Your BMW’s battery is what starts your BMW, making it extremely important whenever you want to drive. This is especially important in the winter, where you can get stranded in the cold without a warm vehicle to warm up in while you wait for someone to come and jump start your vehicle. That’s where the trained technicians in our Service Department at Overseas Motors BMW come in! Our battery service both inspects and tests the charge on your battery, and includes replacing it with a new one if needed.
Continue reading to learn more about our battery service, including why battery maintenance is so important, 3 warning signs (including always needing a jump start) that indicate your battery needs servicing or replacing, and the answers frequently asked questions about our battery services! Learn more about the other services our Service Department in Windsor provides by clicking here, like Oil Changes and Brake Services.
Considering you can’t even use your BMW without a working battery as it’s what starts your engine, battery maintenance is extremely important. It’s also the job of the battery to power the electrical components in your BMW, including the entertainment systems, door locks, and power windows.
In the winter, vehicle batteries can deplete more quickly. Because of this, making sure your BMW’s battery is ready to handle Windsor winters before the first snowfall is a wise decision, as it lets you know your battery still has enough power to keep you moving in the cooler months.
Every BMW, and every vehicle for that matter, should be able to hold enough of a charge to start without needing a jump. If you’ve had to get a jump start multiple times in the past month it’s time to get a new battery.
Turning over the engine should be something your BMW can do in an instant. If it’s having trouble, especially in the winter, you’ll instead find that it has to rev multiple times before it finally turns over, if it turns over at all. A new battery is in order if your engine revs for more than a few seconds before turning over, particularly if such happens multiple times in the same month.
When your battery is dying, it can sometimes start leaking sulfuric acid. This acid is extremely strong and smells horrible, and it’s capable of damaging your BMW’s inner workings due to its corrosive properties. If you notice a strong, nasty smell coming from under your hood, be safe and have your BMW towed to our trained technicians, who can safely remove both your battery and the sulfuric acid before replacing it with a brand new one. Sulfuric acid under the hood can also cause fire hazards, so it’s better to be safe than sorry!
This battery service is only for the low-voltage battery found with BMWs that run on internal combustion engines, which include both gas-powered and hybrid models. A specialized battery service is required for the battery that acts in place of an engine in fully-electric BMWs, as well as the same battery that works in tandem with the engine in hybrid models. If you have a fully-electric BMW, you do not need this particular battery service, as your BMW does not have a low-voltage battery.
While vehicle batteries can last for 3 to 7 years depending on what type of battery it is, cold and hot weather can make it run out of juice more quickly. Because of this, it’s suggested that you get your battery checked every year to keep tabs on how much of a charge it’s carrying. Try to get your yearly battery check done in the fall (before the first snowfall) to make sure it’s ready to go for Windsor’s winter months, and if you notice any of the warning signs above, bring it in to get it inspected as soon as you can.
Leaks under the hood of your BMW can cause some pretty bad smells, but it might not necessarily be from your battery. Coolant leaks, engine oil leaks, a failing catalytic converter, and even slipping drive belts can cause unpleasant odours to come from under the hood. No matter what the cause of the odour though, the solution is the same: bring your BMW to the trained technicians in our Service Department, who will locate the source of the smell and help to fix or replace the part in question, including if it’s your battery.
The trained technicians in our Service Department at Overseas Motors BMW in Windsor can help keep your BMW running smoothly, and that includes getting your battery repaired and replaced as needed. If you want to know more about any of our services, including this one, reach out to us, and when you’re ready to book your service appointment, fill out the secure form below!
