aftermarket battery charger discovered in car

[seahawkeye]

I bought my 2007 C4S as a CPO from a dealer a year and a half ago. My battery died this weekend (had used it for about 2 weeks and didn't think to use my battery tender plus) but when I tried to replace it found this aftermarket battery charger attached to my car's battery. Dealer didn't mention this to me when I bought it at ~16,000 miles (now has ~32,000). Just for fun I tried plugging it in to a wall outlet but the red charging light didn't turn on.

Having this piece of hardware there made unscrewing the secure housing/mount a bit tricky but I swapped the old for a new battery and the car is back to full function. Didn't re-install the charger.

Question: anyone have any experience with this Solar 1.5 amp battery charger? Would it be worth trying to install again or is it junk since the light didn't turn on anyway when I tested it? Notably, the red + cable was attached ot the battery but the black was secured to the vehicle (i.e. grounded), not the - charge.

Shouldn't the dealer have found this and mentioned it to me?

Edited October 21, 2012 by seahawkeye

[seahawkeye]

Here is the picture

[JFP in PA]

I bought my 2007 C4S as a CPO from a dealer a year and a half ago. My battery died this weekend (had used it for about 2 weeks and didn't think to use my battery tender plus) but when I tried to replace it found this aftermarket battery charger attached to my car's battery. Dealer didn't mention this to me when I bought it at ~16,000 miles (now has ~32,000). Just for fun I tried plugging it in to a wall outlet but the red charging light didn't turn on.

Having this piece of hardware there made unscrewing the secure housing/mount a bit tricky but I swapped the old for a new battery and the car is back to full function. Didn't re-install the charger.

Question: anyone have any experience with this Solar 1.5 amp battery charger? Would it be worth trying to install again or is it junk since the light didn't turn on anyway when I tested it? Notably, the red + cable was attached ot the battery but the black was secured to the vehicle (i.e. grounded), not the - charge.

Shouldn't the dealer have found this and mentioned it to me?

This is a cheaply made charger from Clore Automotive in Kansas. Sold on Amazon, not particularly good, but cheap. I'd trash it an get a Ctek.

[seahawkeye]

I already have the battery tender plus from amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0128-Plus-Charger/dp/B00068XCQU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350844571&sr=8-1&keywords=battery+tender+plus

Any advantage of the CTEK over battery tender? One drawback (potentially) of the battery tender is that it requires charging using the alligator clips directly to battery. Does the CTEK get around this?

[Porsche Pilot]

I found the exact same charger in my 996. It worked but not trusting the quality, I replaced it with a Battery Tender.

[JFP in PA]

I already have the battery tender plus from amazon

http://www.amazon.co...ery tender plus

Any advantage of the CTEK over battery tender? One drawback (potentially) of the battery tender is that it requires charging using the alligator clips directly to battery. Does the CTEK get around this?

The Ctek has multiple advantages; first, and perhaps most important, all Ctek units have a desulfation step as part of their charge profiles. Sulfating is one of the principal reasons why a battery dies prematurely, running this step every time the Ctek cycles is critical to lengthening the battery's life. No Battery Tenders ever made have this desulfation step in their systems. And, yes, Ctek does have the correct lighter socket adaptor to utilize Porsche's ability to charge through the lighter. Ctek also has a variety of other adaptors, including ones that permanently attach to the battery if you want to go that way. Ctek also makes Porsche’s branded maintainer, but I would not buy one from them as they are way over priced and exactly the same as Ctek’s 3300 model, which you can buy online much cheaper from Amazon and others.

[seahawkeye]

Ok thanks for the info everyone

[WTL]

On 10/21/2012 at 3:10 PM, JFP in PA said:

The Ctek has multiple advantages; first, and perhaps most important, all Ctek units have a desulfation step as part of their charge profiles. Sulfating is one of the principal reasons why a battery dies prematurely, running this step every time the Ctek cycles is critical to lengthening the battery's life. No Battery Tenders ever made have this desulfation step in their systems. And, yes, Ctek does have the correct lighter socket adaptor to utilize Porsche's ability to charge through the lighter. Ctek also has a variety of other adaptors, including ones that permanently attach to the battery if you want to go that way. Ctek also makes Porsche’s branded maintainer, but I would not buy one from them as they are way over priced and exactly the same as Ctek’s 3300 model, which you can buy online much cheaper from Amazon and others.

old thread I know but I am in the process of looking for another charger/tender I can plug into the console cigarette port to maintain the battery.  Is this still a recommended model ?  Tks

[JFP in PA]

2 minutes ago, WTL said:

old thread I know but I am in the process of looking for another charger/tender I can plug into the console cigarette port to maintain the battery.  Is this still a recommended model ?  Tks

 

CTEK had multiple models, all of which are excellent performers, and can be obtained from online sources like Amazon at reasonable prices.

[WTL]

2 minutes ago, JFP in PA said:

 

CTEK had multiple models, all of which are excellent performers, and can be obtained from online sources like Amazon at reasonable prices.

tks again - just to double double check, the lighter port next to the driver is "live/hot" while the car is off and can be used as a battery charging connection, right?  My **** multimeter is busted.

[JFP in PA]

1 minute ago, WTL said:

tks again - just to double double check, the lighter port next to the driver is "live/hot" while the car is off and can be used as a battery charging connection, right?  My **** multimeter is busted.

 

Try plugging a cell phone or other charger in it, it should be hot all the time.  Porsche did this so you can plug in a maintainer, run the cord out under the driver's door, and keep the system fully charged while the car is locked and the alarm is on.

[WTL]

On 4/29/2020 at 12:24 PM, JFP in PA said:

 

Try plugging a cell phone or other charger in it, it should be hot all the time.  Porsche did this so you can plug in a maintainer, run the cord out under the driver's door, and keep the system fully charged while the car is locked and the alarm is on.

Tks again.  It is a live socket. And tks for the tip on the charger. Got a MSX 5 from CTEK.  It is by far the best looking and seems to be sturdiest too of any charger ive ever bought.  Using now for the 1st time so I can't comment on much else.

[JFP in PA]

47 minutes ago, WTL said:

Tks again.  It is a live socket. And tks for the tip on the charger. Got a MSX 5 from CTEK.  It is by far the best looking and seems to be sturdiest too of any charger ive ever bought.  Using now for the 1st time so I can't comment on much else.

 

Not a problem, that is why we are here 👍