Battery Trickle charging CTEK

[PaulBoxer]

Does anyone use a CTEK Battery trickle charger and if so how do the connect it ?
My car won’t be driven for 5 weeks whilst I’m on holiday and I was wondering if I should leave it on a trickle charge or is the battery capable of sustaining itself this long in the UK weather, the car is garaged

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[DarkZupra]

Yes, I have the MXS 5.0, hardwired indicator panel in the hatch. Its plugged in anytime i wont drive the car for more than a few days.

100% id suggest keeping it on a charger if youre going to go more than a week without driving it.

 

[FuzzyRev]

Yes, I have the MXS 5.0, hardwired indicator panel in the hatch. Its plugged in anytime i wont drive the car for more than a few days.

100% id suggest keeping it on a charger if youre going to go more than a week without driving it.

Identical to what I did, except I hardwired mine to the under-hood connection points. Same charger, same discipline. This is the way.

 

[RAWSupra]

fine on the hood contact points ... dont connect directly to the battery else (i believe) it will confuse the IBS (Intelligent Battery Sensor)

 

[DarkZupra]

fine on the hood contact points ... dont connect directly to the battery else (i believe) it will confuse the IBS (Intelligent Battery Sensor)

You should not connect the negative to the battery, but positive on battery and negative on body is perfectly fine.

 

[Supra_UK_]

Hi mate - yeah for 5 weeks definitely connect it!
No need to hardwire it.

Make sure you cycle through the buttons so that it is on the "car" icon AND "AGM", this is essential.

Other important advice:

Make sure you do the process in this order:

- Unlock car.
- Release bonnet with latch.
- Close door.
- Click lock button. (Car locks)
- Wait a few seconds (less than 10) click the lock button again (you will notice the flashing red light on the rear view mirror will freeze for a second, this is intended, this means the internal movement and tilt alarm is now deactivated.
(Don't worry if the red light flashes fast, it's because the bonnet is open, ignore it).
- Now, you can start putting the clamps on, then plugging in the CTEK at the end.

The reason I advise to do it in this order is, when you don't, you'll notice the electricals will make noises in the engine bay sometimes when you connect the clamps - I don't think that should happen, you want it to be completely "neutral" and unaffected by the CTEK in any way, and if you do it like I said, it will be, so you know it's safe.

You'll notice when you plug it in:
STEPS 1 and 2 will go through immediately (few seconds), then it'll go on STEP 3 for a short while like a few minutes, then it settles on STEP 4, that's where it'll stay for hours; eventually, it'll get to step 7 (green) which means it's charged.

Hope this helps

 

[gbreezer80]

Identical to what I did, except I hardwired mine to the under-hood connection points. Same charger, same discipline. This is the way.

Just curious, why did you hardwire under the hood when the battery is under the rear hatch?

 

[FuzzyRev]

Just curious, why did you hardwire under the hood when the battery is under the rear hatch?

BMW very much prefers that you to use the under-hood connection points, due to the setup of the vehicle electronics and battery management system. Plus, I just found it easier and less hassle to connect up there during short and long term storage, as well as hanging a cord down with the car cover on.

 

[DarkZupra]

BMW very much prefers that you to use the under-hood connection points, due to the setup of the vehicle electronics and battery management system. Plus, I just found it easier and less hassle to connect up there during short and long term storage, as well as hanging a cord down with the car cover on.

BMW also suggests 0w-20.

It doesnt matter. DC electricity either charges the entire circuit, or none.

 

[gbreezer80]

BMW very much prefers that you to use the under-hood connection points, due to the setup of the vehicle electronics and battery management system. Plus, I just found it easier and less hassle to connect up there during short and long term storage, as well as hanging a cord down with the car cover on.

Got it..do you have photos to post? Did you extend the cables from the + battery post/ - body and under the carpet and door sills through the frame to the CTEK unit?

It just seems way easier to purchase the CTEK 'eyelet comfort connect' cables and have the cable run under the rear hatch and then tucked away 'when needed' for a trickle charge.

Eyelet Connection is used for a more permanent connection where you attach the red eyelet to the positive pole and the black eyelet to the negative charge point, e.g. vehicle chassis (make sure you follow vehicle manual instructions). When the charger is not in use, simply unplug the charger from the connector, close the rubber protection cap and tuck the two short cables down the side of the battery.

Am I missing something? Too much over engineering y'all. This is a Toyota, not a BMW

 

[Tacoma714]

Does anyone use a CTEK Battery trickle charger and if so how do the connect it ?
My car won’t be driven for 5 weeks whilst I’m on holiday and I was wondering if I should leave it on a trickle charge or is the battery capable of sustaining itself this long in the UK weather, the car is garaged

Ctek Chargers are the best. Once every few months I take turns connecting all the cars to keep the batteries fresh.

 

[Spettro11]

Does anyone use a CTEK Battery trickle charger and if so how do the connect it ?
My car won’t be driven for 5 weeks whilst I’m on holiday and I was wondering if I should leave it on a trickle charge or is the battery capable of sustaining itself this long in the UK weather, the car is garaged

Here’s a YouTube video that explains how to hard wire. The dude has a different charger, but the instructions worked fine with my CTEK. Just be sure to cycle through the modes on the CTEK so the car and AGM lights are illuminated:

 

[puzzled]

I'm old school and whenever I hear 'trickle charger' it reminds me of my old RC car battery charger (pre 1990's) with a trickle charge mode after the 15min mechanical timer based quick charge..

So, anyone reading this thread, make sure your charger 'floats' at max charge and not a generic trickle charger which will eventually overcharge your battery.

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