jason8612

I bought the MB trickle charger. Has anyone used them? My GLK350 will be parked for almost a month in the garage, which usually won't be an issue but my security system runs 24/7 so it will drain the battery (GPS tracking out here in PL)
How does one hook it up? I read the directions, I assume I hook it up under the hood, not in the cig plug.

MKenM

I doubt that MB makes it. My bet is either

http://www.batterychargers.com/

or

http://smartercharger.com/

I use the Ctek on my Corvette and it works great. See if you can find your model on one of these web sites. They may offer you an adapter to let you plug it into the cigarette lighter. Check it out and us know.

NickTH

I currently use this trickle charger for my older BMW.
It works great!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details

andyf0

I use this one
http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-D2A-B...&sr=1-10-spell

It comes with the cigarette plug as well as clamps. It can be wall mounted. I use it when I go on vacation.

jason8612

To update this forum. I bought the MB factory trickle charger and used it over the summer when I was gone and over the holiday Xmas time and it worked perfectly. No issues, no problems, nothing!

theunderlord

Another thing to think about.. Solar Charger... no wires running out of your car.

30.00 bucks on amazon.

Plugs into the 12v plug (have to move a fuse so it's constant on on E class) easy!

venchka

A solar charger would never work for me.

My vehicles are always garaged. They last longer that way.

Wayne

theunderlord

Oh sure Wayne... rub it in why don't ya....

venchka

OK, don't rub in your wagon of my dreams.
It's all good.

Wayne

mjhawkins2346

Only problem with the cigarette lighter is I think that plug is dead when the car is turned off.
You should be able to snake the small trickle charger wire out the edge of the hood carefully to avoid pinching.

107123210

I was in dealership today and they suggested their trickle charger as a way of keeping battery strong in winter. I already have one that looks very similar! Theirs looks to me like a C-tek which is a very good unit. You can get cheap units that are called battery maintainers, but the cheap ones are really junk.

My charger came with several cords including one for cig lighter. On our smart cdi, the lighter socket was not live when car was off, so I used a different cord. This one had two ring terminals that could be attached permanently to the battery. The other end had a small plug and charger has a mating plug. Just hook up in a couple of seconds when needed.

When I leave cars for long periods, I disconnect battery. Just have to enter radio codes and set clock and good to go when we return. Don't know if GLK will be as easy?

jason8612

It's not that easy to disconnect the battery in the GLK. I picked up the OEM trickle charger back when I originally posted this Q. Been using it since and it works excellent. It hooks up to the plugs under the hood and I can almost close the hood (latch it without pushing it down) without any worries.
Left it plug in for a month or longer when I'm away and everything is just fine.
The cable is long enough for it to reach the outlet in the garage.

107123210

I am sure that the MB charger works well for maintaining battery. I only disconnect battery because I don't like leaving any electrical devices plugged in when we go away for winter.

By the way, for those looking to buy a charger, the MB charger is more than likely just a rebranded c-tek. I recently saw the C-tek at Princess Auto for $35.00. But C-Tek make several different models, so this could perhaps be a discontinued model? Canadian Tire used to sell them, but for a higher price except during sales. They now have a different brand.

Mercedes - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-OEM-Mercedes-Benz-Accessory-Battery-Trickle-Charger-/350862750840?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item51b10cb478, at dealer ???


C-Tek $35 on sale at Princess Auto,


When buying, make sure the charger is suitable for the type of battery installed. Cars usually have lead-acid batteries, but someone posted something about GLK having a different type. Some chargers will have a switch to switch to other battery types such as gel batteries which need a different charging voltage.

mjhawkins2346

Boat owners have had to this ever since they put motors in boats - nearly a hundred years. Go to West Marine or other boat chandlery (that's what they call parts stores for some reason) and you will find numerous high quality choices for 12v batteries. Pick one that works for an AGM battery. The GLK has an Absorbed Glass Mat type lead acid cell. Their environment is more demanding, think water and salt air and the prices are very competitive.

bop11

If you go to the boat store, west marine, defender etc., make sure you get a charger that will go into float mode for AGM. This mode keeps the battery topped up but will not over charge the battery which can be very detrimental to battery life. I am not sure what the battery load for a GLK turned off is but there is some to maintain the electronics and security receivers. The CTEK looks pretty small to be able to supply more that 1/2 amp or so and probably does not have overcharge limiting. It also seems pretty expensive for its abilities.

107123210

The basic c-tek I posted a picture of above, is actually capable of up to 3.3amps. It is a smart charger. Can't see why you would think it would not have means of avoiding overcharge. That is what it is designed for. There are some $10 battery maintainers that may not have that capability, but not the C-Tek. It is the leader in this class of charger. The MB charger is likely made by C-tek (based on shape of case!)

This c-tek site has extensive technical details like this

bop11

After reviewing the site you suggested, the CTEK 3300 does seem to have pretty good capabilities for someone who is going to leave their car for a month or more and wants to maintain a good battery. Pricing is where you would expect a unit with these capabilities. Looks like best price is $56.00 at Herringtons. Leave yourself a note on the steering wheel so that you don't forget to disconnect it.

netdvn

Bought two Cen-Tech 69955 automatic battery float chargers for $4.99 each (on sale) at Harbor Freights. They don't look fancy as the one from Mercedes but provide the same purpose and so far they have served well to my ride-on lawn mower and 2 Benz. No matter what brand you buy, the output voltage should be somewhere between 13.2 to 13.6 volts. Anything higher that that will make the acid in battery boiling (not good).

b12ucehuy

i bought a harbor freight one works great. It has an AGM and Reg Switch, can do quick charge at 10amp or trickle at 2amp, it auto shut off after it tops off your battery.

B737

has anyone routed ctek cable into passenger or driver foot well from the battery using the ctek extension cable? (since the 12 volt ports are not hot when the truck is off)

i hooked my ctek pigtails to battery, and was thinking of purchasing the extension to route it into the cabin, thus not having to open and close the hood while the ctek is hooked up.