Porsche Trickle Charger for Audi
#16
There was another discussion on this same subject on one of the Porsche forums that recommended the Battery Tender Plus....which has a plug in for several types of setups...one is the cigarette lighter, the other is a direct connect to the terminals with the plug left inside the trunk for a quick connect, or the standard alligator clips. I found it for sale on Amazon for $39.99. It charges at 1.25 Amps then drops to trickle and monitors battery levels. You can leave it on for months. Works great.
My Dodge truck will sit for months and not need a charge...the 930 can't make it for more than 7 days without needing a charge. Guess I need to start pulling fuses and figure where the battery power leak is.
My Dodge truck will sit for months and not need a charge...the 930 can't make it for more than 7 days without needing a charge. Guess I need to start pulling fuses and figure where the battery power leak is.
#18
There was another discussion on this same subject on one of the Porsche forums that recommended the Battery Tender Plus....which has a plug in for several types of setups...one is the cigarette lighter, the other is a direct connect to the terminals with the plug left inside the trunk for a quick connect, or the standard alligator clips. I found it for sale on Amazon for $39.99. It charges at 1.25 Amps then drops to trickle and monitors battery levels. You can leave it on for months. Works great.
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#19
I found the CTEK cigarette lighter adapter on ebay for just $9.99
Check it out:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CTEK-...1%7C240%3A1318
Check it out:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CTEK-...1%7C240%3A1318
#20
The CTEK model is also set up for several set up's including the cig lighter. The cig lighter is an option just as it is on the Battery Tender Plus. The quality of the CTEK model is heads and shoulders above the Batter Tender my past charger. I got my new CTEK3300 on ebay for $60.
Just wandering whats makes the CTEK model better than the Battery Tender. I have been using a Battery tender for years. Never used the CTEK.
#21
Nothing but price and "because I bought it" separates the two....also the Battery Tender Plus I bought came with the cigarette lighter, alligator clamps and permanent terminal mounts with plug adaptor as part of the original kit for $40.
We need to quit trying to sell our particular flavor of "what I've got"....the point is that price doesn't necessarily dicatate that one is better...any more than a Porsche logo on a battery tender with a few icons on it makes it worth $130 over a $40 iteration of essentially the same thing in generic form. Prospective buyers need to look at the specs of the units...do they charge at a reasonable amp rate? Do they kick down after hitting 80% of charge? Do they move into a maintenance mode after a charge that doesn't compromise your battery by overcharging it? The biggest overcharge seems to be in the pricing of these different units.
We need to quit trying to sell our particular flavor of "what I've got"....the point is that price doesn't necessarily dicatate that one is better...any more than a Porsche logo on a battery tender with a few icons on it makes it worth $130 over a $40 iteration of essentially the same thing in generic form. Prospective buyers need to look at the specs of the units...do they charge at a reasonable amp rate? Do they kick down after hitting 80% of charge? Do they move into a maintenance mode after a charge that doesn't compromise your battery by overcharging it? The biggest overcharge seems to be in the pricing of these different units.
#23
I see them on e-bay once in a while. You can also try a VW dealer and see if they have any laying around. When I bought my VW Touareg back in 2004 it came with a solar powered charger. I was told every new car would come with one.
#24
Nothing but price and "because I bought it" separates the two....also the Battery Tender Plus I bought came with the cigarette lighter, alligator clamps and permanent terminal mounts with plug adaptor as part of the original kit for $40.
We need to quit trying to sell our particular flavor of "what I've got"....the point is that price doesn't necessarily dicatate that one is better...any more than a Porsche logo on a battery tender with a few icons on it makes it worth $130 over a $40 iteration of essentially the same thing in generic form. Prospective buyers need to look at the specs of the units...do they charge at a reasonable amp rate? Do they kick down after hitting 80% of charge? Do they move into a maintenance mode after a charge that doesn't compromise your battery by overcharging it? The biggest overcharge seems to be in the pricing of these different units.
We need to quit trying to sell our particular flavor of "what I've got"....the point is that price doesn't necessarily dicatate that one is better...any more than a Porsche logo on a battery tender with a few icons on it makes it worth $130 over a $40 iteration of essentially the same thing in generic form. Prospective buyers need to look at the specs of the units...do they charge at a reasonable amp rate? Do they kick down after hitting 80% of charge? Do they move into a maintenance mode after a charge that doesn't compromise your battery by overcharging it? The biggest overcharge seems to be in the pricing of these different units.
To each his own both work fine, just like a Porsche or a Pontiac, both cars will get you to your destination, which one you want??? Like I said to each his own.
The original post in this forum asked about the Prosche battery charger which happens to be a CTEK 3300, NOT a battery tender and that is what I was trying to address.
#25
Actually, the 3300 has the AGM batteries (Optima/Odyssey/Maxima) mode and the Porsche one doesn't. Since some have upgraded the extra small battery our GT3 comes with, the 3300 is indeed the better choice for those that might do so down the road. I have the Porsche one because I like to keep my garage queen as stock as possible so I know I will not be upgrading the battery. Besides, the Porsche was only $100 or so, not too much more than the 3300 - $75 (including the cigarette lighter adaptor).
Be sure not to get the CTEK 800 (which is what Ferrari uses), it is too weak IMO. It takes more than a week to bring a battery to full level. And the CTEK 7000 (Bentley & Mercedes) is the powerhouse for those humungous batteries. I guess you could consider it if you have a car in the household with a huge battery!
Be sure not to get the CTEK 800 (which is what Ferrari uses), it is too weak IMO. It takes more than a week to bring a battery to full level. And the CTEK 7000 (Bentley & Mercedes) is the powerhouse for those humungous batteries. I guess you could consider it if you have a car in the household with a huge battery!
#26
Nothing but price and "because I bought it" separates the two....also the Battery Tender Plus I bought came with the cigarette lighter, alligator clamps and permanent terminal mounts with plug adaptor as part of the original kit for $40.
We need to quit trying to sell our particular flavor of "what I've got"....the point is that price doesn't necessarily dicatate that one is better...any more than a Porsche logo on a battery tender with a few icons on it makes it worth $130 over a $40 iteration of essentially the same thing in generic form. Prospective buyers need to look at the specs of the units...do they charge at a reasonable amp rate? Do they kick down after hitting 80% of charge? Do they move into a maintenance mode after a charge that doesn't compromise your battery by overcharging it? The biggest overcharge seems to be in the pricing of these different units.
We need to quit trying to sell our particular flavor of "what I've got"....the point is that price doesn't necessarily dicatate that one is better...any more than a Porsche logo on a battery tender with a few icons on it makes it worth $130 over a $40 iteration of essentially the same thing in generic form. Prospective buyers need to look at the specs of the units...do they charge at a reasonable amp rate? Do they kick down after hitting 80% of charge? Do they move into a maintenance mode after a charge that doesn't compromise your battery by overcharging it? The biggest overcharge seems to be in the pricing of these different units.
better....
I have used the Battery Tenders for over 10 years on 4 Porsches with excellent results. I clamp them in with the battery and pull the plug out under the hood when I park the car.
#27
The new Battery Tenders actually come with three accessories (other units charge for each of the accessories)...the standard RED/BLACK alligator clips, the cigarette lighter adaptor, and a harness that you mount under the nuts that clamp the positive and negative wires to the terminal and just leave it in the trunk or let it hang out in some inconspicuous location in the front fender area. That way you don't even have to lift the hood to plug it in. The charger would stay on the ouside where you can see the status lights. Each acccessory has a rubber coated plug that mates with the one coming from the charger and can be readiy plugged into any of the accessories. Very handy....but then again, it doesn't say "Porsche". That's it for me....no more sales pitches. Get the one you feel is best.
#28
I picked up a little Schumacher Battery Maintainer from Autozone for $26. Added my own cigarette lighter plug with 12ft cord from Radioshack that was laying around in my garage. All in $30. Working great. Charged briefly and then lights switched over to green showing fully charged.
On side note, I didn't use one last winter, but the car was taken out for a healthy run about every 4-6wks. This year, we've had snow and ice on the ground for the past 2 months.
On side note, I didn't use one last winter, but the car was taken out for a healthy run about every 4-6wks. This year, we've had snow and ice on the ground for the past 2 months.