Solar Charger

[Gjm91]

Hi All - thinking about trying a solar charger to top up the car battery’s on the Z4 and TT - have 3 cars and between me and the wife try and run them all regularly but inevitably one ends up sitting on the drive for longer than it should or used for shorter journeys usually the Zed or the TT - haven’t got a garage that’s accessible so been thinking about a Halfords solar charger to keep the car not being used topped up - anyone one got any experience of using a solar charger are they any good ? any potential issues - many thanks G

 

[buzyg]

I think this has come up before.

Yup, pop the word Solar into the forum Search engine. There are several forum members using them and severally threads worth a quick read through. :wink:

 

[Z4Sparky]

I bought one of the AA branded ones.

Only used it once whilst away on holiday for a couple of weeks, and seemed to work fine with no issues.

 

[Smartbear]

I use an old maplins solar charger on a small motorbike battery & it seems to work fine, fairly low powered so probably not great on a very low car battery but used to keep a healthy battery topped up should be ok
Rob

 

[ibasniper]

I used a sealey solar charger, and it kept mine topped up last winter

 

[Gjm91]

Thanks for all the reply's -based on the consensus and searching old threads as suggested, gonna take a punt and get one from halfords - hopefully keep the batteries in better condition than without- pitfall of juggling 3 cars over winter

 

[gerryp]

I am currently using one.
It is AA branded bought from Amazon for £25 delivered.
Best money I've spent.
Cannot be faulted.

 

[Gjm91]

I am currently using one.
It is AA branded bought from Amazon for £25 delivered.
Best money I've spent.
Cannot be faulted.

Thanks gerryp - spotted that one and think will probably go for the AA version instead of the Halfords as they come with a OBD attachement-is yours the one with the OBD attachment as thinking easier to plug into the OBD than mess about with battery cables. I know they come with a ciggy socket but the E89 isn't live all the time -ta G

 

[gerryp]

I am currently using one.
It is AA branded bought from Amazon for £25 delivered.
Best money I've spent.
Cannot be faulted.

Thanks gerryp - spotted that one and think will probably go for the AA version instead of the Halfords as they come with a OBD attachement-is yours the one with the OBD attachment as thinking easier to plug into the OBD than mess about with battery cables. I know they come with a ciggy socket but the E89 isn't live all the time -ta G

Mine is connected with the OBD attachment.
Highly recommended.

 

[Mr Tidy]

Earlier this year the battery in my 3 Series died, and it prompted me to get around to buying a solar charger for my Z4 as it doesn't get much use if we have bad weather over the winter.

I just bought a cheap one on Amazon, but haven't needed to use it yet - hopefully it will keep the battery topped-up. Luckily I can use the lighter socket as it's permanently live on an E86.

 

[Gjm91]

I am currently using one.
It is AA branded bought from Amazon for £25 delivered.
Best money I've spent.
Cannot be faulted.

Thanks gerryp - spotted that one and think will probably go for the AA version instead of the Halfords as they come with a OBD attachement-is yours the one with the OBD attachment as thinking easier to plug into the OBD than mess about with battery cables. I know they come with a ciggy socket but the E89 isn't live all the time -ta G

Mine is connected with the OBD attachment.
Highly recommended.

great thanks