[insane79]

Hi Guys,
I m in a dilema, my car is a 2009 e90 lci with the stock battery, recently i got a low battery warning as i was getting my interior clean't & forgot to turn of the interior lights, my car does hardly any running around 300miles a month as its my weekend ride & i got another car for my main commuting/driving. I m confused if i should get a battery charger or just use this battery till it dies off. The battery is around 3.5yrs old now so should a replacement be due even if i charge it up with a charger frequently when the car isn't used much? Should i just use this battery & get a new one later on? what you guy recommend me to do.

Thanks..

[coopersim]

Mine is nearly 5 years old this year and still seems to be ok (touch wood!) I'd say yours should be good for another few years, especially as I'm guessing it's a bit warmer where you are?

As for the occasional use, it might be a good idea to wire up a trickle charger, the sort you can get for vintage cars and motorbikes, something like this:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/7405392.htm

[cuiter23]

you should look at the C-tek chargers. Many manufacturers use these as OEM chargers.

[insane79]

thanks for the input guys, the thing is i have an open parking & cannot leave the car battery on the tender all the time as i will have to throw a long wire from my house to the car So using the battery tender/charger 1-2 times a month & my 300 miles run should be enough to charge the battery nice & keep it in good shape? Regarding the ctek charger, bmw uses the same one as i saw it in the dealership the other day any idea which ctek charger will be similar to the bmw one?

Thanks.

[insane79]

i went to the dealer & told them to check my battery & all they did is toke the key & then gave me a printout about the car, it said battery voltage 13.8v
They said anything above 12.5v is enough so i guess my battery is fine?


Thanks.

[Statler]

Maintenance free batteries have a habit of just failing. Once it's failed the first time it will usually continue to do so.

Mrs Statler had a Pathfinder battery fail after 2 years, fortunately replaced under warranty. It failed two times on us before we had to get it replaced. Each time I charged it up and it lasted a few weeks. Usually this happens during extreme cold weather.

RAC man on the TV this morning said much the same, weak batteries don't like the cold.

Any local vehicle electrical specialist should be able to confirm it's condition for you.

[insane79]

Originally Posted by Statler

Maintenance free batteries have a habit of just failing. Once it's failed the first time it will usually continue to do so.

Mrs Statler had a Pathfinder battery fail after 2 years, fortunately replaced under warranty. It failed two times on us before we had to get it replaced. Each time I charged it up and it lasted a few weeks. Usually this happens during extreme cold weather.

RAC man on the TV this morning said much the same, weak batteries don't like the cold.

Any local vehicle electrical specialist should be able to confirm it's condition for you.

got the battery charger from the dealer is all good for now

Thanks..