TIS Service Bulletin

SI B61 18 08
General Electrical Systems

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December 2018
Technical Service

BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE
New information provided by this revision is preceded by this symbol

.

This Service Information bulletin replaces SI B61 18 08 dated November 2017
What’s New:
• Log form updated for 2019 calendar year

MODEL
All (new vehicles in BMW center inventory)

SITUATION
Proper battery maintenance is vital when BMW vehicles are in your center’s inventory. Allowing a vehicle’s
battery voltage to drop below 12.0 volts (12.0V) permanently reduces the battery life expectancy and can lead
to premature failure of the battery. For vehicles, equipped with a high-voltage battery (hybrid/electric vehicles),
failure to properly maintain this battery may lead to a greatly discharged HV battery, requiring replacement.
We provide a flexible battery maintenance system every BMW center can use to meet their particular needs.
This bulletin explains the Battery Charging Calendar (see attachment), charging system categories and a
simplified tool and battery voltage checking procedure below.

INFORMATION
To transition the reimbursement of the battery maintenance step from the QCI to the new Battery Care Program
described in the procedure section, a reduction in the QCI time allowances was necessary.
For more information on the updated QCI payment and the related claim submission information, please refer to
SI B01 01 08.
Your center will received a separate payment for properly maintaining batteries on in-stock vehicles.

PROCEDURE - 12V BATTERY SYSTEMS (INCLUDING
HYBRID/ELECTRIC VEHICLES)
This procedure details the required battery care at the following points while the vehicle is at the dealership.


During receiving inspection at dealership



Assignment of vehicle usage (3 categories)
1. Put on the lot (New vehicle display or supplemental inventory)
2. Battery is disconnected, vehicle in storage
3. Vehicle is put in display stock (showroom or show display)



Vehicle battery is recharged



Vehicle is delivered to customer

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Process monitoring with BatteryCare within WHAT (Warranty Health Assessment Tool) is also discussed.
Delivery of vehicle to dealer
NOTE: The vehicle arrives marked with a color-coded round sticker on the windshield. Do not remove this
sticker under any circumstance until the vehicle is retailed.
When a new vehicle arrives at the dealership, do the followinga. Remove the BATTERY LOG FORM (see attachment) from the glove compartment and complete section
“A.”
b. Check if the car is due for charging according to section “B” in the charging calendar (is car assigned to
the color of the current week?) on the BATTERY LOG FORM.
If YES, please check the State of Charge (SoC). If it is below 71% (12.5 V), please recharge the car
before it goes into storage. On hybrid/electric vehicles, the battery must be charged if the SoC is below
25% or one or fewer blue bars are present on the SoC display. This situation can occur because of
delays in transporting the vehicle to the dealer. Go to step c.
NOTE: The HV battery in the BMW i3 and i8 cannot be charged above 30% when transport mode is
active.
If NO, go to step c.
c. Check the instrument cluster for battery-related check control messages to determine the condition of the
12-volt battery. Refer to the chart below for all applicable check control messages.
d. Open the vehicle and make sure it is in transport mode. Press the Start/Stop button and wait until all
check control messages are displayed. Refer to the chart below for all applicable check control messages
pertaining to the 12V battery.
Vehicle Check Control Displays and Actions

If an indicator shows that the battery is less than 30% SoC (12 V), perform the following steps:
1. Enter a comment with the VIN in the Bill of Lading (Delivery Receipt).
2. Perform energy diagnosis to check if there is a vehicle malfunction.
3. Submit a warranty claim with the comment: “Battery was delivered heavily discharged.”
NOTE: Using a multi-meter upon delivery is not recommended, because an accurate voltage value is only
guaranteed after the 12V battery has been sitting for at least 4 hours.
Vehicle usage is assigned
The new vehicle battery maintenance tracking system provides for 3 distinct categories of vehicles while in
dealer stock. Each category has different recommended actions:

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1. Put on dealer lot
• The vehicle may be in storage (back lot) or in a new vehicle display (not in the showroom).
• The vehicle may or may not be in Transport Mode.
• A four-week charging cycle and calendar have been recommended for this category of vehicles.
a. The vehicle arrives marked with a color-coded round sticker on the windshield. Do not remove this
sticker under any circumstance until the vehicle is retailed. The respective color dot on the windshield
(four options) indicates when the vehicle’s battery voltage must be checked in accordance with the
section “B” of the BATTERY LOG FORM on a four-week cycle.
b. Recharge whenever the battery voltage is less than 12.5V or 71% SoC.
BMW recommends using the LED 12V Charging Indicator to determine if a certain vehicle has to be
recharged. (For testing and charging equipment, refer to SI B04 23 10.)
This LED indicator has to be connected to the vehicle permanently, and eliminates the need to unlock the
vehicle for measuring the SoC of the 12V battery. The colors below apply to the charging calendar’s SoC
thresholds, and are as follows:
Green: Voltage is > 12.5V (71% SOC)
Yello Voltage is between 12.0V and 12.5V => Recharge
Red: Voltage < 12.0V (30% SOC) => Replace battery on new vehicles
c. Every time a battery is checked, record the voltage in section “B” of the BATTERY LOG FORM.
Additionally, if equipped, the HV battery SoC must also be checked at these intervals and charged if
below 25% or one blue bar in the SoC display.
IMPORTANT: The LED indicator has to be connected to the car for at least 4 hours in order for it to
indicate the correct battery condition!
2. The vehicle goes into the showroom, or a similar display area
• The electrical system is “Customer ready”
• The vehicle has been taken out of Transport Mode using the BMW Diagnosis System
• The color dot system is not applicable while assigned to this usage
When in the showroom display, energy consumption is frequent and unpredictable because of the
showroom traffic. A four-week charging cycle will not suffice, due to the increased current draw imposed
on the battery. This is because of frequent usage of the vehicle’s electrical components (demonstrations,
product familiarization, etc.).
a. To ensure the battery charge is maintained, connect the battery via the underhood charging terminals
to a suitable power supply (SI B04 23 10). For hybrid/electric vehicles, the HV battery must still be
maintained on the four-week charging cycle, since the power supply will NOT charge or maintain the HV
battery.
b. If the showroom vehicle battery has to be disconnected due to state regulations, check the battery
voltage on a regular basis to ensure the state of charge is maintained above 12.5V or 71% SoC. . We
recommend default charging every night.

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c. Record when the battery is recharged in section “C” of the BATTERY LOG FORM.
Note: For those BMW centers which have established their own working battery maintenance procedure
which fulfills BMW guidelines, Section C can be used to track the charging of those vehicles.
For BMW ActiveHybrid vehicles: Refer to SI B61 37 12 for special High-voltage Battery care
instructions when using an external 12 volt battery charger.
3. The battery draw has been minimized
• The vehicle battery has been disconnected.
With the battery draw minimized, a 12-week charging cycle can be followed. Use section “D” of the
BATTERY LOG FORM to document when the charging has been performed.
The columns on the BATTERY LOG FORM are identified by the colors white, red and green of the 12week charging calendar, designating the months when the vehicles are to be charged. The windshield
labels can also be used to track these vehicles, with the exception of the 4th color, yellow. Therefore,
vehicles received with a yellow label will need to be reassigned another color.
The 12 week charging cycle requires the battery to be recharged at every check.
Since BMW uses only maintenance-free or AGM batteries, DO NOT ADD DISTILLED WATER!
If, at any time, the battery open circuit voltage should drop below 12.0V, or a battery replacement is indicated
during the CBS handover inspection, perform Energy Diagnosis (refer to SI B61 13 05) to determine the cause.
Any necessary repairs should be carried out and the battery MUST BE REPLACED. The replacement battery
must be registered using the service function in the diagnosis equipment.
Dispose of all batteries properly, observing legal regulations.
Charging Parameters:
Battery charging must be performed using an approved battery charger (recommended charging voltage
14.8V). Refer to SI B04 23 10 for recommended chargers.
For an optimized charging procedure, the ambient temperature should be between 60°F and 75°F. Under
these conditions, the battery can be considered fully charged when the charging current has fallen below 2.5
Amps.
Charging below 60°F should be avoided if possible, since the capacity of the battery to take up current is
reduced and the charging time is extended considerably. However, if provisional charging below 60°F is
performed, the charging voltage must be set to 14.8V. Charging shall be discontinued no earlier than when
the charging current falls below 1.5 Amps.

PROCEDURE FOR HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY PACKS (HYBRID
VEHICLES AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES)
High-voltage battery packs should be checked at the same maintenance intervals as for 12 volt batteries.

The charge status of the high-voltage battery pack is shown in the
instrument cluster. If the charge indicator displays a state of charge
below 25% or one blue bar on the gauge (A), the high-voltage
battery pack must be recharged until the charge indicator displays
a value in the upper quarter (B).
On the battery log form, charge indicator positions A or B should
be logged as follows:

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A = 0 or 1/4 (depending on actual needle position)
B = 3/4 or F (depending on actual needle position)

Hybrid vehicles:


Charge the high-voltage battery pack by starting the engine and letting it idle until SoC > 75% has been
reached (approximately 15 minutes). If the vehicle is inside a building, exhaust extraction must be used. If
the vehicle is outside, the vehicle must be in a secure area.

Electric vehicles:




Connect an approved 110V or 220V charging cable to the vehicle’s charge port until SoC ≥ 30% (in
transport mode, maximum SoC is limited to 30%) has been reached.
The12V battery is very small. On an i3, it has a capacity of only 20Ah, but is permanently charged by the
high-voltage battery.
Note: When the high-voltage battery goes to SoC of 0%, the 12V battery will discharge quickly.

New Vehicle Delivery
The CBS Handover Inspection must be performed as the last process step, immediately before delivery to the
customer! Refer to Service Information bulletin “New Vehicle Preparation and Maintenance Requirements” for
the affected vehicle model.
IMPORTANT: As a part of the CBS Handover Inspection, a final check with “Battery Care D” has to be
performed on all vehicles (including hybrid and electric vehicles).
“Battery Care D” is a tool available in the ASAP Portal: Dealerspeed>ASAP Portal>Service/Technic>‟Battery
Care D”.

Based on key data, the tool checks if the battery was ever heavily discharged.
The system requires internet access and a BMW Key Reader (no workshop server connection is needed).
Perform this check using the following steps:
1. The vehicle key has to be updated as follows:

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Important variants to above:
a. For all vehicles with the Lock/Unlock button on the door (e.g., X3 MY 2014 and newer): Press the lock
button in order to perform the key update.

b. For all vehicles with the new remote key style (e.g., X5 MY 2014 and newer):
Back side of remote key must be placed on key symbol (not the front edge):

c. For all G-Series vehicles (e.g. new 7-Series model year 2016): In order to turn on ignition when performing
the key update procedure please press the Start/Stop button 3 times within 4 sec.
2. Let the Key Reader read and store the key data.
3. Open “ident car” and press the “Take over key data” button.

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4. Is the correct vehicle displayed?:
a. YES - Go to step 5.
b. NO – Check if “Workstation Configuration“is set correctly (Battery Care User Manual).
5. Does the application show “Battery OK” or “Charge battery” in the “Description” field?:
c. YES - the battery was never heavily discharged (SoC < 12V) in the past. Go to step 6
d. Battery application shows “Replace battery” (indicating battery was heavily discharged in the past) –
Replace battery. Repeat this procedure from step 1 (the status must be switched to “Battery OK”).
6. Is Save button displayed?:
a. YES - press “Save.” Go to Step. 7
b. NO - the key data was either not updated successfully or a key with old data was provided. Repeat
from Step. 1.
7. Press the “Log off vehicle” button.
Other battery-related steps to be performed prior to customer delivery:




BATTERY LOG FORM should be removed from the BATTERY CHARGE LOG (binder) and filed in the
vehicle file, to be available for future reference.
To be sure that the vehicle is be handed over with a fully charged battery (minimum state of charge of
12.5V or 71% SoC), start the engine before demonstrating the operation of components to the customer
at the time of delivery.

Process Monitoring
There is a convenient BatteryCare Report contained within the WHAT (Warranty Health Assessment Tool) of
the DCSNet within Dealerspeed. This report shows all vehicles according to their in-Service date, combined
with the last recorded status in the BatteryCare application. Regular use of this report will assist to you to
ensure that final battery checks have been performed before leaving the dealership.
This report is now refreshed every night to reflect recent deliveries as well as those of the previous 3 months.
Please refer to the attachments to get more information on how to use the report.
WHAT can be accessed via DCSNet in Dealerspeed as shown:

GENERAL INFORMATION
Note that the procedures outlined above are meant to be guidelines to assist BMW centers in assuring a
sufficient state of charge of vehicle batteries at all times. Following these procedures, however, will not

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guarantee a sufficient state of charge on all batteries. There may be exceptional cases (for example, frequent
movement of back lot vehicles) of excessive current which may call for more frequent recharging than otherwise
necessary.
The above guidelines for proper battery maintenance are meant to provide maximum flexibility for every BMW
center. Regional BMW personnel will be happy to assist with setting up an effective charging and monitoring
program.

PARTS INFORMATION
Refer to the attachment to this bulletin for the procedure flowchart.

Part Number

Description

Quantity

01 00 2 411 748

Windshield labels - white (reusable)

1 - 50 labels

01 00 2 411 749

Windshield labels - red (reusable)

1 - 50 labels

01 00 2 411 750

Windshield labels - green (reusable)

1 - 50 labels

01 00 2 411 751

Windshield labels - yellow (reusable)

1 - 50 labels

The pre-printed version of the Battery Log form will no longer be provided since the demand was very low.
A printable version can still be found either in the attachment to this bulletin or within the BatteryCare
Application in the ASAP Portal.

WARRANTY INFORMATION
When a new vehicle is reported “sold” with an in-service date, Warranties will review the corresponding battery
maintenance information from the Battery Care application and the required and qualifying key read data.


The required and qualifying key read data must be obtained from the vehicle during the period of 10
days before and 10 days after the in-service date (-10/+10) that is reported in DCSnet (RDR).

Under this program, after the first delivery, centers will receive two (2) FRU for properly maintaining a new
vehicle’s 12V battery while in inventory.


The credit centers will receive will be for one (1) FRU reduction, originally included in the QCI labor
operation, and one (1) bonus FRU.

Battery Care Payments
For qualifying vehicles, these payments will be issued quarterly on your parts billing statement through a
miscellaneous billing.
Vehicles that do not have the required and qualifying key read data will not be eligible for this a payment.
12-Volt Battery Failures due to Improper and/or Lack of Maintenance
12-volt battery replacements for improper and/or lack of maintenance are not covered under the limited
warranty and do not qualify.
Claim submissions for 12-volt battery replacements for these reasons will either be denied or debited.
Center-Traded Vehicles
It is your responsibility to evaluate the battery’s condition on those vehicles traded to your center from another
center upon their arrival. Any issues relating to improperly maintained batteries must be addressed between the
centers involved.

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Demo Vehicles
Center demo vehicles are required to participate in the new Battery Care Program, including “Specialty 8,” when
the retail status is updated using Retail Type “B-Customer Update Spec8.”
European Delivery Vehicles
European delivery vehicles are required to participate in the new Battery Care Program. The battery check has
to be done on the second delivery in the US.
Posted: Monday, December 10, 2018

ATTACHMENTS
View PDF attachment B611808_Battery_Log_Form_2019.
View PDF attachment B611808_BatteryCare_Application_Manual.
View PDF attachment B611808_BatteryCare_Process_Flyer.
View PDF attachment B611808 BatteryCare Report in WHAT.
[ Copyright ©2018 BMW of North America, Inc. ]

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BatteryCare Report in WHAT
1. Start screen of WHAT (as of 08/01/2015):

2. First selection which mandatory to make is to select Month and Brand:

3. After Month and Brand was selected the numbers for each dealer are displayed.

Count of all vehicles which had their In-Service in the selected month.
Count of all cars which were checked fine on retail with the BatteryCare application
Ratio of all cars which were checked fine on retail, based on the total number of vehicles
which were put in-Service
Ranking of the ratio for the “OK battery checks” for market as well as regional level
Detailed report which shows every single vehicle(see below)
Please note: The data is refreshed every night for the current month as well as the 3 previous month

4. Every VIN number

Explanation about color codes:
Green
Yellow

Red

The battery was checked based on key data not earlier than 10 days to the in-Service date
of the car
- The battery was no checked with a key read. Instead of that, a manual record was put in
with the BatteryCare application not earlier than 10 days to the in-Service date of the
car(Battery Status: “Unkown”)
- The car is an “European Delivery” and did not have its 2nd delivery so far
- There was no successful battery check performed on retail with the BatteryCare
application(Battery Status: “No Check Peformed”)
- The BatteryCare application has a battery check on file but more than 10 days prior to
the in-service date of the particular vehicle(Battery Status: “Invalid Check”)
- The last status which was recorded in BatteryCare was “Replace Battery”

VDC USE: Chassis #:

2019 BMW Group
Battery Log Form

Battery (12V) / Kombi
Battery (Hybrid)
Date
Inspector

Stock#

Volts / SOC%
SOC%

This form should be filled out when the vehicle is received and updated according to the proper
procedure (display vs. storage vehicle). It should be placed in the vehicle history file when sold.
Note: Failure to maintain batteries as recommended and documented with this form will be considered sufficient
cause to reject warranty claims.

A

Model

Vehicle Receipt

Center #

B

Voltage as received

Vehicle In Storage - Checked Every 4 Weeks
Voltage Voltage Charged
(12V) / Hybrid
By
LED 0 Qr Qw Er F

Week
Of

Week
Of

Voltage Voltage Charged
(12V) / Hybrid
By
LED 0 Qr Qw Er F

Chassis#
Inspected by

Date received

Color indicates battery is to be checked during the week of . . .
Week
Of

Voltage Voltage Charged
(12V) / Hybrid
By
LED 0 Qr Qw Er F