BMW 5 Series Hybrid: Multiple Electrical System Failures

Hey there! I've got some experience with hybrid systems (low experience, mainly through my own repairs). I had a similar issue with my 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 3 (also had a 7 Series from the same era). The symptoms were nearly identical, crazy dashboard lights, weak starts, and system failures. Turned out my hybrid battery was severely discharged and starting to fail. Took it to a specialized workshop that deals with hybrid systems. They ran a full diagnostic, found the battery cells were unbalanced and some had failed completely. The repair included reconditioning the battery pack and replacing a few bad cells. Cost me around 290 Euro, but it's been running perfectly since then. Could you share more details about your specific symptoms? Like, are you getting any particular error codes? Does it happen more when the car's cold or after it's been running? This info would help identify if you're dealing with the same issue I had.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My car just hit 22200 KM and had its latest service last month. I'm getting similar symptoms actually, the errors seem more frequent during cold starts. Main error codes are related to the voltage system (P0A80 and P0AFA). Really helpful to know about the battery cell issue you faced. Did the repair significantly improve your car's overall performance? I'm a bit concerned about the potential costs, but it sounds like you found a reasonable solution with the cell replacement rather than changing the entire battery pack. Also, when they reconditioned your battery, how long did the whole process take? I need my car for daily use, so trying to plan ahead if I need to go this route.

Hey again! Glad I can help further with your BMW issues. Yeah, the repair made a massive difference in my car's performance, it was like day and night! After they fixed those bad cells and reconditioned the battery, all those annoying warning lights disappeared, and the car felt much more responsive, especially during that initial acceleration where the electric motor kicks in. The whole process took about two days in my case, one day for diagnostics and cell testing, and another for the actual repair work. I was lucky that my workshop had a loaner car available, but you might want to check if yours offers something similar since you need your car daily. And you're absolutely right about those error codes, they're definitely battery-related. The P0A80 is exactly what I had, and it's a classic sign of hybrid battery problems. Your mileage is actually quite low for these issues, which makes me think it might be more about cell balancing than a completely failed battery. The cell replacement route was way cheaper than getting a whole new battery pack. Just make sure whoever works on it really knows their stuff with hybrid systems, these batteries are pretty complex, and you don't want someone learning on your car, if you know what I mean. Let me know if you need any other details about my repair experience!

Thanks so much for all the detailed info, this is exactly what I needed! It's really reassuring to hear that the repair made such a big difference to your car's performance. Two days for the repair isn't as bad as I was expecting, honestly. I've done some calling around and found a workshop that specializes in hybrid systems. They actually mentioned the cell balancing issue you brought up, which makes me feel better about their expertise. They've quoted me slightly higher than what you paid, but still way less than a full battery replacement. I'll schedule the repair for next week, they also offer a loaner car, so that solves my daily commute problem. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. It's helped me feel much more confident about getting this sorted. Will probably post an update once it's all fixed!