On most vehicles, replacing the battery is not difficult. It is enough to lift the hood, under which the power source is located, remove the battery mounts and pull it out of there.
Such a simple approach to replacement owners of the premium crossover BMW X5 can not boast.
Some motorists who own these cars have never even encountered the need to change the battery in their entire lifetime. This is really true since the batteries installed from the factory are designed for long life and do not require maintenance.
But situations are different. That is why sometimes it is necessary not only to find the battery but also to remove it and replace it with a new power source.
Battery location
The place where the battery will be located in the BMW X5 directly depends on the generation of the premium crossover.
There are E53 and E70 models. These are, respectively, the first and second generation.
It is worth taking a separate look at where the car battery is located in BMW X5 models of different generations:
- First-generation. If you have a model E53, that is, the first generation of the crossover, then you will need to look in the trunk. The battery you are looking for is located in a recess under the spare. That is, the dismantling procedure is quite complicated.
- The second generation. The E70 model is structurally different from the previous one. Here you will not have to dismantle the floor and remove the spare. But the battery is still hidden. It is located under a special box, right behind the luggage opening, closer to the left side of the luggage compartment. This plastic box is intended for the storage of tools (its right side). To get there, you’ll have to lift the floor first.
- Knowing where the battery is located on BMW X5 cars of different generations, the motorist will be able to remove it independently and replace it if necessary.
Many motorists are naturally surprised where the battery is located on the Bavarian crossover BMW X5 because they are used to seeing the batteries in the hood.
Because the battery life is impressive and their recharging is almost not required, the manufacturer decided to save space under the hood and moved the battery to a more inaccessible place.
Why exactly these places were chosen, it is difficult to say. But we should note that the manufacturer has corrected its mistake a little bit. Objectively to get to the battery in the first generation crossover is much more difficult. As a result, it was decided to change the location and make it somewhat more accessible for possible maintenance or replacement.
Disassembly and installation
Usually the need to remove the battery from the BMW X5 car occurs when you need to charge or change the power source.
It fails quite rarely. A number of motorists who own a BMW X5 declare the service life of the factory battery about 7-10 years.
But if the car is operated rarely, or driving involves frequent stops and starts the engine, charging will become necessary. Therefore, you will have to first dismantle the battery and then charge it.
When the service life comes to an end, an only replacement will help. But, as practice shows, BMW X5s calmly work on the regular battery for more than 5-6 years.
BMW E70
To begin with, we should consider a simplified dismantling procedure, which is relevant for the second-generation BMW X5, that is, the modification E70.
The sequence of battery disassembly on the BMW X5 E70 can be presented as follows:
- turn off the engine and turn off the ignition;
- open the trunk door;
- remove everything from the trunk floor by freeing it completely;
- raise the trunk floor by securing it or removing it completely;
- using a Phillips screwdriver, unscrew the 3 fasteners on the plastic housing that is just in front of the spare, closer to the bumper;
- lift up this entire shelf, which is for storing tools;
- under this shelf is the battery you are looking for;
- often the battery is additionally secured with a metal bracket;
- unscrew the bracket fasteners;
- remove the minus terminal, and then remove the plus;
- then disconnect the squibs above the battery;
- then remove the battery from its seat.
The pyro cartridge is triggered in case of an accident and prevents the battery from exploding. The squib does not need to be replaced when replacing the battery. It is universal.
The procedure is not the most complicated, but you will have to work for about 20 minutes.
In the future, you will need to charge the battery, or just install a new battery, following the reverse sequence of removal of the old power source.
BMW E53
In the case of the first generation of the German crossover, for which the index E53 is used, the replacement looks a little more complicated. It is connected to a different location of the battery. Here the battery will also be under the spare wheel.
The disassembly procedure is as follows:
- turn off the ignition, unhook the lower and upper part of the luggage door;
- grasp the special handle, lift the trunk floor covering, fix it in a comfortable position for work;
- there should be cone-shaped support under the floor covering which must be unscrewed by hand;
- on the edges, closer to the rear lights, there are a couple of plastic screws, which should be turned half a turn about;
- unscrew the clamping feet of the spare stop and take out the retaining ring;
- pull out the spare;
- unscrew the four mounting screws that hold the dome of the spare;
- The dome of the spare must also be removed from the trunk;
- Next are the spacers for the battery, which are held in place with 4 screws;
- unscrew the screws, and then remove the struts from the trunk;
- unscrew the minus terminal and remove it from the battery;
- do the same with the plus terminal;
- The minus terminal on the BMW X5 is black and the plus terminal is red;
- Insulate the wires, pull them aside and fasten them securely;
- disconnect the ventilation hose, which is on the left side of the battery, on its side panel;
- unscrew the stud of the battery fixing bracket so that the bracket itself is loosened slightly;
- take out the stud and the bracket, it is not recommended to unscrew the stud completely out of the bracket, otherwise, it will be difficult to reassemble everything later;
- grasping the battery, pull it up, and remove it from the seat.
When reinstalling, make sure the polarity is correct. The plus side should be on the left and the minus side on the right. The plus is connected first, and then the minus.
When disassembling, on the other hand, it is the other way around. The minus is necessarily removed first, and then you can disconnect the plus terminal.
What Battery to Choose
Now to the question of what battery for the car BMW X5 first and second generation is better to choose. For E53 and E70 there are their own options.
In many ways, the right decision will be to take the battery that stands from the factory on your BMW X5. But original batteries are expensive, which is why owners usually prefer to use analogs.
Some argue that the battery for BMW X5 E53 and X5 E70 must be exclusively native, original. Allegedly only its characteristics will properly and long power the diesel or injector engine. And everything else will not work. The doubtful statement, because there are a number of excellent batteries, which can replace the factory power supply. Yes, maybe it will not serve 10 years, but it’s 5-6 years for sure will work without any problems. And the price will be much lower.
Choose the capacity of the battery, based on the type and volume of the engine.
Each generation has its own auto diesel. Characteristics such as the type of engine and its volume really affect the selection of the battery. In particular, you need to look at the capacity.
Diesel versions are more demanding, which is why the minimum battery capacity should be 90 Ah.
If we talk in general terms, then the recommendations are as follows:
- 3.0-liter diesel engines require batteries with a capacity of at least 90 Ah;
- If you have under the hood of the BMW X5 is injection engine on 3.0 liters, then the range of capacity will be from 70 to 90 Ah;
- Injector-type engines with a capacity of 4.4 liters and more require a minimum capacity of 90 Ah.
- It is also worth giving some examples of successful and suitable battery to replace the regular battery.
Popular models
Here are literally a few variants of interesting, effective, and reliable batteries, which are quite often installed instead of the factory battery in the BMW X5 cars of the 1st and 2nd generation.
If these are 3.0-liter diesel engines, a good choice will be these batteries:
- Deka 9AGM49;
- Bosch S5 A13 AGM;
- Varta G14 Silver Dynamic AGM;
- Mutlu Silver 95R AGM;
- Tudor Intelligent Power;
- Exide EK950 AGM;
- Tudor High Tech TA1000.
For owners of German crossovers with 3.0-liter injector engines, the following battery models are a good choice:
- Deka 9AGM94R;
- Moll 95R;
- Bosch S5 A13 AGM;
- Varta G14;
- Varta F21;
- Bosch S5 A11;
- Mutlu Silver 95R;
- Energizer Premium EA9.
When under the hood there are powerful injection-type engines, the volume of which is more than 4.0 liters, you should focus on about the same as for the diesel versions.
Among the worthy options are:
- Varta F21;
- Varta G14;
- Moll 95R;
- Bosch S5;
- Energizer Premium EA9;
- Moll M3 Plus 100R;
- Deka 693MF;
- Tudor Intelligent Power TK950;
- Exide EK950;
- Tudor High Tech TA1000;
- Mutlu Silver 100R.
The range of batteries for the German crossover BMW X5 is more than solid.
If it is possible to buy the original battery, guided by the marking of the battery to be dismantled, will be a good solution. But because of the high cost, mainly choose among analogs. And there are quite a lot of them.