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      12-09-2020, 02:22 AM   #1
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Battery Charger

Does anyone have a battery charger? What brand is good and/or what minimum specs would you recommend?

I am finding that due to limited kms (5000km in 10 months) my battery is discharging to the extent that my stop/start no longer functions. I have my battery recharged twice by the dealer since I've had the car.

Thanks in advance!
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      12-09-2020, 03:23 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bmwphile View Post
Does anyone have a battery charger? What brand is good and/or what minimum specs would you recommend?

I am finding that due to limited kms (5000km in 10 months) my battery is discharging to the extent that my stop/start no longer functions. I have my battery recharged twice by the dealer since I've had the car.

Thanks in advance!
The car has an AGM battery. Make sure the charger is suitable.

I use a CTEK MX5 due to similar issues to yourself.
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      12-09-2020, 08:15 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bmwphile View Post
Does anyone have a battery charger? What brand is good and/or what minimum specs would you recommend?

I am finding that due to limited kms (5000km in 10 months) my battery is discharging to the extent that my stop/start no longer functions. I have my battery recharged twice by the dealer since I've had the car.

Thanks in advance!
Sounds like you're ready for a nice long cruise through the ranges!
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      12-10-2020, 12:35 AM   #4
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I would buy a CTEK charger MXS 5 or 7 is good. Charge the battery once every 2 weeks and you will be fine.
I would recommend you always turn the stop start off, make a habit hit the start button and it every time you start.
It will not cost you any more on fuel but will save you the starter and the battery.
The stop start saves some fuel ( very little) on the dyno test but nothing on every day use especially in summer that the air cond is on.
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      12-13-2020, 09:37 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by GTR33R View Post
I would buy a CTEK charger MXS 5 or 7 is good. Charge the battery once every 2 weeks and you will be fine.
I would recommend you always turn the stop start off, make a habit hit the start button and it every time you start.
It will not cost you any more on fuel but will save you the starter and the battery.
The stop start saves some fuel ( very little) on the dyno test but nothing on every day use especially in summer that the air cond is on.
Or just code it to remember last setting "off"
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      12-13-2020, 09:39 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Tam the Bam View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bmwphile View Post
Does anyone have a battery charger? What brand is good and/or what minimum specs would you recommend?

I am finding that due to limited kms (5000km in 10 months) my battery is discharging to the extent that my stop/start no longer functions. I have my battery recharged twice by the dealer since I've had the car.

Thanks in advance!
The car has an AGM battery. Make sure the charger is suitable.

I use a CTEK MX5 due to similar issues to yourself.
Definitely second a Ctek charger. I do low kms also and find I always need to top it up for the OTA to install
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      01-09-2021, 01:48 AM   #7
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Thanks all. Have ordered CTEK MXS 5 charger from EBay on your recommendation!
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      01-09-2021, 09:57 PM   #8
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If anyone is interested, REPCO have a 25% discount on CTEK battery chargers at the moment until 17th Jan.
CTEK MXS 5.0 is $111.00
CTEX MXS 7.0 is $186.00.
These prices are cheaper than anything you can find on EBAY.

I’ve just bought a CTEK MXS 7.0 as a backup charger so I can keep one in each house.
I also bought a CTEK Battery Sense module ($79.00) which connects to your battery and allows you to monitor the performance of your battery through a Bluetooth App. Apparently, it will notify you when your battery requires a charge........as well as showing the current (pardon the pun) capacity of the battery at any given time.
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      01-10-2021, 04:50 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveAus View Post
If anyone is interested, REPCO have a 25% discount on CTEK battery chargers at the moment until 17th Jan.
CTEK MXS 5.0 is $111.00
CTEX MXS 7.0 is $186.00.
These prices are cheaper than anything you can find on EBAY.

I’ve just bought a CTEK MXS 7.0 as a backup charger so I can keep one in each house.
I also bought a CTEK Battery Sense module ($79.00) which connects to your battery and allows you to monitor the performance of your battery through a Bluetooth App. Apparently, it will notify you when your battery requires a charge........as well as showing the current (pardon the pun) capacity of the battery at any given time.

You're right about pricing. MXS 5.0 was $129 on Ebay

The Battery Sense Module sounds like a good idea.
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      01-12-2021, 10:13 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveAus View Post
If anyone is interested, REPCO have a 25% discount on CTEK battery chargers at the moment until 17th Jan.
CTEK MXS 5.0 is $111.00
CTEX MXS 7.0 is $186.00.
These prices are cheaper than anything you can find on EBAY.

I’ve just bought a CTEK MXS 7.0 as a backup charger so I can keep one in each house.
I also bought a CTEK Battery Sense module ($79.00) which connects to your battery and allows you to monitor the performance of your battery through a Bluetooth App. Apparently, it will notify you when your battery requires a charge........as well as showing the current (pardon the pun) capacity of the battery at any given time.
As a matter of interest, SteveAus, what percentage charge does the battery need to drop to, before the stop/start ceases to function?

Do you normally close the bonnet and/or lock the car while you are charging? Does it make any difference?

Thanks in advance.
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      01-12-2021, 11:57 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bmwphile View Post
As a matter of interest, SteveAus, what percentage charge does the battery need to drop to, before the stop/start ceases to function?

Do you normally close the bonnet and/or lock the car while you are charging? Does it make any difference?

Thanks in advance.
I’m not sure at what charge the ASS ceases to function, but as a guide, my battery was at 63% when I charged it and the ASS was not working.

I charge my car in the garage, so I leave the bonnet open. The car locks itself when I walk away.

An additional bit of info.
I started the car, drove 1km to the service station to fill up the car and check the tyre pressures. Drove home 1km.
I was surprised to see that the battery charge had dropped 4% (with ASS working). So the car had started probably 4-5 times in that short journey.
It will be interesting tomorrow to check the charge after a 100 km drive to our house on the coast.
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Last edited by SteveAus; 01-13-2021 at 12:03 AM.. Reason: Additional Info
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      01-13-2021, 12:49 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveAus View Post

I charge my car in the garage, so I leave the bonnet open.
Your battery would be in the boot I would think.
The stop start function is a battery and starter killer . I never use it, just in case you think you save on fuel, you don't.
The function saves very little fuel on the Dyno when they test them for fuel consumption, in real life you don't save any especially with air con on.
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      01-13-2021, 03:06 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveAus View Post
I’m not sure at what charge the ASS ceases to function, but as a guide, my battery was at 63% when I charged it and the ASS was not working.

I charge my car in the garage, so I leave the bonnet open. The car locks itself when I walk away.

An additional bit of info.
I started the car, drove 1km to the service station to fill up the car and check the tyre pressures. Drove home 1km.
I was surprised to see that the battery charge had dropped 4% (with ASS working). So the car had started probably 4-5 times in that short journey.
It will be interesting tomorrow to check the charge after a 100 km drive to our house on the coast.
Thanks SteveAus.

Yes, please post what a century drive does for battery charge. I'm interested as well! Thanks!
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      01-13-2021, 01:54 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GTR33R View Post
Your battery would be in the boot I would think.
The stop start function is a battery and starter killer . I never use it, just in case you think you save on fuel, you don't.
The function saves very little fuel on the Dyno when they test them for fuel consumption, in real life you don't save any especially with air con on.
Correct. The battery is in the boot, but you shouldn’t charge it directly.
BMW have gone to the trouble of providing charging points under the bonnet (left hand side of the engine bay) and recommend battery charging be implemented through these points. This is to save the cars electronics.

The IBS (Intelligent Battery Sensor) I’d located on the negative battery terminal of the battery. There is a risk that this sensor can be damaged if you charge the battery directly, due to the variation in voltage charge rates during external battery charging. Thus, the use of the terminals under the bonnet is the BMW recommended method of charging the battery (and also jump starting the car).
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Last edited by SteveAus; 01-13-2021 at 02:33 PM.. Reason: Additional Info
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      01-14-2021, 02:06 AM   #15
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Thanks for the heads up Steve,
I had no idea BMW has charging points under the bonnet in the engine bay. I use my car almost on a daily basis and although I have 2 C-tek chargers , never used them on this car.
I charged my previous car when away on holidays for more than 3 weeks but due to Covid I only had one week away in North coast NSW.
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      01-16-2021, 02:14 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GTR33R View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveAus View Post

I charge my car in the garage, so I leave the bonnet open.
Your battery would be in the boot I would think.
The stop start function is a battery and starter killer . I never use it, just in case you think you save on fuel, you don't.
The function saves very little fuel on the Dyno when they test them for fuel consumption, in real life you don't save any especially with air con on.
Point taken. I use the stop/start function not working as an indicator that my battery is losing its charge. If I don't intervene with a charger then the battery will eventually not start the car. So, I'm not so concerned about the S/S saving me fuel but as an indicator of my battery health.
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      01-16-2021, 02:30 AM   #17
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CTEK MXS5 charger works a treat. Just attach the clamps and plug the unit in. So easy. Stop/start working again!

Not sure on this, but external welcoming lights when car is unlocked appear more vivid & longer lasting, but could be my imagination. 🤔
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      01-16-2021, 02:05 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bmwphile View Post
Thanks SteveAus.

Yes, please post what a century drive does for battery charge. I'm interested as well! Thanks!
After a 100 km drive, I was surprised that the battery was reading only 86% after starting at 96%, via the CTEK Battery Sense module.
These are weird numbers in my mind. I would have thought the battery would have been topped up via the alternator, rather than run down. The ASS was still working at this point.
I’m not sure the CTEK battery module is as accurate as I would like. Therefore, I’ll run it for a few more weeks to see if it settles down after a few more long drives or another charge. If by then it’s still misleading, I’ll bin it.
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      01-16-2021, 02:18 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveAus View Post
After a 100 km drive, I was surprised that the battery was reading only 86% after starting at 96%, via the CTEK Battery Sense module.
These are weird numbers in my mind. I would have thought the battery would have been topped up via the alternator, rather than run down. The ASS was still working at this point.
I’m not sure the CTEK battery module is as accurate as I would like. Therefore, I’ll run it for a few more weeks to see if it settles down after a few more long drives or another charge. If by then it’s still misleading, I’ll bin it.
Battery State of Charge (SoC) will drop in use, when we use a charger to boost to 95 - 100%.

Totally normal and energy management doing its job. We run at something like 80% SoC, to allow battery capacity for over-run energy harvesting.

Battery output supports energy demands and ancillaries, until SoC drops to a level when the alternator assists to keep SoC within a specified range.

It's no fault of the CTEK charger.
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      01-16-2021, 06:19 PM   #20
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Originally Posted by HighlandPete View Post
Battery State of Charge (SoC) will drop in use, when we use a charger to boost to 95 - 100%.

Totally normal and energy management doing its job. We run at something like 80% SoC, to allow battery capacity for over-run energy harvesting.

Battery output supports energy demands and ancillaries, until SoC drops to a level when the alternator assists to keep SoC within a specified range.

It's no fault of the CTEK charger.
Many thanks for the explanation HighlandPete. Makes perfect sense when you consider energy harvesting. I had not realized that the SoC would be so low before the alternator kicks in.
This gives me more faith that the CTEK Battery Sense module is doing its job.
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      01-17-2021, 08:56 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveAus View Post
Many thanks for the explanation HighlandPete. Makes perfect sense when you consider energy harvesting. I had not realized that the SoC would be so low before the alternator kicks in.
This gives me more faith that the CTEK Battery Sense module is doing its job.
Many of us are not aware that energy management is so complex and we don't get conventional charging.

The old idea, we go on a run to charge the battery, is not the same with current BMW vehicles. For example, we could drive 30 miles, or so, and still not improve the SoC, if it is within the accepted normal working range.

The battery SoC has to drop to a predetermined level for the alternator to support our drive and run the ancillaries. Even lower SoC to charge the battery, other than the over-run situation. SoC drops to something like 60%, before we have a more conventional charging regime.
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      07-04-2021, 02:57 AM   #22
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Just adding that I've bought the battery sense and the MXS 7.0 based on this thread. Was a bit hit and miss adding the sense module to the app, but got there eventually. Battery was at 46% and ASS wasn't working, and the update wasn't installing. Will see how it all goes.
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