A flat bed to the dealer later, I learned that the low voltage had falsely triggered the warnings. When I picked her up after a short lay-up, the dash was lit up like a Christmas tree with dreaded engine damage warnings. I recently sampled a rarely driven loaner 2006 M5. Since most cars continue to draw power when off, a trickle charger also prevents damage to electrical components that seem to freak at low voltage. A trickle charge feeds just enough juice to keep the battery charged and the electrical system refreshed without overcharging the battery. This is the mode I SHOULD have been using for my M before I let her die. There’s also a two amp trickle charger mode. A couple of hours later the car started like a dream, and ran the rest of the day without battery troubles. WARNING: the Diehard doesn’t have an automatic shutoff leaving the charger in ten amp mode for extended periods can damage your car’s battery. A blinking light will advise you when the battery is fully charged. If you’re not planning on driving the vehicle straight away, set the Diehard in the ten amp mode and wait about two hours. The 50 amp setting is similar to a jump from another car and should allow most cars to start up right away (though I would still give it a minute or two, and keep in mind the warning above, though the voltage from the Diehard is delivered spike free according to Sears). The Diehard Charger offers three settings depending on your needs. The Diehard offers spark proof protection in automatic mode, and even includes a Darwin feature for fashion victims who insist on hooking up red to black and black to red because it’s more aesthetically pleasing. Select the style of charge, plug in the device and wait. So, connect the Diehard to your Diehard battery (or similar), red to red, black to black (or brown, as apparently some car companies didn’t get that memo regarding the international colors for positive and negative). The Diehard does so with a vengeance the heavy and sturdy block weighs in at eleven pounds. It has two plugs, a 110 amp wall plug (not grounded) and two small jumper cable style wires with a red and black clamp. The Diehard charger is your basic, garden variety metal box with one analog battery charging gauge, two leads (for power on and full charge) and a three-way switch. The unit MSRPs at $64.99, but way-hey! As of December 23, 2007, it was on sale for a bargain price of only $39.99. So I tested the Sears DieHard 10/2/50 amp Automatic Battery Charger. I reckon they’re a must for any vehicle driven less than once a week. And I’m a lawyer I don’t trust anyone, with anything, ever.Īs an alternative, Sears sells several battery chargers. But, as you’ve read here, no one reads the owner’s manual anymore. Some manufacturers also include a jumping block off the battery, which should help prevent battery explosions. Some jumper cables now include a special resistor to reduce voltage spike. Second, there’s the small matter of an overly sensitive $1k electronic control unit that can up and die from a spike in the voltage transmitted from the running car to the dead car via Old Sparky– I mean jumper cables. That’s when you accidentally reverse the cables and/or cause so much sparking that the battery blows. First, we’re talking dumb and dumberer, or, if you prefer, the Darwin factor. Jump starting a modern car is two kinds of dumb. So I rolled her out of the garage, grabbed the jumper cables, opened the trunk, removed the battery cover and– remembered that jump starting a car is generally a bad idea. A dead battery was the blindingly obvious call. The dash lights were on but she didn’t even bother emitting the dreaded click click click sound. But this time, key in, quick turn and nada. Unlike The Grand National, she’s never failed to start. Yesterday, I went out to drive her for the first time in two weeks. Ah, winter in Florida! It’s the best ‘vert weather but… I just got a new daily driver. Summers were too wet and hot (real men don’t drive a convertible with the top up and the a/c on). Of course, the dream is never the reality. So, after convincing my wife that an Imola Red BMW M Roadster isn’t “chick magnet red,” I bought my dream car. Like most middle aged men, I had a car crisis.
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