Which battery charger

Manbatius

Manbatius

Manbatius

Associate
Joined
11 Mar 2012
Posts
1,782
Location
North East
Hi all,

in need of a battery charger.

I have looked at a
CTEK MXS 3.6 3.8A 12V Multi-Functional 4-Stage Car Battery Charger
for £44.99

and

a Streetwize 3.8 Amp Intelligent Fully Automatic Car & Motorcycle Battery Charger
£28.50

They are recommended from auto express, was just wondering if anyone could advise.

I am trying to decide if it is worth spending on the more expenisve one or not.

Oh and some back story car was broken into xmas eve, alarm or hazards going off flattened battery. It seems ok now but I lack confidence in it so would like to charge it/ have a charger just encase as I have needed one in the past.
 
Last edited:
CTEK here as well, was originally for my RS Turbo that used to get put away for the winter, now its great for topping the battery up over winter when i don't use the car as much.
 
Looking like CTEK thanks all contributors.

Also Dangerous Dave, I think I will go for the MXS 5.0 when I first read your post I thought it would be a lot more. However I have seen it for £53.99 probably better to get this and future proof.

I could lend one (an old halfords unit)
However from past experiences and this more recent one I should really invest, especially as I plan to get a project car in the future and it will likely be older.
 
Ctek 5.0: brilliant :)

I think it has just about every feature you would find on commercial forklift truck style battery chargers. It's worth buying for the way it handles long term maintenance cycles alone.
 
I have the 7.0 cant remember the difference. Never tried the recon mode, wonder if its good enough to bring back dieing batteries.
 
robj20 said:
I have the 7.0 cant remember the difference. Never tried the recon mode, wonder if its good enough to bring back dieing batteries.
Click to expand...

It has a higher charging current, a bit overkill for car batteries impo, the 5.0 is more than adequate as it will charge 12v batteries up to 110ah.

I don't think I've ever seen a car battery higher than 100ah, normally that sort of capacity is seen on deep cycle & leisure type batteries.
 
robj20 said:
It was free so it doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

It might charge slightly faster...perhaps?!. The mxs7.0 and above are capable of whacking out more current though it doesn't necessarily mean that the charger will use this capacity or that the battery being charged can actually handle these extra amps.

I *think* up to a certain point more amps = quicker charge.

However I am sure there is a limit (and a low one at that) to how much current you can stick through a 12v battery. AFAIK most 'quick' 12v chargers operate at a lowly 4amps.

The mxs5.0 max output is 5amps afaik.
 
The naff battery in the M3 was dead lastnight. The car managed to drain it whilst sat there since Christmas

Ill whack my Dad's CTEK 5.0 on there tonight, recondition mode etc and let you know how well it lasts
 
Matt82 said:
The naff battery in the M3 was dead lastnight. The car managed to drain it whilst sat there since Christmas

Ill whack my Dad's CTEK 5.0 on there tonight, recondition mode etc and let you know how well it lasts
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks!

For testing, not the car draining itself obviously.

Friends focus just did the same thing, though he suspects a drain from the insurance black box.
 
CTEK 5.0 is on the car

The battery was so dead it wouldnt light an interior light, it wouldnt even sound the alarm when i opened the door or bonnet

Got it connected on recon mode and after a few mins it was upto the "bulk" stage 3 of the charge. I did hear a clicking from the door when i closed it. I think the auto window drop feature has been having a spack and drained the battery

The instructions say you should recon charge once a year to maintain battery life
 
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