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I just got a CTEK charger MUS 4.3 as my car has turned into a weekend vehicle while I'm stuck commuting in a Prius during the week. I just wanted to see if anyone leaves these plugged in 24/7 without issues. I believe you are supposed to be able to do this but it still makes me nervous.
FF. W212 E63 M156 non-pano 18" P2 ParkT NightV (gone but will be missed).
Originally Posted by AG6
I posted in another thread, but what is the best way to connect this charger with hood, doors and trunk closed?
You will probably need to set up a connection of some sort and route it to a convenient location in the car. I don't think anyone has done it any other ways other than popping up the hood.
Connect this to the battery, and leave the business-end hanging in a spot that's easy to access and suites your needs.
(and as a side note, I've been using a Battery Tender for the last 15+ years on my motorcycle and leave it on for a few months at a time..no problems. I've also used it on all my vehicles at different times, for weeks at a time...no problems.)
Last edited by omega_jeff; 12-14-2016 at 12:14 PM.
I don't see how you can get around not opening the hood, the quick connect in a very convenient location would invariably be exposed to some moisture at some point, be at at the windshield Cowl, or the undercarriage. The safest thing to do is open the hood to connect
FF. W212 E63 M156 non-pano 18" P2 ParkT NightV (gone but will be missed).
Some cars now have the receptacle built on the outside, ie Ferrari locates it facing down along that ledge above and to the side of the rear license plate location. Still, it will get lots of moisture, dirt, debris, etc due to the airflow there of any car.
Some cars now have the receptacle built on the outside, ie Ferrari locates it facing down along that ledge above and to the side of the rear license plate location. Still, it will get lots of moisture, dirt, debris, etc due to the airflow there of any car.
the rubber cover to the receptacle seems like it would last a while ... but I would worry it would short the entire system if it fell off
the rubber cover to the receptacle seems like it would last a while ... but I would worry it would short the entire system if it fell off
I don't know about the Ctek charger, but for the Battery Tender charger I use, if the rubber cover came off the quick disconnect, the only exposed metal is for the ground lead. There's no way it would short out. And in the unlikely event something evil does happen, the hot line is fused and, in theory, would blow the fuse if anything bad happened.
I was inspired by this topic, so I took the plunge and purchased/installed a quick disconnect to my battery. (I've had one on my streetbike forever...I don't know why I've never hooked one up to my car or truck!). After hooking it up to the batter, I ran it out of the back-right side of the hood near the right windshield wiper. It works fabulously! When it's not in use, it tucks under the plastic wind deflector on the side of the window, out of harms way. When I need it, I just whip it out and plug it in!
I don't know about the Ctek charger, but for the Battery Tender charger I use, if the rubber cover came off the quick disconnect, the only exposed metal is for the groun
d lead. There's no way it would short out. And in the unlikely event something evil does happen, the hot line is fused and, in theory, would blow the fuse if anything bad happened.
I was inspired by this topic, so I took the plunge and purchased/installed a quick disconnect to my battery. (I've had one on my streetbike forever...I don't know why I've never hooked one up to my car or truck!). After hooking it up to the batter, I ran it out of the back-right side of the hood near the right windshield wiper. It works fabulously! When it's not in use, it tucks under the plastic wind deflector on the side of the window, out of harms way. When I need it, I just whip it out and plug it in!
FF. W212 E63 M156 non-pano 18" P2 ParkT NightV (gone but will be missed).
Great, helpful pictorial guide there, omega_jeff! A picture is definitely worth a thousand words! So no problem with rain and with snow getting piled up near the external plug location, right?
Rain: I'm not worried about the rain water as (a) the quick-disconnect is capped up, (b) it won't be laying in standing water and (c) if a worst-case scenario does happen with water and a short circuit, the fuse will/should blow.
Snow: I'm not worried about snow because (a) I live in California. But I can see how this setup wouldn't be an ideal solution if your car is covered in snow. Come to think of it, methinks you'd have other things to worry about if your car is covered in so much snow that you can't get to the connector, or open your hood to get to the battery terminals!
Last edited by omega_jeff; 12-29-2016 at 11:13 PM.
So i have the same exact model -CTEK MUS 4.3 Battery Charger.
Will the cigarette adapter work for 09 ML350?
So i used this model ctek on my 03 bmw 530i. I just clamped it onto the battery in the trunk for a few days. When i turned on the car, the needles in all the gauges on the dash went crazy, back and forth really fast for a few minutes then slammed down past the 0 mark. I was bummed for days as I thought i needed a new cluster. A simple disconnect of the battery for a few minutes fixed the problem. I may have went into maintenance mode on the ctek when i first put it on, not sure. Regardless it scared the bejesus outa me. I was reluctant to use it again, but I got the cigarette lighter adapter, had it on for weeks before i checked again, and glad to report that it worked great.
Bimmer just sold an hour ago and the ML went into the garage for the first time tonite. But afraid to hook it up to the CTEK until I hear good reports.
12-13-2016, 06:32 AM
But I can see how this setup wouldn't be an ideal solution if your car is covered in snow. Come to think of it, methinks you'd have other things to worry about if your car is covered in so much snow that you can't get to the connector, or open your hood to get to the battery terminals!
