My hybrid BMW 5-series is three years old and has covered 12,000 miles. When will the hybrid battery require replacing? And is a swap covered under a service agreement? PG, Conwy, north Wales
Although the three-year warranty on your car has expired, the warranty on the high-voltage lithium-ion battery will run for two more years or up to 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. Battery life varies, but BMW says: “The life cycle of the ActiveHybrid battery is up to 10 years. It doesn’t come to a complete stop after that time, it just doesn’t retain charge in the same way. So it will still work, [but] you just need to recharge it more often.”
After five years, replacement or repair of the battery is no longer covered by BMW. Despite repeated inquiries, BMW would not give any indication of the cost of a replacement battery. So we spoke instead to Dmworx (dmworx.co.uk), an independent BMW specialist in Buckinghamshire, which said it had yet to see any ActiveHybrids with battery problems. Nevertheless, the cost of a replacement battery would be more than £5,000 including VAT (the precise figure depends on which version of the car you have).
We also spoke to Hybrid Battery Solutions (www.hybridbatterysolutions.co.uk), a Northampton-based repairer of hybrid batteries. The company repairs nickel batteries — but not lithium-ion, although it is considering developing this service. In cases where it is an option, repair can be less than half the cost of replacement.
In more recent BMW plug-in hybrids with more advanced technology it is possible to replace individual parts of the battery. It is unlikely that the entire battery would ever require replacement, according to the car maker. ES
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My Kia Sportage, like most modern cars, has no plastic protection strips along the door panels or wheelarches. There are now four minor dents caused by people opening their doors in the next bay of the car park. Is there a magnetic or self-adhesive buffer strip I could apply along the “waistline” of my car to help prevent further dents? BS, Co Antrim
Your Sportage is not alone in receiving this kind of damage. Although a small dent in the door may seem minor, it can take hundreds of pounds off the value when you come to sell the car.
Moreover, it gives the impression that you don’t take care of the vehicle, and a buyer might think that you take the same attitude with regard to servicing and maintenance.
So, consider buying a set of side-body mouldings direct from your Kia dealer (part number 3W271ADE00). They cost £200 including fitting and are stuck to the lower sections of the four doors.
Alternatively, you could buy some aftermarket body mouldings from a company such as Automotiva (automotiva.co.uk). A set is available specifically for your car for £45. The sections come about halfway up the doors and are simply stuck in place with double-sided tape. The procedure isn’t difficult but it does require some care to get the panels exactly level so that they don’t spoil the lines of the car. They come in black as standard, or can be custom sprayed by Automotiva for an extra £90. DP