Trickle Charging

[Trackrod996]

I want to start trickle charging my car as it's used so infrequently over the winter; is there anywhere easy to connect the charger to or do I need to open the bonnet, remove the battery cover etc.

 

[C4S al]

Hi,

Unless I am mistaken their is no additional battery connector to eliminate the need to open the bonnet and remove the battery cover, as this is what I do!! I also remove the boot interior light. Just connect the crock clips to the terminals and away you go.

Alan

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Most battery conditioners (note: NOT trickle chargers) come with leads which can be permanently attached to the battery leaving a flying lead which can be attached to the conditioner very easily. Some, like the CTEK (which Porsche also sell under their own name) can be attached via the cigarette lighter socket (as long as it's live when the ignition is off).

There is a great difference between a trickle charger and a battery conditioner and you should make sure that you get the latter rather than the former. A battery conditioner will monitor the state of the battery and "excercise" it whilst attached to keep it in good condition. A trickle chrger will blindly continue to charge the battery at a low level and will not have the same benefits as a conditioner.

Regards

Dave

 

[SteveMorrow]

These links may help:
http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=496668&mpage=1&key=tek&#497109
and
http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=519888&mpage=1&key=battery&#520377

 

[dereksharpuk]

Sadly modern cars can suffer flat batteries even after a few weeks, especially if a few of the battery cells have sulphated. I use a battery conditioner on my 997. It does come with clips for the battery, though this is a little bit more of a fiddle to remove the battery cover (be careful if it is very cold as the plastic cover is rather brittle and the fragile catches can snap). Personally, I merely plug it into the cigar socket. It that is dead with the ignition off it is very easy for the OPC to reverse that.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

I wired mine permanently to the battery.

Then cut a little of the plastic away under the finger-lift part on the cover - this to allow the cable to poke through - as below.

Then route the cable from the charger through the top of the bonnet (by the windscreen wipers) and you can close the bonnet completely.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Cable routing

 

[jonc4s]

Question for Dave Wilkinson who mentioned the CTEK was sold as Porsche, I think I have one. Can you clarify whether that is a trickle charger or in fact a conditioner?

 

[spyderman]

The Porsche one is a re-badged C-TEK XS3600 intelligent conditioner. You can easily the the C-TEK version for under £60 (eg: DemonTweeks).

 

[Steve777]

Looks the same as the one i bought from Lidl for 12.99 a few weeks back