BMW Battery Charger - New one - An FYI

[X5 Meister]

Looks like BMW is moving forward a bit with battery charger/maintainer choices.

They have offered the "Advanced Battery Charging System" for years which most people by now know is a re-labeled Battery Tender Plus unit from Deltran Corporation (www.batterytender.com). It comes in two versions, both of which have an output voltage of 12 volts:

1. One that connects via alligator clips to either the car's jump starting terminals or the battery itself (also called the MOST-BUS version). P/N 82-11-0-406-881. It should work for E53 X5, E70 X5, E83 X3, E71 X6, etc. It should be noted that the power cord is 6 feet long and the cord to the alligator clips is not detachable from the charger.

2. One that plugs into a cigarette lighter socket (also called the I-BUS version). P/N 82-11-0-026-663. It should work for E53 X5 and E83 X3 (in other words vehicles where the cigarette lighter sockets are always active (hot) and do not shut off when you remove the key or shut down after 15 minutes or so after you remove the key). It should be noted that the power cord is 6 feet long and the cord to the lighter is 7 feet long and it is not detachable from the charger.
(See 1st and 2nd photos)

The nice thing about the Deltran Battery Tender Plus unit is that you can readily attach a cable with a cigarette lighter socket or a cable with alligator clips, unlike the BMW branded units that have the cables permanently attached and cannot be changed.

Porsche has for years offered a unit, the "Charge-o-mat II", which many might also know is a re-labeled Swedish CTEK Multi US 3300 unit (with a small custom modification to make it different from stock; the Optima Red Top mode has been removed since Porsche doesn't use those batteries. It is also known as "Mode 14.7V/3.3A" and it is a setting recommended for a battery at temperatures < 41°F, and recommended for many AGM batteries like Optima, Maxxima and Odysses). (www.ctek.com) (See 3rd and 4th photos) Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Maserati, Bentley, Maybach, Mercedes, and Harley Davidson also use re-labeled CTEK chargers.

Well now it looks like BMW is joining the ranks of Porsche et al. and offering a similar unit. (See 5th photo) Per the www.bmw.com website: Original BMW Accessories : Accessory finder which shows BMW accessories that are available worldwide, but not necessarily in the USA, the BMW Battery Charger /Conditioner is a re-labeled CTEK Multi XS 3600 unit. It is a 230 Volt (technically 220–240 V 50/60 Hz) unit. There are no internal modifications to the unit only external labeling. (BMW P/N 61-43-2-153-788 or 61-43-2-154-949 both are the 3.6 A version; P/N 61-43-2-163-609 is a 7.0 A version) It is for batteries between 1.2 - 120 Ah and outputs either 14.4 volts or 14.7 volts. You can see it on the UK CTEK website: Find the right battery charger - MULTI XS 3600. Which in 2011 has been replaced with the MXS 3.6 model (http://www.ctek.com/EN-GB/consumer/mxs-36.aspx) which has their "new generation technology." http://www.ctek.com/EN-GB/corporate/news.aspx?id=55

CTEK offers essentially this same charger for the USA market (120 volt unit). It is the CTEK Multi US 3300 and now retails for $74.99: http://smartercharger.com/products/b...multi-us-3300/. It is for batteries between 2 - 90 Ah and outputs either 14.4 volts or 14.7 volts. If you have a higher capacity battery than 90Ah then you should consider the CTEK Multi US 7002 which is for batteries between 14 - 150 Ah. Note also that BMW specifies to "plug it into the socket in the luggage compartment" which for the E53 and the E70 is always active (hot).

Of note for those people who park their cars outside, the CTEK units are waterproof whereas the Battery Tender Plus unit is not, however Deltran makes a different Battery Tender unit that is waterproof.

Both the Deltran and CTEK units are made in China. Attached are photos of all the discussed unit as well as installation / use instructions of the BMW Battery Conditioner.

Just an FYI for those contemplating getting a battery charger/maintainer/conditioner anytime soon.

BTW, here is a great write-up on batteries: http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ions-list.html