Battery chargers - what to look for

[wai]

G'day,

Can't find a place for this so hope this is OK.

As a result of Sydney being in lockdown, I had my battery go flat as the car had not been driven for something like 6 weeks. The battery itself was replaced in April 2021.

The NRMA came out and checked it and reported nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was OK, just lack of use.

Given the restrictions, I have had to devise a route that is within my 5 km radius, and I remain within my LGA, and I will be doing this every day, if not couple of days. It was suggested I get a battery charger, but not sure of what I need to look for given modern electronics in cars.

Any pointers?

While I have you reading this, which is better - having the vehicle in a secure location with the ignition off and key removed, or is it better to set the alarm even if it is in a secure location?

A client of mine has some Iveco light trucks. Over the Christmas / New Year break, the locked the trucks inside the factory and just removed the keys. When they returned from the break, they had 3 trucks with flat batteries. It turned out that with the ignition off, the ECU kept polling the key fob and this drained the battery. They were advised to either take the keys fobs away with them or set the immobiliser / alarm.

So, what is the recommendation with VW? Which is better - just removing the key or removing the key and setting the alarm?

Thanks.

Oh, the vehicle is a Caddy Maxi Life.

[ope126]

I have a CTEK MXS 5.0 and have been using it without fault for close to 10yrs now.
Always a good idea / best practice to let your battery trickle charge every now and then.
I rotate both my cars each weekend to give them a little "pick me up".

So regardless of our current situation with Lockdowns etc. It is a wise investment...

MXS 5.0 AUS CTEK Consumer

[Flipper Dog]

2nd the recommendation on a CTEK battery charger. I have a MXS-7.0 which I got from Repco using NRMA membership discount. Regardless of which model you get the CTEK range is set and forget to maintain your battery's condition for situations like lock down.
There are some other brands which provide similar features but from my research CTEK kept coming up as the better option.

Little known fact, Audi sell the CTEK MXS-5.0 charger as an OEM part (420093050E) for twice the price.

[wai]

Thanks for the recommendations/suggestion.

[Lucas_R]

Battery chargers - what to look for

Same here, ive had the CTEK MXS 5.0 for about 7-8yrs now after it was recommended to me from someone on this forum. I do quite a few short trips in my car so I put the charger on my car once a week or so. My wife’s car does longer trips, so ill put the charger on her car every 2-3 weeks.

Works flawlessly and its a set and forget device.

[The_Hawk]

Another CTEK MXS 5 user here

Given the current situation, I'm driving my car even less than usual so I've been meaning to stick the charger back on to keep it happy. Good reminder, I'll go do that now

[wai]

I got my CTEK MXS 5.0 here.

On the installation of the cables to the battery, anything of which I need to be aware?

Thanks.

[Guest001]

I got my CTEK MXS 5.0 here.

On the installation of the cables to the battery, anything of which I need to be aware?

Thanks.

Make sure its set correctly according to the instructions regarding the type of battery you have ETC.

[wai]

On, that's interesting. The plot thickens

This is what I have been sent by the NRMA

Category: European Fitments
Technology: Calcium
CCA(amps): 600
RC(mins): 95
AH(20hr): 60
Length(mm): 242
Width(mm): 175
Height(mm): 190
Assembly Code: C
Post Type: STD
Ledges: LS/SS
Features: RP

For the life of me, I cannot find the printed user guide. It is somewhere, although very difficult to read.

So, now I am going to have to try and find it to work out what to use.

[Guest001]

On, that's interesting. The plot thickens

This is what I have been sent by the NRMA

Category: European Fitments
Technology: Calcium
CCA(amps): 600
RC(mins): 95
AH(20hr): 60
Length(mm): 242
Width(mm): 175
Height(mm): 190
Assembly Code: C
Post Type: STD
Ledges: LS/SS
Features: RP

For the life of me, I cannot find the printed user guide. It is somewhere, although very difficult to read.

So, now I am going to have to try and find it to work out what to use.

Try the CTEK site for a PDF What car have you got WHat brand and size etc is the battery

[Flipper Dog]

You will be safe to charge in under the "Normal Battery Program" mode, that is the one with the image of a car.
Just connect it up and turn it on, the charger will do it's thing.
If you do find your battery is an AGM type, it will be written on the battery, than you can switch over to AGM mode.

[Guest001]

REPLY TO WAI
Could also be an EFB which is also charged on normal wet cell program.

Charger in a modern car should really have Negative to the post on the body rather than the neg terminal as well.

Look in the cars manual for how to charge its battery

CTEK charger: battery types and charging modes explained



Manual for MX5.0

https://www.ctek.com/storage/884E466E65FEB45C8A98678AFD8E6BDEC2447E2D4B9C6FFECC119A52DA01B738/94665f4b4d4249d6a53e82fcfe5cc15c/pdf/media/42a9ac3e74324d919fe4d59248547c01/MXS_5.0-manual-low-AU-EN.pdf

Product sheet

https://www.ctek.com/storage/216D8BEBED0C6CF9C3EF635294D77FF715225EDF8236576B4B37045FD26945B1/f2138c47ba3b4a1e9a2d636cec19d7bc/pdf/media/cbd4bfcf34ca4e41a8563588373e78c9/MXS_5.0-productsheet-low-AU-EN.pdf

[wai]

Thanks for all the help. I managed to get a link to download the user guide. Yes, it is a calcium technology battery, so just the normal charging mode.

One thing that has me confused is the grounding.

I am aware that you do not use the negative post on the battery when you use the clamps as it is likely to spark and you get hydrogen bubbling off the battery. Not a good mixture.

What I am not sure of is that although the user guide shows the leads mounted on the post connector for a more permanent installation, everything else says use a grounding point on the body. Simply connecting the eyelets to the terminal clamp is not going to generate a spark as the other ends are safe in the end boot that you have to uncover to use.

Is there some other reason to connect the cables to the the chassis earth point and not the battery, and anyone have an idea as to where this is on a VW Caddy?

Thanks.

[Guest001]

Thanks for all the help. I managed to get a link to download the user guide. Yes, it is a calcium technology battery, so just the normal charging mode.

One thing that has me confused is the grounding.

I am aware that you do not use the negative post on the battery when you use the clamps as it is likely to spark and you get hydrogen bubbling off the battery. Not a good mixture.

What I am not sure of is that although the user guide shows the leads mounted on the post connector for a more permanent installation, everything else says use a grounding point on the body. Simply connecting the eyelets to the terminal clamp is not going to generate a spark as the other ends are safe in the end boot that you have to uncover to use.

Is there some other reason to connect the cables to the the chassis earth point and not the battery, and anyone have an idea as to where this is on a VW Caddy?

Thanks.

Yes . because of the electronics in the car it is best to smooth out the charging throughout the car. At least thats what the experts and the cars manual says to do so is good enough for most of us.

I dont know about the Caddy but in my Polo, Passat, Tiguan and Kamiq I removed the book in the cellophane and read it and they all had pictures with the point on the body of each one to hook onto. Perhaps its also in yours.

[Transporter]

I’ve used Ctek chargers for a very long time. Recommend and sold them to many customers, though I had a few that have failed, some within the warranty, some after the warranty. Now days I use Century Batteries chargers, they aren’t waterproof but are very reliable and can be left connected indefinitely.