Cigar lighter live?

[75er]

I was thinking of getting one of those solar powered battery chargers which plug into the cigar lighter which seem to have fairly good write ups on amazon, as sometimes the cdti suffers from a flat battery if it's not been used for a couple of weeks. I've read the battery chargers only work if the cigar socket is live, ie work without having to turn the ignition key. The lighter in the cdti isn't live but in my other 75 it is live without having to turn the key. Is someone likely to have fiddled with it so that it is live? I'm guessing now that from the factory they were not live. Has anyone had experience of those solar battery charger thingy before I start meddling?

75er

[Avora]

I strongly recommend stretching for a new battery, or putting the money towards. My car previous to Wednesday has been sat only being abused for testing various radios and sat navs for nearly a full month. And still started the car fine.

A solar charger, depending on the size of course, will not be that great. Output is typically 5 watts or even less. And if your battery is already low on capacity then is only barely limiting the drain on the battery.

My dad has a small solar panel in his Jeep Commander all the time, who knows if it is any good. His last car had the original battery in it some 12 Years after buying the car. After many battaid tablets.

I wouldn't recommend that though, he probably spent more over the years on battery tablets than a new battery should have cost, along with the persistent fear of it not starting.

To sum up, a decent battery makes for a much more reliable car. Whatever anyone says. But just my 2p worth.

[SD1too]

I was thinking of getting one of those solar powered battery chargers ...
As said above, they're a waste of time and money Chris. Get a proper charger instead, like this one from CTek (http://www.ctek.com/gb/en/chargers/MXS%203.8), or use your car more! :D

Here's some bedtime reading (http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=200210) for you.

Simon

[jscpch]

My 2003 CDTi cig/accessories socket is definitely live all the time and running a windscreen camera and a satnav from this socket drained my battery twice before I bought a new battery - and then once again with the new one. Dawned on me that such small instruments can easily drain a battery over a period of three or four days non use of the car if running continuously. Now bought a multi socket connection with an on/off switch so I don't have to unplug everything and I just switch on at the same time as firing the ignition.

[T-Cut]

The lighter in the cdti isn't live but in my other 75 it is live without having to turn the key. Is someone likely to have fiddled with it so that it is live?

The permanently live cigar lighter came with the change to the mini-fuse board.

TC

[chiron_myth]

Why not buy a battery isolator switch? Isolate the battery and it's less likely to drain out when you're not using the car... It also male makes a very good immobiliser.

[hamster19]

My cdti is live all the time, 2004

[Dorset Bob]

There are also ones that plug into the OBD socket that has a permanent live.
A thread regarding the AA version is here (http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=196547)

:}

[COLVERT]

I was thinking of getting one of those solar powered battery chargers which plug into the cigar lighter which seem to have fairly good write ups on amazon, as sometimes the cdti suffers from a flat battery if it's not been used for a couple of weeks. I've read the battery chargers only work if the cigar socket is live, ie work without having to turn the ignition key. The lighter in the cdti isn't live but in my other 75 it is live without having to turn the key. Is someone likely to have fiddled with it so that it is live? I'm guessing now that from the factory they were not live. Has anyone had experience of those solar battery charger thingy before I start meddling?

75er

The socket on my car is live all the time. My car does not get a great deal of use as we tend to use my wife's car.

I have a solar powered charger and it keeps my battery fully charged as it puts slightly more back in than the electronics use in sleep mode.

I, personally, recommend it as time has proved to me it works.---:D:D:D



Your battery should not go flat in a couple of weeks if the internals are in good condition.

Have you ever charged it ???

If not, then put it on charge for at least 30 hours. Then leave it disconnected over night. Check the voltage in the morning and it needs to be around 12.8 volts at least.

[COLVERT]

75er. Come back and read the posts above.----------:}:}:}

[75er]

Thanks for all the useful advice, as has been suggested I need to fully charge the battery up and put the multi meter on it a few times and see how it goes. Not having had the car long I don't know the history of the battery. Interesting divergence of opinion on the solar chargers, maybe its like the people that swear putting a teaspoon in the neck of a half finished bottle of sparkling wine helps keep the bubbles in when in fact it has no effect :o. Still not sure whether you can only use the solar chargers in non live sockets :shrug: does anyone know the answer to this? I guess bottom line is a good battery will keep it's charge for a decent length of time, the solar chargers put current in but the jury is out on whether this has much effect. Maybe I'll get a charger (they are fairly cheap) and do some tests on battery voltage without using the car over a few weeks with and without the charger.

[SD1too]

Chris,

I hope that the following helps.
Still not sure whether you can only use the solar chargers in non live sockets
All chargers, solar or mains powered, have to be connected to the battery. So if your socket doesn't read battery voltage on a voltmeter, no charger will work.
I guess bottom line is a good battery will keep it's charge for a decent length of time ..
It will if it's at a reasonable level of charge, but many aren't.
... the solar chargers put current in but the jury is out on whether this has much effect.
Not quite Chris. A solar charger won't "put current in" unless its voltage is higher than that of the battery, and this is often the case with a device depending upon light levels. My mains powered charger in trickle mode has an output of 13.8 volts. You need a continuous charging current of around 300 mA to maintain a healthy battery in a fully charged state. If a solar charger delivers less than this, and only during daylight hours, and the battery isn't fully charged in the first place, then it's a waste of time.
Maybe I'll get a charger (they are fairly cheap) ...
Make sure that you choose a smart charger with a maximum output suited to how infrequently you use the car. Following a recent purchase for my SD1, I can recommend CTek's range.

Simon