|
|
|
|
|
|
BMW Garage | BMW Meets | Register | Today's Posts | Search |
|
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
>
Poll - How many people use a trickle charger?
|
|
View Poll Results: How many people use a trickle charger on their cars? | |||
Yes, I use a trickle charger. | 48 | 52.75% | |
No, I don't use a trickle charger. | 31 | 34.07% | |
What the heck is a trickle charger? | 12 | 13.19% | |
Voters: 91. You may not vote on this poll |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
04-02-2013, 06:25 PM | #1 |
Captain
12
Rep 668
Posts |
Poll - How many people use a trickle charger?
So I'm wondering, just how many people use a trickle charger? And why do you use it? ie. Use it only when not driving the car for long periods. or Use it because you don't drive far? (If so, what is your daily commute in round trip miles?)
|
04-02-2013, 07:04 PM | #2 |
Enlisted Member
0
Rep 35
Posts |
I use one because I don't drive my car for long periods, like whenever there is snow on the ground. I also have two other vehicles. The salesman told me when I bought it that if it wasn't going to be driven for a while a charger was a good idea.
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-02-2013, 07:19 PM | #4 |
BMWCCA 149159
38
Rep 847
Posts |
Been using Deltran Battery Tender Juniors for over 10 years on my generators, diesel truck and BMWs. Tried Walmart brand trickle charger before that and worked for a while then failed...
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 10:36 AM | #6 |
First Lieutenant
54
Rep 373
Posts |
I use a trickle charger occasionally, generally only if I get an excessive battery discharge warning. My car tends to sit idle for as much as a week at a time (I'm away a lot), and the car is mostly used for relatively short trips - less than 10 miles usually - so the battery is often not fully charged. I throw the trickle charger on overnight and that fixes it.
__________________
F83 M4 convertible, F15 X5 xDrive35i
Previous: E93 335i, E36 328iC, E28 528e, E21 320i |
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 10:41 AM | #7 |
Cuba
81
Rep 1,676
Posts |
My stepdad uses one for his vert during the winter. I think it's called cytek
__________________
07 328xi Monaco Blue|Premium|Cold|Navi|CA|LLumar|Mtec|DDM|aFe|Ambe r-Gone|Rear Fogs|Bimmian|PY-Speed|OEM|e92-lighting|V1|BavAuto|Weisslicht|Cyba|Beyern|Falken| Sonic Tuning|ECS Tuning|JL Audio|Rockford Fosgate
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 11:12 AM | #9 |
First Lieutenant
40
Rep 373
Posts |
When it's really cold (-30° C) I learned that I need to use the trickle charger that was pre-installed under the hood, so I do! Most of the time though I don't need it. I drive my car every day. If I was going on vacation for a week or something, maybe I'd plug it in just to be on the safe side.
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 11:36 AM | #10 |
Lieutenant General
1911
Rep 13,103
Posts |
Retired don't need to drive that much
Retired don't need to drive that much most of the year .
Use a beater for Windsurfing and other water sports most of the time. I might top of the battery once every two weeks. |
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 11:45 AM | #11 |
Captain
106
Rep 728
Posts |
I use my trickle charger every month due to the shorter commutes in traffic preventing a good charge.
Also use it on the 2nd weekend car that sees less mileage. Lastly, I use it the day before I go to a drive-in theater to ensure my batteries are good for the full movie. The car stereo actually sounds pretty good, even with the movie in FM stereo broadcast only. Cuz of the enclosed car environment.
__________________
PROcede | AMS FMIC | AR Catless DPs | AR Oil Cooler | BMS DCI Wavetrac LSD | KW V3 w/ Swift Springs | M3 Front Suspension |
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 12:06 PM | #12 |
Lieutenant Colonel
45
Rep 1,754
Posts |
I have a Battery Tender, but have only used it when we were going to leave the car sitting for more than a month. Left it for 6 months once while we were overseas, and started up first couple cranks when we got back.
OTOH, I wound up not using it for a 6-week trip out of town last fall, and the car still started fine when we got back. |
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 01:06 PM | #13 | |
Captain
12
Rep 668
Posts |
Thanks for the comments all!
The reason I made this Poll is because I have been having problems with my battery. My car was only about a year old when I received my first "Battery Charge Level Low!" warning. I just drove it a bit and didn't think about it. Then it happened again. I was going to call the dealer but had a service coming up so I thought I'd wait. Right before my visit, before the car was even 2 years old, my comfort access stopped working and I received an "excessive battery discharge" warning. The dealer checked the battery, said it was good but low on charge and charged it. They also told me to make sure I always lock my car, even when it's in the garage with the top down. Seemed silly / stupid to me but I did it anyways. Less then a month later, I get a "Battery Charge Level Low!" warning again. Very frustrated I take it back to the dealership. The dealer checked it again, said it was good but low on charge again and then charged it again for me. I was also told that my driving profile doesn't allow the battery to fully charge and the dealer recommended I buy and use a trickle charger. I later found that they also turned off all the lighting (DRL, Pathway, etc) without informing me of the changes. I was very confused by that statement since I had done the same commute for about four years prior to the BMW and NEVER had a problem in my Audi A4 which already had an old battery. My commute is driving 9.7 miles, about 21 minutes with a mix of city streets and freeway, each day to and from work (about 19.4 miles / 42 minutes a day total). I find it had to believe this isn't long enough since my Audi handled it without issue and my wife's commute in her Honda CRV is only an extra 1-2 miles. The CRV is a 2009 with it's original battery. It's gotten so bad that I can even let me wife listen to the radio while I go to the ATM. Before I even return the car will throw a "Battery Charge Level Low!" warning and shut off the radio. It takes less than a couple of minutes to hit the ATM so this is just crazy! Quote:
NO WAY!!! You can actually listen to the stereo during an entire movie! WOW! I can't even spent 2-3 minutes at the ATM. So it seems most people that use the trickle charger use it since they don't drive the car. This is understandable to me since this is exactly what I used to do with my CBR954RR that sat in the garage most it's life. I just never expected that driving ~20 miles per day would still require a trickle charger. I probably won't have bought the car if I knew it would. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 01:19 PM | #14 |
Lieutenant
287
Rep 398
Posts |
I use it since this is not my dd. I used it on my Mustang too, but primarily in the winter when it was sitting in the garage. Now I use the charger for the Bimmer year round.
__________________
2016 M4 MW/SS 6mt
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 01:59 PM | #15 |
Colonel
1436
Rep 2,527
Posts
Drives: 2011 328i Wagon
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Westbrook, Maine, Port Charlotte, Florida
|
My commute is zero. I travel for a living, and work from home in-between trips. I also have five other vehicles. Sometimes my BMW sits for weeks on end, especially in the summer when the convertibles come out to play. So I put it on the charger. My Alfa has one too. So far the others have not shown a need.
For that matter, the BMW seems quite happy to sit for weeks (occasionally I forget to plug it in) but given the cost of battery replacement it only makes sense to take the extra effort.
__________________
'11 328! Touring - Tasman on Chestnut, 6spd manual, factory upside-down "i" option '11 128i Convertible - Space Gray on Savannah Beige, 6spd manual, also '14 Mercedes-Benz E350 wagon, '95 Land Rover Discovery, '74 Triumph Spitfire |
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 02:05 PM | #16 |
Colonel
1436
Rep 2,527
Posts
Drives: 2011 328i Wagon
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Westbrook, Maine, Port Charlotte, Florida
|
One thing to keep in mind, as part of their "Efficient Dynamics" program BMW does things a little differently with the charging system than most cars. They intentionally try to run the alternator as little as possible, the idea being that they then run it very hard while coasting or stopping. This saves gas - think of it as a very, very, very, very mild hybrid system. But I can see why short commutes can be a problem. Great theory, possibly not the best execution. There was a fascinating white paper on this floating around the forum a year or so back, but I can't find it now.
Note that this is also why there is the whole battery registration thing - the computer needs to know the state and what size/type the battery is so it doesn't go too far in that hard charging.
__________________
'11 328! Touring - Tasman on Chestnut, 6spd manual, factory upside-down "i" option '11 128i Convertible - Space Gray on Savannah Beige, 6spd manual, also '14 Mercedes-Benz E350 wagon, '95 Land Rover Discovery, '74 Triumph Spitfire |
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 02:17 PM | #17 | |
Captain
12
Rep 668
Posts |
Quote:
They even acknowledged that "today's vehicles require much more electrical energy than older models, due to the much wider array of electric and electronic on-board comfort and safety systems", yet they think allowing the generator to only be active at certain times somehow makes good sense???? Needless to say I'm disappointed in BMW. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 02:18 PM | #18 | |
Captain
75
Rep 630
Posts
Drives: '09 335 E93 6MT
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Socal
|
Quote:
My car used to shut the radio off after a few mins. 1st time I took it to the dealer, they charged the battery and said I'm okay. It happened again 2 weeks later and I told them I was using a trickle charger, so they finally replaced the battery. I also drive a lot, so my driving profile didn't concern them. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 02:45 PM | #19 | |
Colonel
1436
Rep 2,527
Posts
Drives: 2011 328i Wagon
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Westbrook, Maine, Port Charlotte, Florida
|
Quote:
If I wanted boringly reliable I would drive a Camry. I will say, *I* think there is something wrong with your car and the dealership just has not found it yet. You probably had a wonky battery almost from the get-go from the sound of it. As I said, I often use my car less than you do yours, and even if I don't plug it in I have no issues. I am just doing it so the battery lasts longer. I hope you find the issue!
__________________
'11 328! Touring - Tasman on Chestnut, 6spd manual, factory upside-down "i" option '11 128i Convertible - Space Gray on Savannah Beige, 6spd manual, also '14 Mercedes-Benz E350 wagon, '95 Land Rover Discovery, '74 Triumph Spitfire |
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 10:07 PM | #20 | |
ALL RIGHTY THEN
222
Rep 2,957
Posts |
Quote:
maybe what you're experiencing is the battery cable recall? i've got an 06 and apparently, not part of the recall. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=804545
__________________
BMW CCA Member 483866
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 11:28 PM | #21 |
Beamer Mantic
82
Rep 1,191
Posts |
I am fortunate to have a company paid vehicle, the M5 and Dodge 3/4 4x4 diesel are not daily drivers and fairly much stay on Deltran Battery Tenders.This is the one that I use -> http://batterytender.com/products/fa...emisphere.html
__________________
2006 325i
2006 M5 2008 X5 4.8i 2014 X5 50i M-Pkg |
Appreciate
0
|
04-03-2013, 11:30 PM | #22 |
Brigadier General
89
Rep 3,732
Posts
Drives: BMW S1000XR
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Gilbert, AZ
|
ummm, Mike Miller recommends not using a 'trickle charger' due to the fact it will overcharge the battery. In fact, he recommends you stay away from them. He recommends using the Deltran battery tender plus, which is not a 'trickle charger' for extended periods of a few days or more.
__________________
BMWCCA member |
Appreciate
0
|
Bookmarks |
|
|