Starting problem

[VC10]

LE62NDE said:

VC10 said:

Thanks. Which Ctek model do you have?

Edited by VC10 on Saturday 29th July 17:47

MXS 5.O

Thanks. I will get one ordered.

[Simon Owen]

OliffeFox said:

Possibly - mine sometimes won’t start but warning lights etc - until I press much harder on brake pedal - just in case this is happening with yours.

I have done exactly this & thought I had an issue !!!

Pressed a tad firmer and all good.

[Sporky]

I have the 5.0 too.

And one of these to make the connection simple.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CTEK-56-531-6899/dp/B00Q4...

[biggles330d]

I have a CTEK 10 (needed the beef as it's used to keep the Discovery 4 battery alive). I fitted a fly wire to the Alpine battery and fed it through into the front boot. Now whenever the car is being stood for any length of time (more than a couple of weeks) I just lift the bonnet, plug in the charger and let it trickle.
The CTEK is smart enough to keep the battery full and conditioned. I do the same with the Discovery as that has a reputation for the electronics becoming funny and throwing all sorts of errors if the battery is allowed to discharge too much while stood.

6000 miles in and some lengthy periods in winter when the Alpine hasn't come out of the garage and I've never had any issue. Battery always in full health.

[VC10]

biggles330d said:

I have a CTEK 10 (needed the beef as it's used to keep the Discovery 4 battery alive). I fitted a fly wire to the Alpine battery and fed it through into the front boot. Now whenever the car is being stood for any length of time (more than a couple of weeks) I just lift the bonnet, plug in the charger and let it trickle.
The CTEK is smart enough to keep the battery full and conditioned. I do the same with the Discovery as that has a reputation for the electronics becoming funny and throwing all sorts of errors if the battery is allowed to discharge too much while stood.

6000 miles in and some lengthy periods in winter when the Alpine hasn't come out of the garage and I've never had any issue. Battery always in full health.

Thanks.

Is the fly wire the same as what Sporky had in the link above?

Do you cut a hole in the plastic that goes over the battery?

Is there no risk of rainwater getting in if you cut a hole in this plastic cover?

I have the Ctek MXS 5.0 ordered. When I get this and plug it into the battery will it tell me if the battery is defective?

Thanks

[OliffeFox]

Hi VC10.

The fly wire is "CTEK connect eyelet M6" - available from Halfords - https://www.halfords.com/motoring/battery-maintena...

If you want you can add an extension - also at Halfords - https://www.halfords.com/search?q=ctek+extension+c...

The plastic panel over the battery can be removed quite easily. It just unclips. Page 4.10 in the manual shows you how (they call it the "scuttle panel grille run channel"). Having said that, it is a faff to do every time you want to charge the battery - hence why the connectors are a good idea.

I happen to have done it yesterday on my Alpine and it was quite straight forward. I have left the CTEK charger on overnight and my battery is now fully charged (I expect for the first time in a longtime). Yes - the CTEK will tell you if the battery won't charge properly (it never gets beyond 5 on the programme if that is the case).

As I say, adding the permanent connectors is quite straight forward if you have a few basic tools. I am happy to chat you through it - feel free to message. If you don't feel up to it, the dealer or a garage will do it for you.

I think some cars (the Alpine included) tend to need a regular battery charge/keeping on a trickle charge if not being used. Adding the connectors makes it much easier to do this and also means you can charge the car while it is locked and alarmed.

Simon.

[Debbiesd]

Another vote for ctek, I have a few chargers for different cars, I haven’t cut any panels or plastics, just fitted a long enough lead so the plug sits under the scuttle, out of sight but easy to reach, if I’m not using the car it’s easy to plug in, if it ever went flat , just plug it in without having any ‘faff’ of having to unlock a flat car etc

[Sporky]

Here's where I fitted my CTEK connector - I marked out the slot needed, cut with a Dremel, and it fitted nicely.

[Portti]

Here you can find an older discussion thread which has trickle charger related content including additional pics of some other trickle charger cable installations as well as instructions on how to remove the scuttle panel which is on top of the battery:

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

Based on the recommendations on that topic, I also bought CTEK MXS 5.0 which was in place during my A110's six months winter storage period last winter. The car started without problems after that so no complaints from me.

[biggles330d]

I didn't cut anything, just unclipped the battery cover, attached the leads to the battery, ran the wire under the cover to a gap, recap the cover and have the wire and connector hung over the rubber seal into the front boot. I figured it's not likely to compromise the seal enough to create any issue and keeps the connector safe from flapping about. Everything is covered so you can't see it. To plug it in, just open the bonnet, lift the connector, plug it in. I tend to have the CTEK sat on the windscreen resting on the wipers with the mains lead just trailed to an extension socket on the ground. Close bonnet, lock car, forget. The lights on the CTEK tell you what state things are in and that's just sat on the windscreen. All in the garage mind you, so no theft or weather issue.