left car for 4 days now not starting

[X5Sport]

A 2007 battery is approaching end of life so that was worth doing anyway.  The magic eye will only tell you if the battery is serviceable, not its charge state.

What length journeys are you doing when using the vehicle?  It typically takes 20 minutes of running just to put the stating charge back into the battery.  Add in pre heaters, bum warmers, heated rear windows etc etc and that time extends.

[the shreksta]

[quote="X5Sport"]
A 2007 battery is approaching end of life so that was worth doing anyway.  The magic eye will only tell you if the battery is serviceable, not its charge state.

What length journeys are you doing when using the vehicle?  It typically takes 20 minutes of running just to put the stating charge back into the battery.  Add in pre heaters, bum warmers, heated rear windows etc etc and that time extends.
[/quote]

Hi

I use the car 6 days a week, my work journey is exactly 6 miles each way about 12 mins there and 20 mins back with traffic

[X5Sport]

That's a bit on the short side in Winter.  You might need to invest in a charger to keep it topped up, especially in Winter.  It will only need doing once a month or so, and as the weather warms will be less of a challenge for the battery.

A lot will depend upon how many functions you switch on during your journey.

If it goes flat again quickly then a parasitic draw is likely.  Finding it can be a cast iron pain of a job!  The usual cause is the hedgehog (Final Stage Resistor) in the air con.  It is an easy DIY...though a tad more challenging if you have big hands - it's in a small space behind the dash.  Lots of folks on here have done it.

It will be worth checking that the car goes into 'sleep' mode.  The little tell-tale LED beside the 'P' on the shifter should go out after 16 mins.  If it doesn't then the car is being kept awake.

[the shreksta]

Hi

Yeah the little light goes out as I've checked that, the previous owner only used the car at weekends also which probably didn't help it.

My hands are like bunches of bananas according to the Mrs so I will have to get her to do it lol.

[X5Sport]

) )

My other half has long thin fingers so I ask her to do the same......assuming she hasn't just done her nails that is!!

[bluestreak56]

An 07 battery has done very well to last this long. My 07 Z4 Coupe battery lasted till this time last year.

[the shreksta]

[quote="bluestreak56"]
An 07 battery has done very well to last this long. My 07 Z4 Coupe battery lasted till this time last year.
[/quote]

yeah i was surprised how long it lasted when i saw it

i just hope it was just the battery and not a drain on it somewhere

[X5-D-Sport]

Guys.... I wonder if this is possibly a case of..

"The dead Hedge-Hog"  ???


I had similar issues recently.... kept charging battery & next morning it was a flat as the tits on a witch...
turned out to be a power drain from the "hedge hog" ... alias the heatsink on the interior blowers regulator...

there are numerous posts here...
the connector is located in the drivers footwell on the side of the gearbox tunnel ...
There are numerous pictures and movie clips on YouTube to show exacrly where it is located.
I got a repro part from FleaBay for £15, which works perfectly.

in my case, the blower worked perfectly, but just leached power over night & resulted in a flat battery every morning.

To eliminate this as a cause, simply pull the plug in the evening after you get home from work... its easy to find once you know where it is, & simple to connect again for your blowers to work again.
If your car starts the next morning... hey presto, you found the cause...

Refitting a new unit takes literally 10 minutes.

[bluestreak56]

If you want to check for drains, get yourself a voltmeter and take a reading of the voltage every few hours. Keep a record and see what the levels are. If it dips sharply (and if it goes below 12v) then you know you have a drain. Note you can only be sure about this with a new/good battery.

[Smeeagain]

[quote="the shreksta"]
[quote="X5Sport"]
A 2007 battery is approaching end of life so that was worth doing anyway.  The magic eye will only tell you if the battery is serviceable, not its charge state.

What length journeys are you doing when using the vehicle?  It typically takes 20 minutes of running just to put the stating charge back into the battery.  Add in pre heaters, bum warmers, heated rear windows etc etc and that time extends.
[/quote]

Hi

I use the car 6 days a week, my work journey is exactly 6 miles each way about 12 mins there and 20 mins back with traffic
[/quote]

Definitely not running it long enough. Get up earlier and let is run for five ten mins before setting off, or go a longer route to work, or let it run for five or ten mins when you get there. its just not getting enough back into it
And definitely get a CTEK conditioner and top up each weekend or overnight

R

[bluestreak56]

Im not sure I would recommend the additional engine running or driving, there's enough pollution on the earth already and enough traffic on the roads. The CTEK is a good idea.

How about buying a hybrid or electric car as your commuting vehicle. An X5 seems like real overkill to me for the journey.

[Smeeagain]

[quote="bluestreak56"]
Im not sure I would recommend the additional engine running or driving, there's enough pollution on the earth already and enough traffic on the roads. The CTEK is a good idea.

How about buying a hybrid or electric car as your commuting vehicle. An X5 seems like real overkill to me for the journey.
[/quote]

LMAO to suggesting that a driver on an X5 forum buys another vehicle  ) Are you sure you're in the right place?

[the shreksta]

thx for input guys

i bought the x5 due to my size, im sick of trying to squeeze into normal cars so i bought an suv

[X5Sport]

What about an MAN TGX D38 then.....

[the shreksta]

[quote="X5Sport"]
What about an MAN TGX D38 then.....
[/quote]

a what