Battery charging an R230 SL500

[Clkrichard]

Please dont laugh at me if this is a silly question !
Does connecting a battery charger to the main battery also charge the convenience battery ? I can't see how it can and imagine the car simply needs to be run for a bit to achieve that but I am just curious.

 

[lxi]

No it doesn't. The battery under the bonnet is for starting & nothing else. It rarely causes any problems during its life.

The one in the boot is for everything else & that is likely to need charging if the car: isn't used often / short trips / cold weather.

No need to disconnect when charging

 

[Clkrichard]

Thanks lxi I suspected that.
Are you suggesting putting a charger on the convenience battery ?
Looks like a bit of a faff and something a good drive should resolve perhaps ?

 

[jaymanek]

Its always a good idea to keep a conditioner on the battery in the boot if you are not using the car for a while.

Conditioners come with a lead you can fit permanently attach to the terminals, then its just a clip connector every time you put the car away.

Then you can do the starter battery once in a while using the crocodile clips.

I have Accumate conditioners but CTEK's are also recommended.

 

[Aitch55]

Mine has been sat in the garage with a CTek charger clipped to the convenience battery for the past week with no problem.

However, if the car's out in the open, it's a bit more awkward.

 

[tanuie]

Battery Charger

Hi Guys

I have a SL R230 500 Year 2002, I think I require a battery charger for
the consumer battery. Any recommendations?
I see CTEK appear to be quite good.
I have an old battery charger (40 years old!) but I am assuming
this will not be a lot of good.
Once I buy a new charger will this be ok to leave overnight to charge
the consumer battery up.
Many thanks
Terry

 

[edgersoldchap]

No it doesn't. The battery under the bonnet is for starting & nothing else. It rarely causes any problems during its life.

The one in the boot is for everything else & that is likely to need charging if the car: isn't used often / short trips / cold weather.

No need to disconnect when charging

Is that right - I thought you had to disconnect the battery before charging? I damaged (melted it) the positive cable leading to the battery on a BMW Z3 some years ago and ever since have always disconnected before charging.

 

[markjay]

CTEK trickle-charger is what some MB dealers are selling.

It has built-in circuitry to prevent damage to the battery and the car electrics.

 

[trapperjohn]

Another vote for CTEK here.

Get the right one for your battery capacity though.

 

[V12]

Is that right - I thought you had to disconnect the battery before charging? I damaged (melted it) the positive cable leading to the battery on a BMW Z3 some years ago and ever since have always disconnected before charging.

How?!

 

[Clkrichard]

What is the capacity of the convenience battery on an R230 ?
I assume a CTEK from MB will be more expensive than the same thing elsewhere ?

 

[IanA2]

Get the Lidl one. If you are lucky they might still have one as they were doing them last week.They repeat the offer every few months.

LIDL

 

[Clkrichard]

Thanks Ian I saw that on here but couldnt get to Lidl straight away and assumed that would sell out fast .
I fancied the multi tool too.

 

[IanA2]

Thanks Ian I saw that on here but couldnt get to Lidl straight away and assumed that would sell out fast .
I fancied the multi tool too.

You never can tell, sometimes they go in a day, sometimes they hang around all week.

 

[Clkrichard]

Just ordered a CTEK as I never think cheap "tools" are good value in the longer term and I added on the cable that allows permanent connection in the boot so all I have to do is plug in the charger from time to time.

 

[trapperjohn]

You will not be disappointed.

 

[Vilus]

What is the capacity of the convenience battery on an R230 ?
I assume a CTEK from MB will be more expensive than the same thing elsewhere ?

There is information on the R230 dual battery system in the Electrical link on this site. May be of interest.

Welcome to the Model R230 SL Class!

 

[IanA2]

Just ordered a CTEK as I never think cheap "tools" are good value in the longer term and I added on the cable that allows permanent connection in the boot so all I have to do is plug in the charger from time to time.

Generally I would agree with that 100%. The thing with Lidl stuff is that you are not sacrificing quality for price. They really do some decent kit at very fair prices.

 

[1945wickedred]

Hi mate get yourself a CTEK MXS 5.0 charger fantastic at £51 on Amazon,I use mine all the time to keep my boot battery topped up no problems during cold weather,once fully charged it just trickles when needed,hope this helps.

 

[edgersoldchap]

How?!

I'd been working away overseas so the car was not used for months at a time. The battery was flat and so I put it on charge overnight - an old Halford's charger. When I went back to it the cable seemed to have been damaged as though it had become over-heated somehow. I had already agreed to sell the car to a dealer for cash so i don't know if I did any serious damage but ever since I've always disconnected before charging.