Hello,
This winter I was planning on doing something I’ve been ‘scared’ of doing- buying a CTEX MXS 5.0 charger. I know there are other chargers which will suffice, some cheaper, some dearer, but I’ve seen some videos and this looks like one that even an idiot like me can hopefully get the gist of. So this is the one I’ve provisionally settled for.
Anyway, could you please inform me if what I want it for is okay?
My car lives outside and is not garaged. Not that it matters, but I’ve got an outside power point.
In the winter I’m paranoid about my ND’s battery, so I typically give it a spin about every 6-7 days. I don’t go in the rain, but of course it could have salt about and I’ll hose the underneath asap afterword.
Anyway, this is what I plan on using the charger for: I take my ND for a spin. After 6-7 days, don’t then go for a spin, but hook it up to the CTEK MXS, let it do it’s stuff, take it off and leave it for another week. Take the car for a spin a week or so after, and repeat the process. This way I can use my ND half as much from Nov-Feb say?
Is the CTEK fine for this: car out for a spin week 1, leave it alone for a week, then after a week put the charger on to charge up to ‘full’, take the charger off (the charged up battery) and leave it for a week, then go for a spin in the car again etc
I won’t leave the charger on perm when not in use as it lives outside. I’d prefer to just give it a 4 or so hour blast to get it up to charge and then leave it for a week.
I use the MXS 3.8 with my ND and it’s worked well.
The 3.8 is sufficient as the ND battery isn’t very large, 3.8 is cheaper also.
I leave it connected all the time, as it conditions the battery, it isn’t always charging.
One thing to consider is the battery cable is quite short, so I have to have the CTEK in the engine bay and the extension lead goes out of the top past the wipers then off under the garage door to the mains socket.
You can’t really get the mains cable out the front as the shut line is so tight, and also the CTEK isn’t waterproof, so the engine bay is a good place for it.
Yes, I don’t mind using a extension lead. I’ve got an outside power point. I won’t totally shut the bonnet up either if it’s just on for a 3-4-5 hour blast. I’ll do it on a dry day of course.
Also, does anyone know how long it takes for, say, a not-used-for-a-week ND to charge up after plugging a CTEK in? I was hoping a few hours blast would suffice to get it up to fully charged again, after a weeks inactivity.
Yep, I have the 5.0 and use it every now and again to give our Honda CRV, VW Up and (when I had them) the ND and NBFL a top up. It’s an intelligent unit that can perform charging & reconditioning of motorbike and car AGM (the Up) and standard batteries. Highly recommended.
Longest I have left the ND without driving was just over 2 weeks. From memory, about 4 hours to get to the “green light” maintenance stage on the Ctek.
The battery in the ND is only 45Ah so the 3.8 does up to 85Ah. The 5.0 is more for big diesel vehicle batteries.
You should just leave it on the whole time in the winter. The whole point is to maintain the battery, not let the charge drop to a critical level i.e. in a cold snap and kill the battery.
Hence I pass the cable out by the wipers, then the bonnet closes and you can lock the car and leave it.
Cheers.
I don’t want to have a wire/extension lead perm outside on the drive where the car lives, in the rain,damp etc as I’m paranoid. That’s why I just wanted to use it for blasts.
The battery has been (touch wood) fine the previous winters ('18,'19,'20) taking the car for a good spin every 6 or 7 days. I don’t mind still doing that, i just want to half the amount of times i do it. Hence the wish to use the CTEK every other week for a blast to get it fully charged to give the actual ND another week off.
My spins are usually about that. Maybe 15 or so.
I can’t leave it perma on as my ND lives outside in all weathers with a half cover on its soft top… I don’t have a garage and i don’t want extension leads and chargers plugged in draping across the drive in pouring down rain. Hence the 4 or so hour blast idea.
You can get 2.5m extensions for the lead that connects to the battery. My MXS 5.0 is in the garage and connected via 3 extension leads to the battery in our Mk2.5 using a permanently connected fly-lead. The cable is thin enough that you can close the boot lid on it. Not sure how that would work on the Mk4.
I reconnect the CTEK whenever I park the MX5 unless I know we going out in her again in the next day or two, and only disconnect it when next we go out.
I’m not sure of the price difference between a MXS 5.0 and a 3.8 but the former might give more flexibility if you get another car in the future.
My battery is now over 14 years old, (original) and can sit on the conditioning charger for 6 months over winter time, it is in the garage now on charge and will not be taken off until i next bring it out which could be next week, month or year depending on circumstances.
I have 2 more cars that regularly get plugged in.
If you’re not using it plug it in.
Edit, i have 3 chargers, Lidl, Aldi and a Numax, they are all as good as each other.
Don’t connect neg lead to the battery post on an ND with istop as it will probably confuse the voltage sensor, it did mine and istop stopped working until a reset was carried out. Connect neg lead to a body part.
My charge lead comes out the bonnet, near the headlight “glass”, the shut line is not an issue for me. Mine is on a 3 metre extension lead from the car and under the garage door to the charger mounted on the wall by the mains plug. Not an issue and I charge my Eunos and ND this way.
It’s a great charger and battery conditioner. Always remember to switch it off before disconnecting it from the battery and I never start my car with it connected to the battery just to be safe.
Thankfully my model hasn’t got the stupid stop start or i-eloop.
Everyone who seems to mention that they leave their charger plugged in more of less permanently, always has the line ‘in my garage’ in the same sentence. As stated, I don’t have a garage and don’t want to leave the car perma connected to a charger outside in all weathers. Hence my ask is just for potential use as ‘blasts’ as opposed to perm connecting. Perma charging/maintaining isn’t an option (or desire) for me. I just want to use it every other week for 4 or so hours. I’ll just drive the ND the other week for a spin.
The Ctek chargers as a good as they get in my view. I have a MXS 5 and use it regularly to keep my car batteries topped up.
The MXS 5 is a 7 stage charger and will display the charge stages as the battery is charged, in essence the battery is fully charged at stage 6, Stage 7 does not switch in for 10 days after that. Read their techy info if you need more info.
The MXS 5 will charge a battery fairly fast because it has 5A charge capability.
NOTE: the MXS 5 will not charge a completely flat battery if the battery voltage is below 3V which can be a bit of a pain on rare occasions. If you allow a car battery to go completely flat it will be damaged anyway.
The MX 7 will charge completely flat batteries and has 12V power supply facility too, although more costly worth the extra dosh; I would buy an MXS 7 next time.
I have connected a short fused Ctek connector to my battery so it simply plugs in.
My ND is out all year, the charger is in the garage, the extension charger lead comes out under the door into the car. If I am not parked outside the garage, I am next to it and I have, in the past, had a 5m lead coming out under the door to the car. OK, there will be voltage drop but it will charge nevertheless.
I leave my Eunos on charge permanently over the 4 months it’s in the garage as, once charged, it drops to “maintenance mode”.
