[ngflieger]

I did a quick search and did not find what I was looking for. Looking for recommendations on Battery Chargers/Tenders. Is it worth the money to purchase one with a BMW logo on it or not. Maybe some background, I mounted winter wheels and will drive in the cold temperatures in Michigan, but I will not drive in Snow/Salt conditions, which means there is a chance that for weeks at a time, I will not put on many miles in the coming months.

Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[redgs4]

I have upgraded audio and custom installed radar detection and my limited weekly driving is not enough to keep the battery charged. I got the BMW labeled CTEK and it works fine. I have a couple of Battery Tenders that I use on my other vehicles when I'm traveling and they also work well. My issue (also a good thing) is nobody else in the family drives my toys so they just sit if I'm away or unable to use.

[Bingham]

Yup, Ctek is an easy score on Amazon. Expect to pay $75 to a hundo. Can spend more if u want more bells and whistles (which u probably don’t need). Will say the extended lead/quick-connect is nice for easy under hood hook up.

[Mavus]

Originally Posted by ngflieger

I did a quick search and did not find what I was looking for. Looking for recommendations on Battery Chargers/Tenders. Is it worth the money to purchase one with a BMW logo on it or not. Maybe some background, I mounted winter wheels and will drive in the cold temperatures in Michigan, but I will not drive in Snow/Salt conditions, which means there is a chance that for weeks at a time, I will not put on many miles in the coming months.

Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

ctek mxs 5.0 ... around $90

[m2_wolf]

I’m using a ctek mus 4.3

[nearwater4me]

CTEK here as well

[MystroX5]

Battery Tender since new. I run them on all my toys including my X7 M50i. I prefer the 4 Amp models as they have enough to even keep the two big batteries in the X7 at optimum charge.

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tende...dDbGljaz10cnVl


I have a quick connection that goes right up be the lower windshield. I don’t even have to raise the hood when I connect.

[mtechnik3]

Originally Posted by ngflieger

Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I ran a battery tender in my last 3 BMWs when I lived in MI, MN then IL. It definitely helps keep your battery healthy and I noticed how much it helped when car sat for more than 2 weeks in cold temps.

I currently have a CTEK MXS 5.0 for the M2C. Essentially the same as Porsche and BMW branded variants. It's very versatile and has a lot of smart tech packed in. Reasonably priced on Amazon and other online retailers. Highly recommend the CTEK.

[VisualEcho]

Ctek FTW

[ngflieger]

Thanks for all of the feedback, I will check out the CTEKs. I imagine buying it without the BMW logo on it is the cheaper way to go.

I believe my father still has a porsche battery tender (maybe CTEK?) from his 2006 Cayman S, maybe that will also work. I will take a look.

[Westway]

Ctek Mxs 5.0 is what I use on my M2C. Bought off Amazon. No problems and works as advertised.

[RYTM2]

I've been using my Ctek 2 years and it's been flawless up until now. Currently when the battery is fully charged, the orange light switches to green like it should be but the orange light stays on in a flickering state. Has anyone experienced this? Ctek says it's could be a sign of a defective battery. Is it possible that Ctek doesn't want to admit that I have a defective charger?
My 2018 M2 only has 21,000kms.

[Manny01]

Always discover something new on this forum.

Is there an issue with the M2C battery that necessitates a tender? Or is this specific for low mileage winter owners?

[RYTM2]

Originally Posted by Manny01

Always discover something new on this forum.

Is there an issue with the M2C battery that necessitates a tender? Or is this specific for low mileage winter owners?

I store my car in the winter. Using a battery tender will stop the battery from draining completely which will surely happen with all the electronics that exist in newer cars. My understanding is that keeping a battery fully charged will extend the life of the battery as well.

[VisualEcho]

Originally Posted by ngflieger

Thanks for all of the feedback, I will check out the CTEKs. I imagine buying it without the BMW logo on it is the cheaper way to go.

I believe my father still has a porsche battery tender (maybe CTEK?) from his 2006 Cayman S, maybe that will also work. I will take a look.

I got a cool one for the Lotus. It has a 12v adapter that it plugs into. I run it down from the ceiling and in through the window. Works perfectly. Had it for years, no issues, and it maintains the battery very well.

Originally Posted by RYTM2

I store my car in the winter. Using a battery tender will stop the battery from draining completely which will surely happen with all the electronics that exist in newer cars. My understanding is that keeping a battery fully charged will extend the life of the battery as well.

Not sure of the real difference between a tender and a maintainer, but mine puts a load on the battery at regular intervals, then charges it back up. A bit like it's being used, instead of just keeping it charged. It was important to me for it to do that because my battery is tiny, and needs that to happen or it'll die a quick death.

[tenkies]

Bringing back a slightly old post back to life. I recently purchased a Ctek Mxs 5.0. It worked great after I figured out that the suspention bolts were not a good grounding source. The Ctek sat at the stage 1-Desulfation forever. Once I changed the ground to the bolt holding down the fender brace it moved quickly to stage 3 - Bulk. So if you don't get to stage 3 right away after connecting, it's most likely you have a bad ground. After that charging took about 10hrs.

[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by tenkies

Bringing back a slightly old post back to life. I recently purchased a Ctek Mxs 5.0. It worked great after I figured out that the suspention bolts were not a good grounding source. The Ctek sat at the stage 1-Desulfation forever. Once I changed the ground to the bolt holding down the fender brace it moved quickly to stage 3 - Bulk. So if you don't get to stage 3 right away after connecting, it's most likely you have a bad ground. After that charging took about 10hrs.

Here is the correct place to "ground" your charger

It's the best body ground under the hood, and that's exactly why it's factory installed in that location

[tenkies]

Originally Posted by ///M TOWN

Here is the correct place to "ground" your charger

It's the best body ground under the hood, and that's exactly why it's factory installed in that location

To ground it there, you need to purchase the extension which I didn't have at the time