Long term battery charging

[Sea level]

Hody, firts post so be genlte with me.
I've looked through the sections and can't find an answer to my question: if it is there and I've missed it then my apologies.

I have a car, a 2018 Mazda CX-3. Doesnt do an awful lot of miles but I like it. In winter it tends to sit on the drive, and in this weather the battery goes flat, as it has done today. It could be that the battery is kaput which I'm going to have checked. I keep having to put it on charge otherwise it won't start.
I've heard that it is possible to use some form of battery maintenance device that plugs into that big socket inside the car, and can be left plugged on and switched on all though the winter.

Am I talking rubbish or is there such a thing, if so what is it and are they any good?

[Sebring440]

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[normalbloke]

Save you some time. Buy a Ctek 5.0 and a convenience connector. Plug it in. Leave it plugged in. Remove before driving.

[d_a_n1979]

Sea level said:

Hody, firts post so be genlte with me.
I've looked through the sections and can't find an answer to my question: if it is there and I've missed it then my apologies.

I have a car, a 2018 Mazda CX-3. Doesnt do an awful lot of miles but I like it. In winter it tends to sit on the drive, and in this weather the battery goes flat, as it has done today. It could be that the battery is kaput which I'm going to have checked. I keep having to put it on charge otherwise it won't start.
I've heard that it is possible to use some form of battery maintenance device that plugs into that big socket inside the car, and can be left plugged on and switched on all though the winter.

Am I talking rubbish or is there such a thing, if so what is it and are they any good?

As the above post; buy this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battery-Automatic-Tempera...

That's all you need

Connect the connections, plug it in when you're not using it; unplug it and use the car, get home, reconnect and forget about it...

Exactly how I've had it with my E39 540i:

[boitjie]

normalbloke said:

Save you some time. Buy a Ctek 5.0 and a convenience connector. Plug it in. Leave it plugged in. Remove before driving.

^^^^^Do this. I use one (although my car is in a garage).

[Moonpie21]

Please don't consider this advice, just another option people can comment on if they feel the need.

My car is an older car stored in a garage, so I think it is more suitable...

I use one of the battery disconnect things:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Disconnect-Term...

Easy enough to install and unscrew when parked up keeps the battery fine for my purposes, obviously loses all of my pre-sets etc, but as it's occasional use no issues. Then you don't have to worry about plugging in etc.

[Draxindustries1]

If you're leaving a vehicle for any length of time then remove it and take it inside, somewhere reasonably warm, this will improve the life and no need to have it connected to a mains supply with trailing leads ect.

OP,if you're having problems with it constantly going flat over relatively short spaces of time you may have a battery drain problem, ie something pulling power with ignition off.
Also have the battery itself checked.

[Sea level]

Thanks guys. I knew there would be plenty of info but just haven't worked out how to find it. Sorry.

Ideally I would like something that I can plug inside the car rather than under the bonnet. I know absolutely nothing about car electrics, but I know there is a big plug that mechanics plug into somewhere; can I plug into this and if so how.

normalbloke said:

Save you some time. Buy a Ctek 5.0 and a convenience connector. Plug it in. Leave it plugged in. Remove before driving.

Normal bloke, thank you. What is a convenience connector? Google seems to show what I would call cigarette lighter fittings. Can I connect one of these units to that - cutting off the clamps - and just plug that in? Will the charge in effect flow backwards?

Sorry to ask so many dumb questions!!!

[d_a_n1979]

Sea level said:

Thanks guys. I knew there would be plenty of info but just haven't worked out how to find it. Sorry.

Ideally I would like something that I can plug inside the car rather than under the bonnet. I know absolutely nothing about car electrics, but I know there is a big plug that mechanics plug into somewhere; can I plug into this and if so how.

normalbloke said:

Save you some time. Buy a Ctek 5.0 and a convenience connector. Plug it in. Leave it plugged in. Remove before driving.

Normal bloke, thank you. What is a convenience connector? Google seems to show what I would call cigarette lighter fittings. Can I connect one of these units to that - cutting off the clamps - and just plug that in? Will the charge in effect flow backwards?

Sorry to ask so many dumb questions!!!

That'll be an OBD port; you don't use that

You either connect to the battery terminals or specific terminals in the engine bay; depending on the car

The convenience connections are the ones included in link I posted; the eyelet connections; you connect them to the battery terminals or the specific charging terminals and there's a quick connection on it, so you just plug the charger into that

[Alex_225]

normalbloke said:

Save you some time. Buy a Ctek 5.0 and a convenience connector. Plug it in. Leave it plugged in. Remove before driving.

Exactly this!!!

I have one hooked up to my Merc CL and leave it connected all the time. Just tops up the battery and keeps it in good shape. Saves knackering batteries which I have done many times before.

[KTMsm]

Moonpie21 said:

Please don't consider this advice, just another option people can comment on if they feel the need.

My car is an older car stored in a garage, so I think it is more suitable...

I use one of the battery disconnect things:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Disconnect-Term...

Easy enough to install and unscrew when parked up keeps the battery fine for my purposes, obviously loses all of my pre-sets etc, but as it's occasional use no issues. Then you don't have to worry about plugging in etc.

Great for old cars but anything modern can be a disaster if you disconnect the battery windows need resetting, radio etc

[cuprabob]

You can use the 12V socket (cigarette lighter) to connect the charger to as long as it remains "live" with the ignition switched off.

[Biggy Stardust]

Sea level said:

Thanks guys. I knew there would be plenty of info but just haven't worked out how to find it. Sorry.

Ideally I would like something that I can plug inside the car rather than under the bonnet. I know absolutely nothing about car electrics, but I know there is a big plug that mechanics plug into somewhere; can I plug into this and if so how.

normalbloke said:

Save you some time. Buy a Ctek 5.0 and a convenience connector. Plug it in. Leave it plugged in. Remove before driving.

Normal bloke, thank you. What is a convenience connector? Google seems to show what I would call cigarette lighter fittings. Can I connect one of these units to that - cutting off the clamps - and just plug that in? Will the charge in effect flow backwards?

Sorry to ask so many dumb questions!!!

No such thing as a dumb question if you're looking for information.

There's other products than CTEK but it's a good call. The convenience connector is a socket that sticks out of the car that you can easily connect to your charger. Google CTEK and have a read up on the subject.

[CalisenQX]

+1 for Ctek battery maintainer.

[Sea level]

d_a_n1979 said:

That'll be an OBD port; you don't use that

You either connect to the battery terminals or specific terminals in the engine bay; depending on the car

The convenience connections are the ones included in link I posted; the eyelet connections; you connect them to the battery terminals or the specific charging terminals and there's a quick connection on it, so you just plug the charger into that

Thanks. I see what you mean. I was trying to make it too complicated.

cuprabob said:

You can use the 12V socket (cigarette lighter) to connect the charger to as long as it remains "live" with the ignition switched off.

Thanks. I'll check that out tomorrow when it gets light and (a bit) warmer.

Lots of good info here. Much appreciated.
Car is also booked in for battery/alernator check over in case there is something going wrong there.
All part of life's rich tapestry.

[normalbloke]

All the pertinent points re convenience connectors have been covered above. Convenience connectors come in all shapes and sizes, to make it,err convenient. They even do one that will connect into your tow socket. If you’re unhappy wielding spanners, get an eyelet type( as somebody has already mentioned and pay your local garage a drink to attach it to your battery. Most modern cars 12v fag socket don’t stay on after the ignition is killed, so that might rule it out for you.
Good luck, don’t fear the CTEK.

[Mr-B]

I have a trickle charger from Aldi or Lidl (they come up on offer occasionally) about £15 keeps my MX5 alive albeit in the garage over the winter months (november to march usually). It has intelligent charging and can revive near dead batteries too - ask me how I know.

[KTMsm]

Mr-B said:

I have a trickle charger from Aldi or Lidl (they come up on offer occasionally) about £15 keeps my MX5 alive albeit in the garage over the winter months (november to march usually). It has intelligent charging and can revive near dead batteries too - ask me how I know.

They don't compare to the ctek it will revive batteries the cheapies won't touch - I have tried them all and the ctek 5.0 (upwards) is even better than the noco

[normalbloke]

I appreciate other chargers are available and there’s something for everyone’s budget. I always used to use Optimate back in my bike days, but things have moved on. It’s the little things about the CTEK that make it just so much better, above it’s core functions. Such as the quality of the cables,always supple and flexible at any temperature, the standard of the connectors, lead extensions that fit, and as previously mentioned, a range of convenience connectors that ought to provide a solution to just about any problem. Then there’s the Bluetooth battery monitors…..

[Mr-B]

KTMsm said:

They don't compare to the ctek it will revive batteries the cheapies won't touch - I have tried them all and the ctek 5.0 (upwards) is even better than the noco

My cheapie revived my dead battery, and the battery is still going strong today, 6 years old now.