Battery trickle charger

[Paul Langley]

A few questions re: a battery trickle charger.  Do you have to connect leads to the battery, or can you use the cig lighter in the center console?  And if so, do you slightly crack the window, or leave the door slightly agar?  Is there a favorite make/model you would recommend?  I have a 2022 GT4 and a 2022 718 Spyder.

 

thanks, Paul

[JFP in PA]

Porsche designed these cars so that you can plug a maintainer into the cigarette lighter socket, run the cord out below the mirror on the driver's door where they put a notch to accommodate it, allowing you to use the maintainer with the car locked and weather tight.  And you do not want a trickle charger, they destroy batteries, maintainers preserve them.

 

We have used Ctek maintainers for years and wouldn't even consider another brand; Ctek is the only maintainer manufacturer that includes a de-sulfation step in every charge profile, and was also once a battery manufacturer (Optima brand) until they sold the battery business to Johnson controls, who promptly screwed up the Optima line.  We have never had an issue with any Ctek unit, they simply work.  They also make several models that accommodate AGM specific charge profiles (which are different from flooded cell batteries), and they also make lithium specific units as well.

[Paul Langley]

Thank you very much JFP in PA!  Lot of good info, and thanks for clarifying the diff between a trickle charger and a maintainer.  Is there a specific Ctek model(s) you would recommend?

 

Paul

[JFP in PA]

We own several different models, but our favorite is the 7002, which you can get off Amazon.  We also own the MXS 5.0, and the MUS 4.3.

[Silver_TT]

Another vote for the CTek 7002.  I have owned one 15 years or so and used it on a bunch of different cars with both traditional lead acid and AGM batteries.  It is a must have tool and is "smart".  All you have to do is hook it up and it knows what type of battery it is dealing with and does all the work for you.  It also has a maintenance mode which works great when you are working on the car or doing a battery swap.