Anything I should be aware of in attempting to hook up a Battery Tender to a 2013 S Coupe?

I have not driven the car and the Battery message came on in the Nav System. Reading several threads many suggest a Battery Tender.

I made sure I turned off the Radio and unplugged the iPod that uses that cable so that it does not drain the battery. The car has an alarm and you see the red light flash over the round speedometer on the top.

The car has sat for two weeks. I only drive it if the weather is nice and adding modifications to it in the garage.

It would appear opening the battery compartment all I need to do is remove the red plastic thing on the positive battery to hook up a Battery Tender? I was going to purchase one of these today unless there is a better unit out there.

Besides using a Multimeter, how best to check the battery status? I mean is there some sort of device to plug into the cigarette lighter to check the voltage. I mean a way to keep an eye on this problem?

I don't want to come out of work and find myself in the parking deck with a dead battery!

Thanks

 

I have a Battery Tender that I bought from Amazon, and I love it. The unit must be hooked directly to the battery terminals on a MINI. According to the mechanic at the dealer. Just lift up the red cap on the + and attach the positive terminal there, the negative on the other side. It should fully charge the battery overnight, and it can be left on as long as you want.

 

Hm...
When you say "parking deck" it sounds like a parking garage....do you have access to a electric outlet?
A battery minder needs to be plugged in....it is just an computer controlled battery charger...much better than the old "trickle" chargers that COULD OVERCHARGE a battery, killing it, or making it explode.
A battery minder SHOULD ALWAYS BE CONNECTED TO THE BATTERY...not a cigarette lighter...modern computers in cars will turn off that outlet, rendering the minder useless!!
If a car is parked for a week or more at a time, a minder is a good option...but you could just drive your car more...a trip of an hour + a week should be good!!

 

I use the Battery Manager IV from Griot's Garage. Really like it. It gives you the option of three different ways to hook it to your battery.

 

Make sure it can handle a AGM battery, my 2013 S came with one stock. Using a conventional charger will ruin it. Any AGM rated charger will have built in "float" and overcharge protection.

We have several small models at work. All do a great job. As noted you'll need an outlet to plug them into.

As for a volt meter, putting one in the car is pointless unless you plan to power the car up to check it (say, in the cigar lighter). An external unit would be better. Most better chargers will show a charge level (lights), that should be ok.

 

Sounds like the perfect solution.

The car is parked in my garage at home. My drive to work is about 1 1/2 hours one way and that should be long enough for the alternator to charge the battery. I park in a garage (deck) about eight or nine floors at work.

Thinking of only using the Battery Tender at home as the car has sit in the garage for two weeks when I got the low battery message. I took it out for a long drive and seemed to fix the issue but the Battery Tender would be good to add for a protective measure.

I have lots of add on options and maybe too many that could drain the battery.

Blackvue dash cam
Ham Radio
Remote radar detector

Using the Blackvue I have the Magic Power Pro. I can set the dip switches so that if the Battery Voltage cuts below 11.2 volts it will turn off. It can run in parking mode while I am not in the car.

In that garage the unit is completely off. Nothing to my knowledge is running on the car except the alarm that comes on when the doors are locked and the red light flashes from the round speedometer.

The Ham Radio plugs into the cigarette outlet in the boot. Remote head mounted next to console and held there by a flex head mount that attaches to the seat bolt. Clean install, looks great, taken out you could never tell it was there. It is 2 meter 440. Think similar to CB radio.

Radar similar to fuse that cuts off when car is turned off.

I would think these would drain very little if the car was running and charging during a normal drive. I just need to be careful with the Blackvue as that could cause a problem running in parking mode while I am at work. But the box is suppose to cut the unit off so I don't return to find a dead car battery.

I could run a marine or other battery in the boot for accessories as another possibility. But I don't think I am running to many items. I am sure many might run a GPS and Radar or other options while driving and I am sure some are charging their iPods or phones as well.

An extreme option would be to disconnect the battery completely if the car is knowing left in the garage for a week or more, but then I would have to reset all the Nav Options. Battery Tender seems so much easier.

 

Just got this -
Works great. It comes with 3 ways to attach the tender to the car.

 

Plugged in the Battery Tender and the car is happily charging.

This looked interesting while we are on the subject.



Got good reviews on Amazon.

Also.... just in case you need a jump start.




BTW
I like Griots Garage products as well. That is all I use to clean my Mini.