CTEK-compatible magnetic charging connector
Discussion
I have recently completed a full Bamford Rose upgrade on my 2018 Vantage V8S, and shipped her home to Auckland, New Zealand in late February (see my post on the Bamford Rose upgrade elsewhere in the BR forum).
I had a few electrical gremlins when the car arrived, all traced to the OEM lead acid battery not holding charge, so I upgraded the battery to a new Varta AGM battery, in the same size casing, which was a straight-forward fix. Problem solved, and now no longer any risk of liquid acid inside the cockpit.
Then a full Escort MaxCi radar/laser detector install mounted discretely behind the grille, to give great range and no false warnings.
My final upgrade was to completed installation of a brilliant CTEK-compatible magnetic charging kit sourced from HethelSport in Lafayette, California.
The Aston factory kit is over NZ$650, with over 2 months to supply from UK, whereas the HethelSport kit landed at my door in Auckland, New Zealand just 7 days after it was couriered from California. All up, US$134. The Hethel Sport kit supplied all connectors, in-line fuse, and more than required amount of armoured cabling - the kit was absolutely perfect for the job. Contact is Sherman at +1 (925) 962 7259. Email: sherman@hethelsport.com, web-site is www.hethelsport.com.
I mounted the charging point discretely on the right hand side of number plate plinth, to allow easy access from the front under the car cover. I wanted to avoid the previous arrangement of cables snaking across the floor and up into the trunk to the factory charging point, avoiding any major drilling of any body panels, and I wanted the peace of mind if I forget about it and drive out without disconnecting, as the magnetic kit will snap apart instantly, with a weatherproof cap snapping into place.
Photos below tell the story - a thoroughly professional auto electrician installer who took his time, and talked me through each part of the process, isolated and armoured everything, and checked and rechecked.
All up, the job took an hour.
Photos below tell the story.
Just outstanding !
![](https://thumbsnap.com/t/nnRueNFF.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/DtqE3YzJ" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/t/DtqE3YzJ.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/FLmzq5QJ" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/t/FLmzq5QJ.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/2eE8UvA1" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/t/2eE8UvA1.jpg)
I had a few electrical gremlins when the car arrived, all traced to the OEM lead acid battery not holding charge, so I upgraded the battery to a new Varta AGM battery, in the same size casing, which was a straight-forward fix. Problem solved, and now no longer any risk of liquid acid inside the cockpit.
Then a full Escort MaxCi radar/laser detector install mounted discretely behind the grille, to give great range and no false warnings.
My final upgrade was to completed installation of a brilliant CTEK-compatible magnetic charging kit sourced from HethelSport in Lafayette, California.
The Aston factory kit is over NZ$650, with over 2 months to supply from UK, whereas the HethelSport kit landed at my door in Auckland, New Zealand just 7 days after it was couriered from California. All up, US$134. The Hethel Sport kit supplied all connectors, in-line fuse, and more than required amount of armoured cabling - the kit was absolutely perfect for the job. Contact is Sherman at +1 (925) 962 7259. Email: sherman@hethelsport.com, web-site is www.hethelsport.com.
I mounted the charging point discretely on the right hand side of number plate plinth, to allow easy access from the front under the car cover. I wanted to avoid the previous arrangement of cables snaking across the floor and up into the trunk to the factory charging point, avoiding any major drilling of any body panels, and I wanted the peace of mind if I forget about it and drive out without disconnecting, as the magnetic kit will snap apart instantly, with a weatherproof cap snapping into place.
Photos below tell the story - a thoroughly professional auto electrician installer who took his time, and talked me through each part of the process, isolated and armoured everything, and checked and rechecked.
All up, the job took an hour.
Photos below tell the story.
Just outstanding !
The magnetic charger connector mounted on the number plate plinth has two major advantages, from my perspective:
1. No electrical cords across garage floor just waiting to trip someone
2. Easy to reach up under the full indoors car cover
I chased down the spec of this connector from the German original supplier. The vehicle connector has a magnetic separator between the two exposed poles which is opened only by the presence of the removable charger connector, so the risk of water leaking past the spring loaded cover and causing a short (in spirited wet weather driving, for example) is zero. That detail sold me on the connector, and the location on the plate plinth.
1. No electrical cords across garage floor just waiting to trip someone
2. Easy to reach up under the full indoors car cover
I chased down the spec of this connector from the German original supplier. The vehicle connector has a magnetic separator between the two exposed poles which is opened only by the presence of the removable charger connector, so the risk of water leaking past the spring loaded cover and causing a short (in spirited wet weather driving, for example) is zero. That detail sold me on the connector, and the location on the plate plinth.
Hi Emilio, thanks your kind comment. Yes, my wife also explains life to me regarding the second purchase ....
The spec is understated quality, which is just as I like it. The Iridium lightens the cockpit noticeably, which is a major plus.
The full BR upgrade on my current car is transformational, and the icing on the cake - doing it all in one hit at BR meant the entire conversion was timely (completed, my visit to BR, and vehicle on the water before the pandemic hit the UK) and most importantly, completely integrated, which adds noticeably to the enjoyment factor. Having Mike, Adrian and the team enthusiastically supporting this idiot for NZ was a thoroughly enjoyable experience in every way. Just loved it.
Regarding the twin plate clutch release on the MY06, I don't have a comment worth listening to, as I'm no engineer.
I can tell you the cast-in clutch release in the MY16 torque tube required really high-end specialist machining. As my first car (MY16) was the first Mike at BR had heard of it, we had to delve into it deeply, as a mistake machining the required 20mm out of the torque tube could be very expensive - especially from the other side of the world.
The machine shop I used in Auckland was heavily into R&D project work for the heavy electrical transmission industry, and they loved working on the Aston torque tube.
They took their time in setting up the machining (a couple of days, I recall, and then 90 minutes of machining), their quality of workmanship was immaculate, and they videoed their entire machining process to talk me through it, and the BR kit subsequently bolted together perfectly. Most importantly, one guy took the project on, set up the machining, did the work, and then debriefed me - full responsibility throughout, and made it clear they had full insurance for any mistake on their part.
The spec is understated quality, which is just as I like it. The Iridium lightens the cockpit noticeably, which is a major plus.
The full BR upgrade on my current car is transformational, and the icing on the cake - doing it all in one hit at BR meant the entire conversion was timely (completed, my visit to BR, and vehicle on the water before the pandemic hit the UK) and most importantly, completely integrated, which adds noticeably to the enjoyment factor. Having Mike, Adrian and the team enthusiastically supporting this idiot for NZ was a thoroughly enjoyable experience in every way. Just loved it.
Regarding the twin plate clutch release on the MY06, I don't have a comment worth listening to, as I'm no engineer.
I can tell you the cast-in clutch release in the MY16 torque tube required really high-end specialist machining. As my first car (MY16) was the first Mike at BR had heard of it, we had to delve into it deeply, as a mistake machining the required 20mm out of the torque tube could be very expensive - especially from the other side of the world.
The machine shop I used in Auckland was heavily into R&D project work for the heavy electrical transmission industry, and they loved working on the Aston torque tube.
They took their time in setting up the machining (a couple of days, I recall, and then 90 minutes of machining), their quality of workmanship was immaculate, and they videoed their entire machining process to talk me through it, and the BR kit subsequently bolted together perfectly. Most importantly, one guy took the project on, set up the machining, did the work, and then debriefed me - full responsibility throughout, and made it clear they had full insurance for any mistake on their part.
I had same thought originally, but liked the plinth because it protected push-on connectors from weather. In either case, the connector simply disappears from view against the background.
Quite right in identifying the under bonnet connection points - the covered positive post is easily accessed, as is the earth alongside, and cable feed is exemplary without any drilling required.
The
Quite right in identifying the under bonnet connection points - the covered positive post is easily accessed, as is the earth alongside, and cable feed is exemplary without any drilling required.
The
Outstanding !
Indeed, one of the easiest most effective upgrades - I use mine daily since the install and it's so simple and effective, and not requiring any major rewiring or cutting. I, also, have forgotten about it and backed out of my garage with it connected, and realised my error when I heard the cap pop back. Oops !
Indeed, one of the easiest most effective upgrades - I use mine daily since the install and it's so simple and effective, and not requiring any major rewiring or cutting. I, also, have forgotten about it and backed out of my garage with it connected, and realised my error when I heard the cap pop back. Oops !
Great!
I'd think about placing it on the mesh oil cooler cover with cabling back up to connect to the OEM charging point behind the cover on the right of the trunk, which will give continuous battery access.
That said, my concern would be any cutting and drilling required, which would mar the car. The reason I used the front mount on the number plate plinth was no drilling or cutting required, which was an important aesthetic for me.
I understand Bentley mount this exact same magnetic connector exposed by the rear number plate, and later AM models use the AM version on the underside of the rear diffuser.
I'd think about placing it on the mesh oil cooler cover with cabling back up to connect to the OEM charging point behind the cover on the right of the trunk, which will give continuous battery access.
That said, my concern would be any cutting and drilling required, which would mar the car. The reason I used the front mount on the number plate plinth was no drilling or cutting required, which was an important aesthetic for me.
I understand Bentley mount this exact same magnetic connector exposed by the rear number plate, and later AM models use the AM version on the underside of the rear diffuser.
A couple of things you might consider, mrpseudonym.
Power access has to be live at all times to allow charger access to battery. I suspect that’s only at three points on the car (other direct connection to battery) - the under bonnet charging point, the 12V access point in the cabin and the 12V access point in the trunk. I might be wrong, and hopefully someone will correct any misunderstanding.
Secondly, the charger is especially helpful when car is in long term stand down. For me, this means also using the car cover. Having the charger access point as low as possible means not having to faff about.
That said, might be over-thinking it, as is my wont ….😁
Power access has to be live at all times to allow charger access to battery. I suspect that’s only at three points on the car (other direct connection to battery) - the under bonnet charging point, the 12V access point in the cabin and the 12V access point in the trunk. I might be wrong, and hopefully someone will correct any misunderstanding.
Secondly, the charger is especially helpful when car is in long term stand down. For me, this means also using the car cover. Having the charger access point as low as possible means not having to faff about.
That said, might be over-thinking it, as is my wont ….😁
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