What Could Cause a BMW Battery to Drain While Parked?

Introduction

Today's vehicles have both mechanical and electrical systems which are equally important for the proper functioning of cars. If any major parts from these systems get issues, then the car overall performance is highly affected. A battery is one of the main parts of the car and the whole electrical system which makes the electrical components run. But in BMW many times there are complains of car owners that their battery is draining energy automatically and unable to store charge for longer period. This is one of the serious issue that has to be diagnosed. In this article, I’m gonna tell you about the causes of battery draining while parked.

How harmful is the draining of battery while parked?

The battery stores energy in the chemicals and supplies electricity to various electrical components like starter motor, headlights, indicator lights, stereos, windshield wipers, etc. The battery is charged by the alternator. To prevent the battery from draining continuously while in use, the alternator charges the battery whenever the engine runs. But when the car is not in use or parked, there is no activity of any electrical components, so the battery keeps the energy in it stored and the alternator is inactive.

But the battery has a specific life time and it also get issues. When the battery gets issues, then it shows various symptoms like low voltage, interrupted power supply, frequently dying, and draining power even when the car is parking. So the battery is not in use while the car is parked, then how it can drain energy?

This condition is called as parasitic drain where the battery is unable to store charge for a little long period and only tends to loose energy automatically. It drains out energy easily in very less time and dies. Cars having such batteries hesitate to get started when the driver tries to make it start next day.

The parasitic draining battery cannot able to make the engine start when you try to start the car after some hours. Because the battery would not be able to supply electricity to the starter motor and the engine. The car would simply click but not start at all. So you may not be able to drive your car until you kick start it. But kick starting every time is also very harmful. It fails to make the headlights glow properly. Even if the car start, it would stop and die automatically after some time. So these are some issues that can make someone severely worried. If your car is starting to show such symptoms, then better get your battery and its cables checked and diagnosed as soon as possible. Because this is the permanent fix for this problem. Temporary fixes are useful when you are in a hurry and you cannot wait for more time until your car is started.

The common causes of battery drain while parking

Here are some common causes that you need to know in order to prevent and diagnose the issue.

Car is not shut off properly

If you have a manual car which has to be turned off manually, then such issues might happen. Many car users forget to close the boot and the car door and they leave the car

parked overnight. So if the car components are not shut off, then they would consume the power from battery and make it completely drained.

Leaving lights on overnight

Many times, people leave their car headlights or interior lights on overnight. The lights would consume power from the battery, making it to die. Next day when the car is made to start, it simply refuses to start.

Aging

Battery has a life period. Generally the car batteries last for 5 - 6 years. After this period, the battery starts to show unusual signs and its health starts to deteriorate. You would just have to change the battery.

Loose battery cables

If the battery cables are loose, then the battery would drain out the power more. Loose cables cannot make the supply of electricity properly.

More short trips

If you make more short trips frequently, then your car would lose power. During running, the battery is charge. Battery use more power while making the car start.

Conclusion

To make your BMW car run without losing time in trying to start the car. You have to inspect the battery and get it replaced if it is the only solution. Sometimes, changing the cables and cleaning the terminals also solve the problem.