Does anyone know the replacement battery for a 2002 530i M sport ? I got one from Autozone in a pinch and apparently it's what they deem an alternative battery. So the right one wasn't in stock so they gave a substitute. Now that battery died after 1 month and caused all manner of lights in the cluster to go on . My tech says autozone blanked me . Wrong CCA . Dealers are also confused saying there are 2 available for that car ?
Whaat? The dealer shouldn't be confused unless their parts people don't know what they're doing, you'd think. Realoem.com shows 2 battery specs for '02 530i (you may want to start at the beginning w/ your vin or use your exact production mo/yr) - http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=DT63-USA-08-2002-E39-BMW-530i&diagId=61_0146 80AH 640A (ie, 80 amp-hours, 640 amps), or 90AH 720A Other battery makers maybe have a selection tool similar to interstate batteries, but to take a look at what interstate has for example, once you put in yr-make-model info, it shows several checking their option 1, 2, 3, & AGM - https://www.interstatebatteries.com/battery-finder However... I think the interstate model database has 2002 as a crossover year to the E60. In the y2k range, 2001 is the first y2k yr. the 530i shows, and it's the same battery for either 2001 530i search result: MTP-49 H8, 730cca (I assume cold-cranking amps means the same as just the amps rating as above) group size H8; their specs tab lists dimensions (from the finder search results, clicking the 'select product' option brings up the more-detailed product page w/ specs), so perhaps that's worth comparing, but you'd need to know the original battery dimensions to directly compare dimensional fitment. When you search results for a 2002 530i, you get additional result of options 2, 3 & AGM listing additional different batteries, but those search results are the same as for a 2006 530i, which would lead you to figure those results are for an E60 530i, not E39. So, presumably, for Interstate at least, the MTP49 H8 should be the correct one for an E39 530i. As to why yours is dead so quickly, I don't have much expertise for that type of electrics diagnosis - maybe too low a capacity and the car's power requirements are more than the battery can deliver, so a problem because battery is incorrect spec? If there wasn't a charging problem before the battery swap, would seem the most likely cause would be something about the battery you got. I've had a mechanic friend comment that they've had previously flawless battery brands have new ones that had problems out-of-the box; dead cells, etc. Variety of possibilities there, there are places that can check your battery. Generally speaking, I'm sure it best to use a correct-spec battery if possible, but still, you'd think if it was reasonably close it would work ok.
BMW's catalog for batteries is a complete joke. Even with a vin you can not tell what battery came in the vehicle without looking at the battery. So when someone puts a aftermarket battery in the vehicle it makes getting the correct battery that much harder. The newer cars with IBS sensors make it easy since the DME stores the AH for OE battery. Of course the older cars don't have this feature so we try to put the largest one we can in. I recommend using the 90AH non agm battery for your vehicle. The second question is why did the battery die? Does the vehicle have a draw? Alternator not working? Most auto stores can test your alternator system to make sure it is working for free. That is where I would start first.
