Battery needs to be registered to the car?

Retired Bob · June 30, 2019

Saw this 'article by Consumer Reports' on the Web: https://www.consumerreports.org/car-batteries/how-hot-weather-affects-your-car-battery-what-to-do-about-it/

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In some cases, owners can replace an AGM battery with a flooded one to boost longevity in hot climates, Barron says, but it’s best to consult a mechanic first. Many cars come with AGMs to support an increasing array of electrical components, and the charge system may be configured specifically for the charging needs of the AGM.

Cars and their batteries are becoming more capable and sophisticated. This can add complication to the once-simple task of battery replacement.

Barron points out that some recent models from Audi, BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and others require the battery to be registered by the car, so it can optimize charging and usage. This typically requires a mechanics’ scan tool, a professional-grade device that interfaces with the car’s computer system. Even older vehicles can require some level of reprogramming by a mechanic when a battery is changed to allow all systems to work. Ultimately, this means that many DIYers may find that they need assistance from a professional.

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1SLOW1500 · June 30, 2019

There is "tune" options in the factory software for our trucks. You can set the voltage and conditions for the voltage.
If you ever had a dead battery or low battery you will notice that the truck slowly turns of features. Radio seems to be first. All the way to the door locks. In cool temps I can't sit in truck with the key in the acc position. After 1 minute is shuts down.
The charge regulator is adjustable to the commands of the software.
May be a interesting change for cold weather or people with large demand auxiliary items. Like plows and salters. Also sound systems.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

16LT4 · July 1, 2019

Newer BMWs I know require a new batter to be registered to the vehicle it’s placed in, or else a year may be all you get from the battery. I’ve never heard of that for the K2 trucks but nothing would surprise me, and an interesting query no doubt.

Paintor · July 1, 2019

PCM turns on and off the alternator for charging. Per specs on a factory battery and expected load use.

In the old days, the alternator stayed on charging the battery as long as the key was on.

They CEASED lowering the voltage to the wire to energize the alternator and now just flick it off with the PCM and why your trucks voltage meter jumps between 12 and 14 while driving.

For a few years they were lowering the voltage to the alternator to keep the gauge at 14 volts while running ...yet lowering amp output.

Now...”Fuel Economy” pipe dreams of savings.They just flick it off so your electrical components like electric steering and amps have to deal with voltage fluctuation.

If we had the old school headlights this would be a major issue of lights dimming and getting bright. Why we have LED headlights now. Computer controls voltage to them, not battery or charging system voltage.

Edited July 1, 2019 by Paintor

Retired Bob · July 1, 2019

Ah so, this concept is not new (but it was to me) and may not apply to my Silverado, yet reading the excellent 'comments' above and doing a 'search' on words like "which new cars need a battery registered" or words like that will provide some useful information (mostly for BMWs, but knowledge is knowledge). Also suggestions like, if you want to skip the registration, at least get a battery as close to the original specs as you can.

dhldmoore · July 1, 2019

I know for a fact that the battery registration process was in effect in 2008 for BMW's as my daughter's 528i needed a new battery about a year ago and I had to take it to the local BMW dealership to have the battery "registered" just as Retired Bob states above.

Edited July 1, 2019 by dhldmoore
spelling change for Retired Bob

MobileMatt · July 6, 2019

On vacation up in the NW GA mountains and it got pretty hot on the 4th. Yesterday, in the 5th we went to leave and I used the key fob to lower the windows and let the heat out. Got in and tried to crank. Click click click. Dang. Called AAA (thankful that I had just renewed after some consideration) and the tow truck driver was able to jump it off after getting his dually up a 14 degree incline to where we are staying. I drove to the nearest town that had an Autozone and got their Duralast Platinum AGM. I didn't pack any tools for the trip, so I was glad to have someone else change out the battery. It was way harder than swapping out batteries used to be. Fortunately, they had it in stock and were open, etc etc.

To my surprise, I only had to reset time and date and all of my radio presets were saved. I did not leave a light on or door open or anything like that. Only thing I can think is that the heat zapped this 2.5 year old battery.

Donstar · July 6, 2019

54 minutes ago, MobileMatt said:

On vacation up in the NW GA mountains and it got pretty hot on the 4th. Yesterday, in the 5th we went to leave and I used the key fob to lower the windows and let the heat out. Got in and tried to crank. Click click click. Dang. Called AAA (thankful that I had just renewed after some consideration) and the tow truck driver was able to jump it off after getting his dually up a 14 degree incline to where we are staying. I drove to the nearest town that had an Autozone and got their Duralast Platinum AGM. I didn't pack any tools for the trip, so I was glad to have someone else change out the battery. It was way harder than swapping out batteries used to be. Fortunately, they had it in stock and were open, etc etc.

To my surprise, I only had to reset time and date and all of my radio presets were saved. I did not leave a light on or door open or anything like that. Only thing I can think is that the heat zapped this 2.5 year old battery.

Glad it all worked out for you. Was your battery not covered by warranty?

MobileMatt · July 8, 2019

On 7/6/2019 at 8:59 AM, Donstar said:

Glad it all worked out for you. Was your battery not covered by warranty?

Thanks. It did not occur to me to check and see if the battery was still under warranty as it was original from the factory. I just assumed that it needed a new one and didn't want to risk not having a new one. More on the story: When I got to the AutoZone after driving approximately 15 minutes, a guy from the store hooked up the tester and it read 100% good battery. In retrospect, we probably should have let it sit for several minutes before attempting the test. I was initially relieved and was just going to purchase one of those jumpstarter packs with the Lithium battery. Their inventory showed that they had one in stock but after about 10 minutes of searching the shelves and not finding it, he said they could have one delivered from a nearby store in a couple of hours. That sounded good enough and at this point I was still thinking that the battery had just gotten low but was now charged enough to not have to get a new one. Well, that changed when I walked out to the truck and tried to crank it again. It was super low and barely turned over. The wife looked at me from the passenger seat with that look and I said "Let me go buy a new battery." :-)

16LT4 · July 9, 2019

A simple multimeter voltage reading of the battery is almost meaningless (which is probably what they did); apply a load test either with a load tester, or with a multimeter while cranking to get an accurate view. Average lifespan of batteries these days is 3-4 years, 2-6 years are common on both sides of the bell curve.

Ravenkeeper · July 10, 2019

On 6/30/2019 at 2:53 AM, Retired Bob said:

Saw this 'article by Consumer Reports' on the Web: https://www.consumerreports.org/car-batteries/how-hot-weather-affects-your-car-battery-what-to-do-about-it/

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In some cases, owners can replace an AGM battery with a flooded one to boost longevity in hot climates, Barron says, but it’s best to consult a mechanic first. Many cars come with AGMs to support an increasing array of electrical components, and the charge system may be configured specifically for the charging needs of the AGM.

Cars and their batteries are becoming more capable and sophisticated. This can add complication to the once-simple task of battery replacement.

Barron points out that some recent models from Audi, BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and others require the battery to be registered by the car, so it can optimize charging and usage. This typically requires a mechanics’ scan tool, a professional-grade device that interfaces with the car’s computer system. Even older vehicles can require some level of reprogramming by a mechanic when a battery is changed to allow all systems to work. Ultimately, this means that many DIYers may find that they need assistance from a professional.

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First I've ever heard of this.

jagabom (Esquire) · July 10, 2019

The battery in my 99 GMC lasted 13 years. This is in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada where it gets to -30 to -40 F in the winter. I used a battery blanket the whole time when it got below 0 F.

Jim

Gagliano7 · March 18, 2021

I know on my 2016 escape when you replace the battery ford has to program for the new battery. When i turn my key off now about a minute the radio will shut off and message says low battery. Car still starts fine. When i first got the car you could turn the key and sit for about 5 minutes before radio would turn off.