CTEK charger in M235i 12v socket - no good?

[Ken Figenus]

Missus car is complaining about the battery - likely due to lack of use in lockdown. Have a CTEK trickle charger that I pop in the cigar lighter of my other car but doesnt seem to be working so well on the BM? Anyone know if it should or should i connect direct to the battery (which I assume is under boot floor)? Cheers

[Earthdweller]

I’d suggest either the battery or under bonnet charging points ( I assume it has )

It may be that the 12v isn’t continually live

( I have zero knowledge of the 235i )

But I use the ctek on all three of my cars Mini/X3/Z4 and always use the under bonnet connectors

[Locknut]

If the cigar lighter is not "live" with the ignition turned off, it will be imossible to put a charge through it. You should note that some parts of the wiring system remain live for several minutes after turning off, so you could walk away from the car thinking everything is OK only for it to shut down later. I recommend charging at the battery posts under the bonnet, after all it would be a fatal mistake if you fried something behind the dash!

[Ken Figenus]

Thanks guys - I found the original croc clips so its on those now - very easy access in boot to battery. An Italian tune up instead was very tempting mind

[BTCC_racer]

I wouldn't directly put the ctek charger directly on to the battery.
Id use the terminals under the bonnet as recommended in the users manual.

[Tyre Tread]

BTCC_racer said:

I wouldn't directly put the ctek charger directly on to the battery.
Id use the terminals under the bonnet as recommended in the users manual.

Why?

Just wondering if there's a specific reason ?

[helix402]

It has an IBS system which monitors battery health and charging. It is designed to be charged from the engine bay terminals so charging can be monitored.

[Tyre Tread]

helix402 said:

It has an IBS system which monitors battery health and charging. It is designed to be charged from the engine bay terminals so charging can be monitored.

Thank you.

Another example of cars with too much tech.

[survivalist]

Tyre Tread said:

helix402 said:

It has an IBS system which monitors battery health and charging. It is designed to be charged from the engine bay terminals so charging can be monitored.

Thank you.

Another example of cars with too much tech.

Worrying that Irritable Bowel Syndrome has made the leap from humans to automobiles. Wonder if it's the beginning of the next pandemic.

On a serious note, it prolongs the life of the battery and allows the car to put certain functions into 'sleep' mode to prevent returning to a dead battery.

Although I'm personally happy to have little or no tech in my cars, it seems to be one of the main buying criteria for most of the younger folks at work. One of my colleagues expressed surprise that I still owned a car with a manual gearbox, because you only get manuals on cheap cars and you've got a BMW

[pmorg4]

I had a similar issue with my E91 which has the battery sensor. I didn't want to use the under-bonnet connection points as it's much less convenient for me than the boot (I was wiring in a permanent CTEK flying lead).

Easy solution is to connect the negative to anywhere that's not the battery terminal itself, as that's where the sensor lives. So if you have an accessible grounding point in the battery area (either where the negative connects to the body or any other grounding point) then you can use it to charge and keep the battery sensor happy.

[Locknut]

survivalist said:

Worrying that Irritable Bowel Syndrome has made the leap from humans to automobiles. Wonder if it's the beginning of the next pandemic.

Have you checked out the other thread that's going on here about how to use the engine-oil dip-stick?

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...