I have a Battery Conditioner / Trickle Charger that maintains the car's battery when stood for longer than normal periods of time. I have had this installed on previous cars where the battery is under the bonnet. It simply has a quick connection cable that can be attached to the battery terminals and then allows the charger to be plugged in directly for ease.

My question is Can I attach this to the +ve & ground points under the bonnet or do I have to attach this directly onto the battery in the boot - this will make it much more arkward to get to. Under the bonnet will be much easier but will this allow the battery to charge effectively. Sorry if this is a dumb question but one that I need clarification on.

 

Yes, you can use the connectors under the hood. I was away for 3 weeks in Poland two years ago. I used the BMW trickle charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter which I believe is no good for the E60. I went to radio shack and got the cig lighter to normal red/black clamp adapter and plugged the charger directly to the terminals under the hood. The car ran as normal when I returned.

 

Thanks for this Just didn't want to go and fry something - would just be my luck!

 

But is it OK to connect to the battery directly? Due to the large size o the M5, do I need a special charger or any will do?

 

I'm parking my e60 for 1 year (moving to Ireland). Can't use the lighters (e60 fuses block this). Shouldn't contact directly to the battery (according to my dealer).

My dealer told me to use the charging posts under the front hood. That's were mine is currently connect and it seems to be working just fine (I'll let you know in a year )

 

Wow, one whole year of being stationary. Then other possible issues come to mind, such as flat surfaces on the tires if you let the car rest on the tires, the quality of the brake fluid after one year of nothingness, rusting brake disks, the batteries in your keys (if you don't have comfort access, the key charges in the lock - after one year they probably are drained - especially your spare key) and not to mention sensors that may act a bit funny after a year.

I have heard of people that
1) took off the wheels, letting them rest on their side
2) greased their brake disks on both sides to prevent rusting
3) drained the brake fluid (but I recall that that was particularly useful if you have metal brake lines - don't know what the E60 has)
4) installed a trickle charger and made sure that the electricity bills continued to be paid ;-)