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      04-24-2020, 07:58 AM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighlandPete View Post
From BMW 'Battery Basics'.

Quote:
Charging and trickle charging of the battery

...If the battery is charged when fitted, the charging process must take place via the jump start terminal point. This is the only way to ensure that the charging process is detected correctly by the vehicle electronics on vehicles with an intelligent battery sensor (IBS). If the battery is charged directly at the battery terminals, misinterpretations of the battery condition and, under certain circumstances, unwanted Check Control messages or fault code memory entries can occur. The cigarette lighter is supplied with voltage by the front power distribution box via switched terminal 30B. After terminal 30B off, the relay de-energizes. This means that a trickle charger connected at the cigarette lighter would be disconnected from the battery. Only charge the battery via the jump start terminal point.
Most user manuals also contain a warning not to use the 12V sockets.
Now I am confused. When you read the online manual for 330i it says to charge battery from under the bonnet at the connection terminals. Should I not be charging the battery directly if the system is showing low battery?
Took the car for an hours run on Tuesday but still getting low battery. Any advice would be greatly received.
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      04-24-2020, 12:27 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Franko666 View Post
Now I am confused. When you read the online manual for 330i it says to charge battery from under the bonnet at the connection terminals. Should I not be charging the battery directly if the system is showing low battery?
Took the car for an hours run on Tuesday but still getting low battery. Any advice would be greatly received.
Use the connection under the bonnet...... charged mine earlier this week and all good now... start / stop working now as well.....
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      04-24-2020, 03:12 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Franko666 View Post
Now I am confused. When you read the online manual for 330i it says to charge battery from under the bonnet at the connection terminals. Should I not be charging the battery directly if the system is showing low battery?
Took the car for an hours run on Tuesday but still getting low battery. Any advice would be greatly received.
Not sure where you see the confusion. Under the bonnet connection terminals/jump start terminals… the same thing.

Yes, put the charger to the under bonnet connections and get a higher SoC (State of Charge) into the battery.

BTW, my car hasn't been used for over two weeks. CTEK (connected to the under bonnet terminals) took 5 - 6 hours to achieve the 'float' stage.
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      04-24-2020, 03:54 PM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighlandPete View Post
Not sure where you see the confusion. Under the bonnet connection terminals/jump start terminals… the same thing.

Yes, put the charger to the under bonnet connections and get a higher SoC (State of Charge) into the battery.

BTW, my car hasn't been used for over two weeks. CTEK (connected to the under bonnet terminals) took 5 - 6 hours to achieve the 'float' stage.
Same with me..... took a few hours to get to that stage as well. I was out for the first time today after the car sitting for a week after charging and it was all good. start/stop even worked so battery was good.
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      04-24-2020, 06:09 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Franko666 View Post
Now I am confused. When you read the online manual for 330i it says to charge battery from under the bonnet at the connection terminals. Should I not be charging the battery directly if the system is showing low battery?
Took the car for an hours run on Tuesday but still getting low battery. Any advice would be greatly received.
Actually, it's all quite complicated, but can be quite simple...

Modern chargers don't just pump juice into the battery until it explodes. They check / test / recondition / pump up / lay off / trickle charge until the battery is purring along nicely. I'm sure that modern alternators do the same over extended drives, but don't quote me on this.

The challenge is that modern batteries are designed to hold and discharge vast amounts of charge and as such need special care to be kept at optimum levels. This works out just fine when you drive a 'decent distance' every few days / weeks, but anything less requires a bit of TLC.

I had a BMW 535d many years ago that only did short trips once a day - about 4 miles in total. It turned out that the drain on the battery needed to start a 3L diesel was not being replenished in a 2 mile drive to the train station, and then back again. In winter. With lights / AC and what not ablaze. After about 2 weeks and once the battery ran down, it was game over. Even permanent connection to a charger failed to resurrect that battery, but that was 15 years ago...

Modern chargers do a whole bunch of tests / conditioning tasks before actually charging / maintaining. This is good as it 'gets to know' the condition of your battery, but it does take time - probably more than an hour of driving.

Like pretty much everyone here, I have used a CTEK battery charger on my Ariel Nomad over the past 2 years: a 2.4L engine with a piddly motorbike battery that gets used 'every now and then'. Seriously, the low battery indicator light flashes when just starting the car at a full 14.8V!

The short answer: it takes time to fully inspect / charge a large AGM battery. On my Nomad, the CTEK whips through the Desulphation / Soft Start / Bulk / Absorption / Analyse / Recond / Float stages and moves on to the Pulse stage in a matter of minutes - before I can scrape all the mud out of my teeth.

What has surprised me on the M340i is that the same process takes a few hours (piddly bike battery V large boot-mounted behemoth?)

In my experience, our cars need a proper modern charger (like the CTEK cited here) connected straight onto the battery connection points under the bonnet (forget the 12V 'Output' charger and all it's diodes inside the car), left for 5 - 6 hours to get the modern AGM battery back into tip-top condition after a period of no usage.

I'm not convinced that an hour's drive can drag a 'low charge' depleted battery back into normal working order. If a modern charger drawing 240V from a home socket takes 5-6 hours to work through the various battery restoration phases, a 12V alternator on an hour's drive has a limited chance I would say.

Just my tuppence...
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      04-25-2020, 02:03 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Karl V View Post
Actually, it's all quite complicated, but can be quite simple...

Modern chargers don't just pump juice into the battery until it explodes. They check / test / recondition / pump up / lay off / trickle charge until the battery is purring along nicely. I'm sure that modern alternators do the same over extended drives, but don't quote me on this.

The challenge is that modern batteries are designed to hold and discharge vast amounts of charge and as such need special care to be kept at optimum levels. This works out just fine when you drive a 'decent distance' every few days / weeks, but anything less requires a bit of TLC.

I had a BMW 535d many years ago that only did short trips once a day - about 4 miles in total. It turned out that the drain on the battery needed to start a 3L diesel was not being replenished in a 2 mile drive to the train station, and then back again. In winter. With lights / AC and what not ablaze. After about 2 weeks and once the battery ran down, it was game over. Even permanent connection to a charger failed to resurrect that battery, but that was 15 years ago...

Modern chargers do a whole bunch of tests / conditioning tasks before actually charging / maintaining. This is good as it 'gets to know' the condition of your battery, but it does take time - probably more than an hour of driving.

Like pretty much everyone here, I have used a CTEK battery charger on my Ariel Nomad over the past 2 years: a 2.4L engine with a piddly motorbike battery that gets used 'every now and then'. Seriously, the low battery indicator light flashes when just starting the car at a full 14.8V!

The short answer: it takes time to fully inspect / charge a large AGM battery. On my Nomad, the CTEK whips through the Desulphation / Soft Start / Bulk / Absorption / Analyse / Recond / Float stages and moves on to the Pulse stage in a matter of minutes - before I can scrape all the mud out of my teeth.

What has surprised me on the M340i is that the same process takes a few hours (piddly bike battery V large boot-mounted behemoth?)

In my experience, our cars need a proper modern charger (like the CTEK cited here) connected straight onto the battery connection points under the bonnet (forget the 12V 'Output' charger and all it's diodes inside the car), left for 5 - 6 hours to get the modern AGM battery back into tip-top condition after a period of no usage.

I'm not convinced that an hour's drive can drag a 'low charge' depleted battery back into normal working order. If a modern charger drawing 240V from a home socket takes 5-6 hours to work through the various battery restoration phases, a 12V alternator on an hour's drive has a limited chance I would say.

Just my tuppence...
Agree on these, but forget the alternator working on 12v, it’s the Amp Hour rate that charges it. The fact you plug your Citek into the wall socket doesn’t mean anything really, only that that is the input voltage from which it works.
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      04-26-2020, 05:23 AM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ukbeemerboy View Post
Agree on these, but forget the alternator working on 12v, it’s the Amp Hour rate that charges it. The fact you plug your Citek into the wall socket doesn’t mean anything really, only that that is the input voltage from which it works.
Yes, you're quite right, my bad!

Investigating further, it seems a 'plugged in' charger tends to draw less Amps (5A) compared to what alternators pump out (100A / 150A?).

This kind of makes sense given modern trickle charges are designed to be 'slow and steady', working through all kinds of battery condition tests and what not before charging then maintaining.

So yes, it does require a good few hours to run through the cycle, but is no doubt better for overall battery longevity if your daily drive is short and sharp. Or not at all given the current (no pun intended!) situation.

Still a challenge though if you haven't got a garage...
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      04-26-2020, 11:10 AM   #30
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Mine sits outside the garage and my sons M3 sits on the drive, we use one of these https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9094653
The CTEK goes in quite nicely and the box we slide under the car to keep it out of the worst of the weather. Haven’t had any issues with heat of the CTEK in side and all just works.
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      04-30-2020, 06:04 AM   #31
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Any recommendations on a charger? My 330i has been coming up with the dreaded low battery message (comfort access no longer works now as a result). The Ctek mentioned looks a bit overkill (and expensive) for me with just the one car to keep topped up before can get out again
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      04-30-2020, 06:49 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by am549 View Post
Any recommendations on a charger? My 330i has been coming up with the dreaded low battery message (comfort access no longer works now as a result). The Ctek mentioned looks a bit overkill (and expensive) for me with just the one car to keep topped up before can get out again
There are others but ensure they will work with the type of battery in the car which is an AGM type battery. I bought the CTEK as my old charger was not suitable for an AGM type battery. I don’t know why but didn’t want to take any risks. I got mine online for Ł69 delivered.

Halfords do one for Ł48... there are others
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      04-30-2020, 12:00 PM   #33
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Since this blasted Covid19 I've invested in the CTEK LED connector kit - now leave it dangle out of the bonnet and can plug in charger every couple of weeks. Car has been out for about 1hr of driving in 7 weeks!

CTEK charger is a great bit of kit.
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      04-30-2020, 01:00 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by am549 View Post
Any recommendations on a charger? My 330i has been coming up with the dreaded low battery message (comfort access no longer works now as a result). The Ctek mentioned looks a bit overkill (and expensive) for me with just the one car to keep topped up before can get out again
Ctek expensive at Ł69 delivered? The price of a battery if you get a cheaper charger and fry it will have you crying
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      05-01-2020, 03:28 AM   #35
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Originally Posted by ukbeemerboy View Post
Ctek expensive at Ł69 delivered? The price of a battery if you get a cheaper charger and fry it will have you crying
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      05-01-2020, 05:26 AM   #36
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Very happy with my CTEK charger.
Top notch !
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      05-01-2020, 08:04 AM   #37
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Very happy with my CTEK charger.
Top notch !
I got the ctek 10 for £40 on gumtree. Took 5 hours to fully charge.
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      05-06-2020, 12:27 PM   #38
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Found this on my ‘connected drive’ app on my phone today.

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      05-19-2020, 03:55 PM   #39
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My 330i is now plugged in for 10 hours and still at step 4. I’m using the official BMW (CTEK) charger. Hope it’s completed tomorrow morning. Looks like a full charge was really needed.
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      05-19-2020, 04:01 PM   #40
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I haven't been bothering with the trickle charge recently because I've been doing a short 4 mile or so trip 3 or 4 times a week recently. I know that this is not enough not fully charge what the car takes out on engine start, but I got lazy with the constant plumbing.

Low and behold - low battery warning yesterday afternoon. I left it on the CTEK charger overnight and it too was only at stage 4 this morning.

Just goes to show how much care these things need when you're not using them constantly.

I'll be rotating tyres soon
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      05-20-2020, 02:09 AM   #41
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Folks, any thoughts re: at what point the battery goes beyond ability to be reconditioned? I ask as my car will have been either in transit from plant or at Thorne for best part of 12 weeks by the time it (hopefully) gets delivered.

I'd assume most of the workforce have been furloughed, so it's unlikely anyone has been checking condition of vehicles sat there?!

I have a CTEK MXS 5 and the first thing the car will be doing when it arrives (post-detailing!) is getting a decent AGM recondition...
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      05-20-2020, 02:31 AM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexstar2011 View Post
Folks, any thoughts re: at what point the battery goes beyond ability to be reconditioned? I ask as my car will have been either in transit from plant or at Thorne for best part of 12 weeks by the time it (hopefully) gets delivered.

I'd assume most of the workforce have been furloughed, so it's unlikely anyone has been checking condition of vehicles sat there?!

I have a CTEK MXS 5 and the first thing the car will be doing when it arrives (post-detailing!) is getting a decent AGM recondition...

The CTEK (as you know) will let you know if all is good with the battery.....

Hope you get your car soon. At least you can go out for a drive!
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      05-20-2020, 04:08 AM   #43
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After charging yesterday for 10 hours the process reached step 4. This morning the float indicator LED showed up green, so process completed. Did not tested if stop/start is working again, but I assume it does.

Edit: all good, auto stop/start is workng again.
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      05-20-2020, 04:12 AM   #44
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Found this on my ‘connected drive’ app on my phone today.

Attachment 2303763
Yep! Same here. Also mentioned in the Owners Guide section on the website.
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