Battery charger for car

Lube

Hi guys

I dont use car much mainly short distances touch wood havent had a battery issue for years but I am worried with obvious dreadful Winter we now have it looks like the norm for a while

I ordered a battery car checker this one here


Which may lead me to a charger like the this one

Ctek CTE-XS3600 Battery Charger with 4 Stage Multi Function Charger 3.8A 12V



Here

It can charge car whilst battery is connected and I believe you can do this via cigarette lighter

My problem is my driveway isnt flat if I charge via cigarette lighter and I put something under car battery to maker it flat in the battery mount like a thick piece of card as long as the battery is kept flat would that be okay?

Also do I have to take out the battery screws that you put distilled water in?

The main reason I am getting this is obviously keeping a good battery but dont want all that messing around of taking battery out and resetting the ECM and radio code

Thanks for your help

Thanks

marlot

>> It can charge car whilst battery is connected and I believe you can do this via cigarette lighter

Only if your cigarette lighter is live without the key in the ignition (some are, some aren't), and you buy the optional cigarette lighter lead for the charger. As standard it comes with crocodile type clips you attach to the battery terminals (easy to do)

>> My problem is my driveway isnt flat if I charge via cigarette lighter and I put something under car battery to maker it flat in the battery mount like a thick piece of card as long as the battery is kept flat would that be okay?

Not necessary - the battery will charge fine even on a slight slope

>> Also do I have to take out the battery screws that you put distilled water in?

Not if you're charging at a slowish rate like the XS3600 does. But do check there is enough in the cells from time to time

>> The main reason I am getting this is obviously keeping a good battery but dont want all that messing around of taking battery out and resetting the ECM and radio code

If you use the car regularly you don't really need anything like this. But it can be helpful if the car stands for long periods. I use something similar on my motorbike in the winter.

Lube

Thanks very much for your help

Ctek do a lot of different models.

I just checked my car battery and it says

Not sure what model to get there is a 6 phase one for £57

http://www.tayna.co.uk/CTEK-Multi-XS-4003-Multi-Stage-Battery-Charger-Conditioner-P7909.html

Motorcraft (make)
12v
390a
65RC
42Ah

marlot

The 3600 would be fine - yours is only a 42Ah battery. I charge a 110Ah battery with mine from time to time. It takes 2 days but gets there eventually!

marlot

PS. You could find that charging the battery in place causes the car alarm to go off - it does on my neighbour's car. If its a problem, locking the car using the key instead of the plipper doesn't set the alarm on most cars.