Car Battery Charger. Buying Advice needed

[Asher172]

Hi All,

Currently building a Clio 172 track car. Its used occasionally at the weekends when the weather is good, but mainly will be used just for track days.

Problem i have with Lack of use is that whenever i come back to the car, its usually dead. I'm tired of jump starting it so was thinking of just removing the battery and charging it between track days.

Looking for a charger which will charge a normal battery, but im also looking to go down the Odysey/varley lightweight battery route, so want a charger which can charge both types?

Also heard of something called trickle charge? Whats the difference between trickle charging and full on charging...

Sorry for being a noob. Any help and direction would be great.

 

[Andy_con]

cant recommend a charger but...

removing the battery to charge would help stop the car being stolen. my old man stores his TT in the garage and just leaves the bonnet up to trickle charge.

full on charge is a full on charge, trickle charge is a very slow charge over a long period.

 

[-Jamie-]

Get a Ctek charger

 

[VenomUK]

Ctek 5.0 that is all!

 

[Asher172]

Ctek 5.0 that is all!

Does this charger fit into a typical UK home plug?

 

[adamlstr]

Does this charger fit into a typical UK home plug?

Yes, and get one of these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002MT8S7E/?tag=cliospnet01-21

Then it's a doddle to hook up, just don't drive off with it still attached.

 

[David172]

I had a Powerlite PS-09 battery turn up today. It's 1.4kg and comes with its own charger. Could be worth looking at. £100

 

[Asher172]

I had a Powerlite PS-09 battery turn up today. It's 1.4kg and comes with its own charger. Could be worth looking at. £100

Seems like a good deal to me. I'll do some research on them, not heard of powerlite. Did it come with a warranty of any sorts?

 

[Asher172]

Yes, and get one of these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002MT8S7E/?tag=cliospnet01-21

Then it's a doddle to hook up, just don't drive off with it still attached.

My driveway isnt near to my house. Dont have a garage, hence why it would be a case of removing the battery and taking it in the house to charge. How quick do you reckon it charges a normal car battery from flat to full?

 

[David172]

Seems like a good deal to me. I'll do some research on them, not heard of powerlite. Did it come with a warranty of any sorts?

Yeah have a read, I think it does have a warranty but cant remember how long.

 

[VenomUK]

My driveway isnt near to my house. Dont have a garage, hence why it would be a case of removing the battery and taking it in the house to charge. How quick do you reckon it charges a normal car battery from flat to full?

Should have put that in the opening post

 

[-Jamie-]

My driveway isnt near to my house. Dont have a garage, hence why it would be a case of removing the battery and taking it in the house to charge. How quick do you reckon it charges a normal car battery from flat to full?

They ain't really for quick charging tbf, more for conditioning and keeping the battery in good health, No reason you couldn't remove battery and leave it on trickle on the Ctek in the house now

 

[Mertin]

If the car is left outside you could use the solar panel trickle chargers to keep it topped up?

I have a ctek charger I use to keep my smaller pc680 battery topped up over winter, its on an isolator switch aswell so doesn't drain itself

 

[frayz]

CTek MXS 5.0.

 

[GrahamS]

Lidl £15 lots of feature of much more expensive chargers.

Club Motorhome | The Motorhome Social Network

The Motorhome Social Network | Where Travel's Unravelled

www.clubmotorhome.co.uk

 

[Geddes]

I had a flat battery a few days ago on my car, had to use my Dad's old charger. I was a bit hesitant to use it, but got the car to start up after a 2 hour charge.

I been looking and contacted C-Tek and they recomended the MXS 5.0 for mine. Been looking on Amazon and their going for £72 is this a decent price or is there any other prices a bit cheaper?

Also my car is parked on the driveway right infront of the house and garage door, how long is the cable if i were to get a extension for the charger and how easy is it on connection and wires coming of it? If i were to close the bonnet would it shut properly?

 

[Not a Diesel!!!]

Charger lead pretty short around 4 foot. Lead from terminals to charger comes with one that you can leave attached and thennplug to the charger. This is not very Long but you can buy longer ones and run to poke out of your grill, then you can charge without bonnet being open.

It may be easier to run lead out by wipers may be more clearance.

If your battery low can take 10 hrs.

I had one for a couple of years but got another a couple of weeks ago for £67 from ebay, slightly cheaper on Amazon but delivery was long, guess they wer out of stock. Charger is the new toilet roll.

 

[Geddes]

Charger lead pretty short around 4 foot. Lead from terminals to charger comes with one that you can leave attached and thennplug to the charger. This is not very Long but you can buy longer ones and run to poke out of your grill, then you can charge without bonnet being open.

It may be easier to run lead out by wipers may be more clearance.

If your battery low can take 10 hrs.

I had one for a couple of years but got another a couple of weeks ago for £67 from ebay, slightly cheaper on Amazon but delivery was long, guess they wer out of stock. Charger is the new toilet roll.

Awesome information thanks, going through the grill might be the way for, what extension would I need for this to happen if I go thro the grill? What’s with the settings on these new smart charges, I’ve never owned one before. When you put it on charge say from a low charge and when it becomes fully charged, is there a setting so that it charges up say if I don’t use it for a week or two so it doesn’t loose charge, if that makes sense.

edit just seen a 2.5m cable for £12 on Amazon, I presume that’s what I need as an extension. Also do the old battery charges do damage to newer cars now?

thanks

 

[Not a Diesel!!!]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ADIHUVG/?tag=cliospnet01-21

This is 2.5m which seems like overkill. Get some able ties you can have it coming out anywhere. Under front bumper.

They also do lead with indicator light red/amber/green. There is a Harry's garage where he talks abouf car storage. But some of the online reviews of that are not to positive saying it flicks to Amber within hrs. They maybe have a duff battery.

 

[Darren61]

I’ve literally just ordered the CTEK MXS 5.0 and the comfort connect along with the 2.5m extended cable. Spooky!

Demon Tweeks came up cheaper than Amazon

 

[Not a Diesel!!!]

Ideally you jusg leave it on. Then the charger tops up as and when the battery drops.

Obviously with the lead to the grill means the charger and the extension lead Still sitting outside in elements?

I have one car in garage i leave on trickle.

The other car I charge every couple of weeks on the drive overnight. I only do this when I know its gonna be dry. This is a relatively new meg. I know I have changed it as the stop start works half a dozen times!

I have tried to get the charger and the extension lead under the bonnet so nothing outside. But meg bay pretty tight and my extension real pretty big.

 

[botfch]

Trickle Battery Charger

Keep 12V batteries in vehicles or equipment fully charged and optimised with this tricklecharger from Streetwize.• Mains operated• Suitable for lead acid, gel and standard maintenance free and deep cyclebatteries. • Input: 230V AC, 50Hz, 30W• Output: 12V DC, 1.5AThis trickle charger provides a...

www.toolstation.com

Used one of these on the Clio for the last 2 years sat on the drive with an extension lead never had any issues.
I had intended on using this short term and swapping to a c-tek but it’s been faultless so haven’t needed a reason to change.

 

[Geddes]

I’ve just placed an order with Amazon along with the 2.5m extension cable. For an extra £3 wasn’t the hassle of going through Demon Tweeks but thanks for the note though. I might have to get the car facing the garage door when it’s on charge, the car is just a metre from a main road and footpath and don’t want people noticing the cable

Once the battery is charged up and keeping it charged at the same time is ideal for me especially with the current situation, I hardly use the car anyway done 2200 miles since last July

 

[Daniel]

Just fit an isolation switch??

Cost about £4 and it gives the bonus of an added immobiliser.

 

[Jonnio]

I've had one running out of the garage to a car parked right outside it for a couple of months now. Didn't have a proper extension so just cut/extended the bit with the terminal clips on.

Worst thing it the potential 12v wiring trip hazard.

 

[Greeny.]

I just run a negative disconnect terminal on my ps-09 and will use a NOCO Genius G1100 over the winter when I bring it in the house.

 

[Ben]

Trickle Battery Charger

Keep 12V batteries in vehicles or equipment fully charged and optimised with this tricklecharger from Streetwize.• Mains operated• Suitable for lead acid, gel and standard maintenance free and deep cyclebatteries. • Input: 230V AC, 50Hz, 30W• Output: 12V DC, 1.5AThis trickle charger provides a...

www.toolstation.com

Used one of these on the Clio for the last 2 years sat on the drive with an extension lead never had any issues.
I had intended on using this short term and swapping to a c-tek but it’s been faultless so haven’t needed a reason to change.

I’m picking one of these up later after I collect the shopping, I forgot to disconnect the battery on the E36 and it’s now flat so I can’t move it around the drive. No jump leads either. Do you keep it plugged in permanently when the car is parked up?

 

[botfch]

I’m picking one of these up later after I collect the shopping, I forgot to disconnect the battery on the E36 and it’s now flat so I can’t move it around the drive. No jump leads either. Do you keep it plugged in permanently when the car is parked up?

Yeah been on all winter, it has the auto cut off when the batteries charged.
I’m really impressed with it for the money tbf.

 

[Geddes]

Been looking on YouTube on the charger and there’s different modes, for eg Car mode or Car mode with AGM or Car mode with Recond or Car mode with AGM and Recond. My car the 2019 Fiesta has Stop / Start which mode do i need to put it in?

 

[frayz]

Been running one of these for over 10 years on the Imprezas PC680 and never ever have I had a flat battery.
Also one in an IP65 housing with the traffic light connector on the Cayman. Great bits of kit.

 

[Mertin]

Thats a really tidy setup that

 

[Not a Diesel!!!]

Nice box. Some people do things properly.

 

[Not a Diesel!!!]

Been looking on YouTube on the charger and there’s different modes, for eg Car mode or Car mode with AGM or Car mode with Recond or Car mode with AGM and Recond. My car the 2019 Fiesta has Stop / Start which mode do i need to put it in?

You need to check out your battery type, my father in law has a 2016 fiesta with stop start. Does not use agm technology battery just an enhanced conventional tecnnology. I looked up europarts with reg to find out battery type.

Whereas my meg has step start and is agm.

 

[Ben]

Yeah been on all winter, it has the auto cut off when the batteries charged.
I’m really impressed with it for the money tbf.

Picked it up this afternoon and put it on the E36 for a few hours and it fired straight up. Pleased so far.

 

[Geddes]

You need to check out your battery type, my father in law has a 2016 fiesta with stop start. Does not use agm technology battery just an enhanced conventional tecnnology. I looked up europarts with reg to find out battery type.

Whereas my meg has step start and is agm.

Thanks for the information, what i need to do is look under the bonnet and what spec it is. I did just this minute look on ECP site and they recommend a Bosche EFB 100 Battery and retailed at £299 , my eyes just lit up at the price on that. Not sure at all if the one they recommend is a acid battery or AGM

 

[Geddes]

Just found this after looking into this

AGM & EFB Automotive Batteries Explained - Yuasa battery

Information guide to AGM and EFB Start-Stop automotive batteries

www.yuasa.co.uk

 

[Not a Diesel!!!]

That's it efb is just the enhanced normal tech.

Europart are crazy. Get on there mailing list and they send you codes for 45 or 50% off every day. Hate to think what happens if you just rock up off the street into a store and let them empty your wallet.

 

[Geddes]

That's it efb is just the enhanced normal tech.

Europart are crazy. Get on there mailing list and they send you codes for 45 or 50% off every day. Hate to think what happens if you just rock up off the street into a store and let them empty your wallet.

I think i'll do that thanks for future reference if i need anything

 

[Asher172]

Thanks everyone for their feedback! Got loads to look at now

 

[Geddes]

Got my C-Tek MXS 5.0 yesterday and had a go at hard wiring it today, just need to tidy up the long loose cable, havn't tried it yet but quit imprsssed with the build quality of the product. Found out of another forum, on my EFB battery i would have to use the normal Car mode only