dealer wants $650 for group 49 battery. is it better than the $119 one at Sam's Club?

[SnowCover]

so my spare non-daily driver needs a new group 49. it sat for over 3 months without having been started. the voltage went down to 1.5v, which meant that it was basically toast.

my BMW dealer offered to put one in for $650.(actually $736, but my service advisor gave me a discount) I told him that I would think about it.

my local Sam's Club will have the Duracell-brand group 49 battery for just $119 this weekend. The employee told me that it was the weekend doorbuster special. ($20 off the regular $139 price) It apparently even comes with a 3-year replacement warranty.

at more than 5 times the price, is the BMW battery better than the Sam's Club Duracell battery?

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Probably not. Car batteries are pretty much a gamble, some lasting barely a year, others lasting a decade. This makes me prefer a decent brand cheap battery (i.e. not going bottom of the barrel cheap) over an expensive top brand battery, since I figure in the long run it would be cheaper to replace a mediocre battery a little more often.

Is the price you're sharing with us apples-to-apples? Both for just the battery (minus core charge)? Or is the dealer price also for installation and coding and the Sam's Club just for the battery?

[SnowCover]

Originally Posted by Ohio Enthusiast

Probably not. Car batteries are pretty much a gamble, some lasting barely a year, others lasting a decade. This makes me prefer a decent brand cheap battery (i.e. not going bottom of the barrel cheap) over an expensive top brand battery, since I figure in the long run it would be cheaper to replace a mediocre battery a little more often.

Is the price you're sharing with us apples-to-apples? Both for just the battery (minus core charge)? Or is the dealer price also for installation and coding and the Sam's Club just for the battery?

is the Duracell-branded group 49 battery considered "bottom of the barrell"???

both are installed prices. The BMW dealer only takes off $60 if I want to install it myself. Core charges is the same $15 everywhere, since that's mandated by the county or state.

[pbonsalb]

Are both AGM?

[SnowCover]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Are both AGM?

the one at Sam's Club is not AGM. their AGM one is another $60. ($179) Since this is on my non daily driver(old 535i) that's only driven every few months, I don't really need the AGM battery? I do keep it on a battery maintainer. (but somehow I forgot to plug it during the last few months, which was why the current battery eventually went down to kaput-level 1.5 volts)

[John in VA]

The Walmart or Costco battery will serve your purpose but, depending on the production date of your 535i, you'll need to register the replacement battery - the dealer, an independent shop or you can do that with the proper tool.

[BlkGS]

No, the BMW battery is not any better.


AGM is better because it is less likely to vent fumes, leak acid, and can be mounted in any sort of crazy orientation. Many times an AGM battery is used because the battery is in the passenger compartment.

Personally I've switching from Sam's club batteries to Costco batteries. They're a little cheaper and just as good with a different label on them.

[tracer bullet]

I'd personally go with an AGM as well as a trickly charger. Beyond that, I'd say they're basically all the same. You may wish to "code" it afterwards, tell the car it's been replaced and what size it is (in Ah, Amp-hours). There are many ways to do that, won't get into it if you're already aware of them.

[zx10guy]

I wouldn't say registering the battery is a if you wish thing. Per why it's important to register a new battery is the charging parameters will be different depending on how old the DME thinks the battery is. From my understanding the charging profile for an older battery is more aggressive than if the DME thinks it's new. The net effect is a new battery can be trashed prematurely if the DME charges the new battery as an old one.

[ctcarbonari]

I don't think there's a true apples-to-apples comparison happening here.
In any regard, the Dealership price "out the door" is definitely high.

I'd most definitely go AGM, register it, and/or code it if you are changing the Ah parameter ratings. +1 to Costco over Sam's Club and +1 to keeping your secondary car on a smart charger if it's not being driven very often.

The BMW Dealership Parts departments around here (pacific NW) will sell an OEM battery at a very competitive price point. In addition, you'll get new vent tubing and a battery that meets your exact specs as original. Most other posts I've read have said the same (@ Dealership Parts pricing for batteries). My battery is 10 years old and still holds strong @ 80% soc. So, that's enough for me to stick with OEM tho there are plenty of aftermarkets that will work just fine.

Sounds like they're charging you a premium for the install & registration.

Also, FWIW, my 15' 535i calls for the H9 105 Ah battery. Always good to double check what your build/options call for. H8 is (95 Ah?) is very common in that model too.

[ppointer]

Well, you are on the e90 forum, so you should probably go with AGM. $650 from the dealership is outrageous, even for BMW standards. My father-in-law was just quoted $450 for his 2009 128i. He went to the Interstate shop and spent less than $200. I coded it for him using Carly.

I have purchased two AGM batteries from Sam's and gotten three years out of them. I get double that from my BMW batteries. I have no reasonable explanation for that.

BTW, my non-daily cars get put on Battery Tenders. They work wonders at getting life out of a battery.

[Ugly Kar]

I went with a $150 or one from an auto parts store, never registered it and never had an issue. And you can pay an independent BMW shop $50 to register it. It only takes 20 min of your own time to change it.

Dealer prices are ridiculous. A detailer near me does work for multiple dealers. Same work, dealers just mark it up 3x.

[spielnicht]

I'd check if some if your local BMW dealerships have an online parts store (similar to getbmwparts.com). BMW battery prices are grossly exaggerated by the service department.

[Windshieldfarmer]

Originally Posted by spielnicht

I'd check if some if your local BMW dealerships have an online parts store (similar to getbmwparts.com). BMW battery prices are grossly exaggerated by the service department.

Dealer should give OP a hug, kiss, and a steak dinner for that price.

[JohnnyBeagle]

If you're gonna spend $600+, might as well drop in a lithium antigravity battery and shed some weight. I love mine.

[pbonsalb]

I have never bought a battery from a dealer, but I DIY pretty much all work. I would buy an aftermarket AGM battery. I do not know what brand is best for Group 49 size.