CTEK MXS 3.6 question?

[sootyvrs]

Now that winters here, I've noticed that I'm using the Cayman R less and less and have decided to buy a battery conditioner to save battery from draining.

I have read a few comments on here and it would seem that a few use the CTEK ones so decided to go for the CTEK Multi MXS 3.6 Battery Charger and also buy the optional CTEK 56-263 Cigarette Lighter Lead.



Although I have a garage, it full of junk so I can only park the car close to the garage (which has electric sockets) entrance so have a few questions -

1. Can it be used on a car parked outdoor (electrical safety)
2. How long are the leads from both ends of CTEK (to the mains plug and to the battery connector)
3. Do you have the CTEK unit in the car or external to the car (assuming long battery connector leads)
4. Which part of the door seal do you have the lead feeding into car to use lighter connector
5. Do I just leave it plugged in or do checks need to be performed
6. Do you all perform any periodic maintenance tasks i.e. start the car up once a week etc..

Any pictures would be nice to see how you have it connected up would be nice to see.

Thanks in advance

[Sandy59]

The leads are not very long, approx 1m each I think ??

I think what I would do in your situation is connect the unit to the battery directly using the supplied adaptor lead, and have the unit in the 'boot'. Run an extension lead from your garage into the 'boot', routing the mains lead through the bonnet hinge area below the windscreen, where there is a soft seal and decent gap.
I leave mine for 5-6 weeks at a time without any issues.

PS - Just make sure you use an extension lead suitable for external use, and route safely to the car.

Edited by Sandy59 on Sunday 2nd December 11:59

[turk1]

I also am in the same position as you with the garage full of junk and my car parked on the drive,I use a CTEK charger as i dont use my car as often as i should do, But what i have done is connected the leads directly to my battery and i just use an extention lead, put it inside the boot and just pull down the bonnet but dont fully close it if it rains there is no problem as everything is inside the car and kept dry,I just do this once a week and it keeps my battery fully charged for when i do want to use my car,Hope this helps.

[sootyvrs]

turk1 said:

I also am in the same position as you with the garage full of junk and my car parked on the drive,I use a CTEK charger as i dont use my car as often as i should do, But what i have done is connected the leads directly to my battery and i just use an extention lead, put it inside the boot and just pull down the bonnet but dont fully close it if it rains there is no problem as everything is inside the car and kept dry,I just do this once a week and it keeps my battery fully charged for when i do want to use my car,Hope this helps.

So you don't leave yours connected permanently? How long do you charge it for?

You mention that you close the bonnet.. Do you mean close it and latched shut to the part where you can get to the lever to open it or do you mean where the bonnet is not latched at all?

Do you have your doors locked and alarm activated still while it's charging?

[F3RNANDO]

Sounds like a good reason to hire a skip and clear the garage!

[FarQue]

This type of charger/conditioner can be left connected and switched 'on' long term without problems - they'll not overcharge or 'cook' your battery like an old fashioned car 'heavy-duty' charger can. They've been popular in the motorbike world for many, many years because a lot of bikes get parked up for the winter months with aftermarket alarms fitted which have a constant drain on the battery. Every spring there was always a bit of a rush in the bike shops for new batteries...


On the CTEK you'll find LED's denoting 'float charge' and 'full'. The unit will alternate between the two as it sees fit. They're good bits of kit.

[turk1]

sootyvrs said:

So you don't leave yours connected permanently? How long do you charge it for?

You mention that you close the bonnet.. Do you mean close it and latched shut to the part where you can get to the lever to open it or do you mean where the bonnet is not latched at all?

Do you have your doors locked and alarm activated still while it's charging?

Yes i just close it and latched to the part where you can get to the lever,

When i unlock the car i only unlock the bonnet on the key fob then the doors stay locked and i connect the CTEK for about 8 hours untill the green light comes on, and i do this once a week.

[turk1]

Just to warn you my boot light does not always come on when i open the bonnet so can open and shut it again to check how the charging is going, But when the light does come on when i open the bonnet the alarm will sound so have you key ready to turn the alarm off if this happens,Im sure there are other ways but this way suits me.

[Mermaid]

These chargers have a winter setting - is that the one to select if keeping car under charge over many months, or just the usual car/bike symbol?

[mudy]

i think the winter setting is for temperatures under 5 degrees - i have mine on the normal car setting and it's fine even though I'm sure my garage falls below 5 degrees at times

[Steve Baker]

I use the cigarette lighter adapter and shut the charger in the car connected to a long extension lead, with the charger cable closed in the drivers door. There is enough give in the rubber door seal along the bottom of the door not to cause any issues with the cable. This way the car can be left secure and alarmed at all times.

[sootyvrs]

Steve Baker said:

I use the cigarette lighter adapter and shut the charger in the car connected to a long extension lead, with the charger cable closed in the drivers door. There is enough give in the rubber door seal along the bottom of the door not to cause any issues with the cable. This way the car can be left secure and alarmed at all times.

Is it a weather proof extension lead that you use?

[curley]

If you hang on a few weeks CTEK are launching an extension lead for the low voltage side of the cable , thus you leave the charger in the garage and run the low voltage cable to the car outside .The extension has a male and female plug ( one at each end ) so extends the effective length .Fits all the current accessories .

There not on the CTEK web site yet but are available for pre order from one of the major web sites

Part no is 56.304

http://www.ctekchargers.co.uk/ctek-56304.php

[sootyvrs]

curley said:

If you hang on a few weeks CTEK are launching an extension lead for the low voltage side of the cable , thus you leave the charger in the garage and run the low voltage cable to the car outside .The extension has a male and female plug ( one at each end ) so extends the effective length .Fits all the current accessories .

There not on the CTEK web site yet but are available for pre order from one of the major web sites

Part no is 56.304

http://www.ctekchargers.co.uk/ctek-56304.php

Thanks... I did notice that and would prefer the low voltage side to be extended but only 2.5m so not that long, especially if I decide to use the cigartette lighter connector in car.

[Chippy99]

You should find out what sort of battery your Cayman has.

If it's an AGM type battery (as it is in later model Porsches) then they should be charged on the snowflake setting.

In my 991, the battery is labeled Porsche but it's made by Banner. Don't know if yours is? Banner tech support were extremely helpful and know all about Ctek chargers and what setting to use with your charger on whichever battery it is.

Edited by Chippy99 on Sunday 2nd December 19:11

[Pope]

At present AGM batteries are only fitted to:

981
991
970 - Panamera
92A - new Cayenne

Any other models would be conventional lead acid type

HTH

[mrdemon]

Fit the battery lead which tells you when it needs charging.

Both my cars have them fitted, you can see by lights when the battery needs a topup.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CTEK-Battery-status-traf...

[curley]

sootyvrs said:

Thanks... I did notice that and would prefer the low voltage side to be extended but only 2.5m so not that long, especially if I decide to use the cigartette lighter connector in car.

Don't forget that you can join multiple if you need it longer

[sootyvrs]

Thanks everyone. Just ordered the CTEK MXS 3.6 on it's own for now and will charge it up using the bonnet method for now and when the long low voltage lead becomes available, I will probably get this with cigarette lighter option and charge inside the car with CTEK device in the garage.

[iandews]

sootyvrs, have you got your CTEK yet mate; just wondering how you are getting on with it because I too need a solution to keep the battery topped up but unfortunately being in the position of having to leave the car outside.

I'm happy to leave the CTEK in the car connected to the 12V lighter socket and with someone says above that you can run the cable through the bottom of the door and still lock it all up is comforting, but I also need a fairly long run into the garage or through the house window, of which it will trail on the floor so needs to be waterproof.

I don't think an outdoor electricity supply will work because I'd imagine the cable will be too thick to allow you to close the car door or 'boot'.

Does anyone know if leaving the car charging once a week is a good idea for the battery, as I thought this would result in it constantly running low during the week and therefore damaging the battery; I thought the idea of these was really to leave it automatically topping up when it needs to?

PS - did notice the MXS 25 is IP 44 classified (outdoor use), but it incredibly expensive and not sure how 'outdoor' they mean!!!!