Service Information

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General Electrical Systems

Technical Service

B61 18 08

July 2019

BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY
CARE
This Service Information bulletin replaces SI B61 18 08 dated December 2018
New information provided by this revision is indicated by yellow highlighting.
What’s New:
• Procedure updated. Starting July 1st, Battery Care key read prior to delivery no longer needed.
 Warranty

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 highvoltage 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
Starting July 1st, the Battery Care key read is no longer needed.
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
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.

2

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), 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 updated chart below for all
applicable check control messages pertaining to the 12V battery.
Vehicle Check Control Displays and Actions (new illustration)

3

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:
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)

Yellow:

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.).

4

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.
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
12-week 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 (absorbent glass mat) 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)

5

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:
A = 0 or 1/4 (depending on actual needle
position)
1.

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.
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.

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 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.

6

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
01 00 2 411 749
01 00 2 411 750
01 00 2 411 751

Windshield labels - white (reusable)
Windshield labels - red (reusable)
Windshield labels - green (reusable)
Windshield labels - yellow (reusable)

1 - 50 labels
1 - 50 labels
1 - 50 labels
1 - 50 labels

The pre-printed version of the Battery Log form will no longer be provided since the demand was very
low.

WARRANTY INFORMATION
With the prior to the first delivery BatteryCare key read procedure no longer being needed, BMW is
currently in the process of re-transitioning the reimbursement of the battery maintenance step, one (1)
FRU, back to the applicable QC1 labor operations.
This re-transitioning process is expected to be completed by the early part of August, 2019.
Please refer to updated SI B01 01 08 for the interim claim submission procedure for QC1s performed
between July 1, 2019 and the beginning of August, 2019.

Attachment to B611808

July 2019

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

Week
Of

Dec. 24

Dec. 31

Jan. 7

Jan. 14

Jan. 21

Jan. 28

Feb. 4

Feb. 11

Feb. 18

Feb. 25

Mar. 4

Mar. 11

Mar. 18

Mar. 25

April 1

April 8

April 15

April 22