FAO: Anyone who keeps a 'play' car

[Hellcat]

Anyone who keeps a 2nd car for fun will know how critical it is to keep the battery on a trickle charge. If it is allowed to discharge slowly through natural means or by alarm, clock etc then the battery will become sulfated and will not charge.

One way to keep the battery topped up is to plug it into a trickle battery charger. This is fine if its in a drive or garage next to the house but you run the risk of some little chav swapping your wires around as they run out to the garage or drive.

Maplin are selling the answer...

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=47902&criteria=solar&doy=2m3

Solar powered trickle charger which comes with croc clips and power adapter connection. On promotion for £9.99 down from £19.99. Can be stuck on insides of windows with suction cups and kicks out a whopping 20V+

 

[Jai]

niiiiiiiice!! the lead though is about 9ft, and the run from the window to the battery is a lot longer...do you reckon i could use jump leads as an extension, or is that a monumentally bad idea?

 

[Steven]

I have never needed a trickle charger. I usually have a spare charged battery in the garage I can use if needs must. The Panda and the Seicento are lucky to get out once a fortnight at the minute and the batteries have been fine.

 

[Hellcat]

You could extend the lead easily. Just snip and solder in an extension. Which window are you wanting to install to? The father-almost-in-law has it mounted on his Alfa 156 drivers door window, and the leads out the door, under the bonnet and over to the battery on the passenger side.

 

[Jai]

the car's under cover in the garage, in front about 10 feet away is a small north facing window, so will have to go up from the battery to the ceiling, along to above the window then down, to keep out of the way of everything else

 

[HP]

If the cigar lighter is permanently live, could you just plug it in there?

 

[dave]

some times i dont use panda for weeks and it still starts, its got a battery that was playing up in the punto but its fine in the panda

 

[gaz.d]

where can you get normal trickle chargers from, i have never noticed them in halfords before

i could do with one as cinqy seems to be struggling lately, a run seems to solve it but it back to being stupid a week or 2 later

 

[Hellcat]

You could start a Panda with a AA battery though...

The Tipo takes a bit more cranking

 

[Hellcat]

where can you get normal trickle chargers from, i have never noticed them in halfords before

i could do with one as cinqy seems to be struggling lately, a run seems to solve it but it back to being stupid a week or 2 later

How old is your battery? It might be on the way out if it's not holding charge. Also it could be the altenator.

 

[gaz.d]

How old is your battery? It might be on the way out if it's not holding charge. Also it could be the altenator.

im not sure how old the battery is, i have never taken it out to see if there is a date stamp on it

i think the alternator is on its way out as its making strange noises, have never got round to getting it fixed - although it is on the 'to-do' list

 

[dave]

buy batteries now from motor factors, whilst they are at special winter prices i got 2 for £20 an a bit each for punto and they had more amps

 

[HP]

where can you get normal trickle chargers from, i have never noticed them in halfords before

i could do with one as cinqy seems to be struggling lately, a run seems to solve it but it back to being stupid a week or 2 later

I've got a switcheable jobby which you can either put on manual (like an old fashioned charger, i.e. it doesn't switch off) or on auto it has settings for 100% charge or float charge. Float is what you would use on a car which only gets occasional use.

Think it was a £20 Argos job.

 

[gaz.d]

I've got a switcheable jobby which you can either put on manual (like an old fashioned charger, i.e. it doesn't switch off) or on auto it has settings for 100% charge or float charge. Float is what you would use on a car which only gets occasional use.

Think it was a £20 Argos job.

cheers pete, i have seen one on the maplin website that switches over to ttickle charge once the battery is fully charged , is this similer to the one you have

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&ModuleNo=27701&doy=2m3

the last thing i want to do is to leave it on charge for a week or so and get a phone call saying it blown up or something

 

[Hellcat]

cheers pete, i have seen one on the maplin website that switches over to tickle once the battery is fully charged , is this similer to the one you have

Is that similar to the Rabbit range?

 

[gaz.d]

Is that similar to the Rabbit range?

lmao , if i hooked it upto my nipples it could tickle

 

[Hellcat]

That charger is good for upto 9Ah...

 

[HP]

cheers pete, i have seen one on the maplin website that switches over to ttickle charge once the battery is fully charged , is this similer to the one you have

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&ModuleNo=27701&doy=2m3

the last thing i want to do is to leave it on charge for a week or so and get a phone call saying it blown up or something

Gaz, that's more for your house alarm type batteries, the lead acid ones about 6" x 2" x 2".

Have a lookey at

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=4501&langId=-1&searchTerms=7506978