[yans]

Hi all,

Is there a way to check the level the X5's battery volt level inside the car?

My car has been sat there and hasn't moved to do lockdown/COVID19 and want to make sure its OK.

Also, what chargers do any of you used to keep it topped up if necessary?

Thanks.
Yans.

[eagle_bmw]

Originally Posted by yans

Hi all,

Is there a way to check the level the X5's battery volt level inside the car?

My car has been sat there and hasn't moved to do lockdown/COVID19 and want to make sure its OK.

Also, what chargers do any of you used to keep it topped up if necessary?

Thanks.
Yans.

I haven't seen any within the car. It can be checked via OBD port and supported app. Not sure if it is available in diagnostic mode + BC button combo (search if you want to dig).

Also search battery tenders and chargers for your second question. I personally use CTEK MXS 5.0 which seems to be similar to what BMW is selling with their name on it. I set it in AGM mode and works great so far. My car has been parked for almost a month now.

[MGDisco]

Hi Yans,

The owners manual only has to check the battery itself - there is a window on the top of it, it states that if it is black, then you need to charge it (the only other note is if there is insufficient starting capability - well, that's what your trying avoid finding out!).

I use a NOCO Genius5 - this being a 5amp charger:

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/ba...er-230278.html

This does have modes to cater for the AGM battery fitted to the X5. It also does lithium, which is also fitted to the X5, but if you connect to the designated charging terminals in the engine compartment, the vehicle system takes care of the split charge to each one. So only need to set it to AGM mode only.

You can buy a CTEK charger (https://www.halfords.com/motoring/ba...er-665079.html) that is very similar to the official BMW charger (https://shop.bmw.co.uk/INTERSHOP/web...arrantywebsite), some minor differences but from what I can tell, nothing too much to be concerned about (which is same for me with the NOCO charger).

Note, I had an older charger that is not suitable at all for AGM - hence the need for the change to the NOCO, albeit this was on my previous vehicle that did suffer from battery drain (too many short trips plus parasitic use when locked).

There is also some good general advice here from BMW: https://discover.bmw.co.uk/article/b...ining-your-bmw - there is a part about the hybrid battery system - if you have the 45e, than the app can tell you the state of charge, but for others ( such as ourselves with 30D models) this is not available. I like the bit at the end about extending warranty that is due to run out during the lockdown period here in the UK - up to end of June! Hope they have contacted prospective owners that would have been in this position rather than people chancing over this info on the website.

[eagle_bmw]

Originally Posted by MGDisco

Hi Yans,

The owners manual only has to check the battery itself - there is a window on the top of it, it states that if it is black, then you need to charge it (the only other note is if there is insufficient starting capability - well, that's what your trying avoid finding out!).

I use a NOCO Genius5 - this being a 5amp charger:

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/battery-maintenance/battery-chargers/noco-genius5-5-amp-battery-charger-230278.html

This does have modes to cater for the AGM battery fitted to the X5. It also does lithium, which is also fitted to the X5, but if you connect to the designated charging terminals in the engine compartment, the vehicle system takes care of the split charge to each one. So only need to set it to AGM mode only.

You can buy a CTEK charger (https://www.halfords.com/motoring/battery-maintenance/battery-chargers/ctek-mxs-5.0-t-uk-battery-charger-665079.html) that is very similar to the official BMW charger (https://shop.bmw.co.uk/INTERSHOP/web/WFS/BMWUK-21972-Site/en_GB/-/GBP/ViewProduct-StartInternal?CatalogID=&CategoryName=&SKU=2408593 &CategoryDomainName=&CID=individual&CRE=warrantywe bsite), some minor differences but from what I can tell, nothing too much to be concerned about (which is same for me with the NOCO charger).

Note, I had an older charger that is not suitable at all for AGM - hence the need for the change to the NOCO, albeit this was on my previous vehicle that did suffer from battery drain (too many short trips plus parasitic use when locked).

There is also some good general advice here from BMW: https://discover.bmw.co.uk/article/bmw-owners-guide-maintaining-your-bmw - there is a part about the hybrid battery system - if you have the 45e, than the app can tell you the state of charge, but for others ( such as ourselves with 30D models) this is not available. I like the bit at the end about extending warranty that is due to run out during the lockdown period here in the UK - up to end of June! Hope they have contacted prospective owners that would have been in this position rather than people chancing over this info on the website.

It's funny I also recently added a Noco Genius 5 but haven't tried it on my x5. I measured the voltage output to be very similar to CTEK's.

[James_G0540i]

There is nothing in iDrive that allows you to check battery charge, but you can use an App called BimmerLink which requires you to connect to the car's OBD port in the driver footwell. This App is related to Bimmercode, and let's you also check turbo boost while the car is running/moving, DPF filter status and renewal initiation for those of us with Diesels, and low level error codes - which can be cleared.

I use an Intelligent automatic charger, they're widely/broadly available, and charge the car via the +ve/-ve jump terminals under the hood - rather than accessing the battery directly in the trunk. I set mine to start at 4A, and let it charge overnight. Easy.