Trickle Chargers

[partyman66]

Anyone here ever tried a trickle-charger for their car?

I was looking around online today and it looks like most of them are solar-powered through a little UV-Board that you can mount on your dashboard.

I want to use it for my car's winter storage.. and maybe run the wire out the closed drivers side door or something if the cable reaches.

[g35_83]

i have seen those chargers being used at volkswagen dealerships. you just want to be careful that you do not overcharge the battery.

[partyman66]

Yeah..
That was my main concern, overcharging.

I decided to just pull the battery out of my car(did it about 20 minutes ago). I'm going to hook it up to one of those battery chargers and pump it up to 100% like once every 2 or 3 weeks(only takes like 3 or 4 minutes to do, even if the battery is low).

Since I already have a regular charger, I don't have to spend any money on buying a trickle charger.

I tell ya, they put our battery in a weird spot in our car, so that it requires more effort than it should to remove it.

[g35_83]

Originally Posted by partyman66

I tell ya, they put our battery in a weird spot in our car, so that it requires more effort than it should to remove it.

i noticed that last week when i had to give someone a jump

[MrElussive]

You can pickup the solar-powered chargers off of eBay for around $35, I believe (brand new).

I have never used a trickle charger, but my dad uses two on two of his motorcycles (regular AC power, though) and he says they work great. It stops charging once the battery is fully charged, and gently charges while the bikes are just sitting there. It's great for him because he rarely rides them.

I think a trickle chrager is a great idea for storing your car.

[partyman66]

Originally Posted by MrElussive

You can pickup the solar-powered chargers off of eBay for around $35, I believe (brand new).

I have never used a trickle charger, but my dad uses two on two of his motorcycles (regular AC power, though) and he says they work great. It stops charging once the battery is fully charged, and gently charges while the bikes are just sitting there. It's great for him because he rarely rides them.

I think a trickle chrager is a great idea for storing your car.

Do you have any specifics on what type he uses?

I did some research today, and many of them didnt' say anything about overcharge protection. I did look at several on E-Bay. Most were like a 1 amp solar powered charger.

[uhohNumber2brb]

why dont you just start-up your car once a week and let it sit idle for about 15 minutes???

[Randy]

If you aren't preping the car for storage, you should drive it around every 3 or 4 weeks. The battery will be fine with that type of use.

Randy