Winter Storage 355 Spider - Battery

[Tigerfurxxx]

Just getting ready to store my car for a while and wondered what the best trickle charger is to get for the battery and where it needs to be connected ? I would like to keep the battery alive through periods of non use. Being non mechanocally minded the charger with simplest connection to the car would be best.

Thanks for your help.

[johnnyreggae]

Did you enjoy the car this year ?

Just turn it off (instructions almost certainly in the owners manual) and then you don't need to worry about trickling

[SpeedYellow]

Simplest on a 355 is just to turn off the battery master switch, I do this whenever I leave the car and it's fired straight up after 5 months once (I travel for work before people think I just ignore the car too much!).

[Pesty]

The Ctek range is generaly considered the best by most on here. I have two and they work brilliantly.

this one should do all you need at around £50
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/593...

[tomtom]

SpeedYellow said:

Simplest on a 355 is just to turn off the battery master switch, I do this whenever I leave the car and it's fired straight up after 5 months once (I travel for work before people think I just ignore the car too much!).

Me too, no problems.

[FerrariV8]

Turning off the master switch is fine, but if your Garage is cold then the battery will still suffer also batteries like to be used, both Ctek and Accuamate offer conditioners that make the battery think its being used. Both have very low outputs and have monitoring systems to keep everything in check. We use Accumate's for everything we have in stock and have never had a problem.

T.

[lotus160sport]

My accumate charged my battery last winter up to full then the battery discharged beyond repair, from what I have been told they do not like being left on for weeks and the key is to switch it off every few days even though it is meant to be a battery optimiser?

[Tigerfurxxx]

Thanks folks appreciate the advice. Once I have the conditioner where do I connect it on the car. Im thinking the rear drivers side jumpstart point for the positive side and the chassis for the earth ?

[Pesty]

That sound correct but obviously not if you turn the battery switch off I think.

[phib]

Pesty said:

The Ctek range is generaly considered the best by most on here. I have two and they work brilliantly.

this one should do all you need at around £50
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/593...

Agreed have ctek on my 355 with it plugged into the cigar lighter, been like that for 4 years and all is good

Phib

[FerrariV8]

Yes the best access is from the rear jump point, leave master switch on.

Optimate give a max charge of 0.8A per half hour intervals - 30 mins on 30mins off etc. hence they can take a long time to bring a flat battery back up. really the optimate is for Motorcycle batteries but they manage OK with large car batteries. The Accumate is the car orientated model (other than the new optimate 6).

T.