Trickle Chargers

[sc0tt]

Hi All

Can anyone recommend a good trickle charger?

Do you leave your car bonnets open whilst in use? Car in question is a boxster so unsure of the best method to leave on charge.


Thanks

[Rawhide]

CTEK will likely be recommended by most and for good reason. You can run a hardwire to the battery which can maybe protude through the weatherstrip meaning you could charge without hood open.

Otherwise if your accessory socket is permanent live you can charge through that with an adapter. You just need to shut the door on the cable.

[Scrump]

I have a couple of the cheap Aldi/Lidl ones and they work well but only come with crocodile clips and need resetting after each time it is connected.

I use a ctek on my 996. It remembers the last setting so does not need setting each time. I have a ctek flylead off the battery and this reaches beyond the battery cover to just near the wipers. All I need to do is connect the charger cable to this and leave it. I have never left the bonnet open or left the battery cover off.
On some boxsters the cigarette charging socket is permanently live so you could charge via that with a suitable adaptor (also sold by ctek). I have found the permanent lead near the wipers to be easier.

(Ctek make the Porsche chargers, if that matters to you)

[sc0tt]

Thank you scrump

[Alex_225]

I use a C-Tek charger on my E Class. I don't use it for a couple of weeks at a time so have an extension lead I run up to the car. For me the main battery is in the boot so I leave it connected and can close the boot.

Assuming you can leave the bonnet up slightly without the alarm going off you should be ok.

[Saleen836]

I use a cheapo Aldi/Lidl (can't remember where it came from) one and as my car is garaged the bonnet is held open approx 6 inches by a block of wood, the battery minder is plugged into a timer so only comes on for an hour overnight (economy 7 electric)

[Screechmr2]

I've got a suaoki trickle charger on one car and a ctek on another. Both have permanent fittings for the battery so can be plugged in easily and the bonnets can be completely shut with them fitted. Can't complain about either.

[tapkaJohnD]

Halfords do one for a price fraction.
https://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/garage-equ...la-328947885803|crid:291898457468|nw:g|rnd:14714952816718654592|dvc:c|adp:1o1|mt:|loc:&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn6vF1rec5QIVia3tCh3VfQWPEAQYASABEgKJ9vD_BwE
J.

[pcn1]

For my cars I've had 2 CTEK's. First one died under warranty, second died just out of warranty.
I'm using a lidl one now, almost 2 years and all good.

For the motorbikes I had a Optimate, lasted over 10 years. Replaced with another Optimate , 5 years and all good.

I'm not a CTEK fan......

Edited by pcn1 on Wednesday 16th October 11:48

[p4cks]

Had CTEKs for years, and currently have one on each of my two 'second' cars. Both are hardwired in and the connector easily accessible.

Here's the one in my Clio for example

[chris4652009]

sc0tt said:

Hi All

Can anyone recommend a good trickle charger?

Do you leave your car bonnets open whilst in use? Car in question is a boxster so unsure of the best method to leave on charge.


Thanks

You can't go wrong with Optimate or CTEK

[ConwyC]

How does hard wiring a charger work?

[p4cks]

ConwyC said:

How does hard wiring a charger work?

It comes with cables that connect to the battery terminals via ‘O’ rings, and has a connector on the end that you can connect the CTEK in to (see my photo above) as and when you use the car, which saves you fannying around in the engine bay each time you take your car out.

[finishing touch]

How come, that back in the days of dynamo's, and village policemen that would rattle your front door if you were parked outside on the road with no lights
we managed. This was before the days of indicator stalks that switched one front and one rear and we used to hook a light over the side window, on all night, and the car still fired up in the morning and got us to work. Same again the next night.


So whats changed? Not the bulbs as we now have LED's that use three fifths of FA. Not the charging systems as even a small car has a 100 amp alternator, or more. Batteries? My daily driver has one of a size that would only have been found on a lorry in days gone by.


So why the need for trickle chargers?

[p4cks]

finishing touch said:

So why the need for trickle chargers?

On a daily, there isn't.

For me they allow the battery to remain fully charged when I'm not using them. As an example one of my cars does less than 1,000 miles a year and the other one about 300. Inbetween uses, it needs something to keep the battery topped up.

[Cliftonite]

tapkaJohnD said:

Halfords do one for a price fraction.
https://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/garage-equ...la-328947885803|crid:291898457468|nw:g|rnd:14714952816718654592|dvc:c|adp:1o1|mt:|loc:&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn6vF1rec5QIVia3tCh3VfQWPEAQYASABEgKJ9vD_BwE
J.

I have had two Halfords maintenance chargers. Both died in year one.

[finishing touch]

p4cks said:

finishing touch said:

So why the need for trickle chargers?

On a daily, there isn't.

For me they allow the battery to remain fully charged when I'm not using them. As an example one of my cars does less than 1,000 miles a year and the other one about 300. Inbetween uses, it needs something to keep the battery topped up.

I too have a Seven that doesn't go on the roads between October and February (MOT in March) and might get fired up perhaps once in that time.

I thought that perhaps some people might have a phobia regarding flat batteries. Drive through my village on a foggy November night and you won't see a single car with lights on. You will however see them on blind bends, junctions, & facing the opposite way, but thats another issue.

I have a similar theory with breakdowns in general. My mate sold his car at 2 years & 11 months with 17k miles in case it let him down.
I'd give my eye teeth to have a daily with 17k on the clock.

Paul G

[FiF]

p4cks said:

finishing touch said:

So why the need for trickle chargers?

On a daily, there isn't.

For me they allow the battery to remain fully charged when I'm not using them. As an example one of my cars does less than 1,000 miles a year and the other one about 300. Inbetween uses, it needs something to keep the battery topped up.

The other thing I would add is that even on a daily, if the usage pattern is mainly shortish journeys, then especially in winter with lots of lights wipers and batteries generally not liking cold weather a monthly tickle with such as a CTEK is well worthwhile.

Also on certain vehicles, offerings from Land Rover imnediately springing to mind, the vehicle goes through so many computer checks on start up that unless the battery is in good nick and holding a decent charge then the cranking load can cause a voltage drop such that all manner of alarming error messages pop up, only to be proven false as a battery charge from a CTEK removes the problem.