03-27-2020, 01:58 AM | #1 |
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Batteries and Quarantine
Given that we are unlikely to be able to drive anywhere for a while ( or in our house there’s two cars but OH is a key worker so still at work so her car is in use ), what effect does having them idle on the drive do to the battery health ?
Do we need to do anything to stop it going flat ? |
03-27-2020, 02:57 AM | #2 |
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03-27-2020, 07:42 AM | #3 | ||
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03-27-2020, 09:53 AM | #4 |
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Just make sure you go out every few days and drive it for a few minutes. At the very least you can open your garage and run it without moving it.
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03-27-2020, 10:27 AM | #5 |
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Or get a trickle charger. I have one that I use for when I travel for business. Sometimes I'm gone 7 or 8 weeks, so I plug the car in. It's easy, and keeps the battery optimized as well. Trickle chargers are cheap - like $50-$60.
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03-27-2020, 11:09 AM | #7 |
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If you are at home and car(s) in your garage, it's no brainer to get a trickle charger. I have it back Stateside.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000F..._t2_B000FQBWCY CTEK is a good brand (what bmw use based on past search in other bmw models). Simply make sure the battery charger or tender can give a charge to AGM batteries (which is the battery equipped in our X3 G01s) |
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03-28-2020, 09:05 AM | #9 |
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Use a Trickle Charger
I use the CTEK 40-206 MXS 5.0-12 Volt Battery Charger which works well and is on sale at Amazon and other online retailers for about $70. Works on all battery types.
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03-28-2020, 06:11 PM | #10 |
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If you are talking about it sitting for a couple of weeks, it should be no issue. But to ease your mind (1) go for a nice drive until all of your temps (water and oil) are at normal operating temperatures every week or so, or (2) get a well reviewed battery maintainer like a CTEK https://insight.daumphotography.com/...e-out-of-this/. Be sure that the maintainer has an AGM setting, since that cycle is a bit different than standard lead acid car batteries. Our X3s come with a AGM from the factory. Use the positive connector along with the ground stud, under the hood (passenger side of the engine compartment).
You can safely leave the CTEK maintainer connected for extended periods of time. FWIW, what I would not do is simply idle the engine. This is really bad for the engine since typically the oil and coolant won't get hot enough, and you will end up with condensate and acids that don't burn off (as they do when you reach operating temperatures) and also remain in your oil and throughout your exhaust system.
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03-28-2020, 10:47 PM | #11 |
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I was under the impression AGM batteries do not require a special charger but will benefit from a smart charger.
"Lead-acid batteries that have the electrolyte absorbed into a fiberglass mat (AGM) take generally the same charge voltages and charging schemes as a regular ol' sloshy flooded (FLA) battery." "HOWEVER - batteries which have the electrolyte gelled with an additive (GEL) usually DO require a special charger, because they A) require a bit lower charge voltage, and B) are much more sensitive to overcharging than FLA or AGM.)" |
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03-29-2020, 03:05 PM | #12 | |
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Ditto, what's said above... Since my CTEK is tied up with other car in the garage (i own two chargers, CTEK and BMW to use on other cars that are older), , and coming from 2003 e39 and 2004 e46, i assumed i can do the same with cigarette socket for battery charging, hooked up the other batter charger to X3, , and noticed wasn't doing much of anything. Searched and realized that these newer BMW cars do not have dedicated charging accessory outlets, hence no powered cigarette lighters when the key is out of the car. DOH... Looking for second CTEK... |
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03-29-2020, 11:54 PM | #13 |
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+1 to CTEK as I have one of their chargers for my vehicles as well.
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03-30-2020, 08:58 AM | #14 | |
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03-30-2020, 09:05 AM | #15 |
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Im somewhat confused with all these threads, if your car is at home in a garage, open garage door, exit garage to driveway, leave car running until it gets up to temp, reverse back in turn car off, repeat as often as you like. Im sure local rules dont stop you going within 5 paces of your front door? of course if your car is miles away or in a public garage then you have a bigger problem.
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03-30-2020, 10:14 AM | #17 | |
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Batteries and Quarantine
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03-30-2020, 11:56 AM | #18 |
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There are numerous AGM chargers on the market. I have 2 Optimas that I have been using for years to keep my cars charged. Never a hitch.
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03-30-2020, 12:29 PM | #19 |
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Worked off shore doing 6 weeks on 6 weeks off. Never had an issue with the battery running low. X5 (6yrs) then X4(5yrs) always started without a problem.
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