2005 E53 X5 diesel - new battery

Solo Man

Well-known member
Had to replace the battery on my car last week and now i was wondering if the E53's also have to have the battery "initialized" to the car? I cannot find anything on the internet relating to this, so if any one knows or have done it, please tell me so i can have the battery coded or initialized. Thanks.
 

70007

Active member
E70 definitely, not sure about E53. From where are you, I had my E70 registered for R225 iirc, northern suburbs CT. Dealers ask about R600+


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Solo Man

Well-known member
I recently had to replace the 530d E60 battery as well and Auto Luxus in Upt coded the battery for free. Thumbs up to them!
 

H|TM@N

Member
e53 doesn't need the battery to be initialized, but usually they keep the car connected to another power source whilst replacing the battery, well that's what Battery Center did when they replaced the battery on my X5.
 

Solo Man

Well-known member
Hi all, thanks for the info. Yes, we also kept the car connected to a power source when changing batteries
 

ChefDJ

///Member
Solo Man said:
Hi all, thanks for the info. Yes, we also kept the car connected to a power source when changing batteries


I guess this is the safest way, to be sure.

E53 should be the same as the E39 - no need to code/initialise.
 

B///Moodley

Events Organiser
I think it's only the vehicles with an iDrive system that need to be initialized when changing batteries.


///MPower FTW!!! Torque FTW!!!
 

JadielM

Events Organiser
B///Moodley said:
I think it's only the vehicles with an iDrive system that need to be initialized when changing batteries.


///MPower FTW!!! Torque FTW!!!
The coding/initialization process for batteries has no relation to the iDrive system.
 
can somebody please take me out of my life long "state of confusion" and thoroughly explain why a car has to be coded for a battery change? unless if its a term used loosely to describe the process of reprogramming various car electronics gadgets (like the clock) which might have lost memory due to loss of power? either than that, I really don't get why a battery has to be coded??? I have battled to understand this phenomena.
 

JohnLod

///Member
ChefDJ@TheFanatics said:
Solo Man said:
Hi all, thanks for the info. Yes, we also kept the car connected to a power source when changing batteries


I guess this is the safest way, to be sure.

E53 should be the same as the E39 - no need to code/initialise.


That is correct.
 

Waseem 333i

Active member
So am i right in saying that the battery should never be disconnected? What if you need to do some maintenance and need to disconnect battery?
 

325iSmk2

Banned
Liquid Ice said:
can somebody please take me out of my life long "state of confusion" and thoroughly explain why a car has to be coded for a battery change? unless if its a term used loosely to describe the process of reprogramming various car electronics gadgets (like the clock) which might have lost memory due to loss of power? either than that, I really don't get why a battery has to be coded??? I have battled to understand this phenomena.


"coded " is a wrong word to describe it. Initialised is better. It is done because new-ish cars have battery charging circuitry designed to optimise the charging to ensure longest possible battery efficiency, for which battery capacity and type are required inputs. Also, it needs to be done if a different battery is used (eg. AGM) because its charging profile is different.
 

Miltonian

New member
Same here liquid ICE.
My x5 e70 has been standing for over a year.

just did a diagnostic on it.
needing to bleed the brakes only.
The battery is not connected as the "nut" to hold the "earth" cable has been misplaced this, the battery is not connected.

i usually start it and reverse it every sunday and clean the car.
no issues... or am i "brewing" a permanent problem ???
 
325iSmk2 said:
Liquid Ice said:
can somebody please take me out of my life long "state of confusion" and thoroughly explain why a car has to be coded for a battery change? unless if its a term used loosely to describe the process of reprogramming various car electronics gadgets (like the clock) which might have lost memory due to loss of power? either than that, I really don't get why a battery has to be coded??? I have battled to understand this phenomena.


"coded " is a wrong word to describe it. Initialised is better. It is done because new-ish cars have battery charging circuitry designed to optimise the charging to ensure longest possible battery efficiency, for which battery capacity and type are required inputs. Also, it needs to be done if a different battery is used (eg. AGM) because its charging profile is different.


thanks for the response and I hear what you say, but its still doesn't make plausible sense:
the battery charging circuitry that you are referring to is nothing else but a typical load factor based regulator that alters the charging rate and pattern of the battery based on the vehicle's electrical load demands. a car cannot discriminate between a OEM battery, a SABAT or a Willard, 12volts is 12volts despite the source, as long as the replacement battery meets the prescribed minimum Ampere/hr rating.
so what exactly am I missing here?

thanks in advance for the inputs (excuse the pun)
 

325iSmk2

Banned
Liquid Ice said:
325iSmk2 said:
Liquid Ice said:
can somebody please take me out of my life long "state of confusion" and thoroughly explain why a car has to be coded for a battery change? unless if its a term used loosely to describe the process of reprogramming various car electronics gadgets (like the clock) which might have lost memory due to loss of power? either than that, I really don't get why a battery has to be coded??? I have battled to understand this phenomena.


"coded " is a wrong word to describe it. Initialised is better. It is done because new-ish cars have battery charging circuitry designed to optimise the charging to ensure longest possible battery efficiency, for which battery capacity and type are required inputs. Also, it needs to be done if a different battery is used (eg. AGM) because its charging profile is different.


thanks for the response and I hear what you say, but its still doesn't make plausible sense:
the battery charging circuitry that you are referring to is nothing else but a typical load factor based regulator that alters the charging rate and pattern of the battery based on the vehicle's electrical load demands. a car cannot discriminate between a OEM battery, a SABAT or a Willard, 12volts is 12volts despite the source, as long as the replacement battery meets the prescribed minimum Ampere/hr rating.
so what exactly am I missing here?

thanks in advance for the inputs (excuse the pun)


From what I understand (and I must say I didn't go into details), the charging circuit is not as simple as that. It varies the charge depending on the projected battery capacity (based on age I assume, although maybe other factors too). A car can't descriminate between different brands, sure, but it can ensure optimal charging if it knows the rating/construction type of the new battery.

The above is just my recollection of a cursory Google search the first time I came upon this, and may be wrong. ;)
 
325iSmk2 said:
Liquid Ice said:
325iSmk2 said:
Liquid Ice said:
can somebody please take me out of my life long "state of confusion" and thoroughly explain why a car has to be coded for a battery change? unless if its a term used loosely to describe the process of reprogramming various car electronics gadgets (like the clock) which might have lost memory due to loss of power? either than that, I really don't get why a battery has to be coded??? I have battled to understand this phenomena.


"coded " is a wrong word to describe it. Initialised is better. It is done because new-ish cars have battery charging circuitry designed to optimise the charging to ensure longest possible battery efficiency, for which battery capacity and type are required inputs. Also, it needs to be done if a different battery is used (eg. AGM) because its charging profile is different.


thanks for the response and I hear what you say, but its still doesn't make plausible sense:
the battery charging circuitry that you are referring to is nothing else but a typical load factor based regulator that alters the charging rate and pattern of the battery based on the vehicle's electrical load demands. a car cannot discriminate between a OEM battery, a SABAT or a Willard, 12volts is 12volts despite the source, as long as the replacement battery meets the prescribed minimum Ampere/hr rating.
so what exactly am I missing here?

thanks in advance for the inputs (excuse the pun)


From what I understand (and I must say I didn't go into details), the charging circuit is not as simple as that. It varies the charge depending on the projected battery capacity (based on age I assume, although maybe other factors too). A car can't descriminate between different brands, sure, but it can ensure optimal charging if it knows the rating/construction type of the new battery.

The above is just my recollection of a cursory Google search the first time I came upon this, and may be wrong. ;)

noted, but let me make another analogy that can perhaps draw a clearer picture of my argument:
A brand New OEM battery that has been almost drained because the radio was left on during a car wash, is far worse and demanding (at start up & during charging) to a charging circuit as compared to a Fully charged 5 year old OEM battery. So issentially, a fully charged 5 year old OEM battery is as good as being brand NEW "in the eyes" of the cars charging system.
do you see where im heading with this?
 

325iSmk2

Banned
I do, but I think you're underestimating the modern charging circuitry. If you've ever seen a c-tek charger at work, it can quickly condition test the battery, and determine the best charging profile for it (within its limits). Once again I don't have details, (and can't substantiate this with anything), but I think that the ECU will use the info "programmed" at battery change to further optimise the charging process.
 

sash

///Member
I think do some reading on Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) to get a better understanding of how the newer models charge the batteries. I also read up on this but cannot recall the facts at this point.
 

Solo Man

Well-known member
No problem with disconnecting the battery on the E53 X5. Did it yesterday as since i replaced the wheels with my E60 530d's rims with my old X5 tyres the steering angel sensor comes on after about 30kms. When i switch off and start after a minute or two it stays off until about 30kms later. Tried the battery disconnect and left full lock right full lock switch off for 10 seconds but it came on again after a few kms. Had this before after wheel alignment and changing the steering wheel on the car but now it is not staying off as it should. Any advice? Must say, car does not drive different with the light on.
 
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