Giowizzy

Hey guys, I finally got myself a DieHard battery Charger for $25 (2Amps/12v) at Sears, now I get mix output on where and how I should connect it. Some people stated I should connect it directly on the battery (which I so doubt) and others stating to plug it somewhere in the front (which is for me the best way).

525xi

Now my questions are the following:
- Where exactly do I put the connectors?
- Is there any disadvantage leaving the hood up for 3-4 months?

Thanks in advance for any input guys.

BimmerFan52

In engine bay on driver's side just to the left of the strut tower (while standing looking at the engine) is a black plastic cover with a red "+" sign on it. Opening it will expose a terminal. The red lead should be attached here.

Just to the right of the strut tower while looking at the engine is a hex shaped bolt, which is a ground connection. Attach the black lead here.

If you are worried about dust on the engine gently lower the hood without pinching the cables.

luigi524td

I hard-wired my '07 530xi to make it easier to connect my trickle charger without having to park 3 feet from an outlet and to eliminate having to open and close the hood. It was easy and the materials cost less than $5.

The charger came with two types of replaceable ends - one with clips and the other with large eyelet terminals. I got a matching terminal connector at Radio Shack and used a length of outdoor low-voltage wire (I think it was about 14 guage) left over from some landscape lighting I did. First I soldered the plug (+ / - has to be correct or you'll kill the charger) to one end of a length of the landscape wire (in my case I used about 12' of wire - more about that later. I connected the other end to the under-hood terminal and a near-by ground connection. I was able to coil up the wire and stick it in a plastic bag to protect it from moisture but keep it handy. I had planned to bring the end of the wire out near the front grill but never got to do that. Anyway, when I knew I was going to leave the car parked for several days it was a simple matter of uncoiling the wire - even if my car was parked in the driveway 10+ feet away from an outlet and plugging the connector into the trickle charger leads and know my battery was going to be kept charged while I was away.

I have a similar arrangement set up for my garage queen - it takes me only a minute to unplug and go whenever the sun is shining. That trickle charger is fastened to the garage wall and the extra few feet of wire and the quick connectors make the job easy.

Try it - you'll like it!

I

Booyaazaa

+1

530inOK

+1
Near the micro filter on the passenger side is the bonnet contact switch. Pull up on it to simulate the hood being closed.

Giowizzy

Thanks a million team, I'm heading to the garage now and plug it in.

Giowizzy

I've noticed the minute I plug it in the clock on the dash restarted to default 12:00am. Hope that's normal? I've test the nav, radio and my seat memories so far they are still saved. Hopefully that'll be it.
I was also able to lower the hood without pinching the cables but can't really tell if it made contact with the bonnet contact switch.

Thanks again fellows.