Battery charger for Start & Stop car

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussion' started by Jiffy, May 5, 2023.

  1. Jiffy

    Jiffy The Match is on Fire

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    I'm looking for a battery charger for my car which has the start stop on it, not sure of what battery is on it but i would like info of what charger to get to be used please,
    all the different words for this make my head spin, so all info in basic words plaese

    also with this start stop things when chargering do you need to take leads of the battery when chargering?
    Is there a charger that will charge all different type's of battery, just like one you plug in and it charger's
     
  2. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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    I'm certainly no expert at this but I know with my car I have two batteries. An AA man explained this to me :noidea:.

    One is the 'normal' battery and the other is the battery that helps with the 'start stop' function. You only need the one normal battery charger that you plug on to the battery in the usual way. Unlike the older cars the battery doesn't have a negative terminal and you plug the negative cable from the charger onto any part of the bodywork of the car. The AA man said it is easier to clip onto a bolt that is sticking up under the bonnet.

    If your battery does go flat then the stop start function may not work if the battery hasn't then been charged sufficiently but should kick back in when there is more charge in the batteries. Either from longer charging or from longer driving.

    All I know is for my car so it may be different for other ones. I'm sure some of our vehicle experts on here will be able to tell you more.
     
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    • Sheps

      Sheps Keen Gardener

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      I have one of the ctek chargers and it works fine with my Stop / Start battery.

      If your funds allow I would go for a ctek.

      MXS 5.0 UK
       
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      • Sheps

        Sheps Keen Gardener

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        Also, you can buy a ctek connector that fits and stays in place on the battery and you can then just plug the charger into that, all very quick, clean and easy to do, I have one on mine and it works great.
         
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        • ricky101

          ricky101 Total Gardener

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          Agree with @Sheps Ctek are the biggest in the market and always no1 in the car magazine reviews etc.

          Have to ask how old your existing battery is, assume it is becoming flat quickly hence looking for a charger, most 12v batterys do not last much longer than 5 years. ( on average )
          Also you could have a charging problem if the battery is proven sound.
           
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          • JWK

            JWK Gardener Staff Member

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            Best to get a 'smart' charger, that's what I use on my Volvo with stop/start. Mine can charge the AGM gel battery that Volvo uses as well as the older lead acid types because I have an old Mini. I leave it on the Mini all the time as it doesn't get much use so the charger cycles through charge and discharge states to keep the battery in good condition.

            I can go and look at the model I have, think it's Ring.

            What type of battery is fitted to your car Jiffy?
             
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            • pete

              pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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              I'm probably old fashioned but to me once a battery needs a battery charger its time to buy a new battery.:biggrin:

              I agree there are certain circumstances where, if you dont use the vehicle for long periods, you might need a charger but if the system its connected to, ie. the engine isn't charging it, something must be broke.
               
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              • Jocko

                Jocko Guided by my better half.

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                I would normally agree with that but Stop/Start will not work even with a good battery if the charge is not 100%. Winter driving and short journeys depress the battery voltage enough to stop the Stop/Start functioning. The car starts okay, it just won't Stop/Start.
                I use one of these intelligent chargers.

                [​IMG]

                It is connected with its own cable, permanently attached to the battery and whenever I park the car in the drive I plug the supplied cable to the car and leave it on charge until the next time I use it. I can leave the car for weeks and it starts first turn of the key, and I have no history of the battery (it may even be the original).

                [​IMG]
                 
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                • pete

                  pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                  So why does the more modern something is the more problematic it is to keep it running.
                  We seem to be going backwards, I remember a neighbour who had a permanent charger connected to his Ford Zodiac:roflol:
                  Mainly because he couldn't afford a new battery.
                   
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                  • Jiffy

                    Jiffy The Match is on Fire

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                    I don't have a problem with battery going flat, but it's getting old-ish (about 6 years old) and my old charger is now no good so looking to replace it with something that is right for the battery i have which is Varta VO22A EFB 75ah
                    As there is so many new battery's i'm not up to speed with all this new tech stuff, to me a battery is a battery but with all these EFB AGM etc battery's i don't know if which charger's will be the right one so that why i'm asking i don't want to but the wrong charger on the battery and fry the electic's
                     
                  • Sheps

                    Sheps Keen Gardener

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                    Mine is an EFB battery and the ctek works flawlessly with it.

                    There are lots of good smart chargers out there, so plenty of choice.
                     
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                    • Freddy

                      Freddy Miserable git, well known for it

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                      I also have the ctek. AFAIK, it’ll charge any battery. It also reconditions, whatever that is. So far, faultless.
                       
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                      • ricky101

                        ricky101 Total Gardener

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                        If looking for a replacement battery go to Vartas site which should show the current correct one for your car, though always check the dimensions are the same as your old one or if different there is space to get it in.

                        Thats assuming you are fitting it yourself though plenty of local battery shops will do it for you and get/supply a Varta one, which is what we use. ( have read that Varta also make the similar Bosch batteries)


                        Car battery finder from VARTA® - Find the best and most reliable battery for your car
                         
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                        • Jiffy

                          Jiffy The Match is on Fire

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                          Thank you all for the info :dbgrtmb:

                          So any Smart charger is ok for charger any battery, years ago someone said to me that you needed the right charger for the battery's on start & stop car's

                          I shell be looking to see which is best and to what i can spend, so again Thank you
                           
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                          • Jocko

                            Jocko Guided by my better half.

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                            Old battery chargers just pushed out as much current as your battery would take and were not really suitable for modern battery technology but the Smart new chargers have been designed to deal with the new battery technology. The manual for mine states:
                            Suitable for 12.8V lithium and 6V and 12V lead-acid-batteries, e.g. WET, GEL-, VRLA-,
                            AGM-batteries between 1.2-120Ah capacity
                             
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