Battery Charging

I'm storing my M5 for the winter, and as suggested I've getting a 2amp
intelligent trickle charger to maintain the battery. It charges slowly, then
shuts off, then charges again when the battery needs it. Supposed to be very
good. My question is should I disconnect and/or take the battery out of the
car (being stored inside) or not?

Thanks.

"tech27" > wrote in message
.verio.net...
> I'm storing my M5 for the winter, and as suggested I've getting a 2amp
> intelligent trickle charger to maintain the battery. It charges slowly,
> then shuts off, then charges again when the battery needs it. Supposed to
> be very good. My question is should I disconnect and/or take the battery
> out of the car (being stored inside) or not?
>
>
I'd opt for not removing the battery.

The Battery Tender I use for my motorcycle came with an accessory cord &
socket which attaches to the battery terminals. It is then a simple matter
to attach the mating charger plug to the socket & plug the charger in to the
120v current. Since I ride the bike every 3-4 weeks, it would be a real
hassle to remove & reinstall the battery this often. Even if you just
attach the charger's clips directly to the battery, what is gained by
removing it?

Also, you won't have to reset all your electrical goodies in the Spring when
you put the battery back in!

Tom

In article io.net>,
tech27 > wrote:
> My question is should I disconnect and/or take the battery out of the
> car (being stored inside) or not?

Assuming the battery is in good condition, if you disconnect it and keep
it somewhere not too cold, it will only need a small recharge a couple of
times over the winter. The self discharge rate of a lead acid battery is
very low.

--
*Work is for people who don't know how to fish.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Tom Korth" > wrote in message
...
>
> "tech27" > wrote in message
> .verio.net...
>> I'm storing my M5 for the winter, and as suggested I've getting a 2amp
>> intelligent trickle charger to maintain the battery. It charges slowly,
>> then shuts off, then charges again when the battery needs it. Supposed to
>> be very good. My question is should I disconnect and/or take the battery
>> out of the car (being stored inside) or not?
>>
>>
> I'd opt for not removing the battery.
>
> The Battery Tender I use for my motorcycle came with an accessory cord &
> socket which attaches to the battery terminals. It is then a simple
> matter to attach the mating charger plug to the socket & plug the charger
> in to the 120v current. Since I ride the bike every 3-4 weeks, it would
> be a real hassle to remove & reinstall the battery this often. Even if
> you just attach the charger's clips directly to the battery, what is
> gained by removing it?
>
> Also, you won't have to reset all your electrical goodies in the Spring
> when you put the battery back in!
>
> Tom

Thanks. I've purchased the BMW battery tender and it's perfect. Only $90
Canadian and it just plugs into the lighter socket. Very simple, and I like
that I got it from BMW. In case there is any damage to the battery or
electrics I can go back to them. (not that I'm expecting any problems).

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

> In article io.net>,

> tech27 > wrote:
>> My question is should I disconnect and/or take the battery out of
>> the car (being stored inside) or not?
>
> Assuming the battery is in good condition, if you disconnect it and
> keep it somewhere not too cold, it will only need a small recharge a
> couple of times over the winter. The self discharge rate of a lead
> acid battery is very low.

Actually, it's low enough so that six months on the shelf shouldn't be a
problem, as long as it's fully charged when stored.

Trickle chargers are great if you want to leave the battery in the car, so you
don't have to mess with reprogramming radios, etc. Or you could just go for a
half hour drive whenever the weather and roads are nice enough. You should do
this anyway to exercise your AC system.

Matt O.

"Matt O'Toole" > wrote in message
...
> Trickle chargers are great if you want to leave the battery in the car, so
> you
> don't have to mess with reprogramming radios, etc. Or you could just go
> for a
> half hour drive whenever the weather and roads are nice enough. You
> should do
> this anyway to exercise your AC system.
>
> Matt O.
>
I know about running the AC system, but that's mainly to keep the seals
supple. If the car is stored inside it's not necessary. The most important
thing I wanted to relate to you is that it is NOT recommended to drive a
stored car as you suggested. Even assuming that you want to keep full
insurance coverage on it )-; , the big problem is that driving it then
letting it sit for an extended period causes moisture to build up after the
car is stopped. This is not good and is worse than just parking it, letting
everything dry, and leaving it alone. So I've been told on good authority.

In article >,
Matt O'Toole > wrote:
> > Assuming the battery is in good condition, if you disconnect it and
> > keep it somewhere not too cold, it will only need a small recharge a
> > couple of times over the winter. The self discharge rate of a lead
> > acid battery is very low.

> Actually, it's low enough so that six months on the shelf shouldn't be a
> problem, as long as it's fully charged when stored.

Yup. I was erring on the side of caution.

> Trickle chargers are great if you want to leave the battery in the car,
> so you don't have to mess with reprogramming radios, etc. Or you could
> just go for a half hour drive whenever the weather and roads are nice
> enough. You should do this anyway to exercise your AC system.

Yes.

And I'd baulk at paying 90 dollars for a trickle charger - it should cost
no more than any other wall wart type PS, perhaps 20 or so.

For 90 dollars you should be able to get a general purpose charger that
will also be ok for trickle charging.

--
*Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article io.net>,
tech27 > wrote:
> I know about running the AC system, but that's mainly to keep the seals
> supple. If the car is stored inside it's not necessary.

Hmm. It's the oil in the refrigerant that needs circulating to the various
seals and bearings. I doubt the storage method makes much difference -
indeed most things will dry out more quickly at a higher temperature.

> The most important thing I wanted to relate to you is that it is NOT
> recommended to drive a stored car as you suggested. Even assuming that
> you want to keep full insurance coverage on it )-; , the big problem is
> that driving it then letting it sit for an extended period causes
> moisture to build up after the car is stopped. This is not good and is
> worse than just parking it, letting everything dry, and leaving it
> alone. So I've been told on good authority.

I'd say the jury's out. Of course, if you are going to run it, it's
important the whole car gets well and truly warmed through. So just
running the engine for a few minutes until the gauge reads normal isn't
such a good idea.

--
*Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 09:22:47 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
> wrote:

>For 90 dollars you should be able to get a general purpose charger that
>will also be ok for trickle charging.

For $90, I'd want a new battery...
--
Dan Drake

>
> Thanks. I've purchased the BMW battery tender and it's perfect. Only $90
> Canadian and it just plugs into the lighter socket.

Sort of like perpetual motion. You plug one end into the cigarette
lighter and connect the clips to the battery. That certainly is
convenient, and no wasted AC power!

If it came from BMW you can assume it will work for your car, but
please note that some cigarette lighters are really power ports and
are not functional when the car is off---no charge would ever pass
unless the car was in the accessory or "on" position.

Matthew
00 528i Sport