Battery on MK3 low on power

this is the 12s lead and adaptor i made up for the disco , the ctek came with a free battery connector lead so can’t the ends off and made the plug lead up

can’t heatshrink it yet as it’s got to be fed through the body grommets first

got to sort out the bodge up that someone has done before and do it properly , where the black tape it , but will be a simple plug in

https://www.screwfix.com/p/bg-13a-2g-dp-switched-socket/67928

Dippypud said:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/bg-13a-2g-dp-switched-socket/67928

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this was the kind of box i’m going to fit , can keep the charger in the hallway then

lynall said:

That just sounds so wrong

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How very dare you

Just so there is no misunderstanding -----

I to connect mine straight to the batteyr via the grill socket.
Some cars for example my wifes audi you have to connect via the underbonnet jump start points and not direct to the bettery as the car has some sort of computerised battery management ecu super thing, so by charging via the jump start points the power goes through the ecu and the car knows the state of the battery charge, way to kin complicated!
Before i had the grill socket I just chucke the whole lot uner the bonnet and ran the cable out to the mains socket, that way its all secure, just make sure some tit cant trip over the cable and try and sue you!

Being a tight wad I made all the leads up myself, plus its also a jump start point and all of my landrovers have the same anderson plug set up, the charger then has an anderson plus sodlered to its leads, so its then plug in and walk off.

gstuart said:

hi

yes , another reason i’m installing a 12s socket to save messing around, intend to fit a small box on the front of the house and drill a hole through the wall, that way i don’t have to feed the extension lead through the letter box

will have the charger in the hallway , charger lead through the wall into the box, then outside undo the box and plug the extension lead in, there are plenty of small lockable boxes on ebay etc

currently making up a lead which i think is 4 m of the 7 x core cable as an extension lead , just bought the plugs and leads separately as it was a lot cheaper

yeh i know , i need to get out more, lol

may i ask what model ctek did u go for in the end plse

what model is ur D3 please , plus for ur rear towing cover u can get some clips that can be undone by hand to save u using a screwdriver

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In the end went for the mxs 5.0 as finances could quite run to the 7.0.

Like the sound of your plan must admit I was thinking if this works I was thinking about getting my stepson who is a sparky to run me a spur off our existing outside socket down to near where the car is parked so I can connect it up easily rather than running the charger off thr 30m extension lead that I have.

Have connected the battery up this morning, was really easy and had a very handy part of the body to connect the neg to. Only thing I did notice was that the charger went through stages 1 and 2 really quickly. Not sure if that’s because the neg was connected to the body of the car or a good sign.

Will have the towing plate cover off the back of the car next week and look to see if there is a 12 S socket there to use

I have a MK3 SE 06 plate.

Matt Hyde said:

In the end went for the mxs 5.0 as finances could quite run to the 7.0.

Like the sound of your plan must admit I was thinking if this works I was thinking about getting my stepson who is a sparky to run me a spur off our existing outside socket down to near where the car is parked so I can connect it up easily rather than running the charger off thr 30m extension lead that I have.

Have connected the battery up this morning, was really easy and had a very handy part of the body to connect the neg to. Only thing I did notice was that the charger went through stages 1 and 2 really quickly. Not sure if that’s because the neg was connected to the body of the car or a good sign.

Will have the towing plate cover off the back of the car next week and look to see if there is a 12 S socket there to use

I have a MK3 SE 06 plate.

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hi, same one i got , it will go through the stages according to the battery condition , u can of course use the recon setting if ur battery is getting old etc ,think it’s something to do with gassing the plates to get the crap off

indeed ref the 12s socket and just going to find it a lot easier being able to simply plug an extension lead in

i did connect mine to the neg and pos battery terminals, wonder if that’s to do with the later atm batteries etc , others will know more

don’t forget because i’m doing a the 12s conversion can easily help u if u get stuck

plse let us know how u get on

Although I only use an "old fashioned" no tricks battery charger occasionally, and then with a long mains lead and short 12 volt leads, there are a couple of factors which might be worth considering when you're trying to work out how you're going to install a useable charging system. Since I don't have a garage with mains electricity it's not something I worry about.
Obviously electrical safety is of prime importance followed by voltage drop on longer lines.
The most convenient way is to run a long mains cable to the vehicle from the garage and place the charger in the vehicle itself thereby maintaining the shortest possible low voltage leads to the battery. Many suppliers sell outdoor mains connection equipment (IP66) and by using the mains voltage, 240 VAC, you can run longer leads without any major problems. There is of course the safety aspect to consider, particularly damage to the cables and connectors should you drive over them or pull away without disconnecting the feed. Break away connectors can be found and fitted such as those used by fire services in their vehicle bays to mitigate that problem. Whenever you use a mains power feed out of doors, you should consider using a portable RCD at the feed end.
The safer way is to use the low voltage feed allowing for the charger system to be permanently installed in the garage but in addition to the first two problems of cable and connector damage which will always be present unless you're fortunate enough to have a wireless charging loop built into your driveway, there's also the difficulty of voltage drop along the length of the charger leads to overcome. This will require you to use a heavier gauge of wire, the rule of thumb being the longer the leads, the heavier the gauge of wire.
I would also advise that if you're going to use a low voltage system, DO NOT utilise standard mains fittings such as a 13 amp socket for low voltage connections. Find another type of plug and socket arrangement to avoid confusion.