crazycarlitos

price difference between .8 and 3300 is about $20.
3300 is same as the one that Porsche sells for much more.
Worth it in my book for proper charging.

also, u guys should just use the cigarette lighter socket plug ($12) instead of having to open the frunk everytime...


I do agree that trickle chargers are a must for Pcars not driven daily.

Asquared

They are live even when the ignition is turned off.

92C2Targa#119

I love the fact they are live all the time. When you combine this live outlet with the : Amazon.com: CTEK (56-263) Comfort Connect Cig Plug: Automotive you have 3 LED's that tell you when you need to plug in or turn on your charger.
Could not ask for a better visual battery condition indicator without car cover. But if she is covered, you will want to peak under the cover to see how's she doing. It only takes a week for the leds to go from green to orange and then just few days to get to red.

speedracerf4i

Actually, we don't have to open the frunk every time. You just leave the plug under the hood tucked below the wipers, and pull it out to connect to the maintainer's cord when you need to recharge. Very convenient, there is a little plug-cap that prevents the terminal from getting wet.

Rikky001

Same for me and works fine. I have my CTEK screwed to the wall and have an extension cable which works perfect. Use the same set up for my ATV.

Bruce In Philly

FYI, I am having an issue either with this battery or the charger, please read my edit in my first post here.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Racetwin2

No worries in my opinion. Its just due to the fact that all the lights consume Power. I have the same. If I open the doors and the charger is unplugged the LED:s will immediately go to yellow or even red.

Lock the car and go back 30 minutes later and it's all green again.

Since the difference in voltage between a fully charged an a slightly discharged battery is small the LED:s just react normal. If you start the car they will go green.

Mine has always been like this. No problems so far.

If I don't remember wrong it also said in the CTEK 45 manual that it will not charge a battery if the voltage was below a certain level. I think it was 10 volts or something like that.

Please also note that it will switch between fully charged and charging several times per week. It is just due to the fact that the charger is charging but also discharging regularly to simulate daily use.

Also - make sure water levels are ok. On the original Moll battery water level should be 1-2 mm above the metal level indicators in each cell.

Edit: checked my manual for the Ctek Zafir 45 and it has 0,8 A for the motorcycle setting and 3,6 Afor cars. But 0,8 A shouldn't be a problem for you since it managed to charge the first time.

Dan GSR

If it's taking longer than overnight to trickle it to max, it's too small

Bruce In Philly

You are probably right Dan. However I did take it out for a spin the other day and it fired right up like the battery was fresh and this was from the battery near depletion (almost didn't fire up).

So, it is working out for me, but I think if I were to buy again, I would get the unit recommended by CTEK (see my original post). The user reviews on Amazon said it was fine, but it would take long. It did, and it appears to work but I still think I should have the higher power unit.

Another point I didn't consider, is the move to these AGM batteries that are more demanding. The auto industry is spec'ing these more now due to the huge draw from vehicle electronics when the car is "off". CTEK notes this .8 unit is not for AGM batteries.

Oh well, it is working albeit sub optimally.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Cbst09

I've been down this path before, I'd recommend you sell the one you have to someone with a motorcycle or atv and just get the CTEK 3300. If you are like me at all you won't be satisfied knowing you have something sub optimal for your current or future needs.

Bruce In Philly

So now you are going to send me a bill for the psychotherapy session eh?

These voices tell me to save money and not over-buy.... but the other voices say get the best and not screw around ....... ahahaha ah hah ah hahahahhdhhchah !!!

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Carmichael

I bought the 3300 for my grandfather's car, a 2010 Subaru Forester. He's 88 years old, so he doesn't drive much (the rest of the family will volunteer to drive him around most of the time; he's written off 3 cars in the past 10 years), probably 1-3 times a month, to the grocery store and back (3-5 miles round-trip).

He used to start the car every day to "keep the battery charged", then he forgot to shut it off one day last year and the car basically idled for 12 hours. Oops. I installed the 3300 six months ago.

Works well, even on a ~6 year old (original from the Subaru factory) battery in a car that has less than 7,000 miles on the odo. Battery has been run down to near-zero volts at least a dozen times now, I'm surprised it can still hold a big enough charge.

Contemplating getting one for my car too, for the winter.

the_buch

Bought the 4.3. Hooked up the quick connect to the battery posts and the connector sits nicely accessible without opening the trunk - perfect. Now, the question I have is can I open the car door with the key if the battery is dead - this will determine if I store the ctek in the car or elsewhere? Thanks, Doug

TM_Corey

I hooked mine up to the Ctek 4.3 today due to this thread, bought it on Amazon. Hope it's ready to roll when the weather breaks.

Nova997

$68 bucks on Amazon (5 star rating by 336 purchasers)