Another No Start Thread

2159 Views 14 Replies 8 Participants Last post by barryRT, Apr 26, 2012

Buchnerb

Discussion Starter · Apr 24, 2012

I came out from work yesterday and my 6 month old 2012 RT went dead. When I turned the key on it did the checks. When I hit the button the button everything flashed and shut down. When I retried it flashed and then went off. Another biker had jumper cables so tried to jump it. Panel would power up, did the checks, solenoid would click, click, click but no starter. Called BMW assist and they tried with bigger cables and more power. Same result. Came back later and pulled the battery to take home and charge. Battery charger (not tender) said “replace battery” and would not charge it.

When I started it that morning it had trouble starting and when it did there was a funny metallic noise for a second. No caution lights showing battery not charging. I had had the ignition turned on for short while Sunday trying to tune more channels in the sat radio. Could the battery be drained to the point it would start once and not take a charge anymore? Could the charger be programmed for car batteries and see the smaller motorcycle battery as a failure. Could the starter be a problem since it would not engage while we were jumping it?

I’m calling the dealer when it opens and see about a new battery. If that does not work they will have to come get it. And I was supposed to leave this Friday on a long road trip. Are there any known problems with late model RTs like thia?

Bruce

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Hammam

· #7 · Apr 25, 2012 (Edited)

racer7 said:
Do get yourself a modern charger with pulse capability. Old style car chargers and many of the 1A maintainers will not initiate a charge on a deeply discharged battery

I use an Xtreme- you can google it- but there are others as well. A while ago I even used my Xtreme to recover a car battery that no other charger in my set could.though its "only" a 3A device.

You may not need a new battery but if you do the BMW Exide isn't a very good choice unless you get a warranty freebie- they've got a history with many. The preferred battery is a PC680 Odyssey- cheaper and far superior especially at cool weather starts.

Two questions:

- does the PC680 Odyssey fit hassle-free in the 2012 RT battery compartment? Is it just plug-and-play?

- can you recharge it, or just tend it over winter, with an Optimate 3 charger?

Thanks.

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Hammam

· #8 · Apr 25, 2012

I had a problem sarting my 2012 RT, with 5,000 kms on the clock, 2 weeks ago, after some 30 minutes parked with the warning lights flashing. I know this is a bit long, but still, I don't think it should have discharged an almost new GOOD battery. It just went click-click-click and didn't budge. As it turned out, my battery WAS faulty, and they replaced it under warranty. It seems that a batch of faulty batteries went in the 2012 RTs.

I don't know from whom BMW buy their batteries, but I had a similar bad battery a few years ago on an F800 ST.

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Hammam

· #10 · Apr 25, 2012

GRB60 said:
It fits in the battery box but you need to use "L" brackets to attach to the terminals. Check with the seller as many times they are included with the battery at no cost ( I believe Amazon.com includes them). I think it needs some shims to keep it from moving front to back. The cardboard from the box will do it.

That was a quick reply. Thanks.

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