Trickle Charger

[JLR1969]

Can anyone reccommend a good trickle charger to keep my battery topped up when the car is sat for weeks in the garage.

Thanks

 

[GP801]

Look at the CTEK range. Have used one very successfully on a car not used for 6 months and highly thought of by those in the know.

 

[jaymanek]

You want a conditioner not a charger..

CTEK are good but ive got 8 of the Accumate ones and none have gone wrong yet.

 

[clk270]

Ive got a ctek 3600 that cost £60 and an Aldi one that was £12. THEY ARE THE SAME! They're not made in the same place hut use same case and components andoperate EXACTLY the same.

Aldi have them in again at the moment at £14, failing that lidl have their version on sale from Thursday at the same price.

 

[219]

I have two of the Aldi ones and can vouch for them .

 

[Matt32AMG]

I bought a conditioner from MB cost about £40 or so. It senses when the battery is down if the car is left for a period of time and auto switches on, thus ensuring the battery is always fully charged. Once done it auto shuts down.

 

[JLR1969]

I like the fact it's Mercedes even though it's more than the Aldi one. Photo was helpful.

Thanks

 

[Matt32AMG]

Just to clarify: Tricle charger image. It also pugs in directly to an input socket at the battery end on your car, (I had the dealership mod my car so I had similar), so you don't have to fiddle about with clips etc.

 

[clk270]

If your ciggy lighter socket is live with the ignition off then use this, no messing about under the bonnet. Ctek do the plug as an accessory but simple enough to wire one to another brand. Just make sure you buy a decent rated one (think cteks is 8A from recollection).

 

[BTB 500]

Accumate here. First class, and not expensive - my SL is hooked up to it whenever it's not being driven.

AccuMate 6V & 12V Battery Maintenance System

 

[EDZ649]

As Bill above, Accumate for me too.

 

[JLR1969]

Have just ordered an AccuMate 36 pounds all in.

Thanks for everyones help and advice.

 

[BTB 500]

The wall bracket is a great option for the Accumate ... this is how mine is set up:

Supplied flylead is permanently attached to the battery and pokes out of a corner of the boot lining, ready to connect the lead from the charger.

 

[JLR1969]

Good idea,

 

[Rashman]

Yes, very nice!

 

[Alanovich]

Hi all, sorry for the thread resurrection but I do have a pertinent question. I have a 2005 E320 CDI, which is only rarely used. In the winter, the battery goes flat in a couple of weeks. I also have a LIDL Ultimate Speed battery charger which I believe has a maintenance/trickle/float/whateveryoucallit mode. Can I connect this to the car's battery whilst the battery remains connected to the car, and leave it connected for weeks at a time, in order to keep the battery charged? If so, is there a particular way to do it, or can I just clip the crocodile clips to the terminals and away we go?

I just recently removed the battery and charged it with the aforementioned charger when the battery was almost totally flat, it took almost 24 hours. After a couple of weeks the car is again throwing the old "Battery Protection" message when I start it, so I'd like to keep it charged without the hassle of removing the battery every time the charge drops. Is this possible?

Thanks!

 

[GeeJayW]

Just bought a CTEK MXS 5.0 last week for exactly this (on the Mazda MX-5 in our garage). Seems OK so far. I've connected the supplied fly lead directly to the battery using M6 nuts. The battery is still connected to the car.

 

[m80]

Yes a conditioner can be connected to a battery still connected upon the car,
as it would be by plugging the conditioner into a live cig lighter socket.

Only issue with the Aldi type, and I expect the Lidl to be the same, is that if there is an interuption of the 240V supply the charger defaults to no charge output when power is restored,
I believe the CTEK will return to its previous charging state.

 

[Alanovich]

Great, thanks for the answers. Just to be sure, what is an M6 nut please?

 

[Gazwould]

As does this one for a fraction of the price .


https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009A83P1E/?tag=amazon0e9db-21