BMW Battery Draining Fixed

BMW battery losing voltage, clock losing memory, E60 525i, 528i, 530i, 545i, 550i

[@rolltide716]

You are an absolute Godsend!!! We had this problem with our BMW 525i for about 3 years!! New battery, couple hundred dollars at dealership, where they claimed that they fixed the problem....nothing!!! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!!

[@njfishingBassBoys]

What year is your 528i I’m working on my 1997 right now I’m trying to find where it’s located

[@wayneious]

HOLY HELL!!!...all this time...that clip for the tire cover! mind blown!

[@andrewshvetsov8715]

This will help me so much with my bmw 535xi 2008 cause I got a battery under warranty and for 1 day it died and got replacement and same problem, this helped me alot thank you so much.

[@30guarino]

I don’t even know if that my issue with my car ..... but your tutorial was amazingly descriptive!

[@richardrenaud3504]

This was an excellent very professional presentation, Thank you

[@robertlewis9061]

This is a great video. I too am experiencing a parasitic draw on my battery and you gave me another area to investigate. Keep them coming. Cheers!

[@Therey1898]

Same problem with mine smh

[@raymondcamacho2720]

Did u find the cause?

[@redinstrumental7535]

Anyone!?

[@iioganaful]

Best auto video ever , am delighted u made this, u save my life man

[@yellowspace]

Thank you for the upload, learned heaps from this.

[@olgachuklanov8693]

It needs to be relocated ! We had spill in our trunk and it caused a RCD burn !! It was burned out! It was draining the battery and we had no idea what was going on.. We stupidly got a new one and it was drained again overnight.. Finally I saw this video and we found our problem!!!! Waiting for a new one and hoping it didn’t damage any other electrical problems..🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@netoram2688]

you mightve just saved my life with this one brother thank you

[@L0kEcITyY]

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH, 9,000 AND TWO YEARS LATER I SWEAR THIS WAS THE ISSUE CAUSING ALLLLL THESE OTHER ISSUES. Because It ran better than ive ever felt in 2 years and its been in and out over 4 times to bmw. and my god i have pictures mine looked like it was in microwave for 2 minutes! melted, half remained and major major major fire hazard because that styrofoam we also found melted where that module is. we got it "like new" off e bay. I did have to also get a new battery though because of the constant draining and charging of my battery its toast after like 10 times. so after that new part and new battery followed by a battery adaptation reset, trip comp reset, idle learning system reset (that i swear really helped a lot) (and I had to get a new transmission as well, that was probably not related) so I as well did a Transmission adaptation reset as well and that helped a ton too, Car just finally ran like we always wanted. then lastly because i had a NEW battery had too have BMW use some kinda obd sensor. or we can of course buy it for 122, but its just needed the once when programming a new battery, if u had to switch after this fault killed yours too, i drove with this issue for months because no shop and not even BMW themselves were even relatively Closeeee. lol dont mechanics use youtube?

[@Peteyjames]

I'm fixing my friend's 745LI for him(He's not mechanically inclined to say the least). Thanks for the info, specifically baking soda w water!

[@junichitsuruta260]

You are just great my brother!!! Congratulations for this excellent video!!!

[@edfairmontturbo]

Absolutely helped me to find my issue. Great work

[@9011combo]

Thank you for a good video, I spent about 4hrs going through KZbin, looking for the problem I have, and finally I found yours. My RDC module was damaged, fuse was burned so now im waiting on my module to arrive to see if my problem solved

[@worldwidesports4k]

I know this is a old video but did this fix your problem.

[@9011combo]

Yes, i did resolve the issue...

[@rhoduk]

I am having a battery drain and yes, TPM light is flashing. I put an alternator on last week. I will update if this works.

[@BoostedByV]

@@rhodukdid it work ?

[@stanleytolle416]

Good idea to pack plug with Dielectric Grease or bulb grease (same thing) to keep corrosion from coming back. Seals the connection from water and air. Like, maybe they should have done this from the start. I think it's a required add on for run flat tires in US. One would think it would be under the dash if someone was thinking about it when making the car.

[@costadiyar930]

Thank you so much this is been very helpful for me

[@GrowthGuided]

This was so helpful. Thank you so much for this video.

[@carlosackerman3366]

i have a 07 530 xi with the exact same problem! if i leave it off for too long when i come back its 100% dead. AND also it only started having these issues when the TPM started flashing. i will check this ASAP. thanks man very informative and gives me hope on my baby

[@nobledrewbey3111]

Did this work?

[@eduardo138879]

@@nobledrewbey3111 what about yours this fix your problem?

[@guillermocamacho9038]

Thank you man! Great assistance!!

[@esterutavasile7130]

Salut am schimbat modulul ccc la un bmw e60 deci functioneaza navigatia cd-ul arata ca functioneaza dar nu am sunet daca aveti vreo idee ce ar putea fi

[@bladibladi4521]

Very clear explanation to the problem... Thank you

[@andrianmondragon-wy7qf]

I got a new mpm module that was a Dorman brand because original was fried and corroded.The wiring harness wasn't to corroded so I cleaned real quick.Once I plugged in it worked fine.everything worked.The next day it was good until the end of the day when I started my 2004 545i the screen started glitching turning on and off then going black and Turing on and off again and wouldn't stay on but everything else worked.Dont know what to do please help.Never had a Beamer in my life and worried.

[@Scotford_Maconochie]

I'm currently battling a bad IBS and battery on an 2017 F15 X5 with 60k mi. The car died, was towed to dealership they found little to none, died again, boosted several times, died again. After an CEL came I scanned it and it gave me a code for a bad IBS. The car battery won't charge on a DEFA charger (the bad IBS fully depleted the battery 4 times or more). Will be replacing the battery and IBS in one motion, the register it, reset the DME and clear the codes. If this doesn't cut it then I have no idea what to do next...

[@tonytooreal9214]

Omg this man saved me sooooo much money ❤

[@angeltavarez5192]

Y a mees why u didn’t show the un clipping the clip?

[@justiceforall007]

Does the 2000 528i have this?

[@sydbell8508]

Says RDC on it not REC ? And could you not put it in a polythene bag with cloth,so it absorbs what little water the bag might generate ???

[@user-wr9pk4lu8s]

I've seen this video a few times, I hope this is the problem causing my battery drain it looks a easy fix

[@AverageNiceGuy]

Awesome! Thank you

[@g.king.]

good video bro !!!

[@regthebackyardjackofalltrades]

I have a 2002 M5 and my battery is draining also. Hopefully the tire pressure monitor is in this same area.

[@dilippatel3268]

excellent video

[@user-uj1xg7hb2u]

Gaining hands on experience From You

[@TraderAbe1]

What else could it be?

[@user-ts8yo4qf3k]

God blass you sir thanks

[@abelucious]

I have the same issue but it wasn't my tire pressure monitor module, still searching, now my radio totally turns off and my dash is lit up like a Christmas tree and the car won't start,

[@RASOcare]

Great video, so I become subscribed. I also have problem with by E60 525i, bluetooth, not working. Just cant click on it. I checked modul leftback and it had 2 wires unplugged and I cant see, where both of them can be plugged?

[@g..._anthony27]

The water is coming from what?

[@shantilalexander5793]

Does the RDC module have to be programmed to your car if you buy another or even a used?

[@YourCarGuyDR]

No, you can get a used one and it should work just fine.

[@zdrgdr]

also recomendation to put all those computers to other place, because if it hapenned one time it could happen again

[@yahirm6746]

having trouble disconnecting rdc module from wiring from bmw 2005 545i. any solutions?

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Gently pry with a screwdriver.

[@youngwychea1093]

Nice work

[@ianlouden7939]

I once had an '03 BMW 330 that did some strange things (windows and electric seats operating on their own, loss of clock, CD changer failed to work sometimes), that was also draining the battery over night. I eventually traced to fault to the Bosch radio, a tiny (0805) transient voltage suppressor had failed that was pulling the K line bus low intermittently, this was waking up the various modules in the car! data logging the K line voltage overnight when various modules were disconnected eventually pinpointed the issue!

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Ian Louden excellent process you followed. It appears that any of the modules can cause this issue. Following the process of elimination.

[@Jonathunder]

I’m have a simpler use but the CD player jus keep’s ejecting one night I went to get my wallet and heard it continuously eject when the car wasn’t even on

[@amex1997]

wow nice vid

[@thisguyfromyoutubesaid1537]

Thats called a micro power module ona 2004 530i looks just like it but im.pretty sure there totaly different

[@GrowthGuided]

How much water and how much baking soda for the cleaner mix works best ?

[@YourCarGuyDR]

I usually do a 50/50 mix.

[@GrowthGuided]

@@YourCarGuyDR thank you kindly

[@gochipurself]

My 525i has paint Would that cause corrosion

[@YourCarGuyDR]

gochipurself do you mean paint on the connector?

[@malefrmbk]

Wish this was a video on the idrive not working bmw logo pops up then blank ..i saw on other videos this is caused by the micro power module but the 525xi doest have that module..

[@roundsquash6392]

malefrmbk How did you fix this? My idrive and shifter light goes out

[@malefrmbk]

@@roundsquash6392 whats up had to replace the idrive with a new one then it did it again so i just got me a chevy less headaches less expensive..good luck .

[@noelmarodza4957]

Nice video.have u ever had an issue with a 525i that does not want to start after battery drain .not lights on dash and it's not reading key (not even sucking it in)

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Sounds like it still isn’t getting any battery power to the modules.

[@ayyceezar9520]

Hey man, my 07 328i has a battery drain issue where the windows and radio don’t work and the A lot of lights popped up.. what do you think it could be?

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Ayy Pics give me a little more information. Is the battery draining while sitting? How long does it take to drain? Will it restart without being jumped? What specifically stops working and which lights come on.

[@ayyceezar9520]

Your Car Guy DR okay so when it first happened I replaced it with a new battery and overnight it was dead. The DTC light, tire pressure, service engine soon, and a couple other lights show up. I was driving and lost half power to the car when this happened. It’s at a shop right now and the guy said he can’t find the issue, he got it to start with his battery but the lights still show up and he said it’ll still drain overnight

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Ayy Pics there are several things that can cause this but I would start by checking the tire pressure monitor system. If the module has become wet and corroded it can cause this. Any module that has gotten wet can short out and cause a drain. All of the modules communicate on a can-bus so issues in one module can cause issues in another. The RDC module is what you are looking for. It should be mounted in the trunk either under the spare tire or near the battery. It is common to get water in there that you will not see until you pull the spare tire and the styrofoam under it out. Check that and see what you find.

[@ayyceezar9520]

Your Car Guy DR thanks man! I’ll check it out and let you know if I find the problem! Thank you for the help

[@negressofjudah8441]

Ayy Ceezar there is an extended warranty on the footwell module that controls all the electrical components. If your windows, locks, turn signals and lights won’t work but the car runs, it may be that. They increased the warranty in August of this year 2018 to 156,000 miles and 10 years and there are several models it applies to. I bet it’s that. Take it to your dealership and let them check. I bet it’s that. They can hook it up to a machine and tell you right away. And if it is, it’s a free fix. No money out of your pocket.

[@kevinjonesmusic]

My battery drain issue came from the fog lights. They turn on when I unlock the car, then go off in 30 seconds, or go off immediately when I put in the key. I updated the regular bulbs to LEDs and no more battery drain issues.

[@g..._anthony27]

So had did that drain your battery?

[@sarahmorales3326]

Can I just leave it unplugged do I have to replace it?

[@YourCarGuyDR]

With it unplugged the other modules will keep trying to contact it this running the battery down. The modules need to be able to say goodnight to each other in order to power down. If one is missing they get worried.

[@2423yay]

If that option don’t work just tighten your terminals and jump start your car after , let it run or drive some where for about 20 mins should be good after that

[@geswith]

Aha, I have been having the same issue, I will try it out.

[@isaacb4955]

Put some dielectric grease to create a tight seal and connection as well as prevent future water damage!!!!!!!!

[@EspinozaJacob-sn5ys]

Can you drive the car with out having it plugged in?

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Yes you can drive without it plugged in. You may however still have battery drain issues.

[@heldermonteiro5853]

Thanks to pointing that out for me I will looking in to that.

[@stanleytolle416]

Of course I too am head banging with a 06 325i that drains when sitting. Battery in the trunk dam body computer turns on when the trunk is opened. Dam screwy car to trouble shoot. Told the friend / customer to have the dealership check for a fault when she took the car in for a recall replacement of the blower resister. Car also had lights on I could not reset too. Well the dealer convinced her that the problem was the new NAPA replacement alternator, they told her it did not have the same amp as the OEM alternator. She was sick of the problem so she, $12 hour worker, opted for the $900 alternator replacement. Yeah they did shut off the idiot lights and also did an oil change. I guess it was not a problem for $1300 or so. She was real mad at me for not fixing the problem and putting in a no good alternator. Well her heater motor finally gave out. I had earlier showed her how to get it going with taps with a rubber hammer and got her to order a new motor. Well I got the new motor in and what did I discover? A almost, 11.88 volt, dead battery. Should I break the news to her.? Hopefully she will have someone else to be angry with for awhile. Ok, If she has me try to track down this drain, any suggestions on how to go about it? Yeah, I will check the tire pressure mod first

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Stanley Tolle yes they can be a pain to diagnose. I did find a fairly inexpensive code scanner that would read all of the various systems on the bmw. It helped to pinpoint the voltage draw. Because the various modules in these cars communicate with each other constantly if one has issues it will often cause a battery drain issue. The tire pressure module because of its location is a common issue. But if you are able to check it out with a scanner by module the one that isn’t communicating is usually the issue.

[@stanleytolle416]

@@YourCarGuyDR what sort of scanner did you find? It seems one needs extreem scanners now. Not just engine codes but also the things attached to cam-bus, things to activate the anti-lock brakes in order to bleed, or simply install a window regulator with an anti-entrapment setup. Have you heard or seen x-turner E3 or v-Pecker e4 in action? They claim to do all this stuff with a laptop or tablet display. There are also reasonable priced scopes that also use laptop or tablet display. HanTec is one I looked at. So far only seen operation on KZbin. Any opinions if any these things do what they say they can do?

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Stanley Tolle here is a link to a video with the scanner I bought. For the money it is very good. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpTEnJmVn8urnLM

[@abelcharles4030]

What type of battery is it: Standard, AGM or Lithium. Thank you in advance for your response.

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Abel Charles This particular car was equipped with an AGM battery.

[@abelcharles4030]

To confirm, my 2006 530i is equipped with a AGM battery?

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Abel Charles they can be equipped with either. Both will suffer the same effect of a parasitic load draining them.

[@abelcharles4030]

Ok, thx. Good videos!

[@m.noshabzaheer8310]

So if i just unplug the module , will there be any issue ? I really don't need the tire pressure monitor . I can just get get air filled in the tires like if it was just a honda or toyota . Will there be any issues?

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Unplugging the module will likely not cause any additional issues. However these modules are all connected via canbus and will look for each other and share data. When one module isn’t responding the main module will at times not power down as it is trying to contact that module.

[@m.noshabzaheer8310]

Alright thank you so much 😊

[@QUiNTiNBANKS]

My 530i will not start fully. It’ll crank. I unplugged the negative wire still no luck ! Someone help me !!!

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Review it Q there are multiple issues that can cause this. Check your fuses and see if you can hear your fuel pump coming on.

[@QUiNTiNBANKS]

I got it towed, check everything. My clock lost memory. Saying low battery now.

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Review it Q the battery is likely lowfrom trying to start it. The engine needs 3 basic things to run. Compression, Fuel and Spark. Everything else is a function of those things. The easy things to check are fuel and spark. If you pull a spark plug out you can see what you are missing and then know what to diagnose. I will try to put up a video explaining this tomorrow.

[@QUiNTiNBANKS]

Your Car Guy DR please do, I can make a video as well. I’m supposed to get a new battery tommorow (gifted).

[@black7966]

@@QUiNTiNBANKS did u ever figured out what drain your battery and cause your clock to reset

[@TheScoobyp1]

That and the mpm modules are both missing and the wiring but tyre moniter works, have no faults in the car.

[@YourCarGuyDR]

rob davies there was a bulletin to relocate the module to keep it from getting wet. Yours may have been done.

[@TheScoobyp1]

I cant find any wiring for both modules in the boot

[@TheScoobyp1]

This has all started as Bluetooth doesn't work

[@YourCarGuyDR]

rob davies there is a video on my channel for a code scanner that can read all of the modules. It isn’t expensive and may help you isolate your Bluetooth issue.

[@stanleytolle416]

I heard from my parts guy that some of these BMWs need to be reset after a battery is disconnected. Is there any truth to this and if so how does one do this?

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Stanley Tolle no truth to it. There are a lot of myths surrounding these cars that aren’t based on facts. The dealers sometimes can help facilitate some of these myths.

[@stanleytolle416]

@@YourCarGuyDR I did some further checking. Some BMWs have this thing called a Intelligent Battery Sensor, IBS, located on top of the battery. From the experts on KZbin the thing can malfunction and cause your car not to start. If one replaces the battery or a alternator with something different in capacity this thing can complain unless it is reset to the right parameters. My friend has this thing on her car. I guess it was easier (more profitable too) for the dealer to replace the the alternator then to reset the IBS (my doctor says I have the same problem, with my intestines). This IBS does all sorts of things including slowing the heater fan and causing the car not to start and will also shut the car off while driving. Now that is a smart F***ing device! I bet it could also be a source of a parasitic battery drain. Looks like I will have to do some digging to figure out how this thing is reset and how to check if it is working properly. The KZbin expert fixed his car by unplugging the IBS. Maybe that will be my friend's fix too. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5-VqWmtjaidasU

[@stanleytolle416]

@@YourCarGuyDR ok my friend has taken her car back to the dealership that replaced her alternator for a draining battery while parked. Now they are telling her that a R F cable needs to be replaced to fix the drain. Of course I can't find any listing for a R F cable to figure out what they are talking about. Could this be a be a electronic muffler bearing or could they be referring to something real like a can bus? The other question is, what is the responsibility of the dealer to my friend for replacing a perfectly good alternator that was not causing her car problem? Like it cost her $900 for the alternator plus a dignostic charge to be paid for on her $12/h job. Should there be some sort of warranty on the repair being proper?

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Stanley Tolle this hits the big grey area. Getting them to admit that they didn’t need to replace the alternator would be very difficult. The common answer they would give is that it was part of the problem but that there are other things wrong. I am not sure what cable they may be speaking about but if they are referring to one of the data cables it is possible. However it sounds like they are doing the replace parts until they find it method. I doubt they are intentionally trying to rip anyone off. Most likely it is like most shops, they have one or two truly good techs and a lot of mediocre techs. Even the good techs will sometimes struggle with these repairs that aren’t just straight forward. I know that there is a lot of stuff on the internet that blames battery drain on the alternators in these cars. I didn’t see anything wrong with the alternator and thus spent some time diagnosing prior to replacing anything.

[@hahahlol9724]

@@stanleytolle416 any update.saw a guy just cut the wire and connected them with a resister and seemed all good.

[@isrealperez9069]

So tell me something did you get the p0604 if not I wouldn't believe what you're saying is true powers and training would cause a p0604

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Isreal Perez no there was no P0604 code. But the tpms module would not respond when you tried to connect to it with a scanner.

[@isrealperez9069]

@@YourCarGuyDR what is tpms

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Isreal Perez it stands for “tire pressure monitoring system”

[@isrealperez9069]

@@YourCarGuyDR I don't have one am running 18 inches wheels not the 16

[@midnightspecial2990]

I had a BMW battery drain problem. It was the door close microswitch. I unhooked it. No more battery drain. The door key chime went away, but I don't miss it.

[@user-pd1en6dx9g]

Haw you found it..? I have the same problem ,If I don't run the car for 1-2 weeks and the battery is completely dead..

[@cp3ny]

How did you fins door close micro swtich

[@choppacitydread590]

My Idrive n radio not working and has battery drain

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Yung Zo first thing to check is all of your fuses. You need to diagnose why the idrive isn’t working. It can be the cause of the battery drain.

[@debello]

Same here! Did you resolve it?

[@arvindersidhu7823]

did u fix it??

[@debello]

@@arvindersidhu7823 I solved mine and nothing to do with the fuse. It was the idrive it self that needed to be fixed. Try to find someone or a company that can fix the idrive mother board 👍🏾

[@vehamanotham9155]

It work i just unplugged and jump started it

[@brittmichel3180]

Has anyone suggested relocating the module? Seems like BMW should had planned that from the start since we all end up having to do this due to water accumulation and BMW's poor engineering. I know a recall was done for my car but I had too many miles to be candidate....which I think is bad PR for BMW

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Britt Michel yes there are several videos on KZbin that show relocating the module.

[@youaregoingtolovethis]

If it is a recall it has to be done for free no matter how old or how many miles. If it is a TSB aka Technical Service Bulletin then it is a known issue and there is a fix for it but it is optional and not fixed for free.

[@mariojones5393]

Can the car drive without the module?

[@YourCarGuyDR]

Yes, it can drive.

[@dat1alekz163]

I looked under and the plug next to that box was corroded thanks . I will keep updated 🫡