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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Help please! High Battery Drain



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      05-27-2025, 07:28 PM   #1
mrucker71
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Help please! High Battery Drain

HIGH BATTERY DRAIN (idrive notification)

I have a question and it may sound like a stupid question.

I replaced my battery a few months ago. It has been a few months and i recently remembered I forgot to register the battery. So, I went ahead and did the register procedure. I took it out and drove it. I hit the accelerator to the floor and let off real quick. I had a few faults on the dash that came up. (Start-off Assistance Inactive, Driving stability, DBC malfunction and Battery charge level low. I pulled the car in the drive way and let it run a little before shutting off. I Then tried to restart it and "click'. I thought i heard a click. I tried it again nothing. Just the Start-off assistance inactive light came on. I let it sit an hour and went out and tried it again. It started and i drove it around the block and parked it.
When i woke up the next day I went out to start it and had now lights. So, I put on the charger. Got the battery charge and the car started. Shut it off and went to work. When i got home that night, i open the door and had not interior lights again. I pulled the battery and took it to have it tested. Interstate Battery said the charge was at 11.80 dcv or somewhere close. They charged the battery. I put it back in and it cranked fine. A few days later it was dead again so i charge it again. Today i took it out for a drive and i have the idrive control message Battery High Drain. Is it possible i screwed up after registering the battery a few months later when it didnt have a full charge or is used? Can I put a full charge on it again then try registering it again????
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      05-27-2025, 07:38 PM   #2
ctuna
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Do you have aftermarket parts on this car.
Registration only effects the long term life of the battery .
If you replaced the battery did you put in the same type of
battery (lead acid vs agm ) and did you match the amp hours.

If you put a full charge on the battery what is the voltage ?
If you let the car sit overnight what is the voltage?
Are you charging from the charge points under the Hood the
way the manual says you should.
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      05-27-2025, 07:58 PM   #3
Joe_in_WLA
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As suggested, delayed registration would not create a drain issue.

Can you measure voltage while engine is running... maybe with your charger? If it's not at 14.3 - 14.5v, your alternator may have failed, which would explain rapid drain issue.
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      05-27-2025, 08:04 PM   #4
mrucker71
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ctuna View Post
Do you have aftermarket parts on this car.
Registration only effects the long term life of the battery .
If you replaced the battery did you put in the same type of
battery (lead acid vs agm ) and did you match the amp hours.

If you put a full charge on the battery what is the voltage ?
If you let the car sit overnight what is the voltage?
Are you charging from the charge points under the Hood the
way the manual says you should.
Yes I do charge it at the post under the hood.
I do have the ID4 motiong cluster and having unit but that's all I have done for now.
Now it will stay charged for a few days. Im planning to tear it down in the morning to look for loose wires or a bare wire..
Voltage today was 13 something. Then I started hearing a strange noise somewhere around the alternation and oil pump. Car sounds like it is cavitating and I'm seeing a voltage fluctuation down to 11.99 and up to 12.15 now.
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      05-28-2025, 06:18 AM   #5
Three_thirty_I
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My previous E90 pre-LCI had an intermittent battery drain issue which I later on found was somehow related to the driver's seating position of all things if it was lowered a bit. I had replaced the battery a few times over the years, registering and doing everything correctly, and then had a Ctek battery monitor fitted to make life easier to see what the battery was doing, was using a multimeter in the past. And that's how I caught it draining the battery a few times, which was after the seat had been lowered. So most likely that was some issue with the harness under the seat as it flexed when the seat height would be changed. Weird, but it was easy to replicate each time..
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      05-29-2025, 04:35 PM   #6
Mike K
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Check your ground wires too
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      05-29-2025, 05:23 PM   #7
mrucker71
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Its not in the seat. I had a brief notification that went away. It said instrument cluster. I have the Avin android and the ID4 cluster. I will pull it out and check the wiring. If I have to, I will pull the OEM cluster back in to test it. I did check all the ground cables and they look good and are secure. I will update you let you know what I find. Thanks so much!!
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