Battery minder / tender?
 

I have to leave my X300 garaged in Melbourne for about 5 weeks during Jul/Aug and I'm concerned about the battery retaining enough cranking charge for when I return. Does anyone use a "battery minder" type of device? If so, are they effective & where can I buy one? There appears to be stacks of options available in the U.S. but I can't find much in Aus. I've seen the solar ones, but useless for me since the car is parked in the dark.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

I hear your problem. The US has several options that don't appear to be available here. But they are on eBay.
My car is a garage queen and can be 2/3 weeks parked,enough to drain the battery. I use a solar panel and have extended the 'lead' to it so it reaches from outside to the battery. Works for me.

I sure some one will have a more professional approach.
Neil

I installed one on my mothers xb falcon that kept going flat in between drives and it works a treat. Its a projector brand and was about $70 at super cheap auto.

Places like battery world also carry them as do repco etc. All these types require a 240 volt power point. Your other option is to remove the battery and take it home and just charge it before you go to collect the car. Even if you just take a battery cable off it will probably keep its charge over 5 weeks if its a decent battery and not too old.

Regards,
Jay

Thanks for your tips guys. The car will be in my garage at home so I could try the solar with extension, although I had the impression they weren't intended for exposure to the elements. I also wanted to keep the battery connected so the security system would be active, but if the battery goes flat I guess that would be out of action too!

Neil, is your solar device the type that plugs into the lighter socket?

Cheers,

No it's not. I brought it at supercheap (one of the better ones) I found that I could gently push the boot closed with the thin wires still attached. Never had an issue.
I tested the voltage from the panel to the full extent of the longer wires on an average slightly overcast day and it was 15volts...full sun was 19volts.

Battpack. Melbourne
 

Hi, I bought mine from Home,Battpack,Melbourne.
I have at least 4 registered vehicles and we very rarely use two at the same time. I phoned these guys,very helpfull. they did a custom kit to order.
1 trickle charger
2 harnesses to connect to vehicles permanently
1 ten metre extension so I can move it to all vehicles using the same wall socket
And I went to Jaycar and bought a pack of connectors and made more harnesses for the the other vehicles.
Works well.

I also use the harness from the bike battery as an accessory socket for a 12 volt lead light made with an indicator bulb and to run the gps.

:icon_twocents::icon_beerchug:

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Sounds like an impressive set-up Clarke, useful to know for the future.

As I'm leaving next week I went on the Vic site hoping to find out about any recommended product I could buy in Melbourne. On balance I think a visit to Supercheap might be the go at this stage. The main appeal of solar (providing the panel is OK outdoors) is safety, I'm a bit nervous to leave a 240v device plugged in and unmonitored for 5 weeks.

Thanks again for your input guys.

Cheers,

Trickle chargers
 

May be too late to respond but here you go. I have a couple of these in use. One is a ProjectA and the other CTEK. Both seem to work OK. The CTEK claims to be more sophisticated in looking after the battery, however in actual use I havent noticed a difference. Both are just the entry level devices and have kept two cars happy now for 3-4 years.

I prefer the ProjectA just due to ease of connection (you can permanently attach a connector to the battery so you dont have to mess with clips.

A bit of feedback on the battery minder:

I went ahead and bought the Supercheap solar device and left it connected up whilst away for 5 weeks (during which I believe it was very cold in Melbourne, even by our winter standards). The car was in my locked garage and I'd fitted an extended wire to the device so the solar panel was outside to pick up any weak rays that may have been around. To reduce battery drain I left the car itself unlocked and therefore without alarm. I did put my old "Krooklok" on the steering wheel though! Anyway, on returning I pulled the device off, jumped in and cranked the old girl up, and she burst into life. No sign of sluggishness from the battery at all. I'm putting this result down to the device as I'm sure the battery wouldn't have delivered a such an enthusiastic response without its help.

Cheers,