Trickle Charger Question
Discussion
OK, so the beast is going to be parked up for 6 weeks whilst i'm away (Asia....not prison). I've bought a CTEK MXS 5.0 charger with all the gubbins to go with it.
Having never used one before, is it just a case of plug it into the socket in the boot and that's it, or should I be doing something else ? Just didn't know if I'm supposed to tell the car it's on charge or something ?
Having never used one before, is it just a case of plug it into the socket in the boot and that's it, or should I be doing something else ? Just didn't know if I'm supposed to tell the car it's on charge or something ?
steveway said:
that's it, just plug it in, run the wire through the boot lid and shut the boot, no issues. just check that the lights on the charger are lit
After driving my Vantage , I now automatically plug in my charger same as above until the next time I use it , cover my car with an indoor cover as well no bother.Just make sure no one switches it off at the wall........
alscar said:
As above.
Oh and leave a little reminder note on your seat as you've not used one before.
And don't ask why I suggest this.
This is the most important thing! I leave the canvass bag the charger came in on the driver seat and remove it after I've unplugged the car.Oh and leave a little reminder note on your seat as you've not used one before.
And don't ask why I suggest this.
Again, don't ask what prompted this....
The only problem I had with the battery conditioner was when I had it plugged in but in the boot. It can get warm over the first few hours and mine must have triggered the safety cut out. The red light was on when I checked it after a couple of days so it wasn’t charging. A quick reset and positioning it on the garage floor kept it cool and there has not been any further problem.
Due to the 'short' length of the cable between the cigarette lighter port and charger pack, I stick a couple of blocks of wood underneath it so the cable doesn't stretch and the charger pack 'dangle'.
I also find, I need to hold the cigarette lighter port frame whilst inserting the charger as it bends quite a lot otherwise (you can tell its not correctly inserted as the lights on the charger pack don't light up).
I've had mine for about 6 months now and its always on when the car is garaged.
I also find, I need to hold the cigarette lighter port frame whilst inserting the charger as it bends quite a lot otherwise (you can tell its not correctly inserted as the lights on the charger pack don't light up).
I've had mine for about 6 months now and its always on when the car is garaged.
leerandle said:
Due to the 'short' length of the cable between the cigarette lighter port and charger pack, I stick a couple of blocks of wood underneath it so the cable doesn't stretch and the charger pack 'dangle'.
I also find, I need to hold the cigarette lighter port frame whilst inserting the charger as it bends quite a lot otherwise (you can tell its not correctly inserted as the lights on the charger pack don't light up).
I've had mine for about 6 months now and its always on when the car is garaged.
I bought a 2.5m extension lead with the charger so hopefully I won't suffer with that:I also find, I need to hold the cigarette lighter port frame whilst inserting the charger as it bends quite a lot otherwise (you can tell its not correctly inserted as the lights on the charger pack don't light up).
I've had mine for about 6 months now and its always on when the car is garaged.
https://goo.gl/4hauWx
If left to its own devices, the boot lid will squash the charger lead, either damaging it or making a dent in the boot seal.
A tip I got from an AM dealer is to take a round-section screwdriver shaft and press it into the boot latch, until the latch clicks. This effectively 'closes' the boot, enabling it to be lowered gently onto the retaining loop. The boot comes to rest about half an inch off the seal, leaving plenty of room for the lead.
Just remember to release the boot catch before closing the boot when you next get the car out.
A tip I got from an AM dealer is to take a round-section screwdriver shaft and press it into the boot latch, until the latch clicks. This effectively 'closes' the boot, enabling it to be lowered gently onto the retaining loop. The boot comes to rest about half an inch off the seal, leaving plenty of room for the lead.
Just remember to release the boot catch before closing the boot when you next get the car out.
Edited by huntsen on Tuesday 10th October 19:32
huntsen said:
If left to its own devices, the boot lid will squash the charger lead, either damaging it or making a dent in the boot seal.
Really? I've been using trickle chargers with the lid closed since I got my first Vantage in 2008, including months of winter storage, and I have never damaged a seal or charger cord.quench said:
Really? I've been using trickle chargers with the lid closed since I got my first Vantage in 2008, including months of winter storage, and I have never damaged a seal or charger cord.
Me too no problems with indenting the boot seal .....my charger sits on the garage floor carpet :-)
V8V Pete said:
I'm glad I'm not the only one 
I drive mine too, i'm just a bit worried about it sitting in the cold for 6 weeks without even being started. It would probably be fine but for the sake of a 50 quid charger I'd rather not find out.When I bought it the Barista told me the biggest issues that they see with them (in general) are when people let the battery go flat...........if I want that sort of pain in my life I'd buy a secondhand Alfa
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