. So the battery can appear to be fine but the reality is that it's not. If left carry on you may find that all sorts of weird electrical problems can start to pop up like wipers going crazy, etc.

If your car still has its original battery then I would say it has had its day. Within DIS/ISID/Rheingold there is a test that will tell you the state of the battery. Most independent BMW specialists have this software. If you're down Cork direction I can do this test for you. Seen this error a few times, most of the time anew battery solves them (along with a battery registration). Once it was a faulty Bluetooth module.

obi604

rebel.ranter wrote: »

How was the battery tested? Was it done using DIS or ISID?

Have you anything aftermarket fitted to the car? A car kit, aftermarket stereo or iPod integration with iDrive, dash can, tracker, etc.

Does the car have factory Bluetooth installed?

This error normally appears if the battery is on the way out, or a 3rd party device is causing a current draw or finally if an internal component is fault (Bluetooth module, CCC or the actual BST itself.

The clock is resetting in the car because the power system has determined that the battery doesn't retain enough power in order to start the car. In an effort to conserve power it cuts support ply to only the most vital electronic systems when engine not running. So the battery can appear to be fine but the reality is that it's not. If left carry on you may find that all sorts of weird electrical problems can start to pop up like wipers going crazy, etc.

If your car still has its original battery then I would say it has had its day. Within DIS/ISID/Rheingold there is a test that will tell you the state of the battery. Most independent BMW specialists have this software. If you're down Cork direction I can do this test for you. Seen this error a few times, most of the time anew battery solves them (along with a battery registration). Once it was a faulty Bluetooth module.

Thank you for the reply. I understand what you are saying and the electrics etc.

However I have read through a lot of threads, where people have replaced battery, replaced IBS, etc and it still did not resolve the issue. I.e. They spent time and money and no resolution.

Then these same people simply disconnected the ibs sensor and 2 years later or whatever, all is still ok and issue went away.

So I am purely just interested in disconnecting IBS.

GerryDerpy

The IBS sensor fails on the E60 due to moisture ingress. I lived with it with my E60, never got around to replacing it.

To rule out battery or a genuine unwanted parasitic draw, just test the voltage after car sitting a while. Should read 12.6 volts for good charge.

obi604

GerryDerpy wrote: »

The IBS sensor fails on the E60 due to moisture ingress. I lived with it with my E60, never got around to replacing it.

To rule out battery or a genuine unwanted parasitic draw, just test the voltage after car sitting a while. Should read 12.6 volts for good charge.

Hi. Yeah this is what read when mechanic tested battery. Car was sitting overnight too.

All I want to do is to concentrate on disconnecting the IBS cable.

obi604

Anyone any comments on this in relation to my specific questions ?

rebel.ranter

You can disconnect the IBS for sure but it is the equivalent to putting a piece of black tape over an airbag light, you're not fixing the problem you're just hiding the error.

Yes the IBS can suffer from moisture damage but that's not the most common reason for the error. A weak battery is by far the most common reason followed by the other reasons I have previously mentioned. Get a proper battery test done using the afore mentioned software, a check with a simple battery tester is not a good enough test. These cars have a very high current draw, especially at start up. Short journeys kill batteries in them too, BMW even talk about an "unfavourable driving profile" in their software, which basically means they designed the system badly and blame not using the car as a reason for the failing battery.

Here's some screen shots of the battery test from the older DIS software, the newer ISID gives a similar set of info. This battery was exhibiting the same symptoms as you describe:









This software will also test your IBS sensor too.

So, if you want to disconnect your IBS then knock yourself out. Nothing will explode if you do. However it is doing its job warning you that there is a problem, the right advice is to deal with the actual issue rather than "make the warning light go away".

The most cost effective way to resolve the issue is to firstly get the proper diagnostics done as described above. The car is ten years old, if the car has its original BMW battery (as pictured below) then you could even skip the diagnostics piece, you're on borrowed time with a ten year old battery in these cars. You must get the battery registered to the car so you don't prematurely wear out the battery too.

White = Lead acid battery



Black = AGM type battery




As mentioned eventually with a duff battery you'll see all sorts of weird $h1t happen like wipers having a mind of their own, instrument cluster randomly lighting up different warning lights, radio behaving erratically, until finally the car won't start at some point...but what do I know...

obi604

rebel.ranter, thanks for detailed reply.

The battery was replaced only 4 months ago.

jca

obi604 wrote: »

rebel.ranter, thanks for detailed reply.

The battery was replaced only 4 months ago.

It certainly would have been helpful had you said that in your first post. Was the correct battery fitted and was it coded to the car?

obi604

jca wrote: »

It certainly would have been helpful had you said that in your first post. Was the correct battery fitted and was it coded to the car?

hands up.

yes it was, and coded.

tweaf1

just had this on a 13 X3 and there was a software update to resolve this issue, not sure if that helps you.

rebel.ranter

obi604 wrote: »

rebel.ranter, thanks for detailed reply.

The battery was replaced only 4 months ago.

What's your typical,driving pattern? Did the error come back immediately after changing the battery or was it OK for a while at first?

obi604

rebel.ranter wrote: »

What's your typical,driving pattern? Did the error come back immediately after changing the battery or was it OK for a while at first?

hey. roughly 30 miles a day. motorway mainly.

was ok for a week, then came back

rebel.ranter

obi604 wrote: »

hey. roughly 30 miles a day. motorway mainly.

was ok for a week, then came back

I would love to do the battery analysis to see. I had a problem with my M6 when I stopped driving it every day, the battery (AGM one you see in pic above) was less than 1 year old, the high rate of discharge error came on and drove me crazy. In the end I bought a CTEK charger to keep the battery topped up occasionally. The error hasn't come back and I hook up the charger every now and again. I had a 15 mile commute each way and the dealer told me that was not enough to keep the battery healthy. (The car is still under warranty hence going to dealer)

Q. Have you access to a trickle charger?

Q. Does the car have any after market devices installed? (Car kit, dash cam, tracker)

Q. After charging the battery and if the error still pops up the you could start to remove fuses overnight for things like the CCC/MASK (iDrive) unit to see if one of those items are faulty and causing a current draw.

Q. If you start the car, let it run for a minute, then switch off and restart, does the error pop up again?

Ideally get a battery analysis done before and after the charge.

obi604

rebel.ranter wrote: »

obi604 wrote: »

hey. roughly 30 miles a day. motorway mainly.

was ok for a week, then came back

I would love to do the battery analysis to see. I had a problem with my M6 when I stopped driving it every day, the battery (AGM one you see in pic above) was less than 1 year old, the high rate of discharge error came on and drove me crazy. In the end I bought a CTEK charger to keep the battery topped up occasionally. The error hasn't come back and I hook up the charger every now and again. I had a 15 mile commute each way and the dealer told me that was not enough to keep the battery healthy. (The car is still under warranty hence going to dealer)

Q. Have you access to a trickle charger?

Q. Does the car have any after market devices installed? (Car kit, dash cam, tracker)

Q. After charging the battery and if the error still pops up the you could start to remove fuses overnight for things like the CCC/MASK (iDrive) unit to see if one of those items are faulty and causing a current draw.

Q. If you start the car, let it run for a minute, then switch off and restart, does the error pop up again?

Ideally get a battery analysis done before and after the charge.

Answers

- No.
- Has a parrot Bluetooth kit.
- Could but don't k ow where these fuses are.
- Yes, error pops up again.

rebel.ranter

Pity you have no charger, that would be the important piece in identifying the problem. I would have said tomcharge and disconnect the Parrot Kit for a few days and see how you get on. We could have identified the fuses no problem, wiring diagrams are available here:

http://www.bmw-planet.net/diagrams/release/en/e60e61/index.htm
(probably need to be on a PC for this)

obi604

rebel.ranter wrote: »

Pity you have no charger, that would be the important piece in identifying the problem. I would have said tomcharge and disconnect the Parrot Kit for a few days and see how you get on. We could have identified the fuses no problem, wiring diagrams are available here:

http://www.bmw-planet.net/diagrams/release/en/e60e61/index.htm
(probably need to be on a PC for this)

Thanks but any guidance on how to disconnect the IBS? Can I do it myself?

Does battery need a re code Afterwards?

mittimitti

I had a similar issue a few years back with a 4 year old e60
I left it in to frank keane and they had it for nearly a week and couldn't figure it out they came back with loads of different reasons and every time I gave them the go ahead to fix but if it didn't work they put the old bit back and I didn't pay
Ended up with a bill for about 300 and no fix

I eventually with a lot of hours figured it out myself it was caused by the switch to disable the rear windows this was stuck and causing the car not to sleep

You could try this on yours

obi604

mittimitti wrote: »

I had a similar issue a few years back with a 4 year old e60
I left it in to frank keane and they had it for nearly a week and couldn't figure it out they came back with loads of different reasons and every time I gave them the go ahead to fix but if it didn't work they put the old bit back and I didn't pay
Ended up with a bill for about 300 and no fix

I eventually with a lot of hours figured it out myself it was caused by the switch to disable the rear windows this was stuck and causing the car not to sleep

You could try this on yours

Hi,

Your post highlights the reason why I simply want to disconnect the IBS. I Could spend the next few weeks and a good few euro trying to fix the issue etc.

All I want is a simple non costly fix of disconnecting the IBS.

Just on your issue, when you say it was stuck, do you mean it was jammed or what?

My switch seems fine. Pops in and out when you press it.

mittimitti

ye the disable button for the rear windows was stuck

obi604

Hi, I think I found the IBS cable in the end.

It has a plastic casing over it. Its highlighted in the attached pic, it had a "block" connection. 2 second job to disconnect it.

Did this last night and no issues this morning anyways, so will monitor to see how it goes.

obi604

Hi.

Just an update really. Found the IBS cable and spent all of 2 seconds disconnecting it.

Drove it for a few days, no issues or errors etc.

Went away for 3 weeks and in this time car was not startled etc. Came back and started first time and no issues or warnings in days since this.

So all good.