Which trickle charger is best?

J

JPO100

Member
Hi all,

MY Z4 site in the garage for most of winter and I'm looking for a decent trickle charger to keep to battery topped up.

I hear CTEK are good? But Amazon has a few different types and I'm wondering which I need? The battery is currently flat so which ever I get will need to fully re-charge it too. Amazon has a few different types:

The MXS 3.8 (£69) - http://www.shorturl.at/bhzNY

The MXS 5.0 (£78) - http://www.shorturl.at/nqt02

The MXS 7.0 (£109) - http://www.shorturl.at/uzES4

Dont want to get the wrong one so thought I'd ask!

Thanks :)
 
Don't think there really is a 'wrong' one TBH. As long as it has the capability to charge the battery you have (AGM etc) then they all work and do the job.
The more expensive ones tend to have a 're-conditioning' mode for very flat batteries. Many chargers won't do anything on a completely flat battery as they need to sense some voltage. You may struggle with a previously dead battery, even if you can charge it up.

The other thing to note on trickle or 'maintenance' chargers is the current. They differ quite a bit. Ctek are good as they have all the 'modes' and alter the current depending on the battery charge.

I have two maintenance chargers; a cheap generic one and a Ctek. They both work but the Ctek has more features and is quicker at getting to full charge. :thumbsup:
 
JPO100 said:
Hi all,

MY Z4 site in the garage for most of winter and I'm looking for a decent trickle charger to keep to battery topped up.

I hear CTEK are good? But Amazon has a few different types and I'm wondering which I need? The battery is currently flat so which ever I get will need to fully re-charge it too. Amazon has a few different types:

The MXS 3.8 (£69) - http://www.shorturl.at/bhzNY

The MXS 5.0 (£78) - http://www.shorturl.at/nqt02

The MXS 7.0 (£109) - http://www.shorturl.at/uzES4

Dont want to get the wrong one so thought I'd ask!

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

I bought a BMW one last month from a dealer on eBay, really happy with it so far.

It's basically a CTEK MXS 5.0, but with BMW branding - and somehow worked out cheaper than getting a regular CTEK charger:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334667003909
 
j24 said:
JPO100 said:
Hi all,

MY Z4 site in the garage for most of winter and I'm looking for a decent trickle charger to keep to battery topped up.

I hear CTEK are good? But Amazon has a few different types and I'm wondering which I need? The battery is currently flat so which ever I get will need to fully re-charge it too. Amazon has a few different types:

The MXS 3.8 (£69) - http://www.shorturl.at/bhzNY

The MXS 5.0 (£78) - http://www.shorturl.at/nqt02

The MXS 7.0 (£109) - http://www.shorturl.at/uzES4

Dont want to get the wrong one so thought I'd ask!

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

I bought a BMW one last month from a dealer on eBay, really happy with it so far.

It's basically a CTEK MXS 5.0, but with BMW branding - and somehow worked out cheaper than getting a regular CTEK charger:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334667003909
Click to expand...

Yes got that one too…nice bit of kit..works really well for the float charge to keep your battery tip top..

And you can charge your M cars lithium batteries too….

If you’ve run your battery flat it and left it like that even for a day or two it’s never going to be the same..

E85s aren’t quite as fussy as E89s but….
 
I’ve got the MXS 5 and also a Lidl one that cost £14.99 and both do the job. Only problem with the cheap Lidl and Aldi ones are when the power is turned off to them they need to be manually turned back on. I didn’t know that about the BMW ones doing lithium batteries too. I have a BMW motorcycle that has the M lithium battery and have had to buy a dedicated lithium charger as my others only do lead acid batteries.
 
Ive had the cheap Aldi one and ended up buying a CTEK, the Aldi one was fine except after a while the cables started perishing and showing the copper beneath :o So I bought the Ctek, its been great, the car is connected to it in the garage and when its charged it goes into care mode. So, I just turn off the power off, unclip the connector (I've got it fitted to the points under the bonnet - no connecting crocodile clips) and off I go. I have the unit fixed to the garage wall, with an optional extension.
 
If the battery is flat, get one that has REPAIR mode. A really flat battery will not charge in regular mode.
Other than that, by now it is very cheap technology. Hard to go wrong for the job at hand.
 
Thanks all.. I went for the CTEK MXS 5.0 - just waiting for a bit of good weather now to charge it up and take her out! :thumbsup:
 
Laysula said:
Anyone used one of the small solar panels that plug into the fag lighter?
Click to expand...
No good for an E89 as the cigarette lighter disconnects 10-15 minutes after the car is switched off.
Should be ok on an E85 but they only really work to keep the charge you already have. Not much good at restoring lost charge.
 
enuff_zed said:
Laysula said:
Anyone used one of the small solar panels that plug into the fag lighter?
Click to expand...
No good for an E89 as the cigarette lighter disconnects 10-15 minutes after the car is switched off.
Should be ok on an E85 but they only really work to keep the charge you already have. Not much good at restoring lost charge.
Click to expand...

Cheers Yes mine is an E85. Just have to check it out That it does stay alive after 15 mins. Doesn't get used much in the winter so it's really just to maintain the charge.
 
+1 for the CTEK.

I usually unhook and give my battery a deep cycle refresh every 6 months as it gets so little use these days.
I managed to get 10 years out of a Bosch battery a while back.
Idk if the CTEK helped in that regard however, or whether I was just lucky.
 
As i said earlier my Aldi one is perfect, no frayed cables and it stays on 6 months of the year in the winter. Must have had it about 4 years now. Car starts first turn of the key even after 6 months non use.
 
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