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CTEK US 0.8 battery charger/tender, $38 from Amazon. CTEK's cheapest "smart" charger/tender It works but get the higher power unit.
EDIT: I need to post this should anyone consider this unit. I may have been too hasty in posting this review and experiencing very slow charge - as expected, but this is really slow. Here is what happened: I note below the charger took 36 hours to show charged.... great. However, I opened the car door and popped the frunk to get something out of there. The charger lights plunged to two amber lights and car clearly didn't have much charge... the window would not go back up for one thing. I contacted CTEK and this was their response:
"The 0.8 is designed to charge batteries up to 32 amp hour, or maintain batteries up to 100 amp hour. Your battery does not list an amp hour rating, but I would estimate that it is 50 or 60 Ah. It is a lot of battery for the 0.8.
Opening doors would be enough put the charger back in charge mode again. You may find that it would have started. The most popular charger that would be suitable for your battery would be the MUS 4.3. http://smartercharger.com/battery-chargers/#CTEK Multi US 4.3"
So.... I am confused as the user reviews on Amazon and some UK site said this unit worked for their car batteries albeit a slow charge. CTEK in their response noted it will maintain 100ah that is greater than my battery......so it should work"
Update again: I just fired up the car and it started like it was a fresh battery! 15 mnts of driving and shut it down to fill up in 18 degree weather.... and again fired right up. So.... it looks like this little, inexpensive charger is working just fine... but you need to let it charge for at least five days to a week, so it appears.
Back story: A month ago, I purchased and installed an Autozone Duralast Gold battery. I dropped it in and then didn't drive my car for about a month. This is a bad thing as Autozone apparently doesn't charge their batteries very far and have a minimal charge at the store. The car started right up with the new battery, but then I shut down the car and left it sit. The car still drains the battery as is sleeps as we all know. The battery shows a date of Jan 2016 so it was really new. Yes, I usually drive my car every day and am running snow tires, but I had a bit of a situation change and now am not driving for a few months.
Well I went to start the car and got the horrible woo....woo...... wobbly start. Yikes. So I ordered a battery tender.
Review of CTEK. I chose CTEK due to a good reputation on the forums and I like its programmed charging and LED display that shows how much charge you have and what the charger is doing. I chose the 0.8 because it was the cheapest. The boxing shows it is for smaller 12V batteries such as motorcycle but the website denotes it will work with all car batteries. Amazon reviews also denoted successful use with car batteries. The reason for the cheapness is the low amperage... in other words, it does not charge as fast as their other models but still is fine for our car batteries. Warranty is 5 years. I do not need speed so I chose their cheapest model.
It comes with 'gater clamps and eyelet wires to bolt directly to the battery which I did... took 15 minutes. This hardwired cable has a nice, hooded socket that you just tuck into the battery compartment when not used. Nice.
Usage: I hooked it up and it showed two amber lights on, thus a very low charge. It took about 24 hours to pass through another amber light, and then another 12 hours to light the green "charged" lamp. There is another, higher-level light showing maintenance... I haven't seen that on yet.
So, unless someone can tell me otherwise, this is a great, cheap, reputable tender that will charge, albeit slowly. The supplied hard-wire option with a nice quick release plug is just cool.
Peace
Bruce in Philly
Last edited by Bruce In Philly; 02-14-2016 at 03:44 PM.
You should get the LED quick connector as well so you can always see the battery level. Cost 10 bucks or so. It's great and you never even have to open the frunk.
CTEK's are great. The more expensive CTEK versions add AGM/gel battery support, more current for faster charging, and "supply mode" which provides 12V without a battery present, great for swapping batteries in the car and not losing presets or getting an airbag light.
CTEK is the best, and a Swedish brand no affiliation except I am Swedish.
0,8 is okey as tender but normally you want to have amps at 10% of battery amps to charge a empty/low battery to full in a decent time period. But you knew that.
CTEK's are great. The more expensive CTEK versions add AGM/gel battery support, more current for faster charging, and "supply mode" which provides 12V without a battery present, great for swapping batteries in the car and not losing presets or getting an airbag light.
I have this one connected to the battery. I have the connector coming out of the battery terminal past the irritating plastic cover that is a pain to put on an off. So, the connector sits right there by the rubber seal for the frunk.
I have this one connected to the battery. I have the connector coming out of the battery terminal past the irritating plastic cover that is a pain to put on an off. So, the connector sits right there by the rubber seal for the frunk.
Is this how most people have it set up?
Mike, does this mean you can access the connector without opening the trunk? Any photos? Is the standard ctek eyelet connector long enough or do you need and extension? Thanks, Doug
No. I have to open the frunk but I do not have to open the PITA battery compartment. The standard connector is just long enough to leave the connection point outside of the battery compartment next to the weather stripping for the frunk.
I think 0.8 is really too small for +150/740 AH battery. Based on minimum recommendations the charger should be 1.5-2 amperes minimum.
When I was looking for a C-tek they recommended the 3300 for the Porsche 964 and I found one for $55. Now I have two 3300 and years of flawless operation on both the 964 & 997. They have newer models now and a lot more features and current capacities. The older 4.3 & 7002 are now dropping in price as they are being replaced with new generations. Just for the hell of it I might have to upgrade.
No. I have to open the frunk but I do not have to open the PITA battery compartment. The standard connector is just long enough to leave the connection point outside of the battery compartment next to the weather stripping for the frunk.
This is how it can be done to avoid opening the frunk and battery cover using the LED quick connector. In the second image you can see it tucked under the bonnet with the LED visible. I just pull it out when charging and then tuck it back.
Great setup ^ ... particularly as you don't need to be able to get into the frunk if you happen to have a low/dead battery. It also looks like the standard eyelet connector has enough length to reach that spot. Thanks, Doug
I think 0.8 is really too small for +150/740 AH battery. Based on minimum recommendations the charger should be 1.5-2 amperes minimum.
When I was looking for a C-tek they recommended the 3300 for the Porsche 964 and I found one for $55. Now I have two 3300 and years of flawless operation on both the 964 & 997. They have newer models now and a lot more features and current capacities. The older 4.3 & 7002 are now dropping in price as they are being replaced with new generations. Just for the hell of it I might have to upgrade.
It is possible that the .8 is too small, but it appears to be working fine for me. The "cost" of the cheaper unit appears to be just a longer charge time. This .8 unit has just took a new battery from near death to full charge in 36 hours so it does appear to work. I don't care about the speed and I like to save a few bucks, so I did not see any value in buying a more expensive unit. I get it though, the price delta is small.
Regarding the lighted dongle.... that is cool but even at $10, I don't think I would find value in it.
02-11-2016, 10:40 AM
Battery Tender CTEK 0.8 & New Battery FYI
no affiliation except I am Swedish.
