Car Battery Chargers

[RocW]

Like Riptide below, I am worried about the battery in my car going flat. it is garaged off road so a solar charger is not a viable solution. I've looked at a mains powered battery charger but a lot of them say "Not suitable for cars with a stop go system". My car is a 10 year old Mini Cooper S which has a stop go system. Some time ago Halfords told me that it needed a different battery from a Mini One but they didn't specify why. At the risk of being accused of asking a stupid question, would it be a problem if I used one of the unsuitable battery chargers with the battery disconnected or is there a particular charger I should use with the battery still in situ? All advice gratefully received.

[retrocop]

I stand corrected but I believe it is inadvisable to charge any automative battery in situ. My wife and I both have stop/stop facilities (Skodas) and I have read no comments re specific chargers for our vehicles in the owner's manual.

[retrocop]

I would disconnect both battery terminals on your car and trickle charge the battery with a conventional charger as and when.

[Buenchico]

The battery in your car might well be an AGM (absorbent glass mat) type. They should only be charged with a charger that incorporates a microprocessor that collects information from the battery and adjusts the voltage and current accordingly.

Start by reading the label on the battery and, if necessary, googling to find out what type of battery it is (AGM, gel or whatever). Once you know that, search for a charger that incorporates a setting for that specific type of battery.

[shoota]

Could you not have a solar panel outside the garage with the leads going under the door?

[RocW]

Many thanks for all answers. I will act on the information given. I must admit that I didn't even know that there were different types of batteries.

[gingejbee]

Both my present car and my previous car have stop/start engines and yes, they have different battery-chemistry and DO need different chargers. One of the best choices is made by C-TEK...pricey, but worth it - they last for ever!

https://www.ctek.com/products/vehicle/ct5-start-stop

When connecting, the +ve clamp goes onto the +ve terminal, but the -ve clamp should connect to the earthing-point, NOT the battery's -ve terminal.

[jennyjoan]

Could you not just rev it up daily

[gingejbee]

^^yes, you could...not very good for the environmement, not very good for the car and probably not doing much for the battery either.

[jennyjoan]

that's right Ginge - not very good for the environment but neither is this killer virus.

[RocW]

Thanks for the additional comments. I am told that I would need to have the engine running for at least 15 minutes to make any difference to the battery. I think the only good thing to come out of this virus is that air pollution has decreased significantly. I looked up at the sky last night and saw stars that I haven't seen for ages.

[Ryzen]

If you buy a CTEK charger they come with a remote plug.This connects permanently to your battery and you position the trailing 'plug' end in an easily accessible place.You then plug the charger in when its needed.

[mjwman]

I use a CTEK battery conditioner. Its a sort of intelligent trickle charger.
No need to disconnect the battery or clip on leads it comes with a plug and socket that you attach to the battery.
no disconnecting just undo one terminal nut at a time and slip the lead on and nip up again.
All you do then is to lift the bonnet in the garage and pop the charger plug on tho the one you have now installed permanently in the car and switch on.
Nothing could be easier and as it is intelligent, you just leave it on all the time.

[RocW]

I know that this is some time after the event, but in case any of you people who responded pick this up, I just wanted to provide an update. I bought a CTEK charger and the accessory that couples it to the cigarette lighter. It charged the battery completely in less than an afternoon and the accessory shows me that the battery is full. Thanks to all for the help.