Does anyone know where I can get one of those battery chargers that you plug into the cigarette lighter and into the wall of your garage so that it charges the battery when needed and doesn't charge when it's full?

I was going to get one from the dealership but even the parts guy there said they overcharge just because they have the Porsche logo on it lol....said it was like $150 there but I could find it online cheaper? Any recommendations?

 

Suncoast has them for about $56

 

I have the Porsche on for about 2 years and no issues. It has the tax but the part that goes into the cig lighter cracked and the dealer swapped it out under a parts warranty.

 

Battery Tender by Deltran. Got them on all my cars. It can make the cigarette lighter loose over time so I quick connect it directly to the battery terminals.

 

I got the Porsche model (actually the CTEK 3300, but has Porsche label on it) at my local dealer for about $120.00. The price listed above for Suncoast I do not think is correct http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...=9972GTSintele . I think they sell it for about $105.00, but then you have to pay for shipping so my dealer's price was about the same. It is a very nice charger and won't overcharge your battery.

You can get the CTEK one cheaper than the Porsche one, but make sure you get the optional cigarette lighter plug for it.

 

$15 trickle charger from canadian tire store. works just fine

 

Get a CTEK 3300 (same as porsche branded one) or 4.3 (newer model). About $60 on amazon.

 

ctek on ebay with cigarette lighter plug for $75-$80.00.

 

BMW tech writer recommends Battery Tender.. I have one and it works great

 

I use this one... http://www.homedepot.com/p/BLACK-DEC...2#.UsQpzLQ36yk this DOES come with the cigarette lighter adapter.

Works great for me. BUT, I'm not storing my car all winter. I just plug it in if it sits more than 10 days. So it's not something I need to rely on for months at a time. It's not good to leave batteries hooked up to chargers constantly. My boat and jet ski batteries at our lake house, I keep the batteries in the garage, on a wood bench and plug the tenders in maybe once every 3 weeks when I go to the house, just over night. My batteries last forever.

 

That's why you need to get a smart charger like the Porsche one or the CTEK 3300. Those chargers monitor the voltage of the battery and only charge when needed. You can leave them plugged in to car for months without damaging the battery.

You are right that you should not leave a regular charger than constantly charges, connected all the time.

 

Right I use smart chargers, but I don't even leave the "smart" chargers hooked up. Keeping them "topped" off is what I'm talking about. I prefer they "cycle" a little vs. just leaving them hooked up. I've pulled batteries out of "storage" that were on smart chargers all winter only to find they were shot. They were "charged", but there wasn't enough to crank the engine when reinstalled.

 

I travel a lot and have been using this one for 2 years http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...=9972GTSintele

Works great! I plug it into the cigeratte lighter, too easy.

 

Thanks guys I went ahead and ordered that ctek 3300 for about $65 on Amazon!

 

Good decision. You will be very happy!