I have no less than 3 Ctek chargers ! One is permanently connected to the battery of my Honda EU70i generator, and the other two are used most of the time to keep the batteries in my two classic MGs fully charged.
One of those, the V8, went for an MoT recently. As I was "off-driving" the garage collected the car, did an oil change & other bits & bobs in it's own time, and had the car for about a week in all.
They told me that it failed to start on the last day, when they were due to return it, due to a flat battery. I expressed surprise as the battery was only a couple of years old, and was fully changed when they collected the car.
Their response was that their experience led them to recommend not using "maintenance" chargers such as Cteks, as their use considerably shortened battery life !
This article certainly seems to contradict the views of my MG garage:-
NJSSAm I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
Perhaps the article and your garage DO agree... "However, Smokey did caution us that if we use the Recondition mode too often, we could damage the battery by gassing it too much. He recommended only using it 1 or 2 times a year if the battery is otherwise in good shape.".
Dean
====================================
2011 D4 XS - OBD port protection, RLD spare wheel protector, All LED interiors lights, Timed Climate enabled, iiD tool paired.
2011 D4 Landmark - Stolen from same dealer before I paid for it
2011 D4 GS - Stolen whilst at dealer ... All LED interiors lights, DRLs, Spare Wheel protector.
1996 300Tdi - Eaten by tin worms
Q. Does the battery have to be disconnected from the vehicle when charging with a CTEK charger?
A. No, CTEK chargers cannot damage sensitive electronics so you do not need to disconnect the battery from the vehicle. However, particular attention must be paid when Boost/Recond mode is used as the voltage is 16V. If the voltage is below 16V, most manufacturers consider that everything is in order and CTEK chargers are well under this level, with the exception of Boost/Recond modes. Bear in mind, however, that high voltage shortens the service life of some components. A rule of thumb says that if you raise the voltage by 5 %, a light bulb will lose half of its service life, but normally the problem is not that great. If you have sensitive electronics where the manufacturer advises against higher voltages: Disconnect it!
It would appear to be the ideal solution, but I would need to buy at least 3 Battery Senses at c. £43 each.
I wonder if anyone would consider setting up a bulk buy - if the price was right I might be up for 2,3 or even 4 !
NJSSAm I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
14th Apr 2018 8:53 am
SteveNorman
Member Since: 14 Oct 2005
Location: Somerset
Posts: 1144
In my opinion a fully charged battery will always last the longest.
I haven't had any issues with charging, or maintenance chargers.
From many that we have fitted, the ones that play up are usually ones that get little use, or discharged.
What make was your battery?
regards
Steve
14th Apr 2018 1:12 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 13612
NJSS wrote:
Dean - Many thanks.
I should have been clearer....
I am aware that Cetek say:-
Quote:
Q. Does the battery have to be disconnected from the vehicle when charging with a CTEK charger?
A. No, CTEK chargers cannot damage sensitive electronics so you do not need to disconnect the battery from the vehicle. However, particular attention must be paid when Boost/Recond mode is used as the voltage is 16V. If the voltage is below 16V, most manufacturers consider that everything is in order and CTEK chargers are well under this level, with the exception of Boost/Recond modes. Bear in mind, however, that high voltage shortens the service life of some components. A rule of thumb says that if you raise the voltage by 5 %, a light bulb will lose half of its service life, but normally the problem is not that great. If you have sensitive electronics where the manufacturer advises against higher voltages: Disconnect it!
It would appear to be the ideal solution, but I would need to buy at least 3 Battery Senses at c. £43 each.
I wonder if anyone would consider setting up a bulk buy - if the price was right I might be up for 2,3 or even 4 !
NJSS
hi, wished to say a massive thks for the link, looks a great idea
i normally plug my CTEK in every two weeks, to keep my TMAX split charge batteries topped up and think that app might be a good idea, just got to see if the app will work on my blackberry
will keep an eye out if a group buy is set up, think i would just get the one unit to monitor my main battery
have finished installing a battery charging socket on the front of my house to save messing around, so much easier now with the landy parked on the drive to simply plug the extension lead in and got the CTEK in the hallway so easy to keep an eye on
thks again
Last edited by gstuart on 14th Apr 2018 1:35 pm. Edited 2 times in total
Also interested in the CTek Battery Sense, cheapest I can find is Halfords with a Trade Card at £44.
14th Apr 2018 1:32 pm
Dudleydisco
Member Since: 20 Jun 2014
Location: York
Posts: 853
I've got them on my main and secondary battery. Not cheap, but I'm pleased with them and they'll send you an alert if you haven't checked the battery state or if the battery SoC is getting low.D4 MY14 XXV - RLD/IID BT
D4 MY13 HSE Lux - RLD/IID BT
P38 RR - Sad parting
110 - Even sadder parting
S3 88" - Still going strong after 23 years of ownership
14th Apr 2018 1:47 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 13612
has anyone found out what the range of the bluetooth is on these units please , thks
NJSSAm I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
14th Apr 2018 2:42 pm
Dudleydisco
Member Since: 20 Jun 2014
Location: York
Posts: 853
I'd agree with what NJSS has posted. Range can be less depending on where the sender unit is placed.D4 MY14 XXV - RLD/IID BT
D4 MY13 HSE Lux - RLD/IID BT
P38 RR - Sad parting
110 - Even sadder parting
S3 88" - Still going strong after 23 years of ownership
14th Apr 2018 3:40 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 13612
hi
many thks , have downloaded the CTEK app onto my ipad with no issues and looks like the ipad already has bluetooth version 4.0 so in theory should work
2 February 2018 - Can't believe the unit is so useless for the money. Installed it on a brand new Triumph Tiger 1200 which I use daily. Every time it syncs it shows lower and lower voltage. It's now on 20% meantime the battery is new and works fine and the reading from ctek is completely wrong. What a disappointment
Quote:
6 April 2018 - Have to be within a meter to get a signal. App is very laggy and unresponsive
Quote:
7 March 2018 - I bought 2 of these expensive battery monitors, and now the app no longer works! No response to emails. WASTE OF MONEY!
Sorry guys it appears that I brought up a bad idea.
NJSSAm I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
14th Apr 2018 4:04 pm
tayaste
Member Since: 15 May 2013
Location: Chester
Posts: 7633
NJSSAm I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
14th Apr 2018 4:20 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 13612
has then been linked at all as just wondering as it offers live battery readings
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... All LED interiors lights, DRLs, Spare Wheel protector.
