[lsturbointeg]

So I don't drive my car during the winters really but always had to drive the car once in awhile to keep the battery charged. Deciding to buy a charger/tender but wanted to see what you guys would recommend? Which one's to stay away from or which one's you guys are currently using with no issues or with great results? Thanks fellow members!

[kohsin]

CTEK MUS 4.3 is what I have since 2015. Working great and no issues

[e4603]

I use Battery Tender Plus

[Qsilver7]

The BMW branded ( made by CTEK) tenders seem to be excellent choices. I highly recommend either (the BMW branded or the CTEK)...I have one of the BMW branded tenders that was out prior to the latest design...and it works great...and I love the "tin" case it came in...hard to get lost when storing the tender when not in use:

[Surly73]

My digging around led to me choosing the CTEK MXS 5.0 about a year ago. Almost identical to MUS 4.3 but adds a temperature sensor as an input into the charge plan. Seems like a good idea to me. Set for 12V automotive AGM and connect whenever you need to.

My typical weekday drives aren't all that long so I connect my F10 occasionally overnight (every 1-2 days during the most brutal deep freeze, every 1-2 weeks during summer) to top everything up to 100%.

Sometimes the normal "EfficientDynamics" charge plan leads to the battery requiring fast bulk charge rate for hours. Sometimes it's still on high charge (4-5A for this unit) in the morning, but that's the exception not the rule.

Remember to connect via the under hood terminals not directly to the battery.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

The BMW branded ( made by CTEK) tenders seem to be excellent choices. I highly recommend either (the BMW branded or the CTEK)...I have one of the BMW branded tenders that was out prior to the latest design...and it works great...and I love the "tin" case it came in...hard to get lost when storing the tender when not in use:

Same here. I installed the pigtails on the connections under the hood and bought the 25' extension cable. That way I can reach both my wife's and my car without having to relocate the charger. I also like the 80% charged indicator.

[lsturbointeg]

Do you guys just play it in and forget it or are you not allowed or suppose to leave it charging all winter long?

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

Do you guys just play it in and forget it or are you not allowed or suppose to leave it charging all winter long?

I, to quote a famous infomercial, set it and forget it. It's supposed to have intelligent charging and, IIRC, float the charge.

Also, if you're not driving it for months, I would put it up on jackstands to relieve the pressure on the tires.

[Jeffcharger]

I have used a battery tender (the small one) for keeping boat batteries alive during the winter. I believe that it's really prolonged their life. The theory is that you can just plug them in, and leave them. It's intelligent enough to manage the charging.

[Qsilver7]

Ditto replies above...if you buy the "advanced" or "intelligent" chargers/maintainers...you can set it & forget it. The charger is designed to keep the battery charged without OVERCHARGING it.

[OrcaPod]

I have CTEK 40-206 MXS 5.0-12 Volt Battery Charger.
Works as expected

[NGAAutoTV]

Originally Posted by Surly73

My digging around led to me choosing the CTEK MXS 5.0 about a year ago. Almost identical to MUS 4.3 but adds a temperature sensor as an input into the charge plan. Seems like a good idea to me. Set for 12V automotive AGM and connect whenever you need to.

My typical weekday drives aren't all that long so I connect my F10 occasionally overnight (every 1-2 days during the most brutal deep freeze, every 1-2 weeks during summer) to top everything up to 100%.

Sometimes the normal "EfficientDynamics" charge plan leads to the battery requiring fast bulk charge rate for hours. Sometimes it's still on high charge (4-5A for this unit) in the morning, but that's the exception not the rule.

Remember to connect via the under hood terminals not directly to the battery.

I use the same charger and it works great. I do an overnight charge every 2-3 weeks on all my cars.

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

I, to quote a famous infomercial, set it and forget it. It's supposed to have intelligent charging and, IIRC, float the charge.

Also, if you're not driving it for months, I would put it up on jackstands to relieve the pressure on the tires.

What does that accomplish brother?

[lsturbointeg]

Oh, I'm wondering if I can use the charger on my lawn tractor since it's also not gonna be used until next Spring?

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

What does that accomplish brother?

Keeps the tires (especially your low-profile's) from permanently flat-spotting. There's also this...

https://www.popularmechanics.com/car.../a115/1272486/

[Jeffcharger]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

Oh, I'm wondering if I can use the charger on my lawn tractor since it's also not gonna be used until next Spring?

This is essentially what I do with my boats. It keeps the batteries in good shape when sitting idle for a few months.

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

Oh, I'm wondering if I can use the charger on my lawn tractor since it's also not gonna be used until next Spring?

Consult the manual of the charger in question. It may specify a capacity (Ah) range for which it is recommended. Too small or too large a battery may confuse the multi-step charge/conditioning algorithm if you have this kind of charger.

As long as the battery is in the range, you're good. If outside the range, YMMV.

[lsturbointeg]

Thanks for all the help guys!

[EL Jeffe 5]

I got my charger from Walmart for $15 been using it for three years no issues