Car battery - Trickle Charger

[BigDataPro]

I am no Car expert, not even an enthusiast. I have a Kadjar which has a Start/Stop function. Not driving it frequently due to Lockdown which results in plethora of warning symbols (fault codes) shown in Dashboard. Whole day yesterday, having gone through and read tons and tons of info, realised that it could be because of very weak battery. Straight away ordered CTEK MXS 5.0 which is being delivered this afternoon.

Question is, it appears that there are different battery types like AGM, EFB etc.

0. Is anyone using CTEK battery chargers? Are they good?
1. How can I identify battery type without removing it from the Car?
2. How can I clear those fault codes/symbols from Dashboard. Do they go away once the battery is charged?

Of course, I will update this thread later for completeness based on my practical observation.

[Paddy]

A smart charger should work fine. Take the battery out to charge it and leave it on for at least two days.
Don't use the CTECT charger and don't charge on the car. Don't jump start.
Many new cars will not start if the battery drops less than 12v so 12v+ is a must before troubleshooting
Faulty electrics are mainly caused by dampness when a car is not used.
In particular leaves and debris collected in the vents cause rain water to drip on the ECU (especially Mercedes)
Buy yourself a decent fault code reader for about £100

[malvolio]

If it's a dedicated trickle charger, then it will take a while to recharge the battery to full. My motorhome has been sat on the drive for about five months now (mutter mutter) with one connected and it's still fully charged, but took around five days from dead flat (I forget about the alarm system always being active). Slightly irritating, since there's a damn great solar panel on the roof keeping everything bar the engine alive...

However a proper trickle charger is not going to heat the battery up like a normal charger, so you can leave it in situ.

[Lance]

you paid £50 for a battery charger????
You want one of these but it's a bit late now
Streetwize SWBCG4 4A Automatic Battery Charger 12V | Car Battery Chargers | Screwfix.com

At risk of sounding like NLUK... have you asked your mechanic? They will have a gadget to reset the codes, but it will also interpret them.

[malvolio]

you paid £50 for a battery charger????
You want one of these but it's a bit late now
Streetwize SWBCG4 4A Automatic Battery Charger 12V | Car Battery Chargers | Screwfix.com

At risk of sounding like NLUK... have you asked your mechanic? They will have a gadget to reset the codes, but it will also interpret them.

No you don't. A charger risks overcooking the battery. Mine is one of these...

[Paddy]

If it's a dedicated trickle charger, then it will take a while to recharge the battery to full. My motorhome has been sat on the drive for about five months now (mutter mutter) with one connected and it's still fully charged, but took around five days from dead flat (I forget about the alarm system always being active). Slightly irritating, since there's a damn great solar panel on the roof keeping everything bar the engine alive...

However a proper trickle charger is not going to heat the battery up like a normal charger, so you can leave it in situ.

Yes, a proper trickle charger will not over heat the battery but it must not do in situ otherwise it will mess up the programming on the modern crap cars.

BTW: Next week I am doing a friend a favour by driving xxx miles to start his Mercedes that has been left for a few months. The garage wants £2,500 to come out and change the battery and re-programme.

[BigDataPro]

Yes, a proper trickle charger will not over heat the battery but it must not do in situ otherwise it will mess up the programming on the modern crap cars.

BTW: Next week I am doing a friend a favour by driving xxx miles to start his Mercedes that has been left for a few months. The garage wants £2,500 to come out and change the battery and re-programme.

CTEK says that there is no need to remove battery and can be charged in situ. However they recommend that negative lead to be connected to a suitable earth/ground point rather than negative terminal of the battery. This is because modern cars have something called BMS (Battery management system) that may not recognise battery charge even if the battery is charged fully.

I am really clueless on how to identify a earth/ground point in the car . Of course some videos said I need to use multimeter to find one but I am a bit reluctant to buy one just for one time use.

[DealorNoDeal]

I am really clueless on how to identify a earth/ground point in the car . Of course some videos said I need to use multimeter to find one but I am a bit reluctant to buy one just for one time use.

Any bare metal on the bodywork/chassis should be ok but personally I'd just try connecting it to the negative of the battery.

Hopefully the charger you've bought will give an indication of battery condition/charge level. Maybe even the voltage. Fully charged is about 12.6V. Anything much under 12V can cause starting or other problems.

[Paddy]

CTEK says that there is no need to remove battery and can be charged in situ. However they recommend that negative lead to be connected to a suitable earth/ground point rather than negative terminal of the battery. This is because modern cars have something called BMS (Battery management system) that may not recognise battery charge even if the battery is charged fully.

I am really clueless on how to identify a earth/ground point in the car . Of course some videos said I need to use multimeter to find one but I am a bit reluctant to buy one just for one time use.

It beggars belief that someone working in IT and a car owner does not have a multi-meter and reluctant to spend £5 on one. WFT did they teach you at school?

[BigDataPro]

It beggars belief that someone working in IT and a car owner does not have a multi-meter and reluctant to spend £5 on one. WFT did they teach you at school?

Honestly I have never even touched multimeter in my entire life. In the current context, it's not the money but buying it is a complete waste of money because once a suitable earthing point is identified I will never be using it again.