Car battery chargers

muddyl

It's time for a new battery charger as mine has died.

Any recommendations for a reasonable priced replacement?

I'd like one that would be suitable fir use on caravan batteries too as im looking to buy one this/next year.

Dont want to spend a fortune but would like ssomething half decent.

Buzby

Depends what you want - digital/electronic ones are pretty smart, and not only will switch to a trickle charge (for the leisure battery) and keep it ready or use.

muddyl

Yes I was thinking about something along those lines but it's been that long since I bought its charger but I have no idea what is available.

marlot

Lidl and Aldi have good smart chargers, but you may have to wait until the autumn. Normally about £13-15. They charge everything from my lawnmower to my 110Ah caravan battery, but do take a couple of days to charge the caravan battery from flatish.

If you want one sooner, CTEK are pretty good, but closer to £50.

A._Badger

I have a CTEK having reached the point in life where I've (almost) accepted the 'buy cheap buy twice' principle. It seems very good.

Crabman

The LIDL/ALDI chargers have a 3 year warranty where a replacement is sent out to you. Even if it stops working at 3 years old, the cost is around £5/year.

The only setback I found with the LIDL charger is that the manual says the battery should be unplugged from the vehicle terminals before charging, though I contacted the manufacturer about this and they responded to say it's fine to leave the vehicle connected.

The ALDI charger I believe was just a one-off. It had an LCD screen with voltage readout whereas the LIDL charger only has a series of lights to indicate whether it's idle, charging or complete. This isn't a problem if you already have a multi-meter.

The CTEK ones are very good if you're after a premium product with a longer (5 year?) warranty.

marlot

A._Badger wrote: »

I have a CTEK having reached the point in life where I've (almost) accepted the 'buy cheap buy twice' principle. It seems very good.

The only one of mine which has failed has been the CTEK one!

forgotmyname

I have a CTEK one, Charge everything with it.

Scooter batteries, Motorbike, Generator battery as well as the car and caravan one.

Below 14Ah use the motorbike setting. under 1amp charge so a bit slow. Only 3.6A on normal charge also. But thats good for the battery. Doesnt overheat the plates.

No so good when you need to charge the battery because you have to go out in 30 minutes.

For that you need something bigger. 8 to 12 amps.

I also have a starter charger, But its been a long time since i have used that. I wouldnt risk it on a modern car.

Frozen_up_north

I have a CTEK MXS10, while expensive it works much better than a Halfords automatic charger that I used previously.

If you just want to top up the occasional car battery a cheaper charger will suffice, but if you want to obtain maximum use and life from a carvan or boat battery then a CTEK is the better bet. I use mine to charge a Varta 85 Ah AGM sealed battery.

longtimelurkersam

I've got two of the Optimate IV's and have a hard wire to the battery kit on three vehicles for quick plug and leave as can only drive one at a time :-)

gravitytolls

We bought a new one this week for £22. Chap in the shop told us they all do the same thing but the 'cheaper' ones take longer. He said ignore the guidelines suggesting type of engine they're suitable, they're all the same essentially.

So we did and he was right.