How to Charge a BMW 328I Battery

Make sure your BMW battery is charged so your xenon headlights operate on full power.

The BMW 328i is a relatively powerful car with a 2.8-liter fuel injected engine and is part of the BMW 3 series range. If your BMW 328i battery needs charging, it's best to do it with the battery connected to the car because removing it means that electrical items in the car may need to be reset. Charging a BMW 328i battery in place does not damage the electrical items in the car as the battery charger produces only 12 volts and very little amperes.

Things You'll Need

• Car battery charger

Instructions

1. Check that the electrical items in your BMW 328i are turned off and the key is not in the ignition. Open the hood and secure it.

2. Place your battery charger near the BMW 328i's battery. You need the charger cables to easily reach the car's battery.

3. Attach the spring clamp on the end of the red cable attached to the battery charger onto the positive terminal of the BMW 328i's battery. The positive terminal is labeled "+" or "Pos."

4. Attach the spring clamp on the end of the black cable attached to the battery charger onto the negative terminal of the BMW 328i's battery. The negative terminal is labeled "-" or "Neg."

5. Select the charge setting on your battery charger. If you need to boost your BMW 328i's battery quickly, select the highest charge rate. If you want to charge it slowly -- overnight, for example -- select the lowest charge setting. This setting is often labeled "trickle charge."

6. Turn on the battery charger. Make sure it is charging at the rate you want. Leave it for several hours, or overnight if on a trickle charge.

7. Turn off the charger. Remove the black negative cable attached to the charger off the battery's negative terminal. Remove the red positive cable off the battery's positive terminal.

8. Move the charger away from the BMW 328i. Close the hood.

References

• BMW North America: BMW 3 Series Overview
• Battery University .com: Charging the lead-acid battery
• Car Basics: How to charge car battery