It's time - I had my drivers door stuck shut with a bit of frost. Geoff

you beat me to it....only yesterday i was thinking that and flat battery's.... ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
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Yep, get them C-TEKS connected especially if you have remote heaters. Geoff

quick question regarding the C-Tek charger as i have one but am yet to use it. Are they ok to be left outside? I have an external socket which I can park close enough to enable the C-Tek to reach, but i'm concerned that if it rains then the trickle charger will get ruined. Anyone got much experience with them for external use? Tom

2013 Causeway Grey 4.4 AB
2017 Ford Ranger 3.2 Limited
2016 Ford Focus RS

I have used mine outside without problems but I tended to leave it under the car in case it rains. Geoff

Awesome thanks for the tip  Tom

2013 Causeway Grey 4.4 AB
2017 Ford Ranger 3.2 Limited
2016 Ford Focus RS

I also notice Aldi selling their charger again. I don't know why but I bought one last time, never used it because I have a C-tek - never used that much either but I did need it when it was really cold and I used the remote heater a lot with short journeys to work.
https://www.aldi.co.uk/auto-xs-car-battery...6417123000 Geoff

The Ctek is splash proof (IP65), but likewise, personally I tend to place it on top of one of the front tyres as far back as possible so it's raised off the ground in the case of heavy rain, but still hidden away under the wheel arch, and connect it to the vehicle with a Ctek extension if needed.

I don't tend to leave it on for more than one day/night, but since connecting it 2 weekends ago now, it's still sitting there happily all through the recent rain!

on all 4 FF's i've owned , i have never used a battery charger......am i missing something? ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
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I never used to either Stan, but then again the vehicle also used to get driven reliably at least once every 2 weeks, most commonly for a decent long motorway journey, which definitely kept the battery topped up nicely.

Since COVID, mine has only been moving a couple of times a month max as I'm no longer driving between London and Poole, and then typically only very short local journeys. I ensure the engine does get up to temp fully, but don't just keep driving for no reason to charge the battery. Given there is a constant drain with the alarm, various sensors, etc., even though many of the ECU's have shut down when locked, I decided I'd prefer to ensure I kept the battery fully charged, and so got a Ctek. Also very handy when playing with the IID tool.

I'd been meaning to get one for ages to keep the Series 1 and various boats charged up as well, so I'm happy to plug it into my L322 every few weeks if it hasn't been driven much, rather than risk the battery draining and needing replacing, as they don't like deep discharges.

Ever eith Gummi Phledge car door is frozen shut- I guess that’s what a bit of damp followed by -7 gets you ☃️☃️☃️B Geoff

Mine too Geoff. -7 here in Brizzle area. Lock froze too so couldn't close door without using the central locking button inside!

You can connect a Ctek charger in the boot area either directly to the 12V supply to the rear fuse panel or to a spare fuse position on the fuse board and an earth point. You can then pass a mains voltage cable into the boot area at either the extreme lhs or extreme rhs of the boot on top of the lower tailgate and close the upper tailgate without trapping the mains cable.
I have a charger permanently installed in the boot and simply pass a mains cable into the boot when required and plug the charger in.
The charger is then fully protected from the weather.
You just have to remember to remove the mains cable before driving off.

Or use a *very* long mains cable