HOW TO CHARGE YOUR BMW BATTERY CORRECTLY

How to correctly charge the battery on a BMW.
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[@TheodoreASchmidt]

The video gave me a very clear message on how to charge my BMW correctly. My sincere Thanks.

[@tasaneechanel8821]

I've read only a few of the recent comments here. Judging from them, it seems that nobody, including you Mr. George, has ever bothered reading the owner's manual of a bmw. Even before i am ready to buy a used post-2002 bmw, i download its manual and browse through it. In all of the manuals that i've seen, bmw clearly instructs on how to use chargers or jump-starters via the engine bay terminals. The manuals clearly inform you not to go near the terminals on the battery. Why would people not want to follow simple printed instructions? Is it tough for them to read? I've seen in many places the warning to always first attach or detach the negative terminal before attaching or detaching the positive terminal. I winced when i saw George attach the positive one first and also found a need to say what I'm saying here.

[@seanpaul3050]

If using an automatic trickle charger to top up the battery, it is fine to connect directly to the battery on Bmw's. These trickle chargers only put out 1.5 amps at most. For any other charger, putting out more than say 2 amps, then yes use the special connectors under the bonnet. The main reason for those under bonnet connectors is for jump starting, which draws a very large current.

[@henrimatisse7481]

I charged the battery in my 2001 325 wagon by using the terminals made for that purpose located under the hood (on the pass side) since the battery was buried in the back. Simple and it worked very well using a regular battery charger

[@88ST3V307]

This exact thing happened to me George, earlier in the year! I had ex-mechanics and even someone who used to own an autoelectrics garage telling me the battery was in the boot! And therefore, the people who were helping me were mostly charging from there. When all that failed, I had to call the AA. Even they couldn't get it started

[@GeorgeAusters]

Yep very very common unfortunately

[@mikeymagic117]

For 5 years I had battery issues on an E46. Halfords would always replace for a new one under warranty. AA told me my battery was toast. Baffled, I was convinced it must be the hedgehog draining the battery. As a last resort I invested in a BuddyGo with repair mode and now no more problems. This is important for 6 cylinder owners with lots of aftermarket equipment to see this as it is quite common but not well documented on forums or KZbin. Mechanics may sting you as expensive scan tools won't point to this.

[@thedetailingdoctor5746]

Would be good to see a test with a flat battery and a dead battery (sub 10v)

[@ChrisLoVeTaiwan]

Once it's dead there's no charger can bring it back life, that's why you need the charger/maintainer when you don't drive it for a longer time (more than 7 days)

[@ededdynova]

I know not to jump start from the battery but why a slow trickel charger would fry or blow a modual doesn't seem likely but happy to be correct

[@geeva99]

This device is important for a good DIY maintenance

[@GeorgeAusters]

Agreed!

[@colinblick4903]

Cheers George…. Ye my son has a Beamer had flat battery…. An I pointed out to him those connections…. Useful. I generally disconnect my non bmw cars to charge…… that charger looks cool😎💪🏼

[@fasolagri2115]

I'd be concerned that disconnecting the battery may require a reset of the computer or to "register the battery," (IDK exactly what it's called, re-program, registering, coding, etc) and this why I'm here on YT to figure out if I should pull my very low battery (still running the computer) to charge it inside (how I'm used to doing it), if it will keep the "register," or require to be registered again. I'm thinking that if it's going to lose the register then better to keep it connected to the car and charge it without having to add that extra step that I have no idea how to do and sounds complicated. Maybe one of you guys who knows about this can weigh in? Thx

[@bastaboom163]

Tell us more about your 1 series, very interesting to watch review about it. Thanks George 👍

[@GeorgeAusters]

I’ve made a lot of videos on it already, is there anything you’d like to see in particular on it?

[@Scottishscruffybiker]

Great video as always buddy. That charger reminds me of the one i am using at moment. NOCO Genius 7200, i cannot knock it and i use it on my bikes too which can be seen on my channel😊

[@wannad1e]

I have Noco too, and i cannot start my x5 v6 :(

[@Tanda129]

Good video George, however for the money i would go for ctek due to company rep and after sale support in UK. I'm in the market for one now but this is interest video as Ctek works in the same way. I was always aware of the charging points in the car but your videos opens eyes up for others who don't know this and very educational. Keep up the good work.

[@GeorgeAusters]

To my knowledge, I don’t think the ctek ones are anywhere near as powerful as this one.. This is a top range one and thanks as always👍🏻

[@Tanda129]

@@GeorgeAusters yeah i will compare the stats but thanks for the heads up

[@bathanmark]

For non bmw car, the way I charge battery in the inside the car hood, is by disconnecting 1st either red or black 1 terminal, at least one should be off, so nothing in the car electrical system will get affected.

[@shanehogarth6373]

Enjoy your videos George. Can you explain why it makes any difference charging at the battery or at the points in the engine bay? The thick red cable connects between the battery and the under bonnet point. Electronically it makes no difference at the charge current rate from a charger. The voltage drop between those two points at this current would be almost unmeasurable with cable that thick and would be more a thing with the thin cables that come with chargers tbh. The under bonnet points are normally put there so if the battery is completely flat, you use the emergency key to get into the car and open the bonnet. Then you can apply an external supply via the under bonnet points and power up the unlocking systems to gain access to the dead battery in the boot, or of course jump starting. What modules are you more likely to fry by applying the charging voltage at the battery or the bay points?

[@GeorgeAusters]

Watch this video mate👍🏻 HOW TO JUMP START A BMW *WATCH BEFORE DOING* kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppKXfq2nqbOtgLc

[@lukaradosavljevic334]

@@GeorgeAusters what about in cases when you want to jumpstart an older car that does not have auto start stop feature. I’ve tried starting them from the engine bay and no luck, but when I give it a go from the trunk it works? Mentioning start stop since I’ve heard that it can be due to this feature.

[@ededdynova]

I too and the AA had zero luck jumping ours via engine terminals but fired up trouble free from battery. I have had a neighbour fry his body control module on his merc c class jumping from the battery tho.

[@DivergenceDom]

Same here

[@bakokat6982]

Thank you George clear explanation and very helpful.

[@tweedjohnny8740]

Couldn't you have tested it out on low battery to have more of a educated opinion. Thank you

[@GeorgeAusters]

If I had a low battery yes👍🏻

[@tweedjohnny8740]

@@GeorgeAusters leave the parking lights on all night then try it. Anyway love the channel your OCD like I am.

[@PiTjlang]

MINDBLOWING....., quite a "test". --So the charger u were gifted was able to maintainer a fully charged battery in a healthy functioning car in ideal conditions ??

[@GeorgeAusters]

Correct

[@albertdavidian4694]

Thanks!

[@GeorgeAusters]

Thanks buddy!

[@tobimeister0]

Thank you, friend!

[@ktechjason]

Well, i have practiced this method but cannot get charge for my x5 40e 50ah auxiliary battery in the rear boot . For 90ah i can get 100% full charge. Hopefully to get more advise.

[@aliones]

what does this mean? airbag light is on. scanner reads: 93EB NOT PRESENT. MRS TCU OUTPUT SHORT CIRCUIT TO POSITIVE. please advise.

[@bobfriesen7224]

My 2015 8:01 BMW 435i -x drive cabriolet has a dead battery. When I hook up the battery charger(as per method described), my headlights flash on and off? Car is locked in Park and immobilized and can't open trunk? Any thoughts?

[@yeeg1212]

I'm using Bosch C7 charger on my e90. However, each time after charging, my car will shutdown when coming to a stop or when idling. Car is fine if im not charging it. Any idea what's wrong with that? (I'm charging from the terminals at the engine bay)

[@jackbean4693]

Another good video George

[@GeorgeAusters]

Thanks mate

[@erichbachman7363]

Hello George, I have a question. I have a 2014 model bmw x1. Last year during the winter, the battery died and I got it replaced, after owning the car for almost 10 years. I live in Norway and it isn't usually that cold further south in the country, but this winter has been very cold. At this time >-20 celsius. I usually use my car for short trips, going to the store, gym etc. which is basicly < 10km. So I reckon these short drives drains the battery quickly and I don't want to repeat the battery change situation. ...So, would you recommend me to buy a charger like the ctek mxs 10 and how often should I charge it? Thanks for any answers. I usedto work alot on rc cars and solder stuff, but haven had the guts to mess around with real cars yet.

[@amina2569]

My question is it safe to charge the actual battery from trunk? If you remove both terminal and charge the battery ? That way it’s not connected to the car so shouldn’t be any problems ?

[@GeorgeAusters]

If both terminals are removed then it’s essentially removed from the car so no problem, but it would be much easier to charge from the terminals in the engine bay - no need to remove anything👍🏻

[@martina3623]

Thank you

[@arnietwo11]

Ive just bought a 2014, F20. Is there an issue removing the battery and charging on desk in garage ?

[@GeorgeAusters]

No that’s fine, as long as you don’t charge from the battery while still connected to the car👍🏻

[@richardr2716]

I know that charging packs ain’t cheap ect but I was actually shocked at the price of this 😮

[@GeorgeAusters]

Yeah these are very well priced 👌🏼

[@richardr2716]

@@GeorgeAusters definitely was I was expecting to be a few hundred more at least looks like it’s very well built ect

[@01pabz]

What’s the code for them wheels bro ?

[@Triepolo]

Sei il migliore...top!

[@rbemuscle6058]

Awesome, thanks man!!

[@GeorgeAusters]

No problem!

[@trishagale1022]

Will it blow the footwell module when youvjump the battery or charge it ?

[@GeorgeAusters]

Yes it can do

[@judgegrowler]

Hi George, Obviously I would jump start from the engine bay terminals, but for a battery charge, I always disconnect the battery fully, thus it is electrically isolated from any car electronics altogether, and I charge the battery directly using my NOCO Genius charger (looks similar to your Topdon). No damage can be done to any vehicle electronics doing it this way as they are not connected in any way. Is there any reason you would recommend against doing it this way that I am unaware of?

[@amina2569]

I have same question?if u disconnect both terminals from actual battery..therefore it would be safe to charge battery that way? Instead of under the hood way?

[@karmenu]

@@amina2569yes jts safe

[@fasolagri2115]

I'm thinking that if you disconnect a battery that i low, it may impact the computer and require a "re-register" of the battery, so better to avoid having that happen. But IDK for sure, so it sure would be great if someone who does know about this to weigh in.

[@Harpo1]

Great video as usual can I ask you a question I have a 2023 f40 128 ti with the battery terminal under the bonnet can I put a slola charger on the terminal to keep the batteries topped up as I don’t use my car all week because the battery goes flat thanks mike

[@GeorgeAusters]

I wouldn’t leave a charger on for a week unless it has an anti overcharge function

[@Harpo1]

It’s not a charger it’s a solar trickle charger I used to use it on my golf gti and it kept the battery charge great Mike

[@fasolagri2115]

A friend / neighbor left trickle chargers on his motorcycle battery and a car battery for many months (over a year), and both batteries died prematurely, and if you ask me the lack of an overcharge feature is what did it, maybe fixating a very short battery range, or something like that.

[@legoman911]

My F10 battery died and won’t charge from the engine bay, but it does charge when I go direct to battery, I know it had only 6volts when I tested it. Can you battery be that low, that charging from engine bay doesn’t work ?

[@GeorgeAusters]

Battery is dead and needs replacing👍🏻

[@legoman911]

Actually it’s the BST, as accident had occurred. Question is if I replace the BST (positive cable) and air bag light is still on due to air bags being deployed, then will my new BST also blow? Or do I have to fix all the airbags first ?

[@DaddysPlay]

When I have BMW car first, I don't know where is the position of battery. I know the battery after, BMW make the car safely. Thanks for your video.

[@GeorgeAusters]

You're welcome!

[@patrykmichalik9342]

huh so i can use a small car battery in my e87. I was kind of suprised when i bought mine and it came with this huge 80 Ah, 315mm long battery got me scared a little bit because a good quality battery like this is around 230 quid. i mean i propably will buy because why not have a car that can stand parked a whole month and just start it up like any other day

[@GeorgeAusters]

Battery shouldn’t cost that much, maybe if it’s an AGM but that’s only needed for a start stop car

[@patrykmichalik9342]

@@GeorgeAusters well fuck me i have this start stop abomination

[@DanielleAusters]

🙌🏼

[@GeorgeAusters]

❤️

[@thedetailingdoctor5746]

Btw you got enough brake cleaner there George. Haha

[@GeorgeAusters]

I go through it like nobodies business haha… Constantly cleaning stuff!

[@brarautorepairs]

I don't think there is anything wrong with connecting a battery charger to the battery directly. The electrical system already sends power to the battery when it is being charged as you drive down the road. There is the battery control module telling the rest of the car the state of the battery, not sure if that could somehow get confused 🤔. Do you have any proof that charging from the boot can cause an issue. I've always charged from the boot for W211 Mercedes and didn't experience any issues. E90 I did try using the charger on the trunk and in the front without any issues

[@GeorgeAusters]

Cars with an IBS need to be charged in the engine bay or you run the risk of wrecking your battery or worse frying modules👍🏻

[@brarautorepairs]

@@GeorgeAusters I'm not sure that is true. My understanding is that hydrogen gas can cause fires so that's the only reason we charge them on the front. AGM batteries don't gas so that's not a concern. There are plenty of people who are charging it from the back.

[@paulsp2693]

This charger is a waste of money using on germen cars,i charged my BMW F10 with £15 charger from ebay, took about 10 hours to charge the battery,the battery leads in engine bay not letting more then 12v into the battery and and max 6amps current.

[@GeorgeAusters]

Definitely not a waste of time

[@nikcvetkovski]

germans cars cnt compete with japanese cars built tough with quality

[@paulsp2693]

@@GeorgeAusters yeah right,i just checks specs on your charger and it says 12v 10amps,that's a lot of current.

[@EternalFOE]

so what it mean if my relay is tweakin on n off? tried to jump it an it ain work tha mean the battery done? or could it be worse? i was jus changing my radiator hose….. was working yesterday

[@GeorgeAusters]

Where are you trying to jump it from?

[@EternalFOE]

@@GeorgeAusters from the terminals under my hood😭 but i got it to jump smh idk if it was jus dumm luck but when i used another bimmer instead of a corolla it worked 💀 idk if thas jus german engineering or coincidence

[@AB-jk7tw]

Enjoy your videos George but this felt more like a product promotion.

[@gm1777]

I’m struggling to understand why that would fry modules connecting it to the battery yet putting it on the engine posts (in exactly the same connected circuit) is fine??

[@GeorgeAusters]

Because you’d be bypassing the IBS by connecting to the battery directly👍🏻

[@andrews1722]

I’ve been charging my e46 and e90 direct to battery for 5 years, no issues with a ctek….

[@andrews1722]

Jumping is another story in general with cables, wouldn’t do it on a bmw, just the jump packs….

[@fasolagri2115]

@@GeorgeAusters ...thx for explaining that, always nice to understand these things. Had to look up IBS... Intelligent Battery Sensor

[@joehodgekins8423]

oops I may have done this myself actually

[@andyt127]

Quickly pauses video and runs to car to disconnect charger from boot...

[@laurenz5187]

There is no difference if you plug it in from the back or from the front. You WONT fry anything

[@GeorgeAusters]

Tell that to the people who have

[@laurenz5187]

@@GeorgeAusters Ive been doing it for years on bmws. Matter of fact the positive terminal is just a wire to the back which is then directly connected to the battery. So no difference!

[@rawslaw7765]

There’s virtually no chance of frying ecu’s like you say. You’ve spent too much time on google for a video. Yes charge through the cables so the intelligent battery sensor detects a charge, but don’t google aliens whatever you do

[@GeorgeAusters]

I've known people who have personally done it lol

[@alanwebber6681]

Have to agree with Gascans - you make an already not particularly interesting subject seem even more mind numbingly boring. You need to avoid being so monotone. Someone who came in the room when I was playing the vid asked why you were so sombre. I think I'm going to unsubscribe as even the 320d Touring series - which could be really interesting is actually turning out to be very long winded and boring. Presentation skills need work - take a look at Matt Armstrong as an example - keeps you glued all the way through and you're disappointed when it comes to an end - that's the way to do it. Sorry to be so harsh but I am using the fast forward too often in your videos. Oh another thing - I think its a bit off for you to ask people to press the like button before you've even started - I think there's more chance of them hitting the dislike button.

[@GeorgeAusters]

I’m not going to be fake and start jumping around on the screen because that’s not me unfortunately. Things aren’t always as simple as you think.. I’ll be fixing the E46 in the next video but we previously tried to fix it for little money👍🏻

[@honestrunescaper]

@@GeorgeAusters one of the main reasons I like your channel is there is no typical KZbin nonsense and it is to the point

[@disturbator]

he is not a fukin clown man. Are you here for information or for clowning ? I hate thoose overstimulated youtubers, fukin anoying. Grow up man

[@flippy9133]

thought this was common knowledge

[@GeorgeAusters]

I guess not!

[@booboi7127]

Quick question: un-related to your post, but off the top of your head, do you know the top speed of a BMW 1 series 116d M Sport 2 litre turbo, only thing is, it has stage 1 mapping

[@GeorgeAusters]

I’d say 130mph or so if I had to guess… Think my old 520D was good for 150mph